Suzanne Schlosberg’s writing career began her freshman year in college, when she was assigned to cover a pre-season NBA game and found herself in a locker room interviewing a dozen tall, muscular, naked Boston Celtics. She decided she liked this writing stuff.

Suzanne went on to become a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News and a senior editor at Shape magazine. Now a freelance magazine writer in Los Angeles, Suzanne is the coauthor, with Liz Neporent, of Fitness for Dummies (Second Edition, 1999) and Weight Training for Dummies (Second Edition, 2000) and the author of The Ultimate Workout Log (Second Edition, 1999). Next up: Fitness for Travelers: Your Ticket to First-Class Shape (2001).

Suzanne is an avid collector of books about the O.J. Simpson trial, with 42 titles to date. She will pay up to $10 for pro-prosecution hardcovers but no more than $5 for any pro-defense volume.

Always happy when she has a barbell in hand, Suzanne has lifted weights in Zimbabwe, Morocco, Iceland and Micronesia, among other locales. She is the women’s record holder in the Great American Sack Race, a quadrennial event held in Yerington, Nevada, in which competitors must run 5 miles while carrying a 50-pound sack of chicken feed. The 22-inch trophy remains her crowning, and only, achievement in the realm of fitness competition. Suzanne is also a mediocre cyclist, who races for Velo Club La Grange Westwood.

Although Suzanne cycles about 200 miles a week, she makes her daily half-mile trip to Starbucks in her sport-utility vehicle.

The Supporting Cast

Suzanne is lucky enough to have the encouragement of her small but loud family. The key players:

Grandma Ruth. At age 85, Grandma Ruth was still traversing the freeways of Los Angeles in her Oldsmobile, delivering court documents as a law-firm messenger. Now 89, she has given up driving and smoking, allowing more time for her primary hobbies: playing Scrabble and criticizing her eight grandchildren, who love her anyway.

Grandma Honey. Having purchased her first computer at age 86, Grandma Honey, now 89, recently upgraded to a tangerine iMac. Known for speaking her mind, Grandma Honey stood up at the wedding of Suzanne’s cousin Michelle and said, "Well, at least one of my grandchildren will be married before I’m dead."

Grandpa Julius. At age 89, Grandpa Julius enjoys discussing the NASDAQ, the Los Angeles Lakers and the dosages of his laxitives and diuretics. He has never missed an opportunity to belittle a busboy ("he don’t know his ass from his elbow") or insult a valet parking attendant ("he thinks his shit don’t stink").

Carl Schlosberg. A connoisseur of flowers, fine art and rare antiques, Suzanne’s father thinks on a grand scale but also is attentive to the smallest details. He is an optimist, a gambler and, above all, a man who never lets a little work get in the way of a vodka in the garden.

Judy Schlosberg. When Suzanne went off to college, her friends wondered why she raved about the dorm food. "Because it’s so much better than my mother’s," Suzanne replied. Judy can’t poach an egg, but she can analyze a profit-and-loss statement and quote the P/E ratio of any pharmaceutical stock.

Jennifer Schlosberg. Suzanne’s sister is a graphic designer who specializes in custom booklets for weddings and other occasions. She is engaged to actor John Lehr, who played Christina Applegate’s long-haired brother in the godawful and now-defunct NBC sitcom, "Jesse." Jen and John are currently working to reduce their wedding guest list to the triple digits. Tickets will be on sale at Ticketmaster soon.

Who's Responsible for this Site

I'd like to thank my brilliant friend and editor Nancy Kruh, who conceived the idea for this site and forced me to execute it. I'd also like to thank my talented designer, Adam Mordecai, of Plaid Cow Web Designs.