Anita Salzberg

When Anita Salzberg was growing up in Brooklyn in the 50s and 60s, she never imagined that she'd fall in love with a turtle lover from the Bronx who would fill their Manhattan apartment with hard-shelled creatures. Which goes to show that life and love can be inexplicably weird and if you're lucky, also wonderful. Nor could she anticipate that she and her husband, Allen, would work together (without getting divorced) on articles on turtles and horseshoe crabs for Ranger Rick, and on three children’s books for Franklin Watts: Predators!, Flightless Birds, and Turtles. Turtles has become the premier reference on the subject for grades 3 to 7 (ages 9 to 12).

Anita has also written for OMNI, Health, and the "Sunday" section of the New York Times Magazine, and has worked as direct response copywriter.

Her latest book, Confessions of a Turtle Wife, is the story of the unforeseen trials and tribulations and the unexpected surprises and pleasures that her husband's other passion has brought into her marriage and her life. Anyone with a hobby-addicted spouse will enjoy reading about how one woman has learned to laugh at and cope with her loved one's crazy obsession. Anita and Allen now live in Queens, New York, with three cats and (a paltry) 13 turtles, three of which are hers. You can contact Anita at anita@turtlewife.com

CONFESSIONS OF A TURTLE WIFE--
How some hard shells melted two hearts and led to love!
www.turtlewife.com.

 

Pageonelit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Anita Salzberg : I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Reading was a glorious refuge during childhood. I lugged home armloads of books from the library each week. A Wrinkle in Time, Johnny Tremain, and Island of the Blue Dolphins were three of my favorites. I was a lit major in college (S.U.N.Y. Binghamton), and began to write in my twenties when I landed a job as an advertising copywriter in a publishing house. After I met my husband, we both wrote for magazines and co-authored books for the children's library market.

 

Pageonelit.com: What is a “Turtle Wife” and what motivated you to write Confessions of a Turtle Wife? Have you met any other "Turtle wives" besides yourself?

Anita Salzberg : A "Turtle Wife" is a woman—or a man—whose spouse is obsessed with turtles. I was compelled to write this book. After my husband Allen joined the New York Turtle & Tortoise Society our new turtle-loving friends had live turtles in their homes and dead ones in their freezers. (Their veterinarians preserved the dead turtles' shells for them.) Allen refused to cook dinner for us, but he'd happily whip up special foods for his turtles. When Allen became the Turtle Society's "adoption chairperson," any New Yorker needing a new home for his or her pet turtle called us. They then showed up at our apartment toting their turtle(s). Allen spent hours with them discussing turtle care. I hid out in the bedroom. This situation was too hilarious not to write about.

 

 

Pageonelit.com: Do you share the same love for your turtles as your husband? What are the good and the bad for a turtle wife?

Anita Salzberg : Over time I came to care about turtles and now have three of my own. The good for this turtle wife: A trip to Provence, France to attend a turtle conference, with turtle-free side trips to Avignon, Nice, and the French Alps; vacations in St. Croix and Jupiter Beach, Florida to observe sea turtle rescue programs; and gaining an appreciation for these amazing creatures that have been on earth since the time of the dinosaurs. The bad? That would be two kinds of worms in the fridge, dead turtles in the freezer, tripping over turtles underfoot in the house, and being dragged into every last pet store we drive, walk, or jog past to see if they're selling turtles, to mention a mere four.

 

Pageonelit.com: What are the names of your turtles and how did the names come about? Where do the turtles live? Which turtles are your favorite and why?

Anita Salzberg : Many of our turtles' names reflect their physical attributes: Bitsy is a box turtle rescue whose shell behind her head was bitten (gnawed off really) by a dog; Shelly is a box turtle with gorgeous shell. Her shell markings, when wet, put me in mind me of miniature cathedral windows. Max (a female box turtle) was my favorite turtle and the "star" of my book. Allen loved the name Max and gave it to the first likely candidate.Max came to us as a ASPCA rescue with her shell cracked wide open. Today my favorite turtle is my African leopard tortoise, Taz.

Eight box turtles live in a turtle habitat we had built along one wall of our kitchen. Taz walks around the kitchen, as does one male box turtle. Two aquatic African mud turtles live in a 40-gallon fish tank in the dining room.

 

Pageonelit.com: Did your husband have much input in the writing of Confessions of a Turtle Wife?

Anita Salzberg : Funny you should ask. As I wrote, I questioned him repeatedly to make sure I was getting the biology and science correct. He read and reread chapters for me. His reading and responding to my work was at least as hard on our marriage as was dealing with turtles and turtle people.

 

Pageonelit.com: What has been your feedback from readers? What do they say to you about their interpretations of Confessions of a Turtle Wife? What do they like about the book?

Anita Salzberg : One said: "Your book is my life!" I love hearing from people who are excited by the similarities between "turtle wife-dom" and their own experiences in their football, golf, or other obsession-challenged relationships. Some have written to say they've been moved by this "magical" love story. ("Magical" is not how I define my marriage on days when Allen neglects to clean the turtle habitat in our kitchen!)

 

Pageonelit.com: Are you working on a follow up? Or something totally different?

Anita Salzberg : I'm collecting stories for an article (and perhaps a book) about how women and men manage when their significant other is passionately involved with a hobby: from ballroom and break dancing to history and politics to baseball coaching, motorcycle racing and more. I'll be adding a section of these hobby lovers' stories to www.turtlewife.com.

 

Pageonelit.com: What was the last book you read?

Anita Salzberg : Let's Don't Go to The Dogs Tonight, by Alexandra Fuller. I enjoyed this tightly written coming-of-age story in which understanding Africa was entwined with the author's self-understanding.

 

Pageonelit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing.

Anita Salzberg : My hobbies are reading, photography (friends, family, street and nature scenes, and turtles) and travel. I don't get nearly enough of the last. Taking a break from writing is vital to gaining distance and perspective.

 

Read Chapter 1 of Confessions of a Turtle Wife at www.turtlewife.com