Books that arrive when we need them

And how to write those books for others

When I am about to publish a book, the voices of self-doubt whisper incessantly in my head. Have I done enough? Is it any good? Even with professional proofreading, have we found all of the glitches? Could I choose stronger verbs?

These thoughts can drive authors to distraction-even people like me that know intellectually to trust the process.

In the days before publishing Get the Word Out, similar thoughts and doubts swirled in my head. Then my library sent a notification that a book I’d requested months earlier was now available.

The book? The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown.

It was precisely the book that I needed at that moment. Even the title gave me peace.

Receiving gifts from the celestial librarians

My rational mind doesn’t believe in signs from the universe. But sometimes, I imagine that a celestial librarian sends me books, blog posts, and articles at the precise moment I need them.

These gifts arrive from many sources, beyond the actual library.

• Off-hand recommendations by friends
• A blog post or book review that rolls through my social media…