Terri Elders' first byline appeared in 1946 on a piece about how bats saved her family's home from fire, published on the children's page of the Portland Oregonian. At nine years old, she hadn't known that her title, "Bats in Our Belfry," would lead readers to suspect her family's sanity.Unrepentant, she's continued to spill the beans, sharing secrets in the form of anthology stories. Her indiscretions have been featured in over 80 books, including such series as Chicken Soup for the Soul, A Cup of Comfort, Thin Threads, and HCI Ultimate.Initially a high school English and journalism teacher, Terri changed careers in the late '60s, and became a licensed clinical social worker, after earning an MSW from UCLA. She's worked with such agencies as Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, the Arkansas Department of Health, and both Peace Corps and AmeriCorps*VISTA.Terri served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize, Dominican Republic, Seychelles, and the Gulf States with the Crisis Corps Hurricane Katrina Initiative. From 2000 to 2004 she worked at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington DC as a program and training specialist for community health and HIV/AIDS, first for InterAmerica/Pacific Region and subsequently for Europe/Mediterranean/Asia Region. In 2003, UCLA's School of Public Policy and Social Affairs honored her as a Distinguished Alumna. In 2006 she received the UCLA Alumni Award for Community Service.Terri lives on three and a half acres near Colville, WA, with two protective dogs and three narcissistic cats. Since 2006 she's served as a public member of the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission. She's active on the board of directors for Colville Branch AAUW.Terri's edited several books for Publishing Syndicate, and is delighted to be a "co-creator" for the exciting NYMB series.