Blog Tour: Black Spring by Christina Henry…

It’s blog tour day today, for Christina Henry’s Black Spring, the final Black Wings installment. Check out the Q&A with Christina, and let’s find out what Maddy gets up to!

A former Agent of death, Madeline Black now has everything to live for, most importantly, her unborn child. But Chicago has become ground zero in a struggle between ancient creatures, and only Maddy can stop the carnage...

The mayor of Chicago has announced a plan to round up the city’s supernatural beings and put them in camps. With her due date looming, Maddy’s best move would be to lay low for a while. But not everyone is willing to respect her privacy. Hounded by tentacled monsters, a rogue shapeshifter, and a tenacious blogger, Maddy turns to her most powerful ally, her uncle Daharan, only to find him missing.

Just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, Maddy gets an invitation in the mail—to Lucifer’s wedding. Turns out everyone has been invited, friends and enemies alike. And with that kind of guest list, it’s highly unlikely there will be a happily ever after.

A Q&A with Christina Henry

drey: When did you realize you were meant to be a writer?

CH: I don’t know if I was meant to be a writer, but I have wanted to be a writer since I was 12 years old. I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time and I decided then and there that I would be a writer when I grew up. My dad gave me a notebook and I wrote my first “novel” in that notebook. As you might imagine, the story was just a teeny-weeny bit like The Lord of the Rings, except that it had a 12-year-old girl as the protagonist.

drey: How long did Maddy et al percolate before you put pen to paper (so to speak)? How did Beezle introduce himself?

CH: I heard Maddy and Beezle speaking in my head to one another at the same time. Once I realized that the grim reaper story I had been considering writing was about these two I started it right away. I wrote the first book pretty quickly – it took maybe 8 or 9 weeks, but I was writing 8-10 pages a day. I don’t write that fast anymore.

drey: Was it difficult to wrap up the BLACK WINGS series?

CH: In a way. It was hard to leave behind these characters. I’ve lived with them in my head for the last six years. On the other hand, it’s very exciting to think about the new stories and characters I’m going to write in the future. I’m really looking forward to trying some new things.

drey: How do you recharge your writing batteries?

CH: I don’t really get tired of writing. I’ve never had writer’s block or had a day when I was unable to write anything at all. Some days are easier and more magical than others, but I am always able to write something.

drey: What’s up next for you?

CH: I wrote something completely different from the BLACK WINGS series. It’s a two-part story that will start with ALICE, to be released in August of next year. Here’s the official back cover copy:

“A mind-bending new novel inspired by the twisted and wondrous works of Lewis Carroll…

In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside.

In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood…

Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago.

Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful.

And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.”

And a quick Proust-lite to finish up:

01. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
The Ghirardelli chocolate store.
02. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being stuck in traffic behind a CTA bus stopping at every corner.
03. Who is/are your favorite hero/heroine(s) in fiction?
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and Donald Sullivan from Nobody’s Fool.
04. Who is/are your favorite hero/heroine(s) in real life?
Anyone who does work for Doctors Without Borders.
05. What sound do you love?
The sound of my son’s laughter.
06. What sound do you hate?
A jackhammer on a sidewalk.
07. The quality you admire most in a man?
08. The quality you admire most in a woman?
For both – compassion and the ability to forgive.
09. If not a writer, you would be an
Archaelogist. When I was a kid I always wanted to be Indiana Jones.
10. What is your favorite swear word?
“Damn”. It’s classic and I don’t have to be completely mortified if my 8-year-old repeats it.

drey’s thoughts:

All Madeline Black wants is to be left in peace. Really. Unfortunately, life – and the powers that be? – have other ideas. We start Black Spring with a mundane scene: waking up and taking the dogs out for a walk. It’s not mundane for long though, as visitors (everybody and their uncle!) start popping by, including an imposter. One that walks, talks, and even smells like the original…

Before you know it, Maddy’s embroiled in another plot to take over the world. Only question is, who’s doing the scheming? And how can she stop them? Don’t the bad guys realize she’s pregnant? How inconsiderate of them to make her go traipsing around fighting creatures in the streets when she’s lugging a bowling ball in her mid-section?

Actually, I’m impressed as heck that Maddy gets as much accomplished as she does. When I was pregnant, I could barely remember where my brain was, and here she is saving the world whilst trying to keep herself free from Lucifer’s influence. Oh yeah, the horror that family can be. *shudder*

The plot in Black Spring is not predictable by any means, though we’d almost expect it due to this being the series finale. There are surprises aplenty, for both Maddy and us readers. And while the story got a bit confusing and convoluted, I chalk that up to my missing the last couple of books in the reading order instead of any fault on the writer’s part. What I did love was the snark. Y’all know I’m a HUGE fan of snark, right? So you won’t be surprised that Beezle is one of my favorite characters in the series. Maddy herself can put it out there like the best of them, but Beezle wins, hands down. All. The. Time.

So. If you haven’t read this series, read on for the giveaway, because you should – especially if you like your urban fantasy wrapped around the everlasting theme of good vs. evil, populated by angels and beings older than time, where romance is in the air, and of course, the heroine is awesomely sassy.

drey’s rating: Excellent!

Have you read Black Spring? What did you think? And if you haven’t, read on to win your own copy!

Giveaway!

There’s a FABULOUS giveaway for you – it ends November 7th, so hurry up and fill out the form below! This one’s open to US residents only. Good luck!

* If you can’t see the form, please refresh your page, make sure Javascript is enabled, or try another browser.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Christina Henry

CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the BLACK WINGS series (Ace/Roc) featuring Madeline Black, an Agent of Death, and her popcorn-loving gargoyle sidekick Beezle: BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and BLACK SPRING. She is also the author of the forthcoming dark fantasy ALICE (summer 2015).

Christina was born in New York and now lives on the North Side of Chicago with her husband and son. She sees no conflict in rooting for both the Yankees and the Cubs.

She also enjoys running long distances, eating large quantities of cinnamon rolls, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with zombies, samurai and/or subtitles.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

The post Blog Tour: Black Spring by Christina Henry… appeared first on drey's library.