Big Holiday Book Giveaway!

Happy Holidays from some of your favorite Urban Fantasy/Fantasy/Paranormal Romance authors! Five lucky winners will receive a random selection of books from NYT Best Selling Authors Faith Hunter, Jennifer Estep, Darynda Jones. Also David B. Coe, Laura Anne Gilman, John Hartness, Christina Henry, Stuart Jaffe, Gail Z. Martin, and Mindy Mymudes. (Not all authors will be included in each prize pack.)

In addition a 25 dollar gift card will be randomly chosen from a comment one of the blogs. The more blogs you comment on, the more likely you’ll win the gift card! So go visit and win a gift for yourself this holiday season!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LTP: w | t | f

MM: w | t | f | gr

Interview with author CHRISTINA HENRY

We have with us today the talented author of the Madeline Black series, Christina Henry!! First off, Chris, please tell us about you.
I’m a thirtysomething (OK, almost fortysomething) mom of one boy and I’ve been happily married for twelve years.

When I’m not writing or helping my son build robots out of Legos I like to run long distances, bake sweet things (this is one of the many reasons that I run), and read as much as I can. I really enjoy watching movies where people get eaten by monsters – The Host, Jaws, Alien, and Night of the Living Dead are some of my favorites.

Where do you get your inspiration from? How do you come up with these ideas?
I’m more of an aural person than a visual person, so I usually hear the character’s voice before I see them. That’s happened with every character in the BLACK WINGS world so far.

When I’m writing a book I have a general idea of what has to happen at the beginning and at the end, but I don’t plan out the middle. I just kind of go along and let things happen organically.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? When and how did you start writing? Will you tell us a little about your journey to being a published author.
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 12 years old and I read J.R.R. Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS series. I was so enthralled with the world that he created.

I wrote BLACK WINGS in the fall of 2008, and then spent six months trying to find an agent. It’s really, really difficult to get an agent in the current climate. There are way more writers than there are agents to go around.

After six months without any success I decided to submit the book directly to Ace/Roc. Most of my favorite writers (Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris) are with them, and I’d always wanted to be published by Ace anyway. One week after I submitted the query and first ten pages an editor asked to read the whole book, and a week after that I was offered a contract for three books. It was pretty amazing.

As I understand it, Black Wings is your debut novel. How did it feel and how did you react? What did you do when you finally got to be a published author?
It took a few days to sink in, that’s for sure. I don’t think I really felt like an author until I walked into my local bookstore and saw BLACK WINGS on the shelf. I still like to go into bookstores and check the SF/Fantasy section for my book :)

Please tell us the aspect in being a writer that you like most.
Working in my pajamas when I’m at home, and working in the bagel shop when I actually feel like getting dressed.

Please tell us the aspect about being a writer that you like least.
Really, there’s no downside to this. I get to make up stories for a living!

Was there any significant changes in your life since being a published author? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Or just put up with it?
No, my life hasn’t really changed that much. I wish I could say that my life has been super-exciting since the books came out but unfortunately I still have to do the laundry.

How many books are planned for the Madeline Black series? Or nothing is quite definite yet?
There are definitely going to be at least six books. If it seems like there is more story to tell after that then there will be more.

Are you working on any current projects right now?
I’m working on the rewrites for BLACK HOWL, the third book in the BLACK WINGS series, which will be released in February 2012. I’ve also started writing book 4 in the series.

Thanks so much for having me here today, Cherry!

And thank you!! To Christina for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer the nosey questions from a reader!

Stalk Christina:
www.christinahenry.net
Facebook

Black Wings by Christina Henry
Book 1 of the Madeline Black series

Genre: urban fantasy

About Black Wings:

Escorting souls into the afterlife leaves Maddy little time for socializing-until devilishly handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in her building. But when demons start appearing on Maddy’s front lawn, she realizes there’s more to her new tenant than meets the eye.

Source: Info in the About Black Wings was taken from the author's website at http://www.christinahenry.net/?page_id=43 on 10/01/2011.

Black Night by Christina Henry
Book 2 of the Madeline Black series

Genre: urban fantasy

About Black Night:

Madeline Black is an Agent of death, meaning she escorts the souls of people who have died to the afterlife. Of course, not everyone is happy to see her...

If obstinate dead people were all that Maddy had to worry about, life would be much easier. But the best-laid plans of Agents and fallen angels often go awry. Deaths are occurring contrary to the natural order, Maddy's being stalked by foes inside and outside of her family, and her two loves-her bodyguard, Gabriel, and her doughnut-loving gargoyle, Beezle-have disappeared. But because Maddy is Lucifer's granddaughter, things are expected of her, things like delicate diplomatic missions to other realms.

Source: Info in the About Black Night was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9986897-black-night on 27/06/2011.

WW28: BLACK WINGS

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering : Black Wings by Christina Henry

Page 28, 1st sentence is so boring that it virtually means nothing at all... so instead, I will share with you my favourite quote :)

"I was pretty sure that I do not have an undiscovered talent for breaking and entering."

This is the main protagonist talking to herself.  :)

About Black Wings:

Escorting souls into the afterlife leaves Maddy little time for socializing-until devilishly handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in her building. But when demons start appearing on Maddy’s front lawn, she realizes there’s more to her new tenant than meets the eye.

Source: Info in the About Black Wings was taken from the author's website at http://www.christinahenry.net/?page_id=43 on 10/01/2011.

Review: BLACK WINGS

Black Wings by Christina Henry
Book 1 of the Black Wings series

Genre: urban fantasy

About Black Wings:

Escorting souls into the afterlife leaves Maddy little time for socializing-until devilishly handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in her building. But when demons start appearing on Maddy’s front lawn, she realizes there’s more to her new tenant than meets the eye.

Source: Info in the About Black Wings was taken from the author's website at http://www.christinahenry.net/?page_id=43 on 10/01/2011.

My Thoughts:
What do I like about Black Wings? The way Christina took the popular angel christian mythology and made it her own. Although not terribly original as I've seen the same in various other works in 2010, but still I like Christina's spin on the angel angle.

I also like the author's "voice". It's easy to read with humour between the pages. It makes the reading pace quick and the reading experience enjoyable. It makes the story telling quality very compelling. The author also incorporated modern slang which at times were slightly self-deprecating and often humorous monologues. This added a depth to the character of the main protagonist which made her likeable to me. Besides, humour always makes good reading :)

Bloody good for a debut novel! I think this will be one of those great urban fantasy series on par with the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Can't wait to read the next book, Black Night... roll around July already!

And of course I like the little sassy side kick :) ...here is a nice Beezle image when he is being closed-mouth and ornery to Maddy...

What don't I like about it? Mmmm... I'll let you know when I could think up of one.

In short, here is what I think about this book in empirical terms:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Other Books In This Series:

Black Night (Black Wings Book 2)
Publication Date: 26 July 2011

I would like to thank Dear Author for hosting the contest "2010 Winter ACE/ROC Giveaway" which made it possible for me to win Black Wings by Christina Henry!!

IN THE MAIL: KILLING ROCKS & BLACK WINGS

What I found waiting for me when I got home today:

I would like to thank Suzanne Johnson of Preternatura for hosting the Twists on Urban Fantasy Heroes (& Win an ARC of DD Barant's new KILLING ROCKS) contest which made it possible for me to win Killing Rocks by DD Barant!

Killing Rocks by DD Barant

About Killing Rocks:
Book 3 of the Bloodhound Files

FBI profiler Jace Valchek's ticket home from the twisted parallel universe where she's been called to duty hinges on the capture of series killer Aristotle Stoker - and an alliance with a sorcerer known as Asher. The problem: Asher has joined forces with some of the most dangerous creatures Jace has ever encountered. The solution: There is none, without Asher's help. Jace's goal seems simple enough - to get her man, like always. But just hours after she arrives in Vegas, she's abducted...and she isn't even sure who the real enemy is. Now Jace has to wonder if she's the predator or the prey in a very dangerous game that could change not only her fate, but the world's...Meanwhile, a serial killer is still on the loose. And time has already run out...

Source: Info in the About Killing Rocks was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7964129-killing-rocks on 10/01/2011.

I would also like to thank Dear Author for hosting the contest 2010 Winter ACE/ROC Giveaway which made it possible for me to win Black Wings by Christina Henry!!
Black Wings by Christina Henry

About Black Wings:

Escorting souls into the afterlife leaves Maddy little time for socializing-until devilishly handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in her building. But when demons start appearing on Maddy’s front lawn, she realizes there’s more to her new tenant than meets the eye.

Source: Info in the About Black Wings was taken from the author's website at http://www.christinahenry.net/?page_id=43 on 10/01/2011.