Randye Sundel
Author ~ Singer ~ Lyricist ~ Storyteller
About Randye
Randye Sundel believes it is never too late to do the things you love, and she is living loud. Having deferred her dreams as an actor/singer for decades to be a caregiver for her brother, parents, and husband, she is now focused on making an impact as a writer, speaker, lyricist, and performer.
She has been interviewed on The Broken Pack podcast: Sibling Loss and Love Beyond Death, and on the podcast Coffee & Grief. Randye’s upcoming novel, Role of a Lifetime, based on her life experience, explores the depths of sibling loss, identity, guilt, and how that grief reverberates throughout every aspect of the lives of sisters and brothers left behind.
Her published essays appear in The Modern Love Styles section of The New York Times, the anthology, Grief Like Yours, and The Peregrine Literary Journal on Caregiving.
A born and bred New Yorker who now calls Danbury, Connecticut home, Randye lives with her British-born husband who rues what we’ve done to the English language. In addition to reading, Randye’s passions include theater, travel, and barre fitness classes. She enjoys making music, conversation, and dinner reservations.
Work in Progress
“Role of A Lifetime” explores what happens when a young woman is taught to protect and care for family without regard for her own needs and survival.
Publications
Orignially published in New York Times, Modern Love
Discovering My Dying Husband’s Deceit
When I married my husband, Bob, in 1974, we never discussed who would handle our money. He was earning considerably more than me, and he was a man. Decision by default. It was the relationship my parents modeled to no ill effect. Bob was a wonderful provider, and we enjoyed a life of privilege. In 2015, after decades of my caregiving for his serious medical crises, Bob died from liver disease. Mere months before his death, though, I had made a shocking discovery. Bob had depleted much of our financial investments and retirement account. He had ballooned our home equity loan to hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain our house and lifestyle when he was no longer earning. Responsibility for betraying me — leaving me with substantial debt — lies with Bob. Choosing financial ignorance over advocacy? That is on me.
“To Wed or Not To Wed” is a story about a challenge a blind date poses to a young New Yorker to trust her gut and choose between love and marriage or love of life on the stage.
“Once Upon A Mattress” is a story about an older widow overcoming fear to open up herself to the possibility of a new love.
Get in Touch
randye@randyesundelwrites.com