Wood cut by Nancy Darrell
When a writer has a book in the pipeline, it's common practice for the publisher to encourage said writer to seek out other authors in the same or similar genre to read advance copies and to offer words of praise. These words will end up on or in the book, as a part of any advertising, and as an inducement to booksellers to stock the book.This asking for blurbs, as these bits of praise are called, is one of the parts of writing I hate. Authors are busy people and may not have the time or inclination to read one's book. And now, in this time of Covid-19, many people find it difficult to focus on new reading. And, of course, the reader may not like the book. Nevertheless, I perservered and asked several authors if they would take a look at And the Crows Took Their Eyes. I am fortunate to have met a number of well-regarded writers over the years and was even more fortunate to receive some very nice comments. The kindness and generosity of these folks makes my heart sing.
Praise for And the Crows Took Their Eyes “Lane’s richly detailed vision of the past expertly underpins a dark story of complex divided loyalties in an isolated, war-torn mountain community.” – Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain, Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
“In And the Crows Took their Eyes Vicki Lane has done nothing less than commit an act of mountain sorcery. Through her the voices of the dead rise up out of the hollows of Madison County, North Carolina telling a story as tragic and urgent as it was 150 years ago.” – Tony Earley, author of Jim the Boy “Vicki Lane casts an unforgettable spell in And the Crows Took Their Eyes, a compelling and humane reimagining of a heart-wrenching period in our American history. “ – Jessica Handler, author of The Magnetic Girl “And the Crows Took Their Eyes is a devastatingly beautiful, complex portrait of a small community torn asunder by the Civil War. What Vicki Lane has rendered in this harrowing and profound portrait of life and death in one little corner of Western North Carolina is a world that would otherwise be lost to us or, at best, consigned to a dusty footnote of history. Lane, through the alchemy of her formidable imagination, has breathed life into unforgettable characters living through a time of upheaval and untold tragedy. I will never hear the words Shelton Laurel again without a host of Lane’s powerful and heartrending images coming to mind. And the Crows Took Their Eyes accomplishes what only the very best historical fiction can ever hope to accomplish, connecting us, not only to our history, but to our humanity as well.”
– Tommy Hays, author of The Pleasure Was Mine