Catch the Spirit: Teen Volunteers Tell How They Made a Difference

by Susan K. Perry, Art Ryan (Foreword by)

Individual teenagers relate their experiences in various types of volunteer activities.

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

I was born in Brooklyn and was brought to California when I was 9. Some sharp listeners can still hear a hint of an accent.

After high school, I and my family spent nine months in the Middle East and Europe, which was a life-changing period for me. Then I went to UCLA.

Marriage, kids, back to school, writing, divorce, more writing -- all nonfiction articles to that point -- and then new love. And back to school again. (I do love school and have had dreams at night that I'm still there but have forgotten to attend class and am months behind.)

After my Ph.D. was turned into a bestseller (WRITING IN FLOW), I wrote five more books before realizing I had to try my hand at fiction. A decade went by, revising, resubmitting, all that necessary stuff.

My first novel KYLIE'S HEEL was published by Humanist Press. It got some cool kudos, which is certainly gratifying. Selling a small press book to the public is really hard though. (Especially for an introvert.)

I read tons of novels, blog about some of them and their authors on my Creativity blog at PsychologyToday.com. My two kids are grown, and my poet husband died not very long ago.