Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Terri Blackstock & Aftermath

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Aftermath by Terri Blackstock, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m so honored to have Terri on the blog today to chat about Aftermath! She’s been one of my very fave suspense authors for a long time.

Title: Aftermath
Author: Terri Blackstock
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: May 11, 2021
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense/Thriller

This gripping new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Terri Blackstock will leave you on the edge of your seat.

A devastating explosion.

Three best friends are at the venue just to hear their favorite band . . . but only one of them makes it out alive.

A trunk full of planted evidence.

When police stop Dustin with a warrant to search his trunk, he knows it’s just a mistake. He’s former military and owns a security firm. But he’s horrified when they find explosives, and he can’t fathom how they got there.

An attorney who will risk it all for a friend.

Criminal attorney Jamie Powell was Dustin’s best friend growing up. They haven’t spoken since he left for basic training, but she’s the first one he thinks of when he’s arrested. Jamie knows she’s putting her career on the line by defending an accused terrorist, but she’d never abandon him. Someone is framing Dustin to take the fall for shocking acts of violence . . . but why?

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Hi Terri! Welcome to the blog!

Terri: I prefer winter because I live in Mississippi, where it’s hot and humid during the summer. I hate to sweat! Winters are usually pretty mild.

Carrie: We just moved to the Atlanta area and I am not looking forward to the summer. Bring on winter! lol

Terri: I really love little dogs, but when I declare myself a dog person, my family reminds me that I’ve only had cats for the last three decades or so. I guess I like to play with dogs, but I only want to take care of cats.

Carrie: haha! best of both worlds 🙂

Terri: I prefer tea, but I do drink one cup of coffee in the mornings.

Carrie: Coffee just seems to fit mornings better

Terri: Diet Coke

Carrie: see? I knew we were kindred spirits! 🙂

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Terri: If I had a superpower, I’d want the ability to be invisible. Then I could eavesdrop on more conversations and get lots more ideas for my books.

Carrie: haha!

Q: Which books are “on your nightstand”?

Terri: Anne Lamott’s Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage

Carrie: it seems like a timely book for these days we’re living in…

Q: Do you have any strange writing habits/quirks?

Terri: I guess people would think it’s quirky that I write my books lying on my side. I realize it’s weird (trust me, no one thinks it’s weirder or more annoying than I do). I have some severe chronic pain issues that make it difficult for me to write in any other position for the last few years. I’m on my side right now!

Carrie: oh wow! I wish i could figure out how to comfortably do that so I could blog lying down. On a side note, I’m sorry about your chronic pain issues – I personally know how exhausting that can be ♥

Q: What surprised you about your story or your characters as you wrote Aftermath?

Terri:When I started writing this book, I didn’t mean to tackle the subject of mental illness, but as my character Taylor evolved, I discovered that she has OCD, and it figures into the plot when some new medication gives her some adverse side effects. Added to that are PTSD and survivor’s guilt after her friends are killed in the terrorist attack. I think faith-based writers need to deal with the subject of mental illness more, because so many of us have issues like depression, anxiety, and other invisible afflictions, because we’re human, too. I don’t like brushing over the things that contribute to our humanity. It’s a fallen world, and the things that plague the larger population plague us, too. I want my readers to relate to my characters and feel that their own stories have been told.

Carrie: Yes! absolutely. This is a passion of mine, as a reader, too.

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from Aftermath?

Terri: I really explore the virtue of integrity during the darkest times of life. For my character Dustin Webb, that time comes when the whole world thinks he just committed a terrorist attack that killed hundreds of people. Someone set him up, and he can’t imagine who or why. It changes everything about his life overnight, and the future looks terrifying. Jamie, his closest friend from his childhood, is the only one who can help him now, but this may even be too big for the well-known attorney. The situation brings back dark times from Dustin’s childhood, when he was in and out of foster care, and everyone always expected the worst from him. But even during the turmoil, he struggles to maintain his integrity and put others first, even when no one is around to see it.

Carrie: It sounds like a fascinating plot with some important themes!

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Terri: I’m starting a new series that’s a spin-off of my IF I RUN series (If I Run, If I’m Found, If I Live), featuring the same characters, Casey and Dylan. I plan to do three books in the new series.

Carrie: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Did you hear my excited fangirl squeal from Georgia to Mississippi?!? That is one of my very fave suspense series of all time. I. Cannot. Wait. for this spinoff series!!