Terry was born at the San Diego naval base on Coronado Island 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.

Those are Terry’s parents on the left, posing in front of her dad’s fraternity house at the University of Oregon.

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 idea.

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.

Their son, on the left, is the fourth generation to work in the family business. He and his wife and their baby daughter live down the road in the ranch house his grandparents built. Their daughter, posing on the right with Dad, recently graduated from the University of Oregon. She's still up north, learning some real-life lessons about management.

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 the characters in LEARNING CURVE.

Terry also loves to travel. She recently visited Australia and New Zealand, and she has escorted students to England, France, Italy, Mexico, Japan, and one of the most exotic places on earth: Hollywood.  Several years ago, Terry and her husband celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a visit to England, Ireland, North Ireland, and France. Guess which trip was her favorite?

Several summers ago, in a beautiful garden setting, Terry’s son married his college sweetheart. Lovely personal touches included hand-crafted invitations and favors. A string quartet accompanied the ceremony with traditional wedding music. Later, after dining beneath a lofty canopy of giant oak and elm trees, the guests enjoyed dancing to more contemporary tunes.

One of Terry's favorite weekend getaways is a trip to the Napa Valley wine country. Though she doesn't drink wine (which makes her a popular chauffeur), Terry enjoys the gorgeous scenery, the fabulous food, the interesting finds in the gift shops—and the romantic atmosphere brimming with story ideas.

view along the Silverado Trail

Chateau at Rubicon Estate

Whether it's a touring a vineyard, peeking at some movie memorabilia, sampling world-class chocolates, or watching a hot air balloon drift by, Terry always finds something to enjoy. Be sure to check out some of her favorite places to visit in the Napa Valley at the Wet Noodle Posse's e-zine.

 

 

Where do you get your ideas?

I wish I knew, so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting more of them. Things seem to arrive out of nowhere. Sometimes a character simply appears in my mind, complete with a vivid and detailed appearance, personality, backstory, everything. And sometimes a situation will occur to me, and I’ll kick it around a while to see what develops.

Did you always want to be a writer?

No! I wanted to be a teacher. I never thought about writing until a college professor suggested I write a book. This is all his fault, so I dedicated my first book, LEARNING CURVE, to him. I’m relieved he thinks it’s an honor instead of a revenge.

Since I’m notoriously slow, it took another ten years, until I was in my mid-forties, to get started on a project. After I discovered the romance genre—completely by accident—I knew I’d found the kind of story I wanted to write. If I wanted to write. On the tough days, I sometimes wonder if I should go back to teaching.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Read! I also love to travel. And then I love to get back home, which works out well.

What kinds of books do you like to read?

When I was young, I read anything and everything, including the encyclopedia when there was nothing else available. Early favorites were the big, fat historical epics, books by Clavell, Jakes, and Michener. Then I went through a period when I read lots of mysteries, after friends recommended authors like Dick Francis, Tony Hillerman, and Martha Grimes. Now that I've discovered the romance genre, I'm enjoying an endless supply of happily-every-after love stories and making up for lost time.

You majored in history, you used to teach history, and most of your favorite romances are historicals. Why don't you write historical romance?

Beats me.

Will you write any more Bright Lights, Big Sky books? What about Jody's story?

I'd love to revisit Tucker, Montana. And yes, I've got a story idea for Jody Harrison and her first crush, Lucas Guthrie—but they'll both have to grow up a bit, first.

I have an idea for a book. How can I get it published?

First you have to write it, all of it, all the way to The End. If you're thinking of writing a romance, join Romance Writers of America.

Do you think entering a writing contest is a good idea?

I might be a little prejudiced, since I sold my first book to a judge in a writing contest—the Golden Heart—but yes, I think it's a great idea, if you understand why you're entering and what you can expect to gain from the experience.

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