Interview + Giveaway: Christina Henry, author of Black Night
Thanks so much for allowing me to interview you again, Christina. I enjoyed Black Night immensely. Far too often it’s hard to follow a debut as outstanding as Black Wings proved to be, but you pulled it off marvelously! You are definitely garnering a place on my keepers shelf :)
Thank you so much, Teresa! I’m glad to be back on your blog.
For our new readers, can you fill them in on the world of Madeline Black?
Madeline Black is an Agent of death, which means that she escorts the souls of the dead to a mysterious place called the Door. In the first book, BLACK WINGS, Maddy finds out that she also half-fallen angel, and that she is distantly related to Lucifer.
She also has a gargoyle named Beezle who has a terrible sweet tooth and a popcorn addiction, a fiancé named Nathaniel who she doesn’t want, and a bodyguard named Gabriel whom she does want but is forbidden to love. Oh, and her Agency boss, J.B., is obsessed with rules and paperwork and generally drives her insane.
There seemed to be a ton more action in Black Night compared to Black Wings. I even saw one reviewer say it read “like Die Hard on estrogen”. Was the increase in action challenging to write?
It was actually easier to write than the quiet moments in the series. I love to read books that have a lot of dialogue and a lot of action, so it was fun to write BLACK NIGHT this way. The action is dialed back just a little in BLACK HOWL – but not too much ;)
Faeries! That was not a turn I was expecting in this series, at least so suddenly. What brought it about?
I wanted readers to see how other supernatural communities interact with the fallen, so I introduced both faeries and werewolves in the books. I think it’s interesting to see how the fallen are perceived from the outside.
Last time we spoke, I asked about religion in Maddy’s world and I noticed a couple hints this time around. The main one sticking out in my memory is when Lucifer said he’s not “the other guy”. Will we see “the other guy” in the future?
No. Even when I’m drawing on elements from other mythologies I’m still trying to keep the world of BLACK WINGS distinct. That means that I might take an element or two but I’m not drawing directly on an existing religion.
Gabriel is such an enigmatic character. Can you give us a couple of insights into who he is; his likes or dislikes?
Gabriel has spent a long time suppressing his personality because of his status, so it’s difficult for him to be really expressive. What he does know is that he wants Maddy, and Maddy knows that she wants him. I like mysterious characters. There’s a sense that they will only open up for one really special person.
If Black Night had a playlist/soundtrack, what would be on it?
21 Guns/Green Day
Mr. Brightside/The Killers
I Burn For You/The Police
Trouble/Cat Stevens
Sleeping in the Devil’s Bed/Daniel Lanois
Sleepwalk/Santo & Johnny
Loaded question alert: Is there a set number of Madeline books planned? When can we expect Maddy’s next escapade? And, any hints as to what she’ll be facing next time?
Right now there will definitely be 6 books.
BLACK HOWL, the third book, will be released in February 2012. At the beginning of the book we find out that there a lot of unexplained ghosts walking around, and J.B. wants Maddy to figure out why. After spending so much time in the faerie court in BLACK NIGHT I wanted to get back to Chicago.
I have at ask this because it was my favorite part in Black Night: will we see the sword again? *grins*
Yes, we will definitely be seeing a lot of the sword in the future!
Thanks so much for stopping by again Christina. You are always welcome!
Thanks for having me again!
CHRISTINA HENRY is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago and enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with samurai, zombies and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son. Christina’s website can be found at www.christinahenry.net and her Facebook page is located here.
Note: “Night Out”, a short story taking place between Black Wings and Black Night can be read at Christina’s blog.
Giveaway
Thanks to Ace, we have one lovely copy of Black Night to give away to one lucky follower. US/Canada residents only, no P.O. Boxes, please. Simply comment below with your name and email (and it would be lovely if you left a question or comment for Christina as well). Contest ends August 23rd at 11:59pm central time.
