When you're a writer – especially a columnist and a features writer as is Susan Ager of the Detroit Free Press – you never really go to work.

SUSAN AGER enjoys a cup of coffee at Barb's Bakery in Northport, where she's a regular. In the background is her signature yellow Ford Ranger. (Photo courtesy of Sharon Kalchik)

In so many ways, you are your work.

Ager writes from her home in Northport, which she shares with her husband of over 20 years, Larry Coppard. That suits her just fine, she said, because the residents and places of the Leelanau Peninsula inspire her immensely.

“There are tremendously interesting people everywhere I go. I always tell people that life is a big topic,” she said.

The northern Michigan lifestyle – which often involves slowing down, taking time to build relationships with friends, reading, researching and talking with others – all contribute to Ager’s sense of contentment.

“The negative parts to my job and my life are very small,” she said.

She’s convinced that she’s a better writer and has better fodder for her columns here than she would if she were to work out of Detroit, which provides a persuasive argument for her editor to allow Ager to “telecommute.”

“My husband and I keep a small apartment in Detroit, but most of our time is spent in Northport,” she said.

Ager and Coppard moved to Northport in 2001, several years after a visit when Ager “fell in love” with a bed and breakfast called the Plum Lane Inn owned by Bea Bowen. Ager said she was searching for a new home after being “scattered” in three different locations (Ann Arbor, Detroit, and New York state). After discovering the B&B was for sale, Ager and Coppard bought it and moved to Leelanau.

Ager said that as a columnist, one’s life, observations and the people she encounters all become potential topics. Her work is never far from her mind.

For some who crave an 8-to-5 shirt and weekends off, Ager’s work schedule might be a burden. She doesn’t mind, however, and said she is content with her life and work. Her sense of wellness and happiness translates to her columns, though she downplays the fact that her job puts her in the public eye.

“Some might say that my job is glamorous, but I don’t think so. It is wonderful, and adventurous, and I get to meet all kinds of interesting people and do interesting things, but it doesn’t seem glamorous to me,” she said.

Last year, for example, she wrote a story that involved going to the top tower of the Mackinac Bridge. She also snorkeled over shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.

“I’ve had some great experiences because of this work. It’s been wonderful,” she said.

Although she enjoys meeting people, learning their stories, and going to interesting places, she admits she’d be thrilled if she didn’t have to do the actual writing.

“Funny enough, I don’t like the writing part. I would be perfectly happy if I could just do the interviews and have that be that,” she acknowledged.

When it is time to write, she said it takes concentration and discipline if she’s to meet her goal of making each story and column “great.”

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to make my stories great. It’s probably my Catholic upbringing or something,” she laughed.

Surprisingly, Ager doesn’t mind deadlines – the bane of many writers’ existence.

“I just have myself on a regular writing schedule, which I try not to have interrupted,” she said.

And speaking of a regular schedule, she starts nearly every day by visiting Barb’s Bakery in Northport – coffee only. No donuts, due to her being diagnosed with Type I diabetes several years ago.

“After coffee and connecting up with my friends around town, I’ll usually go over to the post office and pick up my mail, which comes at 10. This gives me another opportunity to get in line and be amongst the friends in my community. These things give me a great start to my day,” said Ager.

Her thrice-weekly columns and features are printed in the Free Press and released on the Gannett Newswire so online readers may see her smiling face and feel her friendship.

“I get emails from people all over the country about my columns,” she said.

One of the not-so-pleasant aspects of being a columnist is that every so often, Ager will get a nasty email from an angry reader.

“When you write a column, you are expected to be honest about your insights and feelings on various topics. It can be hard, because I’ll write something that seems perfectly innocuous to me, but it will make someone mad. I try not to let the fear of making people angry affect my writing,” she said.

She said that most of emails she receives are supportive.

“It feels great to hear from people who connect with what I’ve written. I love that,” she said, adding she’s thankful for her job and to be a Leelanau resident.

“I love my life here. I’m a lucky woman,” she said.