At a book critics’ lunch, I reconnected with someone from my very first publishing job—without realizing it at first. What came back to me was a quiet moment of encouragement that stayed with me far longer than she probably knew.
"Oh, so you’re the one all the writers are afraid of!"
That wasn’t how I saw my role at all. In fact, the idea had never crossed my mind. Suddenly, I felt like a great big monster with no idea how ugly he is until people start screaming and running away.