Terry was born on a naval base during the Korean War. Yes, she's that old.
She had one of those idyllic childhoods, the kind that provide no fodder for angsty literary works. That might be one of the reasons Terry sticks with humor in her writing—it's what she grew up with. Terry met her future husband the night before fall term classes started their freshman year at the University of Oregon. He knew immediately they were meant to be together. She was the slow learner who needed a few months to catch up with the plan.
They live on a small ranch in northern California. Privacy, space, redwoods, and a Victorian-style farmhouse with a view of the bay—more idyllic stuff. Ten years after she graduated from college with a degree in history, Terry went back to get a teaching credential, because she'd always wanted to be a teacher. Ten years later, she went back and collected a masters degree in English, because she thought she'd give writing a try.
She's been a student teacher, a substitute teacher, a high school teacher, a college lecturer, and a teacher for the elderly. That works out to time spent teaching every grade level from Kindergarten to convalescence—and plenty of experience for developing characters and story ideas in books such as Learning Curve, The Rancher Needs a Wife, and A Perfect Stranger.
