Members Salon
ASJA Members discuss their lives as writers

Gina Roberts-Grey
Was there a particular moment when you knew you were a writer?

Eleven years ago, when I received my first check from a regional parenting publication. It amounted to pennies per-word, but being paid to do something I love was exhilarating. Thankfully, my per word rate has increased!

Career high point and career low point?

Low: Inadvertently sending an email intended for a friend to an editor I was trying to break in with. The catch: I put the editor's first name (which is unusual) in the subject and in the body proceeded to describe my frustration with this editor, and others: lack of response, knack for dragging on the approval process, etc. I discovered my error by accident while sorting out my sent folder about an hour later. Mortified, I called my friend for advice and help with the want ads. I was certain I'd "never work in this town" again.

High: Minor high point was a few hours later when the editor on the other end of my "slippery send finger" sent a gracious note back simply stating "I think you meant this for someone else." One of the biggest highs came about two weeks later when the same editor assigned me the first of more than two dozen articles I've done for her magazine in the past two years. I guess I was memorable.

Oddest person you've ever encountered through your reporting?

A woman with persistent genital arousal disorder who had to schedule our interview around her masturbating. No joke! She went on to tell me how many hours (an unbelievable amount) a day she worked to relieve her symptoms. I'll never forget that source, or the article. For me, the experience was one of a kind.

Most memorable story?

It's a tie. The persistent genital arousal story for obvious reasons. Also a profile on Larry King. It was a basic celebrity profile, but he was so refreshingly unexpected. I was quite nervous about interviewing someone who's made his living not just interviewing, but grilling the Who's Who of our generation. But he was so unaffected and charming. He later wrote a note to my editor praising my work on the piece. That act of kindness made my day!

From what work would you most like to remove your byline, and why?

I think, or at least hope, that I'm like a fine wine and getting better with age. On the rare occasion that I read something I wrote early in my career, or even a few years ago, I often think of something I wish I'd done differently. So I don't know that I'd remove my bio as much as I'd edit my work.

Was there a book that changed your life?

J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. I always was a voracious reader, but reading this in eighth grade (and then many times over) really solidified a life-long love affair with the written word.

What does it mean to you to be a writer?

I have a responsibility to report fairly and accurately. And to always remember that I'm incredibly fortunate to have the privilege of doing a job that I love every day. So many don't have that luxury.

More at www.ginaroberts-grey.com

Stephen Morrill
Was there a particular moment when you knew you were a writer?

Unlike most writers, I never wrote anything as a kid. Oh, I was always a pretty good writer; I got that from reading good books. But in 1982, the company for which I worked was doomed because it was incompetently run and I decided to work for myself. I approached the city magazine editor and she took me under her wing. By 1984, I was doing so many stories that it was hard to keep up with that and my fast-fading desk job and I quit the latter—a few weeks before that ship sank.

Career high point and career low point?

I'm not sure there were high or low points. But there certainly has been evolution. I've written everything from newsletters to magazine stories to news/journalism for Reuters, to books and book chapters in specialty books. Along the way I started an online writing school, www.WritersCollege.com and that's 11 years old now and still doing well. I transitioned into editing, with several city and business magazines and sections in national maritime magazines.

Was there a book that changed your life?

Every book I read changes me a little. And I read a lot of books, always have, from pre-kindergarten on. It's that, not formal education—though I had a lot of the latter, too—that made me a better writer and editor.

What did you do when you received notice of your first major publication?

Forget major. My first tiny publication was a short front-of-the-book article about the guy who built my canoe. I probably spent two weeks (part time) on this silly item and received $35, of which $5 was for the accompanying photo. So I sold my first story and my first photo from my first query. The thrill was indescribable, but I did realize that I needed to work on my time-management skills in this new career. I carried that check around for weeks, showing it to anyone who made the mistake of asking me "what's new?" and only reluctantly cashed it when it got pretty worn out. I wish I hadn't; I should have framed that check to hang over my desk. Nothing since has paid so little. Nothing since has been so memorable.

What's new in your writing life?

I have, for several years now, been trying fiction, both mysteries and fantasy, and thus far with no success. For almost 25 years I wrote from Florida but not about Florida. Travel simply didn't pay well. Now I can afford to write things that do not pay well, so I'm getting into more travel writing, with several books out and several Florida-travel websites and blogs, too.

What does it mean to you to be a writer?

It's a great job if you can stand the aloneness and if you can manage the business aspects of it. Few people can do either of those. Journalists also have a lot in common with the police, which is probably why there is such a love/hate relationship between them. We both do research, we both cover crime and all the other foibles of a complex society, and we both go everywhere and talk to everyone in pursuit of the truth.

Stephen Morrill is ASJA's Web editor. More at www.Stephen Morrill.com.

Linda Marsa
Was there a particular moment when you knew you were a writer?

I'm a child of the '60s and journalism provided a way of harnessing my personal skills—I'm incredibly nosy and can spend hours ferreting out obscure facts—in the fight for social justice.

Career high point and career low point?

Among numerous memorable moments in my career, I've been lucky enough to interview people who've made important contributions. Chief among them are Dr. Dennis Slamon, who discovered the life-saving breast cancer drug, Herceptin (I wrote the first story about this drug when it was in the first phase of human tests), Dr. Philip Landrigan, who has been in the forefront of battling for environmental protections for children for more than three decades, and Dr. Manual Patarroyo, a Columbian immunologist who devised the world's first vaccine for malaria.

Low point was in the midst of writing my first book. I had no idea what I was doing and was firmly convinced I was a total failure.

Oddest person you've ever encountered through your reporting?

Early in my career, I wrote about the decline of animation, which at that time was in a death spiral (which gives you an idea of how long ago that was!). While on assignment for the Los Angeles Times, I interviewed an animator who headed up a high profile boutique studio—and who shall remain nameless—who was dead drunk. Unbelievable!

Most memorable story?

Last year, I did a long Q & A interview for Discover with Laurie Santos, who studies monkey behavior at Yale. I joined her for a field expedition to a Lemur Preserve in Central Florida, near Sarasota. Working in an environment where I was surrounded by uncaged lemurs—who've become accustomed to humans—was, as they say, priceless.

From what work would you most like to remove your byline, and why?

Some of the stories I've done for women's magazines that were edited and milled to the point where they were unrecognizable and unreadable.

Was there a book that changed your life?

All the President's Men. I'm a Watergate baby and even with all the changes our profession is undergoing, I still think journalism is a noble calling that has the power to shine lights in the darkness, give voice to the voiceless, and transform society.

What did you do when you received notice of your first major publication?

I jumped around the room hooting and hollering for about five minutes. My dog thought I was nuts.

What does it mean to you to be a writer?

I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to do work that is meaningful, challenging, and satisfying, that uses all of my skills and requires me to be a better person.

More at www.lindamarsa.net