Waiting for Dawn

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My Friends-

I have some news to share, and I am bringing it to this community first. For over six months you all have encouraged me along this uncertain journey of mine. You have cheered me on, sent me Long COVID articles and advice, and financially supported my recovery by paying for these weekly dispatches. I am so very grateful, which is why I want you all to be the first to know. . .

I WROTE ANOTHER BOOK!

In less than a year, you’ll be able to hold a copy of Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty. If you’ve been here for a minute, you know I don’t shy away from the heavy stuff–my mother’s illness and death, infertility, adoption, my cousin’s disappearance and murder, the loss of my mother-in-law, and most recently my battle with Long COVID have all been top of mind and tender of heart. But our time here together has also held just as much levity, especially in moments that have felt uncertain. When you are stuck in a situation that upends your life, with no set of instructions or clarity for how to move forward, I want you to reach for this book. Similar to Grief is Love, I don’t offer a roadmap for living well with uncertainty, but more of a compass. At its core, this book is about hope and how hope can propel us forward during hard times. In addition to my own experiences, I’ve included extensive research and data to support the parts of the book that focus on how to make living with uncertainty easier. I am so excited for you to read it!

This book is nearly done, and that is a testament to the fact that magic and miracles really do exist in this broken world. Everything in my life said, “This is impossible. You can’t write a book and manage Long COVID at the same time.” But honestly, I never once considered giving up. Instead, I gave myself permission to fail, permission to move at my own pace, permission to focus first and foremost on my health, and permission to ask for a lot of help. I knew I had things to say that mattered and could help people, so I simply decided to trust that it would get done.

I talk a lot here about supporting the people you love, and I could not have written this book without the people in my life. There are the obvious folks like Allison and Amina who manage this newsletter when I am too sick to do so, my husband, and my amazing publisher and book editor, Krishan Trotman! But then there are the less obvious supporters: my neurologist who administered Botox for the headaches that were keeping me exhausted, our nanny Julianna and her sister Carmella who both took on extra Bennett care so I could write, and my early readers who ensured I did not spend a single second in front of a computer that was unnecessary. This book would not exist without them–or you! Truly, I am nothing without my people.

If you are trying to do something that matters to you while living through something that feels truly impossible, I want you to know that my first book, Grief is Love, took 14 years from idea to book launch, with a lot of grief in between. This stubborn girl wrote her first book with a newborn on her lap and second from her bed with a pesky virus. So if you have something to share that can help others, a book, a product, a service, whatever, cling to faith, whatever that looks like for you, and stay committed.

With gratitude and love,

Marisa

PS: For real, my editor Krishan has been an amazing source of support and encouragement. Without her there would be no Grief is Love and certainly no Waiting for Dawn. Please subscribe to her new Substack, Word Count!