Q&A Interview and Giveaway with Christina Henry

Hello everyone!  LITERAL ADDICTION and Book Monster Reviews are proud to welcome Christina Henry to our sites today.   

Christina is the author of the MADELINE BLACK series, which currently consists of 2 books:  “Black Wings” and “Black Night” (just released on July 26, 2011), and a 3^rd installment, “Black Howl”, due out in February of 2012. 

Christina is a Columbia College Chicago graduate, and still resides in Chicago with her husband and son.  When she’s not writing, Christina loves long distance running, watching zombie, samurai, and/or foreign movies with subtitles, and reading just about anything.

Christina summed up how the 2 main characters of the MADELINE BLACK series came to be very nicely in a Blog post.  We’d like to share bits of that with you here to remind lovers of MADELINE BLACK why they love it, and introduce new readers to the stars by way of the authors own words, not just a synopsis on the back cover:

From On the importance of a sidekick by Christina Henry:

“When I first started writing Black Wings, I had only the vague idea that I wanted to write a book about the Grim Reaper.  Then I heard Maddy’s voice in my head, and the gigantic, brooding male reaper I’d been envisioning became a short, slightly overweight female with a huge attitude.

I love to write dialogue, so I wanted to have someone around that Maddy could converse with on a regular bases.  Thus Beezle, the tiny gargoyle with the mighty appetite, was born.

He loves popcorn, and chocolate and pretty much anything that’s been deep-fried.  He acts like a know-it-all, which is fairly justified since Beezle is like an encyclopedia of things that go bump in the night.  He knows every creature, every court, and every set of magical laws and spells.  His job is to be a home guardian, and make sure that nothing creepy sneaks up on Maddy’s house, but mostly he spends a lot of time eavesdropping on Maddy’s conversations and demanding fat-and-sugar laden pastries…”

In “Black Wings”, Book 1, we meet Maddy, a reaper whose job escorting souls into the afterlife leaves her little time for socializing.  Then, devishly handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro comes to lease the empty apartment in Maddy’s building.  All is fine and well, until demons start to appear on the front lawn and Maddy realizes that there may just be more to her new tenant than what she sees. 

In “Black Night”, Book 2, we continue to follow Maddy as she escorts the souls of people who have died to the great beyond, but not everyone is happy to see her!  It’s the nature of the trade, and if obstinate dead people were ALL she had to worry about, she could live with that.  Unfortunately, she’s being stalked by bad guys both inside and outside of her family, and when the 2 most important beings in her life-her bodyguard Gabriel and her doughnut-loving gargoyle, Beezle-disappear, she’s not sure she can take much more.  As Lucifer’s granddaughter though, she’s expected to handle delicate negotiations with beings from other realms regardless of what might be going on in her own life.

Don't Forget!!...LIVE CHAT!:  Christina will be availabe from 8:00 - 10:00pm EST (7-9pm Central/6-8pm Mountain/5-7pm Pacific) to chat Live with members, followers, fans and guests in LITERAL ADDICTION's Contact Us Page Chatroom.

So… if you want an action packed adventure series with a rainbow of supe group characters ranging from loveable to loathed, then MADELINE BLACK is a must read for you!!  

Now that we’ve reminded Maddy and Beezle lover’s why they go back to Christina’s books, and given new readers just enough to make them want to go out and get them, let’s get to the Interview so we can learn even more.  And don’t forget, Christina will also be available to chat with us Live for 2 hours this evening.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Hi Christina!  We’re very happy to have you here today, and are glad to help you promote “Black Night”!  Thank you for entrusting us with the task and for letting us get to know you a little bit better.

Christina: I’m very happy to be here! Thank you so much for having me.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  We like to start out by finding out a bit more about our guest author, and then we’ll dig into the books… 

Q1): Can you tell us 3 things about yourself that we couldn’t find out easily on the Internet?

Christina:  1) I used to work in a comic book store.

2) I love carrot cake. 

3) I make awesome lasagna.

Q2):  How and when did you start writing?

Christina: I wrote my first “novel” at the age of 12 in a notebook. I’d just read “The Lord of the Rings” for the first time and I decided then and there that I wanted to be a writer.

Q3):  We know you love long distance running.  Are you a marathoner?  13.1? 

Christina: Yes, I’ve completed two marathons and ten half-marathons, plus an assortment of shorter distances.

 I’m training to run the Chicago Marathon again this year, which means that I am running insane distances in this insane heat. If somebody could talk to whoever is making this ridiculous humidity and tell them to JUST STOP NOW, that would be great.

Q4):  You list a great eclectic movie theme disposition.  What would you say your favorite movies from each of those listed would be—Zombie, Samurai, Subtitled?

Christina: Zombie: Night of the Living Dead

Samurai: Yojimbo (which is also subtitled)

Subtitled: The Host

Q5):  What are 3 things that never fail to make you smile?

Christina: Bill Murray in GHOSTBUSTERS, a new Stephanie Plum book by Janet Evanovich, and David Suchet as Hercule Poirot.

Q6):  How did you feel finally holding the finished copy of your first book in your hands?

Christina: I didn’t really feel like an author until I actually saw BLACK WINGS on the shelf in the bookstore. That’s when it hit home for me that I was a “real writer”.

Q7):  What’s a typical writing day like for you?

Christina: I always wish I had a more glamorous/interesting answer to this question. I’d like to have a nice writing ritual but I really don’t. I have a five-year-old, so basically after I drop him off at school/camp I just get to writing as much as I can as quickly as I can in the time that I have.

I’ve written large portions of all of the books by hand in a notebook while keeping an eye on my son at the playground, as well. I just try to squeeze in the writing wherever possible.

Q8):  Do you have a personal favorite author since you love to read?

Christina:  Jim Butcher. I say this so often that I am starting to feel like a stalker, but it’s true. I just think he is an amazing writer, and I love the way he is willing to take chances with his characters and his worlds.

Q9):  If you were to write an auto-biography, what would you call it?

Christina: Confessions of a Bookaholic: The Story of a Woman Who Kept Buying Books Even When She Had No Time To Read Them

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  O.K, now let’s find out some more about your awesome series…

Q10):  Did you have to do research into anything specific to be able to properly write the MADELINE BLACK books?

Christina: I did a little bit of research into fallen angel mythology on Wikipedia, and collected some names to use. That was about it. For the most part I am trying to keep the world of BLACK WINGS distinct, so even if I draw on some elements of existing mythologies I’m trying to make something new.

Q11):  O.K, Beezle is a fan favorite.  He’s received more than 1 “Best sidekick” vote on polls that we’ve participated in, and he just seems to flow so easily for you.  Why do you think that is?

Christina: Beezle is a lot like me. I’d definitely rather eat cinnamon rolls than fight evil.

Q12):  Now that you’ve written the life of a Grim Reaper, do you think you’d ever want the job? 

Christina:  No way! Maddy says more than once that the job sucks, and I think it does. She’s surrounded by death, and she can’t stop it. More than that, she’s not permitted to stop it, because death is part of the natural order of things. But I think it would wear on you after a while.

Q13):  If you had Maddy, Beezle, and Gabriel in a room with a bunch of readers, what question would you ask each of them and how do you think they’d answer?

Christina: You know, I have no idea. I’d love to hear what your readers would ask them, though!

Q14):  Can you tell us a little bit about “Black Howl” the next MADELINE BLACK installment?

Christina: 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.

Q15):  How many books have been contracted for the series, and/or what’s your plan for continuation?

Christina: I’m presently under contract to write six books. If it seems like there is enough interest and more story to tell after that then there will be more.

Q16):  Are there any personality traits that you share with Maddy?  Is there anything about you that is just completely opposite?

Christina:  I think that Maddy and I share the same level of determination. She doesn’t give up even when it seems like she’s down for the count.

Now, it’s not the same as fighting for your life against a horrible monster, but during my first marathon the heat index was over 85 degrees and I injured my hip flexor a little over halfway through the race. A smart person would have dropped out and said, “OK, there’s always next year”.

But I had trained for five months and I was not going to quit, so I walked the last eight miles. I was exhausted, I was in pain, I thought I was going to pass out from the heat but nothing was going to stop me from crossing that finish line and getting my medal. Even though it’s probably been my worst race, time-wise, I’m proudest of that finisher’s medal. I fought for that one.

That’s the quality that I try to give Maddy when I’m writing. Even when the creature she’s fighting is more magically powerful or more physically strong than she is I want her to fight to the very last.

Q17):  With Fantasy being such a popular genre these days, what fascinates you most about it?

Christina: I love the idea of something marvelous happening in our mundane world. I know that’s the reason why I love the Harry Potter books so much. What’s more wonderful than finding out your ordinary life is actually extraordinary?

Q18):  Did you always know that your lead character would be the Grim Reaper even if you didn’t know that she would turn out to be, well… Maddy?

Christina: I’d originally had an idea to write a book about a male Reaper – tall, dark, silent – a lot like Gabriel, actually. But then I heard Maddy’s voice in my head, talking to Beezle, and they kind of took over.

I’m a much more aural person than a visual one, which is why I like to write dialogue. As soon as I heard their voices that was it. The Reaper was Maddy.

Q19):  Is there a question that you have always wanted to be asked in an interview but have never been asked?  How would you answer that question?

Christina: I’m so bad at this kind of stuff. This is why I’m such an intermittent blogger. I can never think up topics to write about unless they involve magic and mayhem.

Q20):  Is there anything specific you would like to say to your readers while we have you here today?

Christina: Thank you so much to everyone who has bought the books and let me know how much they enjoyed them. It means so much to me as a new author to know that there are readers out there who like what I write.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Christina, thank you so much for being with us today!  MADELINE BLACK has been awesome, and we can’t wait to see where Maddy and the gang take us next.  We would LOVE to have you back for the release of “Black Howl” in 2012 if you’re interested!!  J 

Christina:  I’d be happy to come back anytime!

If you would like to find out more about Christina and her MADELINE BLACK series, please visit at her the following website:

Website:  http://www.christinahenry.net/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christina-Henry/152170358141765?ref=ts

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CONTEST:

Christina is graciously offering up a  BLACK NIGHT prize pack which includes a Black Night tote bag, a Black Night button, and a signed copy of the book to a winner from LITERAL ADDICTION and a winner from Book Monster Reviews. 

To Enter, make sure you’re signed up for the LITERAL ADDICTION forum on Author’s Corner page and post a reply to the Contest/Event thread with your email address.  Any comments without an email address will NOT be entered into drawing.

Want a 2nd chance to win??  Go to the LITERAL ADDICTION website (http://www.literaladdiction.com/authors-corner.php#/), make sure you’re a Member, and enter to win the contest on their site too by leaving a comment with your email address on the Interview post.

GOOD LUCK!!!