"As soon as I started writing the character's scenes, he came alive."

Bestselling author Sejal Badani on leveraging conflict between characters, learning to love self-promotion, and her moving new novel, THE SUN'S SHADOW

Check out the collection of past Words With (Author) Friends, wherein I g-chat with an author and you get to read over my shoulder, and order Sejal’s unflinching new novel, out now.

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Me: Hi, Sejal!

Sejal: Hi Andrea! How are you? Thank you so much for having me on!

Thanks for chatting with me! I'm doing well—how are you feeling a few weeks post-launch?

It's been so much fun. I forgot how busy it gets and everything that goes into the launch.

Absolutely! Well, a hectic launch is much better than a quiet one, I think.

Yes, definitely! :) This is my third time and everything has been so different but equally a wonderful experience.

Glad to hear it! To start, can you share what THE SUN'S SHADOW is about?

Absolutely. It's a story that has been in my head for a while. It's about two women who come together under very difficult circumstances and go from adversaries to partners, friends and eventually family. A quick synopsis: Celine’s life is unraveling. She’s in danger of losing her beloved equestrian farm and childhood home. Her
husband, Eric, grows more distant with each passing day, and now her young son, Brian, has been diagnosed with a life-altering illness. It feels like everything is slipping through her fingers.

Felicity has uprooted her career and teenage son, Justin, to be closer to Eric. She’s tired of keeping his secrets and is determined to get her happily ever after, even if it means confronting Celine. As their paths are about to collide, both women are forced to face difficult choices. Felicity must decide if the life she’s chasing is truly worth the cost, while Celine clings to the hope that someone, somewhere, can save her son. In a different world, Celine and Felicity might have been friends. But now, they must find a way to put the hurt between them aside—for the sake of their children and their own futures.

What was the inspiration for this story?

The story really draws on these two women who are both mothers, both career women, both fighting for their sons and their family. It's about finding strength in the hardest circumstances but also in each other.

I had heart surgery as a child and spent extended periods of time in the hospital. I met so many children fighting life-threatening illnesses, including cancer. Their fight and the hero that each and every one of them was left such a deep impression. As an adult, I both worked and volunteered in hospitals. Unfortunately, close friends and family members experienced loss of children and their experiences and stories really inspired me to write this story.

Interesting! How did you begin shaping a plot around those themes and first-hand experiences?