Award-winning Gathering Courage author, T. A. "Terry" McMullin, knows as well as anyone that hard times are a part of the journey of life. Gathering Courage is about Terry's journey, who was born in an orphanage, then adopted, and made a foster child by her parents. Because Terry struggled with reading, comprehension, and spelling, she was placed in a foster home at the age of nine. Terry was failing in school and no one knew how to help her. From deep within, Terry developed an internal desire to excel, no matter the obstacle, no matter the situation. Pushing adversity, rejection, and a reading disability aside, Terry gathered the courage to enroll in college. While attending college, Terry taught herself how to read and study while working nights and weekends to pay her tuition and living expenses. Because of dyslexia, Terry worked much harder than most students. For ten years, she remained diligent and focused on the goal of achieving a college education and a teaching certificate. Step by step and class by class, Terry succeeded, and walked across the stage to receive a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Texas A&M University. Terry's life transformed from a broken-hearted child who could barely make out words in elementary school to a successful teacher who encourages young people to work hard and achieve their greatest aspirations.

Gathering Courage is an inspiring life-changing journey not only to be read but also to be passed on as an encouragement to others. What started as a thought, then words on a napkin, set the dream in motion to form sentences on paper. The dream grew and the formation of a book developed into a purpose, a mission - "To Make Life Better."

2015 North American Book Award
 Winner
1st place winner - Animals/Pets

1st place winner - Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs

2016 Readers' Favorites - 5 STAR AWARD WINNER - Christian: Non-Fiction
2016 Readers' Favorites International - HONORABLE MENTION- Non-fiction: Autobiography
2016 USA Best Book Award - FINALIST - Young Adult: Non-Fiction

"Gathering Courage to make life better, to work hard to follow your dreams, to invest in yourself and others, to encourage others to be their best, will make life better." T. A. McMullin