In LAST night’s book-publication anxiety dream, I could NOT make clear phone contact with my editor Sarah Crichton, publisher of Sarah Crichton Books, an imprint of Farrar Straus & Giroux. Static filled the line, and there was a roar of background noise in the college hallway in which I stood. I stepped outside to try to hear her better, but her voice was breaking up and the line crackled; a strong wind blew, loudly shaking the trees. I jammed the phone into my ear and covered my other ear, as her words seemed important but beyond my reach. I thought I heard her mention John Kerry and, desperate to hold up my end of the conversation and somehow impress her, I breezily dismissed him: “Oh, John Kerry! well HE went nowhere.”
For the first time I heard Sarah’s voice clearly, as she said: “Walk into any bookstore in the world, pull down a book by or about John Kerry, and you’ll see it was published by Sarah Crichton Books.”
That wasn’t true, but that was the end of another night’s sleep.
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When on stage in high school as a (bad) actress, the night before a performance I would dream that I forgot my lines. Of course I never did. Anxiety is such a slippery mind snake, and it seems to somehow be able to slither its way into the very remotest parts of our psyche. Sometimes waking up is such an awesome relief. Everybody who read There Is No Me Without You is salivating to open your new release, and I am sure would do whatever they had to do to get a ticket to see you speak. Thank you for writing and sharing your life’s experiences. You are a gift, Melissa! Go to sleep tonight knowing your readers are grateful. Rest well.
He sure does have a lot of teeth, doesn’t he? That photo makes ME anxious…. that he’s going to find me and bite me.
(Hope the anxiety fades soon…. I’ve just ordered the new book and cannot WAIT to read it. Hurry up, Amazon!)
So excited to hear you speak in Los Angeles! Can’t wait to read your new book! Love the new website and your recent article is so insightful. Janet