Finally! It’s time! Back in January, when ice and snow buried Nashville, Susie Orman Schnall kindly sent me an early copy of her latest novel. I ripped through Anna Bright is Hiding Something—and I can’t wait to share it with you!
All five of Susie’s novels revolve around determined women—some stories set in the present, others in the past. She’s inspired by a setting—like the 1939 New York World’s Fair (We Came Here to Shine)—or a cultural topic—like work-life balance (The Balance Project). Then she “inserts ambitious women into those scenarios and watches them get to work, pursuing their personal and professional dreams and tossing huge challenges in their way.”
Anna Bright is Hiding Something
Anna Bright Is Hiding Something, which arrived in the world this week, shines the spotlight on female company founders. If you were as fascinated with the Elizabeth Holmes-Theranos disaster as I was, this is a book you will enjoy.
Anna Bright is the brilliant, will-stop-at-nothing young founder of BrightLife, a California startup preparing to introduce the revolutionary BrightSpot, a biosensor intraocular lens. Jamie is a rising journalist at BusinessBerry who reports and writes on startups and senses flaws in Anna’s pursuit of leading her company toward an Initial Public Offering.
I adore a good story combined with interesting facts and information, and this novel WAS ALL THAT. Without being heavy-handed, it introduces readers to the ins and outs of an IPO, seed money, verticals, company cultures, and the obstacles women face when seeking venture capital money.
To research this novel, Susie studied the world of female founders and journalists through various sources. Plus, “I absorbed a lot of the lingo and information by overhearing my husband on conference calls for the last almost 30 years,” she laughs.
During Susie’s first several drafts of the novel, she “had character Anna innovating in the home automation space.” But Susie found the concept “boring,” and “it just didn’t work.” While poring over the Internet, she read about all the reasons Google Glass failed, and her creative light bulb turned on. She carried the smart glasses concept several technological steps further and created Anna’s product—albeit inconceivable, for now—the intraocular lens.
Word For 2024
Like her characters, Susie is a determined, ambitious woman and, for the past few years, has selected a word for the year. 2024’s word, commitment, means “staying dedicated to and focused on the things she’s going big on during the year: her health and wellness, relationships, marriage, career.” Staring at the word—posted on her bathroom mirror—as she brushes her teeth or hair is a constant reminder that she must work for the things she desires. She must commit.
Everesting
Requiring loads of commitment, Susie can proudly proclaim that she successfully Everested—twice. The 29029 Everesting Challenges require participants to hike the equivalent elevation of Mt. Everest—29,029 feet. During the grueling events, Susie climbed smaller mountains in Vermont and Whistler, rode the gondola back down to the starting points, and climbed back up the hills again—over and over for 36 hours.
Equal parts physically, mentally, and spiritually challenging, the events “were huge turning point accomplishments for me,” she says.
Later this year, after her book tour winds down, Susie will walk three trail marathons in over three 12-hour days at a similar event in Lake Tahoe, California. Despite breathtaking lake and mountain views, the course is still demanding and punishing to those brave—and committed—enough to face it.
Her New Thing
So … this accomplished woman writes novels, is a mom to three boys, and trains for backbreaking hikes. I almost felt silly asking Susie to “name something new she’s done or discovered lately.” But she smiled and replied that she is taking knitting classes at a cute shop near her Westchester County, New York home. “So far, I’ve only knitted a lumpy scarf, but I’m proud of it!” she says.
Photos courtesy of Susie Orman Schnall
Other stories you may enjoy: A woman who walked the Camino, tipping tips, cataract surgery, pickleball, and what is your IT?