Black Spring
(Black Wings #7)
by Christina Henry
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.
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*Interview*
What part of the writing process is the easiest/hardest for you?
I would say that editing is hardest for me. I really dislike re-reading my own work. It’s like listening to my own voice on the answering machine. It makes me shudder.
The easiest part is writing the book in the first place. It’s a wonderful process of discovery for me, because I don’t plot my books. I just let them sort of unspool. So it’s fun to see what happens next. I’m just as surprised as the reader by what happens.
Who is your favorite character (that you’ve written)?
I just finished writing a book called ALICE, which is very loosely based on Lewis Carroll’s work (it will be released in August of 2015). There is a character in that book called Hatcher, who is a very damaged psychopath. It was very interesting to me to spend time in his mind, to try and touch madness. At the same time, it’s not something I want to do all the time! It’s not a comfortable place to be.
Do you listen to music while you write or do you prefer quiet?
I do listen to music. I usually make a playlist for each book that captures the emotional feeling of the book to me. However, sometimes I’ll listen to something completely different. A playlist can occasionally be a burden to the story if it’s imposing a mindset I don’t want at that moment. I need to mix it up.
What was last book you bought OR What book are you looking forward to reading?
The last book I bought was “The Boy in The Snow” by MJ McGrath. It’s the second book in the Edie Kiglatuk mystery series. I read it right away – it never spent a second in my giant TBR pile – and I can’t wait to read the third book.
Does writing come naturally to you, or did you have to work harder in order to get that story in your head down on paper?
I think it comes naturally. I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was 12 years old. I’ve always written for fun, as long as I can remember, and that impulse just sprung from being an incredibly voracious reader my whole life.
Fun Stuff:
- Coffee or tea? Tea
- Paper book or ebook? Paper
- Summer or winter? Winter
- Werewolves or vampires? Werewolves
- Morning person or night owl? Morning person
- Pantser or plotter? Pantster
- Pepsi or Coke? I don’t drink soda.
- Dogs or cats? I have to choose?
Favorites:
- Drink: Like a grown-up drink, like a martini or a Cosmopolitan or something? Because I, sadly, do not drink grown up drinks like that. I like red wine, because it’s uncomplicated – uncork the bottle and pour.
- Food: Sushi
- Movie: It’s a toss up between JAWS and ALIEN.
- TV show: The X-Files
- Book (or genre): The Lord of the Rings
- Late night snack: I don’t stay up late. I fall asleep on the couch at 8:30 and have to be woken up and told to go to bed.
- Writing tools: Pen and notebook (I write by hand and then transfer the manuscript to a word document)
- Sport: Distance running (to do), Hockey (to watch)
- Vacation destination: National parks
- Music: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- Way to relax: With a glass of wine and a good book
About the Author:
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.