Ask Him Why (31 page)

About the Author

Photo © 2014 Hunter Kilpatrick

Born in Buffalo, New York, Catherine Ryan Hyde moved to New York City shortly after graduating from high school. With a plan to do something other than writing—something that might provide a steadier paycheck—Hyde worked as a baker, pastry chef, auto mechanic, dog trainer, and tour guide. Hyde moved to a small town on California’s Central Coast in the mid-1980s. After coming to terms with alcohol and drug addiction, she realized she needed to write and hunkered down. She’s been clean and sober for over twenty-five years and is the author of thirty books and numerous short stories, which have won literary accolades throughout the world. Hyde’s bestselling novel
Pay It Forward
was adapted into a major motion picture and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over thirty countries.