The weeks just before and after a book come out are crazy-making time. Strangers read your book and the past three years of your life are suddenly open, flipped through and judged. These are the weeks when I wake up at 4 a.m. These are the weeks when my head spins.
I get sick on roller coasters (see item 3) and that goes for the emotional roller coaster that is publishing, too. So I grab at the things that steady me. Sometimes it’s a saltine cracker. This week it was a note from a reader, who, next to her name, wrote “AKA Mrs. Martin Zirkle.” A single reader. Not enough to put our book on the best seller list. But enough to help me shake off the crazy-making stuff and focus. Enough to help me remember why I write in the first place.