How To Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay got a starred review from Library Journal! (Starred reviews are rare as hen’s teeth and denote a “book of distinction” and I’ve only gotten a few in my life so I am literally am sitting here with the biggest dumb smile on my face and thought I would share.)
And in other library-related news…last weekend I spoke at a beautiful library in Bryan, Texas and I had a anxiety attack just before. Victor had come with me and when I started to panic he was like, “These people are all here because they want to see you, so why are you panicking?” and I was like, “But what is the likelihood that everyone is only here because they’re mad at me and they are just waiting until I go on the stage to yell at me about how I have personally wronged them in some way?” And Victor stared at me for a second and then was like, “Small. That likelihood is small, you absolute nut. But I did see someone handing out rotten tomatoes in the hall so…?” and then I laughed for a second and then immediately felt even more terrified because anxiety doesn’t always understand rational thought and so I ran away and hid in the stacks to calm down. And I overheard another person who was telling her partner that she thought she was too anxious to go watch me talk and that weirdly gave me the encouragement to go back in because THESE NEUROTIC WEIRDOS ARE MY PEOPLE…but first I posted this on instagram: Dear person I just passed by who is feeling too scared to go listen to the talk I’m doing in 10 minutes: I only know you’re panicking bc I’m currently hiding in the stacks waiting for my own anxiety to pass. You are in the right place, friend.
And it ended up being such a fun and supportive time and later I got pictures of the event and this one is my second favorite because I look fairly self-assured and confident but look at my feet because why are they levitating?
Answer: When I’m really nervous my body sometimes stiffens up to the point that I’m pretty sure a slumber party could lift me up in a light-as-a-feather-stiff-as-a-board-sort-of-way I would still remaining in the seated position and that’s a little embarrassing but also I’m choosing to focus on the fact that I’m showing a surprising amount core-strength for someone who hasn’t done a full sit-up in 25 years.
And at the end the library director took a picture of the packed room for their social media, and I asked if we could also do one where everyone in the audience was super pissed at me because it was literally what I’d imagined in my anxiety attack and everyone immediately turned angry-villager in the best way.
Afterward I stayed to sign books and three separate people thanked me because they thought they were the person that I’d seen panicking earlier and I sort of love this because clearly all three people were having the same panic attack I was and all of us thought we were the only ones, and I think it just goes to show how very not alone we are even when we feel at our most alone.
I just looked down and saw the adhd pill that I clearly forgot to swallow this morning and I apologize because this probably explains why there are even more run-on sentences than normal.
YOU ARE SO AWESOME!!! Thank you for being you!
You are a nut.
A wonderful nut.
A years’ old study asked people what their #1 fear was. Surprisingly, the #2 fear was death. The all-around #1 fear is public speaking. So, people would rather die than get up and speak in public . . .
You aren’t the only one – which you proved.
You’re my hero (She-ro)?
Brave doesn’t mean you’re not afraid, it means you’re scared and you do it anyway.
BRAVA JENNY !!!
Yip! Look at all those adoring, reading fans. Have you ever thought about coming to Palm Springs? We have a wonderful library (currently being gutted and remodeled) and a great independent bookstore—The Best Bookstore-and they both do author stuff. Even the Plaza Theatre (just rehabbed and reopened last month) has fab guests. There are so many goofballs here that would love to see and hear you.
PS: Really cute shoes!
Oh … congratulations on your spectacular and well-deserved review! You have four or five books that I know of, so if you have ‘a few’ such reviews, you’re a star, which we already knew
Can’t wait to receive my copy
Hugs,
SuzyQ
Knowing that other people understand the panic attacks, and are also having them, but choose to do the things that bring these panic attacks on anyways, gives me strength to face my panic attack monsters. Of course, my autonomic instability disorders, autoimmune disorders, on top of my panic attacks, and severe menopausal symptoms all like to interchangeably fuck me up in the worst way in public places. So if you see someone sweating, shaking, looking like they’re going to pass out, trying to put their head between their knees, or put their feet up above their heart, or trying to hide, and like they’ve just seen a ghost, and getting cranky, or saying they’re okay, when they’re clearly not, it just might be one of us strangelings struggling to make through to the next moment until it passes. Solidarity forever! We’re all in this together!
OMG, I LOVE this SO MUCH!!! I quite literally laughed out loud at the Instagram post. And your conversation with Victor. Thank you for being your wonderfully neurotic weirdo self!
Love,
Neurotic weirdo me
Jenny darling, as a former public library employee I want to assure you that a public library audience is the very last place you would find anybody there for any other reason except that they love you and want to hear what you say.
And congratulations on the starred book review!
We love you because we are you.
you go, jenny. Did I miss the launch date for the book??
(No, it’s not until the end of March. These are the reviews that come out before so libraries and bookstores can get an idea of whether or not to order a copy. 🙂 ~ Jenny)
Jenny, you are amazing! I’m so proud of you for doing the thing, and helping others do the thing, even when the panic is trying to beat you.
On the levitating feet, it might have been one of those moments of enthusiasm (look at your face and hands!) that just takes you UP, you know what I mean? If not, no worries – we let your core have it’s moment.
It’s so good to be in your tribe, Jenny. I love you and your people! I can’t wait to see you again, and I promise – no tomatoes!
Yup everybody hates you lol (j/k they ADORE you!!!). Don’t you know that library people are the friendliest most wonderful bunch of people in the world. And librarians are even better? I’m a librarian by training (have worked in both special and public libraries) so I do admit I’m a bit biased. If you ever come up to MD/DC way I’d love to hear you speak and get an autographed copy of your book. Big hugs!
Why do I always cry when I read your posts even when they are such happy news? Anyway, the tears feel good and I’m so glad you and everyone had a wonderful time, including myself because now I feel like I was there, too.
You look like you’re levitating because you, my friend, are made of magic!
So proud of you!
Lisa
YOU are NOT ALONE! You said it girlfriend. GOOD JOB! Love you.
I grew up in the Bryan Public Library. It was my escape and my solace for years. I wish so badly I could have been there to see you in the place that saved me from my own depression time and again, but I’m thrilled you had the appreciative audience you very much deserved.
Great that you fought anxiety and kicked its big ass! Well done indeed, Jenny!
You’re just the bestest. Sending love and hugs from Maryland. Xoxo
So happy for you!!!!!
Jenny, I was there on Saturday, and you were great! I had to switch my volunteer shift at the GHW Bush Museum from Saturday to Sunday (and had to get my husband to agree since we volunteer together) to go to hear you. It was so worth it! You were everything I had been anticipating and more. I told my daughter who lives in Japan that I was going to hear you speak. She was jealous because she introduced me to your blog and books. I am planning to buy your new book for my younger daughter who suffers from mild anxiety (and collects animal bones and skeletons plus her friends’ wisdom teeth and displays them in a curio cabinet). Thank you for taking the time to drive to College Station to speak to all of us.
First, it appears there are very few angry villagers in the picture, and those that are “angry” should not apply for crowd scenes calling for angry villagers. Second, why is there an empty seat?
You are so brave! I’m so proud of you for always moving forward through your anxiety.
I don’t understand why you have to take silly pills we love you with out pills probably even more because you are then a100% you that when you takes those silly pills trust me embrasse your quirky personality it what makes you YOU!!! AND REMEMBER MOST Genius where well quirky from Einstein who was dyslexic to Edgar Allen poe who was afraid of being buried alive. So you are in good company and we love ❤️ you the way you are and bravo for your well earned reviews 👏 👍 😀 🙌 👌 but I am not at all surprised now the world will discover the wonderful you !!!
Congratulations on your latest starred review. {giant smile and hug}
I know (in theory) that I’m not alone but your gift is that you always make me FEEL that I’m not alone. ❤️
I can’t wait for the book to come out. I really wish you could come up here somewhere in the Kentucky/Indiana/Tennessee area.
Congratulations on your starred review Jenny!!!!<3 I'm hoping to order a hard cover copy of each of your books so I can ask for them signed in funny ways by you. I have soft covers but would like hard covers to keep. You are my favorite author and I have never gotten an author's signature on a book I love before. But it gets expensive since I live in Canada. So hopefully I will be able to start ordering them from you soon!
Where can I get your book asap???????😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Cute shoes. Where are they from, if you don’t mind
The Library review is AMAZEBALLS!!!!! Congrats! And the before and first few minutes of every meeting I have to run are the worst for me too. And what keeps me from doing a book signing is that fear that no one will show up! It looks like you did great!
(ps. I found a small purple pill on the floor the other day. could be the reason my thyroid numbers were high…)
Oh my gosh Jenny, I wish I could be at one of your ‘in person’ readings or library events, but I’m from Michigan. If I could be there in person, I would definitely be crying and trying to get myself under control just to join the event. I actually got to your book store last Jan. 2025 and one of your staff helped me, but I had a hard time keeping it under control even then and it was just one of your staff. You have such good things to say to help all of us out during whatever we are going through. Thank you so much. You are very loved! And Victor, oh my goodness, what an awesome guy! You keep it up girlfriend!
finding out that we are not alone, not the only ones feeling *this way*, it helps so much! i’m glad you were able to overhear the other person panicking as well.
(whatever *this way* happens to be at the moment: panicking, depressed, suicidal, paranoid, agoraphobic, and all the other things our not-cooperating brains throw at us)
Thank you for sharing, Jenny! It’s such a help knowing we’re not alone. Looking forward to reading your new book!
Oh Jenny! I am SO VERY HAPPY about this!!!! So much of what you put out into the world is EXACTLY what I need to hear EXACTLY when I need to hear it!!! What you share about yourself is SO familiar and relatable to my experiences with being a jacked-up, “so sensitive” person (which my mother always told me I was when I was growing up and still to this day — her description of me was NOT a compliment — it was made very clear to me at an early age that being “so sensitive” was bad and I needed to change that about myself), and I might be just a bit neurotic, empathetic, and dorky…..Thank you again and again for being YOU and sharing yourself with us. I feel SO much less alone. I have a very supportive husband (of 40 years) and daughter (35 years old) and soon to be son-in-law — social worker covered in awesome tattoos — and GrandDog Nala who all take me as just as I am. Really Good News for me AND I FINALLY believe that it is OK for ME to be ME!!! I wish you so much joy on this journey. You deserve every star review out there! ⭐🩵⭐🩵⭐🩵
First, congratulations on your Hen’s Teeth! Really remarkable! Honestly, I’m so happy and it makes me more excited for the book.
Second, maybe little library ghosts were acting as foot rests for you because they know how you like to use the side door pocket in Victor’s car and wanted to make you feel welcome!
Reading your blog today has uplifted my countenance.
♥️
I love this so much! Very much reminds me of my experience meeting you during the You Are Here book tour. It feels incredibly comforting to realize that you aren’t the only one panicking right then (and years later I’m sooo glad I didn’t run out of the bookstore like I’d wanted to!).
You are so awesome! So brave, for real!!!
I don’t know you, but I love you. It always makes me feel better to learn there are other people out there that understand my anxiety. It does help me feel less alone, and I thank you for that. ❤️
Congratulations on the new book and hens teeth! Looking forward to reading it.
For whatever reason, this post made me tear up (in the good way!). You are a beautiful gift of a human in a crazy world. Never stop being precisely who you are!❤️
Run on Baby, run ON 🥰
God, I love the part about realizing that none of us are alone in our feelings. Thank you so much for saying that.
And run-on sentences are, in my mind, what you sound like when you talk, so I’m very fond of them popping up in your writing. ❤️
I just learned from my therapist that what I thought was social anxiety is actually hypervigilance from my shitty childhood. The rest of my anxiety is just “normal” anxiety. Bless you for making me feel like I’m OK when I’m clearly not.
so happy for your early success on the new book! Thank you for sharing your anxiety story…
Sometimes the brain grenades are too big to deal with alone. I’m glad Victor was there, that a group of nuts with their own brain grenades all managed to make it and support you and each other. I wish I was there, but of course I wouldn’t never have gone. So all of ya’ll are braver than me.
You are one of my favourite people because you kind of radiate safety that way becuase you’re so authentic.
I had the sort of day that would make a tougher chapter in one of your books and imagining writing it down the way you do really helped me today to be able to laugh at it. The highlight was me nearly crashing my car becuase I saw a corgi with FLOPPY ears – thats like seeing a unicorn.
Is it too late to order a personalized copy of the book? The only thing that I could possibly look forward to reading more than How to be okay when nothing is okay would be a random thing you wrote for me in the book
Great
I loved seeing how genuinely thrilled the author is about her book How To Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay getting a rare starred review — you can practically feel that big smile through the words. And the bit about speaking at a library and dealing with anxiety honestly made me smile too — it’s such a real, unfiltered moment that I think a lot of us can relate to. Makes me want to support my own local library more!
Overture! Curtain! Lights! – late but sincere