About the Author:
Terri Blackstock is a New York Times and USA Today best-seller, with over
seven million books sold worldwide. She is the winner of two Carol Awards, a Christian Retailers Choice Award, and a Romantic Times Book Reviews Career Achievement Award, among others. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. Terri spent the first twelve years of her life traveling in an Air Force family. She lived in nine states and attended the first four years of school in The Netherlands. Because she was a perpetual “new kid,” her imagination became her closest friend. That, she believes, was the biggest factor in her becoming a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.
In 1994 Terri was writing romance novels under two pseudonyms for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin, Dell and Silhouette, when a spiritual awakening prompted her to switch gears. At the time, she was reading more suspense than romance, and felt drawn to write thrillers about ordinary people in grave danger. Her newly awakened faith wove its way into the tapestry of her suspense novels, offering hope instead of despair. Her goal is to entertain with page-turning plots while challenging her readers. She hopes to remind them that they’re not alone, and that their trials have a purpose.
My Story:
My uncle is the one who first mentioned the name Terri Blackstock to me. I’m a lot like him: I keep to myself, I read a lot, and I enjoy writing. We both like playing games of chess and growing in our faith. But, because he likes to keep to himself and because he lives in a different state, I don’t get to see a lot of him. He’s also roughly a decade older than my mom, so they were never particularly close, which in turn means he was never particularly close with us kids while growing up. That said, I love him with all of my heart and he is very special to me. He always knows just how to encourage me.
He’d mentioned Terri Blackstock to my mom years ago and once or twice I’d heard him mention her name to me. I thought, oh, cool, a new author to check out. But y’all know how that goes. Another book to add to the to-read list, another author to add to the check-into list, etc. Somehow those titles and names often get lost in the shuffle and aren’t exactly top-priority when you head to the book store. Usually, you go either to bask in the glory of so many books in one place or you rush in like a missile on target, looking for one very specific book. And then you book it (pun totally intended) outta there before you lose your wallet!
Well, one year in high school, for Christmas I received a small package in the mail. It was from my uncle. Now, I’ve been pen pals with him for years, but it was kind of a big deal to get this package from him. He didn’t really send things for Christmas every year like one of our grandparents might, for
instance. Even Mom was a little surprised by it. I remember her face when she handed it to me and seeing her shake her head a little when she walked back down the hallway, musing over it. I tell you, I’ll be forever thankful for that small package from my uncle. Inside, I found two books: the first Hunger Games and…my first Terri Blackstock book, Last Light.
I now have an entire shelf full of her works. I can think of at least twenty titles of hers I’ve read and I am determined to read every one of the 80+ novels she’s published. Needless to say, I was hooked from the first book.
Blackstock was the first author I ever read that made me stop and think. She made me wonder if I could write stories that matter, stories that were…more than just stories, more than simple entertainment. Blackstock opened my eyes to a whole new world of reading and writing.
My Favorites:
Blackstock writes primarily suspense, but she’s done a few dramas and romances, too. I’ve not read a single one of her books and come out disappointed for it. I have finished in tears before. I have finished conflicted before. And I have finished stronger before, both as a person and in my faith. Blackstock doesn’t shy away from difficult questions. She challenges her readers to grow as she has grown. She writes a thrilling story that keeps readers engaged and on the edges of their seats, but she also presents them with deeper, more meaningful material woven into the exciting entertainment.
To this day, Last Light and the entire Restoration Novels series remain among my favorites. Last Light is a thrilling story that begins with a complete meltdown of society among what appears to be an EMP attack of some kind. In the middle of this crisis, our MCs have to learn to navigate a world devoid of electronics and modern conveniences, such as grocery stores and fresh, clean, running water. Of course, amid the chaos, a murderer seems to be wreaking havoc, too.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Emerald Windows. This one was one of Blackstock’s first books, published as a secular romance. She got back the rights to it, rewrote it as a Christian romance–with some thrilling moments, of course–and re-released it. I loved the MCs who were artists working on stained glass windows for a church. The idea itself was simply beautiful, but the characters were scorned and broken and it was heart-warming to see their journey of healing and love.
I’m currently working through her Newpointe 911 series, which begins
with Private Justice. I’m a total dork for veterans and emergency personnel. They sacrifice so much for us and we owe them our respect and our gratitude. This series follows emergency personnel through some thrilling mysteries as well as their own personal journeys of spiritual growth.
Her newest trilogy, If I Run, was a thrilling chase definitely worth checking out! Additionally, Blackstock’s allegorical retelling of the prodigal son parable, Covenant Child, was beautiful and touching.
Links and More: 
Find a full list of Blackstock’s works here. Click on Quick Links to filter the books by category, such as books by series, stand alone books, youth, coming soon, etc.
Find Blackstock on Goodreads.
Find Blackstock’s books on Amazon or in any bookstore near you, including Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, LifeWay, and more.
I’ve rated many of Blackstock’s books on Goodreads, but not all have reviews because I read them before Goodreads was a thing. I am a re-reader, so as I reread any of her books, I will be sure to post detailed reviews on them.
Disclaimer: The pictures are all from Goodreads and the author’s biography is from her website.