My focus as an editor is to find the essence of the story and make sure it shines with its own natural rhythm and style. As a writer I seek clarity, truth and humor.

As both a writer and editor, I look for the heart of a story—its rhythm, purpose, development and of course the style in which it is told. My task is to keep the best of all this intact while eliminating the rest so that the story can emerge even more clear and strong.

Writers create characters and plots, moods and drama from nothing and then put it all in order—a daunting creative challenge — I admire writers tremendously.

I’ve worked an editor at magazines, newspapers and websites; I’ve also edited books and have written several books. But I believe what makes me a good editor is that I read a lot and have eclectic taste. I’m happy reading about the history of the Spanish flu, any P.D. James mystery, Mick Herron spy thrillers, Willa Cather novels, W Somerset Maugham, Toni Morrison, James McBride, David Sedaris, Colson Whitehead…

The two cities I’ve lived in the longest are New York and Los Angeles.  I have a B.A from Sarah Lawrence College.

Family Lore

I grew up outside of Lambertville, New Jersey which is on the Delaware River not far from Princeton. My father, Jules Gregory, was an architect of note in that area and won many awards for his designs and also his urban planning work in the ’60s and ’70s. My mother, Nancy Shippen Bangert Eyerly, grew up in Pleasantville, New York—she was a gardener and a reader. Here is a cool story about my father when he was building the house I grew up in.

My father’s father, Julius Gregory, was an architect of note in New York. During World War I he painted camouflage designs on war ships. My great-grandfather, Eugene Gregory, was mayor of Sacramento and left that town under mysterious circumstances—later turning up in New York as some kind of patent professional.

My mother’s father, Dr. George Schuyler Bangert, died of influenza while caring for patients in the Spanish flu epidemic. He was a Shippen, an old Pennsylvania family, many of whom were enslavers. I am actively researching this family history and its consequences. Dr. Bangert’s wife was Elizabeth Hartshorn Parker, who became a widow at a young age with two young daughters.  I have beautiful silverware that she stopped using the day her husband died. This family line lived primarily in northern New Jersey, particularly in the cities of Orange and East Orange.

My grandmother, Lovrein Price Gregory, was an illustrator and painter who kept a diary when she sailed to France to study art in 1930 (leaving her husband and young sons at home). I have this diary next to my bedside—it’s fascinating reading.

For more information, contact me here.