▁ 1 9 9 3 , ▁she ▁decided ▁to ▁purs ue ▁fre el ance ▁journal ism . ▁She ▁began ▁writing ▁as ▁a ▁journalist ▁for ▁national ▁publications ▁including ▁the ▁Toronto ▁Star , ▁Mac lean ' s ▁magazine , ▁Canadian ▁Living , ▁the ▁National ▁Post , ▁Re ader ' s ▁Dig est , ▁Hom em akers ▁and ▁Today ' s ▁Parent , ▁and ▁was ▁published ▁as ▁Sh elly ▁Sand ers ▁Gre er ▁in ▁most ▁of ▁her ▁newspaper ▁and ▁magazine ▁articles . ▁ ▁After ▁ 2 0 ▁years ▁of ▁fre el ance ▁writing , ▁Sand ers ▁wrote ▁her ▁first ▁novel , ▁Rach el ' s ▁Secret , ▁an ▁historical ▁fiction , ▁published ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 2 ▁by ▁Second ▁Story ▁Press . ▁The ▁plot ▁followed ▁her ▁grand m other ' s ▁journey ▁from ▁Imperial ▁Russia ▁to ▁Shang hai ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 0 0 s , ▁and ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁in ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁three ▁stories . ▁Rach el ' s ▁Secret ▁received ▁a ▁Star red ▁review ▁in ▁Book list ▁Rach el ' s ▁Secret ▁was ▁also ▁an ▁i T unes ▁Book ▁of ▁the ▁Week , ▁May ▁ 1 0 – 1 7 . ▁ ▁Rach el ' s ▁Secret ▁begins ▁with ▁the ▁K ish ine v ▁P og rom ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 3 ▁and ▁reve als ▁life ▁for ▁Russian ▁Jews ▁at ▁this ▁time , ▁living ▁under ▁the ▁last ▁Ts ar . ▁The ▁story ▁also ▁has ▁a ▁Russian ▁protagon ist , ▁Serge i , ▁who ▁starts ▁out ▁as ▁anti - S