Terry Kay was an American author, renowned for his evocative novels that explore life in the American South. Born as Terry Winter Kay, he began his literary journey that led to his induction into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2006.

To Dance with the White Dog is perhaps his most famous work, adapted into a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie starring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. Beyond this success, Kay authored several other novels, including The Valley of Light, Taking Lottie Home, The Kidnapping of Aaron Greene, Shadow Song, The Runaway, Dark Thirty, After Eli, and The Year the Lights Came On.

He was also a sports writer, film and theater reviewer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a public relations executive, and a corporate officer. In addition to his novels, he published a book of essays titled Special K and a children's book To Whom the Angel Spoke.