Terri Blackstock

Major Works

As Terri Blackstock

Revelation Series

• Last Light
• Night Light
• True Light

Suncoast Chronicles Series

• Presumption of Guilt (1997)
• Justifiable Means (1996)
• Ulterior Motives (1996)
• Evidence of Mercy (1995)

Second Chances Series

• Broken Wings (1998)
• Blind Trust (1997)
• Never Again Goodbye (1996)
• When Dreams Cross (1996)

Under Pseudonym Terry Harrington

• Winner Take All (1995)
• One Good Man (1993)
• Silena (1993)
• Flashback (1993)
• Her Father’s Daughter (1991)
• Wife Wanted (1988)
• Stolen Moments (1987)
• Tangled Triumphs (1987)
• Ticket to a Fantasy (1987)
• Head over Heels (1986)
• Lovers’ Reunion (1986)
• Tender Betrayer (1986)
• A Secret Stirring (1986)
• Blue Fire (1984)

Under Pseudonym Tracy Hughes

• Impressions (1986)
• Quiet Lightning (1986)
• Above the Clouds (1988)
•  Emerald Windows (1989)
• White Lies & Alibis (1990)
• Honorbound (1991)
•  Second Chances (1991)
• Father Knows Best (1992)
• Sand Man (1992)
•  Delta Dust (1993)
•  Jo–Calloway Corner Series (1993)
• Catch a Falling Star (1994)
• Heaven Knows (1994)
• The Princess and the Pauper (1994)
• To Heaven and Back (1995)
• Daniel–Return to Calloway Corners (1996)

Newpointe 911 Series

• Line of Duty (2003)
• Trial by Fire (2000)
• Word of Honor (1999)
• Private Justice (1998)
• Shadow of Doubt (1998)

Other

• Southern Storm (Cape Refuge Series, April, 2003)
• Seaside (2001)
• Times and Seasons (2001, with Beverly LaHaye)
• Showers in Season: Book Two (2000, with Beverly LaHaye)
• Sweet Delights: For Love of Money (2000)
• Seasons under Heaven (1999, with Beverly LaHaye)

and  many others. See http://www.terriblackstock.com/books/booklist/ for a complete list.

Biography of Terri Blackstock

by Laci Cuevas (SHS)

Terri Blackstock was born December 7, 1957, in Belleville, Illinois. Her family moved to Mississippi when she was eleven.  After graduating from Wingfield High School, in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1975, she attended Hinds Junior College in Mississippi in 1975-1976.  She then transferred to Northeast Louisiana University, where in 1981 she received her Bachelor’s degree.  Blackstock began writing in 1983, when she wrote her first romance novel.  She released thirty additional romances novels for various publishers:  Harlequin, Harper Collins and Silhouette.

Blackstock previously wrote romance novels under the name of Terri Harrington and under the pseudonym name of Tracy Hughes.  The first romance novel she wrote under Blackstock is Never Again Goodbye.  However, in 1994 Blackstock began writing in a new genre due to a dramatic change in her beliefs.  Her spiritual awakening (Blackstock web site)  compels her now to write the truth and wishes she could go back and unwrite the romance novels. To date, she has written over more than twenty Christian novels.

Terri Blackstock has received many awards for numerous novels.  The majority are for her romance novels.  In 1986, she won the Golden Medallion Finalist for best traditional romance for A Secret Stirring. In 1990, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for best continuing series for Romantic Times.  She has won numerous Climbing Rose Awards and many others (Gale Literary Databases). Blackstock is the 1988 winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Medallion for Best Short Contemporary Novel for Stolen Moments.  Her books have also been on the Christian Booksellers Association best-seller list (Graham 1E).  She is a New York Times best-selling author.

Blackstock returned to Mississippi and now lives in Clinton, Mississippi. She has three children.  When she is not writing, she enjoys attending all of her children’s activities.  She is a volunteer in Baptist church ministries (Gale Literary Databases).

Reviews

A Review of Seaside

by Laci Cuevas (SHS)

Seaside is a touching and heart wrenching novel by Terri Blackstock.  Blackstock, now a Christian novelist, brings real life emotion to this story. Jealousy, envy, grief, sadness, joy, and love are all emotions Blackstock uses to hold her readers captive.

Maggie Downing, a loving mother, has two daughters, Sarah and Corinne, who live very hectic lives.  Maggie has a strong passion for photography.  She also enjoys the smell of salt water and the sound of waves beating onto the sand.  She invites her daughters to spend a week with her in Florida, so she can capture photographs of them for an autobiography.  Sarah and Corinne are very hesitant about going because they both have very busy lives. While in Florida they find out things about each other that they didn’t know.  They all have their own problems and all of their lives are not perfect.

I really enjoyed reading this novel.  This novel really made me think about how we all rush through life thinking we have all the time in the world, but really we don’t have that much time at all.  When I was reading this book,  it was really hard for me to put it down.  The way Blackstock wrote about how different Sarah’s  and Corinne’s lives are and how busy they are for their mom.  This story  really made me think of my very own life because I don’t make enough time for my family and the people I love.  This book touched me deeply  and that is why I recommend Seaside.

An Interview with Terri Blackstock (February 5, 2003)

by Laci Cuevas (SHS)

What are your parents’ names, and what do/did they do for a living?

My father is O.L. Ward, Jr. He’s a retired Air Force Colonel, and also a retired captain from Continental Airlines. My mother is Jo Ann Weathersby, and she works for the Mississippi State Government.

Where did you attend high school and college; also when did you graduate?

I graduated from Wingfield High School, Jackson, Mississippi in 1975, then from Northeast Louisiana University in 1981.

Who did you marry and do you have children?  What are their names?

My husband is Ken Blackstock, and children are Lindsey, Michelle, and Marie.

Is Seaside, even though fiction, based on your life or someone you know/knew?

It’s fiction, but I did draw on experiences of some of my friends who had cancer.

What was it that influenced you to write?

I loved to read, and I spent a lot of time moving and being the new kid when I was growing  up. My imagination was often my best friend. Eventually I started writing my daydreams down.

When did you become interested in writing?

I wrote my first poem at age eleven, and from that moment on I knew I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.

What kind of student were you in high school?

I was a B/C student in high school, but almost a straight A student in college.

How long did it take you to write Seaside?

SEASIDE only took about three months to write because it is a short book.

Where did you get the idea for this book?

From my own life. I felt so anxious and rushed all the time, and I thought a lot of my readers did, too. I wanted to write a story that would encourage people (and myself) to slow down and rest in Christ.

Are you working on a new book right now?  Do you have a title for it yet?  What is it about?

I’m working on a book called LINE OF DUTY which will be out in October. It’s the 5th book in my Newpointe 911 series.

Do you have any advice for future writers?

I have a  writer’s tips page on my web site, and it’s full of advice. My favorite piece of  advice, however, is “Don’t get it right, get it written.”  After you’ve gotten it written, you can  rewrite and rewrite until it’s ready for publication.

Do you have any advice for students today?

 Pay close attention to your English classes, because you’ll find that everything you learn there will be useful in your life, and your intelligence will often be measured by how well you handle the English language.

When did you move to Mississippi and why? How has Mississippi or living in Mississippi influenced your writing?

 I moved to Mississippi when I was eleven, and though I did move away for a time, I came back because I love it. The people are warm and kind, the days are sunny and usually warm, and it has been a great place to raise children. The southern culture is very rich and offers lots to write about, which is why so many writers come from the South.

Thanks, Laci, for these great questions!

Terri Blackstock

Related Websites

• Read more about Terri Blackstock’s other novels and a short bio about her.
• Look at this web page to look inside the book Seaside.

Bibliography

• Blackstock, Terri.  Email to Nancy Jacobs. RE: Student questions for SHS web page. Wed, 5 Feb 2003.
• Blackstock, Terri.  Seaside.  Zondervan Publishing House, 2001.
• Graham, Charlotte.  “Writer’s works leave ‘Left Behind’ behind.” The Clarion Ledger 15 June 2002: 1E and 2E.
• “Reviews.”  Romantic Times Magazine.  1998-2002.  12 December 2002.
  <http://www.romantictimes.com/data/books/12549.html>
• “Terri Blackstock.”  Gale Literary Databases.  11 December 2002.
  <http://www.galenet.com/servlet/GLD/hits>