Catherine Atkins has enjoyed a career as a news reporter, a talk show host, a teacher, and a writer. She taught alternative education programs and worked with people on improving their writing skills. Atkins has worked with students of all ages, from very young children to adults. During the course of her career, she learned that she especially likes working with teenagers, and When Jeff Comes Home attests to her ability to empathize with teenage problems and concerns. Atkins says that she enjoys working with teenagers because they have empathy, as well as childlike curiosity mixed with an intellect that amazes her. She says that teenagers can be mature one minute and naive the next, qualities that help define the teen characters in When Jeff Comes Home. When Jeff Comes Home is Atkins's first novel and it reveals to readers the insights she has...