Centerville author publishes book inspired by 50 years of journal entries

Roberta Wirth-Feeney is a resident of Centerville. She graduated from Mariner High School in White Bear Lake in 1974. At the young age of 10, she started journaling. Now, all of these years later, her journal entries — along with the work of her favorite author, Jack London — inspired her first book, “Looking for Martin Eden: The Diaries of Roberta Wirth-Feeney.”

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.

A. Dad's company transferred him to South Bend, Indiana, when I was a toddler. I loved growing up within walking distance of Notre Dame. I was going into ninth grade when my family moved back to White Bear Lake, as dad was transferred back to work as general manager and vice president at Metcalf Moving. My childhood was completely separate and severed from the rest of my life. There was no ability to see my childhood home and friends, nor to play my violin in a school orchestra. Synchronistically, my oldest daughter, after earning her Ph.D., was hired by Notre Dame as a professor in neuroscience. We kind of came full circle.

I took advanced math and science classes at White Bear High School and Mariner High School in what would be called STEM classes today. My claim to fame was being in the first graduating class of Mariner, class of 1974. I next earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota. My first child was born the first day of my junior year. I only missed the first week of classes. She was 2 when I graduated. I next took her to grad school with me, where I earned a master’s degree at the University of St. Thomas. My husband and I had bought a small stucco house in Birchwood the last year of our marriage. I owned it alone for about 20 years and subsequently bought a new, larger model house in Centerville 25 years ago. Two of my three kids graduated from WBLAHS, despite us living in Centerville, so I never felt I'd left White Bear Lake.

Q. This is your first book. Why did you want to become an author?

A. I've always had in the back of my mind to write books someday. I started keeping journals when I was 10 and wrote in them as if I was writing short stories. I read books continually. My favorite author was Jack London. His semi autobiography, “Martin Eden,” inspired me to not only write but to seek adventure, travel and never give up.

I did technical writing in my career as a biologist for the MPCA, writing the state's first yard waste and solid waste compost book, and articles in “Bicycle Magazine.” For fun, I wrote children's books to entertain my three kids. I retired after 33 years at the MPCA just as the pandemic hit, and used my isolation to reread my journals. My book was the result.

Q. Where did the inspiration for your book, “Looking for Martin Eden,” come from?

A. My inspiration came from two things — my need to use the body of writing I'd acquired in my almost 50 journals and from Jack London, who used his experiences in his short stories and novels.

Q. What should readers know about this story?

A. I use journal entries in my book starting at age 10 up until the time I retired with the arc being how Jack London influenced my life, including my interest in composting, my love interests and my need to hit the adventure path. I had a past-life regression at age 40 that included a Jack London vision. My book imagines traveling in spacetime to view the events of my life. I've been fascinated by physicists (starting with Einstein) stating that the past, present and future exist simultaneously. Events in the past don't sail past us and disappear forever. They just exist in a different part of space-time or the block universe.

Q. Tell us about the process of writing and publishing this book. How long did it take you?

A. I spent about a year rereading and ruminating over all my journals. Writing and deciding what to include and what to leave out took about six months. Publishing took another six months. But I've really been writing this book for 50 years.

Q. What do you hope readers will gain from reading this story?

A. I hope readers will keep journals, if they already don't, and go back occasionally to reread them. It gives your life perspective. If I could be an example to someone who, like me, was a victim of domestic abuse or who had unplanned pregnancies, I wish I can give them hope and let them know everything will turn out all right, as it did for me.

Q. Where is the book sold?

A. The book is available for preorder on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble. The e-book is also available on Amazon. The book is also available at Lake Country Bookstore in White Bear Lake.

I also plan on signing copies I'm purchasing at some later event.

Q. Do you have any plans for future works?

A. I'd like to try my hand at fiction next. I also hope to publish my children's books I've written. and a script I wrote on the life of Jack London. My dream is to have the Cohen Brothers make my script into a movie. I know they're fans of Jack London.

Compiled by Shannon Granholm