Interview: Christina Henry

NRR: Can you share with us how you got started in writing?

I wrote my first “novel” at the age of 12. I had just finished reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time. I asked my father for a notebook and wrote everything that was in my head longhand. I think there were about 9 chapters in total and it sounded a lot like Tolkien, but I had caught the bug to write and never really got rid of it. 

NRR: How were you inspired to write the Black Wings series?

I originally had an idea of writing a book about the Grim Reaper. At first, the reaper was male, tall and brooding – a lot like Gabriel, actually. Then I heard Maddy’s voice in my head, and the reaper became a slightly overweight, very short female with a big attitude. Once I heard Maddy’s voice Beezle’s followed pretty close behind, and that kind of set the tone for the whole novel.

NRR: What is a day in the life of Christina Henry like?

I exercise first thing in the morning six days a week – strength training, running, and yoga. I’m training for a marathon right now – next year I’m thinking of trying a triathlon. A couple of days a week I try to do an extra workout, like swimming or  cycling while pulling my son in the bike trailer. It’s definitely strenuous – he weighs 50 pounds!

Since it’s summertime my son goes to half-day camp three days a week. I try to get the bulk of my writing done on the mornings when he’s at camp. Most days I shoot for 5 pages – on a good day when the story is really rolling along I can do 8-10.

After that I try to do other writing-related things, like editing or blog postings, and then it’s on to all the ordinary stuff of life – chasing after my kid, doing the laundry, trying to figure out what to cook for dinner and deciding pizza is the path of least resistance.

NRR: What was the most challenging part of writing Black Night?

Since it’s the second book in a series it was a challenge to strike a balance between reminding readers of what had happened in the first book and not reiterating the entire story.

NRR: What is your guilty pleasure?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathons. Unfortunately, I don’t have time for these anymore!

NRR: Can you share with us the storyline to Black Night?

Black Night picks up about a month after the events of Black Wings. Maddy’s life has completely changed since she’s learned more about who she is, and because of her unexpected inheritance she gets sucked into a diplomatic mission to the local faerie court. Unfortunately, the last ambassador was killed for a breach of etiquette and Maddy is hardly a subtle individual, so things are practically guaranteed not to end well.

NRR: What can fans expect to see from you next?

Black Howl, the third book in the Black Wings series, is set to be released in February 2012.

Thanks so much for having me here today!