Lubbock, Texas - In modern America, it is easy to forget how influential the geography of a place can be on its people. We often ignore the tremendous role nature can play, by building skyscrapers in areas known for earthquakes and neighborhoods below sea level, until nature forces us to remember her deadly power. In the 1800s though, the settlers who moved to mountains in Kentucky were only too aware of the constant vigilance and preparedness required to live in the region.

Former Kentucky resident and author, Roberta Webb captures the struggle of early Americans to work within nature's restraints in her historical fiction release The Dark and Bloody Ground (TurnKey Press, November 2005, ISBN: 1-933538-08-2, $19.95). It is a sweeping saga following five generations as they make their way through the splendor and grace of the Appalachian Mountains. From the ravages of the Civil War to the explosion of coal mining, the allure of moon shining to the devastation of both World Wars, Dark and Bloody Ground captures the essence of the people living in the area for centuries. Their culture and history are tightly intermingled with the challenges and distinctiveness of the region.

The Dark And Bloody Ground serves as homage to Kentucky similar to the tribute Lonesome Dove paid to Texas. It provides an intimate, yet sprawling, portrait of the reality of life in the mountains of Kentucky and Virginia. Webb details every aspect of the beautiful area including spacious caverns, rolling hills, wildlife, and tumultuous rivers. The region plays an important character throughout The Dark and Bloody Ground and reveals how easily nature gives and takes away from its residents.

Webb, who grew up in Kentucky, based the fictional town of Elkinsville on her own hometown and many of the characters in the book closely resemble her eclectic, and often ill-fated, neighbors. Legend, folktales and true-to-life historical events blend into a captivating account of life over the course of a monumental century.

"My original intention was to tell the story of Judge Wesley Adams, but the book seemed to take on a life of it's own," says Webb. "In researching the area back to the 1800s I became captivated by the drama of the whole region. What a debt of gratitude we owe our ancestors!"

Webb currently lives in Lubbock, Texas with her husband. She has four children and several grandchildren. After graduating from nursing school, Webb became a psychiatric supervisor at the University of Georgia and later worked in her husband's psychiatry practice. She has lived in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina and Iowa.

To schedule an interview with Roberta Webb please contact Roberta Webb at riverlit@caprock-spur.com.