Kathy is the author of Walks on the Margins: A Story of Bipolar Illness, co-authored with her son, Max Maddox. It was a finalist for the Iowa Review Award in Non-Fiction. She also writes the Hannah Sampson Underwater Investigation series.

After her son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999, Kathy became a vocal advocate for those with mental illness and their families. She has served is on the board of directors for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) most recently as president of the local chapter. She is the recipient of the 2012 NAMI Award for Outstanding Service and the Golden Quill Award for "Walks on the Margins."

Kathy has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric and taught writing at the University of Colorado.

Sourced: http://www.kathybrandtauthor.com