Born: 21 May, 1951 in Livingston, Montana, USA
Education: Billings Senior High School, Billings, Montana, 1969; Bachelors of Arts, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington (biology/chemistry) 1973; Master of Science, Montana State University/Billings, Billings, Montana (special education)1975; PH.D studies (incomplete), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (educational psychology/special education) 1979.
Personal: divorced; one daughter, Sheena.
Career in education/psychology: Title III special education auxiliary, 1969-72; Title III special education teacher/learning support person, 1973-1974; regular education teacher, 1974; private clinical therapy 1975-1976; special education teacher 1976-1977; special education learning support consultant 1977-1979; private clinical therapy 1977-1979; psychiatric unit research coordinator 1978-1979; university/graduate lecturer 1977-1979; special education teacher; 1979-1980; private clinical therapy 1980-1981; counseling consultant 1982-1989. Further consultant work to date.
Volunteer/charity work consultant with autism unit, 1981-1983; counsellor with North Wales Childline, 1987 – 1991; president of North Wales Childline 1988-1989; counsellor with Samaritans 1996-1998; counsellor with Citizen’s Advice Bureau; 2002 to date.
NSPCC celebrity supporter 2005-to date
Organizer of the annual Torey Hayden Message Board Sheep Walk in aid of the NSPCC and Save the Children.
Career in writing & books published:
The order in which Torey wrote the books is:
ONE CHILD (first published 1980)
SOMEBODY ELSE’S KIDS (first published 1981)
MURPHY’S BOY (first published 1983)
SUNFLOWER FOREST (first published 1984)
JUST ANOTHER KID (first published 1988)
GHOST GIRL (first published 1991)
TIGER’S CHILD (first published 1995)
THE MECHANICAL CAT (OVERHEARD IN A DREAM) (first published 1998)
BEAUTIFUL CHILD (first published 2002)
THE VERY WORST THING (first published 2003) –
TWILIGHT CHILDREN (first published 2005)
ZIJI (first published 2009)
INNOCENT FOXES (first published 2011)
Other interests:
Additional activities
Archeological site supervisor, 1993; archeological ‘digger’, 1993 to
date; farmer, 1982 to date; Black Welsh Mountain pedigree sheep
breeder, 1993 to date.
Hobbies and special interests
Opera, classical theatre, classical music, ancient history, archaeology, farming, cosmology and physics.
