MJ was born in Princeton, New Jersey in 1951. After graduation from Cornell University in 1973, she became managing editor for The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau in association with Princeton University Press. She subsequently joined the Navy and served in the anti-submarine SOSUS community and in the Navy Recruiting Command. Retired as a Commander in 1994, she taught English at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California and later moved to Oregon to pursue a career in writing. She currently lives in the vibrant theater town of Ashland with her husband Gary Greksouk. Daspit’s published works include a nonfiction book titled ROGUE VALLEY WINE, co-authored with winemaker Eric Weisinger (Arcadia Publishing, 2011) and a historical novel, LUCY LIED (Fireship Press, 2014).