Biography

Phyllis J. Perry was born in a small gold mining town in the Sierra Nevada foothills in northern California . After high school, she attended the University of California at Berkeley where she majored in English. She taught elementary school in the Bay Area while also working on her Master's Degree in Education from California State University , San Francisco . Then she lived in Garden Grove , California , taught at Golden West Junior College , and wrote her masters thesis in poetry at California State University , Long Beach .

Phyllis, her husband, and their two children, moved to Boulder, Colorado where Phyllis earned her doctorate degree in Education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She worked for the Boulder Valley Schools, first as a teacher, then as a curriculum specialist, as Director of Talented & Gifted Education, and as a building principal. She took early retirement to write full time.

Phyllis has several hobbies. She has participated in Boulder community theatre, acting at The Nomad Playhouse, and The Upstart Crow. She and her family enjoy the out-of-doors and spend a considerable amount to time hiking and camping in Rocky Mountain National Park which is only a short drive from their home. Phyllis and her husband are active geocachers, using a GPS receiver as they seek caches in their area and elsewhere when they are on trips. Phyllis is a skilled basket maker, using interesting Native American designs. She and her family enjoy travel, especially to the California and Oregon coasts as well as to Alaska .

Phyllis now writes full time, both for children and adults. She writes nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. She is an active member of the Society of Children's Book Authors and Illustrators, the Colorado Council of the International Reading Association, and the Colorado Authors' League.