The next step was to find an experienced and dispassionate editor to provide an unbiased opinion. Jessica Carbino suggested Claire Wachtel. I googled her and immediately knew she would be perfect. Armed with two computers—one with the original 2,500-page journal and the other with the working draft—I flew to New York. Claire and I holed up for three long days, not breaking even for lunch, with her asking questions like: Can you pull an entry from the prom? Do you mind if we cut the piece on page 158? It reads just like the piece on page 245. Would Mallory’s boyfriend, Jack Goodwin, be willing to contribute his memories to the book as well?
I am grateful to Jack for capturing memories from the most difficult time and for providing a voice for Mallory when she could not speak. But most of all for loving my daughter.
Over those three days with Claire, her invaluable guidance helped me finalize the entries that would best structure a narrative arc. Claire had me meet with Richard Abate, the talented agent who presented the manuscript to Cindy Spiegel of Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Penguin Random House. I am grateful to Richard for his direction, understanding, and care in placing the book in the hands of someone who believed so strongly in it.
Meeting Cindy was magical. Not only did she say YES to publishing Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life, but she did the final careful edit. Cindy offered suggestions while respecting the integrity of Mallory’s writing, cutting only where necessary to strengthen its impact. I am grateful to her and to the entire team at Spiegel & Grau and Random House—Mengfei Chen, Tom Perry, Maria Braeckel, Barbara Fillon, Dhara Parikh, and Andrea DeWerd, among others—for all their work on the book and their thoughtful handling of a sensitive project.
Equally important was the proofreading team that that helped me review the final draft. In alphabetical order: Jack Goodwin, Eric Lax, Debra Sarokin, Meryl Shader, Mark Smith, Micah Smith, Ronit Stone, and Karen Sulzberger. I so appreciate their meticulous attention to detail.
Mark Smith, my husband and Mallory’s father, was part of every conversation—sometimes listening, sometimes leading, always supporting.
I’m deeply grateful to each of the people mentioned above for their part in bringing Mallory’s words to the world, and to everyone who helped make Mallory’s important but too-short life happier and more meaningful.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MALLORY SMITH, who grew up in Los Angeles, was a freelance writer and editor specializing in environmental issues, social justice, and healthcare-related communications. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University and worked as a senior producer at Green Grid Radio, an environmental storytelling radio show and podcast. Her radio work was featured on KCRW, National Radio Project, and State of the Human. She was a fierce advocate for those who suffered from cystic fibrosis, launching the viral social media campaign Lunges4Lungs with friends and raising more than $5 million with her parents for CF research through the annual Mallory’s Garden event. She died at the age of twenty-five on November 15, 2017, two months after receiving a double-lung transplant. Mark and Diane established Mallory’s Legacy Fund at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in memory of their beloved daughter.
saltinmysoulbook.com
Facebook.com/MallorySmithAuthor
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