Terri Blackstock (born 1957) is an American Christian fiction author with a focus on suspense novels. She began her career writing romance novels under the pseudonyms Terri Herrington and Tracy Hughes.
Blackstock was born in Belleville, Illinois in 1957, and her family moved multiple times during her childhood to follow her father's career as a US Air Force officer.[1] At age 11, she began writing poetry.[1] After her parents divorced, she moved to Mississippi with her mother and graduated from Wingfield High School in Jackson, Mississippi in 1975.[1]
Blackstock began her writing career with romance novels under the pseudonym Terri Herrington, and published her first novel, Blue Fire, in 1984.[1] She also wrote under the pseudonym Tracy Hughes, and by the mid-1990s had published thirty-three romance novels under her pseudonyms.[1]
In 1994, Blackstock shifted to Christian fiction, with a focus on the suspense genre, and began publishing under her married name with Zondervan, a Christian publishing imprint of HarperCollins.[1][2] By 2004, the first three books in her "Cape Refuge" series reached the top of the Christian Booksellers Association bestseller list before the fourth book in the series was released.[2] In January 2010, the first two books in the series reached the top two places in the Kindle bestseller list after Zondervan temporarily made the books available for free downloads.[3]
In 2014, Blackstock cited Barbara Kingsolver, John Grisham, Dean Koontz, Jodi Piccoult, Harlen Coben, Pat Conroy, and Christian authors as influences on her work.[4] By 2017, she had written 80 titles, including novels, story collections, and a devotional,[5] and more than 7 million copies of her books had been sold.[6]
^ abcdefghijklmnCrelin, Joy (2020). "Terri Blackstock". Literary Biographies – via Literary Reference Center Plus.
^ abByle, Ann (December 4, 2004). "Author quits romance writing for Christian books ; Terri Blackstock caught upswing in Christian fiction market". The Grand Rapids Press. ProQuest 285808117
^Rich, Motoko (23 January 2010). "With Kindle, the Best Sellers Don't Need to Sell". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
^Crutcher, Paige (Jan 29, 2014). "Terri Blackstock: A Return to Roots". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved Aug 15, 2023.
^Hoops, Jana (March 5, 2017). "Author Q&A: Terri Blackstock". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
^Garrett, Lynn (May 19, 2017). "Christian Fiction Keeps Its Allure". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
^ abMort, John (May 1, 1999). "Christian fiction". The Booklist. 95 (17): 1579. ProQuest 235418914
^ abcGraham, Charlotte (June 15, 2002). "Writer's works leave 'Left Behind' behind". The Clarion Ledger. ProQuest 873473813
^Hamaker, Sarah (Sep 26, 2011). "Best Christian Fiction Books of 2011 Announced". The Christian Post. Retrieved Aug 15, 2023.
^ ab"Carol Award Winners". American Christian Fiction Writers. Retrieved Aug 15, 2023.
^"The Christy Award® Archives: Suspense". christianbookexpo.com. Christian Book Expo. Retrieved Aug 15, 2023.
^"The Christy Award™ Archives". christianbookexpo.com. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
^Cole, Thomas R. "Shelf Awareness for Monday, November 11, 2019". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
"Seaside by Terri Blackstock". Publishers Weekly. February 1, 2001. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
^Thorup, Shawna Saavedra (September 1, 2002). "The Gifted". Library Journal. 127 (14): 156. Blackstock's The Gifted Sophomores, written for young adults, uses the same theme and story line with teen protagonists.ProQuest 196822697