Terry Roberts is the author of three celebrated novels: A Short
Time to Stay Here (winner of the Willie Morris Prize for Southern
Fiction and the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction); That Bright
Land (winner of the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award, the James Still
Award for Writing About the Appalachian South and the Sir Walter
Raleigh Award for Fiction); and most recently, The Holy Ghost
Speakeasy and Revival (a finalist for the 2019 Sir Walter Raleigh
Award for Fiction).
Roberts is a lifelong teacher and educational reformer as well as
an award-winning novelist. He is a native of the mountains of
Western North Carolina—born and bred. His ancestors include six
generations of mountain farmers, as well as the bootleggers and
preachers who appear in his novels. He was raised close by his
grandmother, Belva Anderson Roberts, who was born in 1888 and
passed down to him the magic of the past along with the grit and
humor of mountain storytelling.
Currently, Roberts is the Director of the National Paideia Center
and lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife, Lynn.
"[My Mistress' Eyes are Raven Black] is pure entertainment–think
Raymond Chandler or, perhaps, an Appalachian James Lee Burke. At
the same time, the book confronts the reader with important
questions about American immigration policies and race. Set at
Ellis Island in the early 1920s, it is nonetheless sharply relevant
in today's America." —Wayne Caldwell, Author of
Cataloochee
"Terry Roberts has a knack for exploring the forgotten corners of
American history—and then shining a light on the moral ambiguities
he finds there. And he knows how to tell a story. This one has all
the right ingredients: fascinating setting, winning characters,
mystery, real suspense, and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed
it." —Julia Franks, Author of Over the Plain Houses
"Terry Roberts' new novel is a literary thriller of the highest
order: lyrical and suspenseful, with characters you will long
remember. This is a heart-pounding, timely, and completely
immersive read. It's also Roberts' finest hour." —Silas House,
author of Southernmost
"In My Mistress’ Eyes Are Raven Black Terry Roberts expands his
fictional world as never before, from the mountains of North
Carolina to Ellis Island, the heart and soul of America. Roberts
tells a story of mystery, intrigue, murder, bigotry, and romance.
With homage to the masters of crime fiction, Cain, Thompson,
Chandler, and the Hammett of The Thin Man, this novel has thrilling
action, and humor, as it addresses both the racism and humanity in
our culture, in 1920, and the present." —Robert Morgan, Author
of Gap Creek and Chasing the North Star
My Mistress’ Eyes Are Raven Black is a suspenseful and original
historical novel—an amalgam of twisted psychologies and
cloak-and-dagger nostalgia with a teasing, passionate
romance." —Foreword Reviews (starred review)
Creating a 'page-turner' has always seemed to me to require
something beyond writing. An author may be an excellent wordsmith,
have brilliant ideas, and yet never achieve the deep understanding
of human psychology or the precise timing and rhythm that is needed
to hook a reader. My Mistress’ Eyes Are Raven Black is a true
page-turner." —The Southern Bookseller Review
"[My Mistress' Eyes are Raven Black] illuminates stereotypes and
assumptions about who deserved to immigrate to America during this
dark chapter of history." —Booklist
"[An] impressive historical thriller." —Publishers Weekly
"In My Mistress’ Eyes Are Raven Black, Terry Roberts expertly
blends the thriller and romance genres to tell a timely story about
the terrifying extent to which some people will go to assuage their
fear of 'the Other.' I couldn’t put this book
down." —Washington Independent Review of Books
“Part detective story, part romance, part social commentary, the
book builds to a satisfying conclusion and leaves the reader to
ponder the larger societal issues.” —Historical Novel Society
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