Hello, dear reader friends. I know, I know – last year I said I was going to try to be better about posting here but this year I REALLY MEAN IT. I’ve been primarily relying on social media for the last few years but with the death of Twitter and now everyone migrating away from Meta products it’s getting harder and harder to figure out how to reach readers. I’ve never been able to escape the feeling that if I post here I should really POST – like, basically write an article every time – but I probably need to reconsider. Maybe short posts are enough. Anyway, re: social media usage in general, this is what I’m using (or not) these days:
Threads: I’m there at @authorchristinahenry. This is where I’ve been posting most frequently if you want to see stuff from me. That could change as more people migrate to BlueSky.
BlueSky: I’m also there, @christinahenry.bsky.social. I’ve been trying to use it a little more lately, but it seems like it’s harder to get a conversation going there.
Instagram: Same as Threads – @authorchristinahenry. I post semi-regularly, but I’ve never gotten into making Reels or whatever they’re called because I don’t like to look at my own face on video. This is why I never opened a TikTok account, so don’t even look for me there.
Facebook: I have a fan page there but I pretty much only use it to post the occasional bit of book news – new releases, events, etc. I’ve never liked Facebook and it seems like it has gotten worse over the last few years – my feed is cluttered with random junk and it annoys me to even open the app. If you’ve tagged me there or responded to something I posted and I never acknowledged it I apologize. I just don’t really use it at all.
Twitter: I kept my Twitter account open only so that no one would try to pretend to be me on that site. I have not used it or even opened the app for several months. As with Facebook, it’s not a good place to tag me because I’m not posting there.
More and more authors are insisting that everyone should have a newsletter, but when I asked about this the other day on Threads it seemed 1) a bunch of authors were absolutely certain that readers were opening and reading their email, 2) a bunch of readers were saying they DIDN’T open or read these emails or they didn’t want more stuff cluttering their inbox.
And look, a lot of people open emails but don’t read them because they are just trying to clear the notification. I’m guilty of this myself. I’ve been contemplating a Substack for a while now but I’m not sure the juice is worth the squeeze if readers don’t want more email. Anyway, maybe I’ll try a newsletter later this year. If you’re on Threads or BlueSky and would be interested in this kind of thing from me, let me know, and also let me know what you like to see in terms of newsletter content.
My nineteenth book, THE PLACE WHERE THEY BURIED YOUR HEART, is currently moving its way through the editing process and will be out in November of this year. When I have more info and preorder links I will certainly post those here and on social media. The cover is absolute FIRE and I can’t wait to share it with all of you. The release date is a pretty late in the year and I’m debating whether or not to do a little book tour as I did in 2023. This may depend on interest so if you are a bookstore owner/manager let me know through my publicist, Yazmine Hassan, if you’d like to host – yhassan@penguinrandomhouse.com
Here’s a little blurb for THE PLACE WHERE THEY BURIED YOUR HEART to whet your appetite:
Now, on to the fun stuff! I’ve got a few appearances scheduled for this year already and I’d love to see you out there. Side note: if you want me to come to your town/festival, send a note to the festival organizers and ask them to invite me! They can contact my publicist at yhassan@penguinrandomhouse.com
My first appearance of the year will be in support of my fellow Chicago author, Cynthia Pelayo. I’ll be in conversation with her at City Lit Books on March 11th from 6:30-7:30. Please join us! Cynthia’s latest book, VANISHING DAUGHTERS, is absolutely beautiful and you don’t want to miss it.
In March I will also be attending the Third Coast Author and Book Festival in Grand Haven, MI on March 22nd. This will be a massive event with over 100 authors signing books and meeting fans. Don’t miss it!
On April 26th, 2025, I’ll be attending Concinnity 2025 in Milwaukee at Milwaukee School of Engineering, Diercks Hall, 1025 N. Milwaukee St. There will be panels and signing times – more info to come!
On Saturday, August 2nd, I’ll be at the Books and Brews Event presented by Books of Horror. This event was originally to be held at Scarlet Lane Brewing but they have had a venue change to the Wyndham Noblesville, Indiana. For up to date information and ticketing follow them on Instagram or Threads at @_booksandbrews_
Hello, my lovely reader friends. I know, I know – I’ve been EXTREMELY BAD about keeping this website up to date. I’ve been struggling for the last few years with a chronic health condition that makes it hard for me to do much of anything some days, and when that happens I prioritize getting as much actual writing done as possible. That said, I am going to try to do better than once a year.
My most recent book, GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE, was released in November and I was able to do a little book tour to support it. Extremely huge thanks to Jimmy Juliano, Gabino Iglesias, Sadie Hartmann, and KC Grifant (all wonderful writers in their own right) for helping me out with that. Also MUCH love and thanks to all of the readers who showed up and also to the bookstores that sponsored the events – Bucket O’Blood Books and Records in Chicago, Vintage Bookstore and Wine Bar in Austin, Third Place Books in Seattle, and Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego.
My next book, THE HOUSE THAT HORROR BUILT, will be out on May 14th, 2024! I’ll be doing a launch/signing event at Three Avenues Bookshop at 3009 N. Southport Ave in Chicago at 6pm. If you’re in the Chicago area please join me! I’d love to see you. FREE tickets for the event are at this link: Three Avenues launch event
If you’re not in the Chicago area you can still get a signed bookplate from me if you preorder THE HOUSE THAT HORROR BUILT! Here’s how it works:
1) Preorder a copy of the book from any retailer (but support your local bookshop if you can),
2) Email me at info@christinahenry.net with proof of your preorder and your mailing address,
3) I’ll send you a signed bookplate for your book.
A couple of caveats: a) You have to live in the U.S./Canada (international postage is verrrry expensive, sorry) and b) I won’t be answering any of these emails as someone will be helping me collect the addresses.
If you live in the U.K. don’t despair! There is a special limited edition with a signed bookplate and sprayed edges available from Waterstones: The House That Horror Built signed UK edition
Read on for a little preview of THE HOUSE THAT HORROR BUILT!
HARRY before
SHE REMEMBERED FALLING IN love with movies when she was very young, remembered disappearing into the dark with only the flickering screen to guide her. She remembered the feeling of drifting away from the seat and the small bag of too- salty popcorn and into the movie as the restless sounds of her mother and father and sister shifting and coughing and whispering faded to another time and place, another time and place that Harry had left behind.
Her parents took her to very few films, and even then only films that were considered “clean”— while the rest of her fourth- grade class chattered excitedly about Titanic she had to content herself with occasional glimpses of clips during television commercial breaks. Her parents were half- convinced that film and television were actual tools of the devil, and Harry and her sister Margaret (always Margaret, never Maggie) weren’t allowed to see anything that had higher than a G rating. But Harry didn’t care. She loved the movies— loved the drive to the theater and the way
everything smelled like hot butter and Raisinets, loved watching the coming attractions before the film started and the hush of anticipation that fell when the title sequence began. Even if she was only allowed to see G movies at least she was seeing movies. At least she was someplace besides her sober, judgmental household, a place where the only acceptable conversation was prayer and the only acceptable attitude was piety.
Harry knew her family was different than other families, even different from most of the families who attended the same church. Her school friends attended Sunday school with her and went to Christian summer camp but they also were allowed to walk the mall in small groups. They had cable television and saw rated R movies late at night after their parents had gone to bed. They had new clothes from places like the Gap and American Eagle and Aeropostale, while Harry and Margaret were only allowed Salvation Army secondhands.
Harry was eleven when she was permitted to attend her first sleepover birthday party. She’d begged her mother to allow her to go, having always been the only girl left out when she had to turn down previous invitations. For some reason, on that particular occasion, her normally stern mother relented— a decision she would likely regret for the rest of her life, because it was on that night that Harry was irredeemably corrupted.
The friend, Jessica Piniansky, had an older sister named Erin who had been left in charge of the menagerie of girls for the evening while Jessica’s parents wisely went out to dinner after the birthday cake was served. Erin had been dispatched to the local video store to rent Kiefer Sutherland movies, as Kiefer was Jessica’s current obsession and her bedroom was plastered with photographs of him torn from Us and Entertainment Weekly and People that she’d taken from the library. Jessica always had slightly out of date obsessions, like she ought to have been born ten years earlier.
Erin had returned with copies of The Lost Boys and Flatliners, two films that Harry would never have been permitted to watch under normal circumstances. Her hands were sweaty as The Lost Boys slid into the DVD player, as she stared down the barrel of doing something her parents would not approve.
All around her the other girls argued over the relative merits of Jason Patric vs. Corey Haim vs. Kiefer Sutherland, but Harry didn’t join in. She was in love with the dark, with the lost boys swinging and flying under the railroad track, with the arterial spray of the first vampire attack, with the blood gushing from the sinks and spattering all over the house. She relished the thrumming of her heart, the pulse of her own blood, the terror and the splendor and the excitement she’d never felt before.
When the movie was over she felt reborn, reborn as an addict seeking another thrill. She didn’t know how she would find it again, how such a visceral pleasure would ever be allowed in a home where pleasure of any kind was a sin.
She began to sneakily read copies of Fangoria magazine whenever she saw them— at the corner store when she was sent out to buy milk, or at the bookstore when her mother wasn’t paying attention. As she entered high school and she got a job of her own— making ice cream cones and sundaes at Dairy Queen after school— she had more time and money to do what she liked, to stop and buy those copies of Fangoria on the way home and ferret them away between her mattress and box spring, taking them out only when everyone else in the house was asleep and scanning the pages, flashlight in hand, seeing hints of worlds where she still wasn’t permitted to travel— places where regular people were flesh-eating cannibals, or writers accidentally opened portals to terrible universes, or alien creatures stalked a prison world. She wanted more. She always wanted more, and more, and more, but it wasn’t until she made her escape— when she became Harry Adams and left Harriet Anne Schorr behind forever— that she could have all the terror she wanted, and then some.
ONE
IT WAS THE SIZE of the house that got Harry every time she saw it. Of course she’d seen houses that size before, in Certain Neighborhoods around Chicago, giant houses whose sheer enormity should have relegated them to the suburbs. This city house wasn’t a McMansion, though— one of those classless boxes, bulging oversized dwellings for those who wanted to display their money, or at least their debt. It was decidedly not new, not the province of some futures broker or investment banker. It had the same gray stone face as her own two- flat apartment building— a fifteen- minute bus ride and half a world away, economically speaking— but it was twice the size. The house covered two lots, with a third lot for a side yard. As an apartment dweller she didn’t often contemplate property taxes but just the fact of those three lots made queasy multi- digit numbers dance before her eyes. The building was three stories plus a basement level. The windows were tall on the lowest story, less so on the second one, and downright tiny on the topmost, giving the overall effect of slowly closing eyes if you glanced from the bottom to the top. Other than the oddly sized windows there were no particular architectural flourishes save two. At the northeast corner of the roof a sculpture protruded like a Notre Dame gargoyle— a horse’s head and neck carved in stone, the horse’s lips pulled back, its eyes wild. All around the horse, stone flames rose, waiting to burn. Harry thought she’d grimace, too, if she was trapped in fire for all eternity. In addition to the frantic stallion, there was a name carved in an arc above the door— BRIGHT HORSES. The entire property was surrounded by a ten- foot- high black iron fence. The only two entry points were the gate in front of her and the sliding gate in front of the garage in the back. Harry reached toward the call box so she could be buzzed in, but paused as she heard her phone chirp in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text from her son, Gabe. FORGOT MY CHEM REPORT! IT’S ON MY DESK? followed by a praying hands emoji. Already at work, she texted back, and tacked on the woman shrugging and holding her hands up. She only worked three days a week, so if Gabe had tried on a different day she might have hopped the bus and brought his report to him. Maybe. Part of her thought he needed to learn the consequences of not thinking ahead and putting the report in his bag the night before. The other part of her wanted to cut him some slack, given that it was his freshman year and the first time the kids were back at school post- pandemic, even if it was only three days a week. She was grateful that it was only two days off in person schooling, as her unemployed spring (furloughed from her server job, never to return) coupled with overseeing remote learning for a thirteen- year- old with ADHD had resulted in screaming, emotional breakdowns for both of them. Having Gabe’s learning monitored by qualified teachers was a profound relief. Harry watched the reply bubbles churn on her screen until Gabe’s answer popped up. A sad face emoji, followed by a shrugging boy. Noise crackled from the call box and a deep baritone voice emitted from it. “Are you going to stand there all day, or perhaps you’d like to work?” Harry glanced up at the camera perched on the top corner of the fence. The preponderance of cameras in and around the house always left her feeling uneasy, even though she understood the necessity of them. There were a few too many, in Harry’s opinion, though she was careful to keep that opinion to herself. “Sorry, Mr. Castillo,” she said, and the gate buzzed. Harry pushed the gate open and hurried up the walk as Javier Castillo opened the front door, watching her approach. “We’ll start in the blue room today,” he said as she jogged up the steps. “No problem,” she said, pausing in the doorway. She pulled her slippers— plain gray terry cloth scuffs, bought expressly for and used only at the Castillo residence— out of her backpack, placed them on the floor in the entryway and toed out of her sneakers one by one, sliding each foot into a slipper without ever touching the ground. Harry picked up her sneakers and carried them inside, placing them on the special shelf to the left of the doorway. No outside dirt, damp or germs touched the floors in Bright Horses. The shelf that housed her sneakers was something like a preschooler’s cubby, with a space for shoes at the bottom, hooks for bags and coats in the center, and a top shelf for hats and other items. Harry pulled off her black windbreaker and hung it on a hook. She slid her cell phone into her backpack as Mr. Castillo watched. There was a strict no phone policy inside the house. Violation of this rule was grounds for immediate dismissal, though she was allowed to go outside during her lunch break to check messages. Mr. Castillo held out the box of latex gloves stored on a side table behind the door. Harry pulled on the gloves, wincing a little as she did. She hated the feeling of pulling on the gloves, the way the material seemed to grab and yank at her skin. Once the gloves were actually on she didn’t mind them as much, although she still liked the moment at the end of the day when she was allowed to peel them off and let her skin breathe again. Harry adjusted her medical mask— Mr. Castillo never allowed her to remove it inside the house except in the kitchen when eating or drinking— so that all that was visible were her faded blue eyes and the bit of her forehead that showed when she pulled her pin- straight blonde hair into a ponytail. She followed him down the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. The entry to the house was deliberately neutral— the plain gray carpet and faded wallpaper practically screamed, There’s nothing to see here! But upon leaving the downstairs hall and passing into any other room the true nature of Bright Horses was revealed.
It started on the stairway, after the first few steps, when the stairs curved to the left, out of sight from anyone standing in the entryway. A large framed poster of a voluptuous blonde in a red dress hung on the wall there. A snarling cat, blood dripping from its mouth, curled over her right shoulder, and over her left were the words SHE WAS MARKED WITH THE CURSE OF THOSE WHO SLINK AND COURT AND KILL BY NIGHT! Above her head the words CAT PEOPLE floated over a clock whose hands showed midnight. Harry always smiled at this poster, as Cat People was one of her favorite films, though Mr. Castillo had hastened to point out that the poster wasn’t an original print. Most of the posters that lined the wall along the stairs were contemporary copies, thought there were a few genuine articles— the original U.K. quad poster for Hammer’s The Curse of Frankenstein, the lurid red French theatrical poster for Eyes Without a Face, a U.S. lobby poster for An American Werewolf in London. It was slow going to the top of the stairs, as Mr. Castillo always got out of breath halfway up and had to stop. Harry didn’t remark on this, or offer any help. She’d made the mistake of offering assistance once, saying she would fetch a glass of water. “I’m fine,” Mr. Castillo snapped. “I’m just fat.” Harry attributed his breathlessness to lack of regular exercise rather than size— she knew plenty of heavier people who had no trouble with stairs because they ran or lifted weights on the regular, and plenty of thin people who tired after walking half a block. But she hadn’t said this. She hadn’t said anything unnecessary or even vaguely personal, because it had been her first day. She was grateful to have work again, and desperately averse to jeopardizing her new source of income. Even now, more than a month later, she never said anything that might be construed as personal. She was too much in awe of him, in awe of this person who’d let her into his home. Javier Castillo had brown hair going gray, brown eyes behind steel-rimmed spectacles, was on the shorter side (though not as (though not as short as Harry, who had reached five feet at age thirteen and never grown again) and overall had the completely nondescript appearance of any random person on the block. He was the sort who would never attract attention unless you knew who he was, would never be whispered about if he went to the grocery store— which he never did. He never went anywhere if he could help it. Because of this, very few people in his neighborhood realized one of the world’s greatest living horror directors lived among them. Javier Castillo, director and writer of fifteen films, most of them visually groundbreaking, genre- defying masterpieces. His film The Monster had won the Oscar for Best Picture five years earlier and swept most of the other major categories along the way, including Director and Original Screenplay. The world had waited breathlessly for the announcement of his next project. Then a shocking, unthinkable incident happened, and Castillo withdrew into his California home, and there was no mention of potential new movies while the paparazzi stood outside his house with their cameras ready for any sign of life within. After one too many wildfires came too close to his residence he decided to move, somewhat incongruously, to Chicago. He packed up his legendary and possibly priceless collection of movie props and memorabilia and brought them to a cold Midwestern city where the last major urban burning was decidedly in the distant past. If it wasn’t for those California wildfires Harry would still be collecting unemployment, frantically responding to job ads with a horde of other desperate people, never hearing back, wondering how long Gabe would believe her tight smile followed by, “Everything’s going to be fine.” But instead there was this miracle, this miracle of a strange and reclusive director who needed someone to help him clean his collection of weird stuff three days a week, and so Harry climbed up the stairs and listened to Javier Castillo huff and puff.
THE HOUSE THAT HORROR BUILT is published by Berkley Books in the U.S. and by Titan Books in the U.K.
I’m so excited to share the gorgeous cover for my next novel, GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE, coming 11/14/23! More info to follow in the coming months, including a mini (very mini! It was all we could put together before the holidays!) U.S. book tour, maybe a festival appearance or two, and some fun giveaways. In the meantime, enjoy the cover and a special sneak peek of Chapter 1, plus lots of links to preorder.
If you follow any author on social media then you already know that preorders are extremely important. Publishers use preorders to decide their print runs for books, which impacts bookstore sales and exposure. Preorders can help determine if a book is ordered and shelved by your local bookstore or not (which is why it’s really important to order from your local store, if you’re able. Stores will frequently order and extra copy or two if they think there is demand). Preorders affect bestseller lists, because all preorders count toward first-week sales. Preorders can even impact whether or not an author gets a new contract, because publishers gauge interest for that author’s work through sales.
If you can’t preorder for any reason, though, don’t stress! You can still support your favorite author by liking and reposting/retweeting links on social media, telling your friends about your favorite books, and most importantly – asking your library to carry those books. So many books come out every year, and librarians don’t always know if there’s demand for every title. Requesting a copy at your local library increases visibility for authors and helps them find new readers.
All that said, here’s the cover and back cover copy for GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE!
A sharp-edged, supremely twisty thriller about three women who find themselves trapped inside stories they know aren’t their own, from the author of Alice and Near the Bone.
Celia wakes up in a house that’s supposed to be hers. There’s a little girl who claims to be her daughter and a man who claims to be her husband, but Celia knows this family—and this life—is not hers…
Allie is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip—but then her friend’s boyfriend unexpectedly invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods. No one else believes Allie, but she is sure that something about this trip is very, very wrong…
Maggie just wants to be home with her daughter, but she’s in a dangerous situation and she doesn’t know who put her there or why. She’ll have to fight with everything she has to survive…
Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This captivating novel will keep readers guessing until the very end.
GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE is published by Berkley Books in the U.S.
Add GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE to your Goodreads list here
Grab the U.S. edition from your favorite bookseller or one of these retailers:
mysterybkluv: who else here loves cozy mysteries best?
poirotsgirl: cozies are my fave, esp if they have recipes in the back
mysterybkluv: ngl it would be great to live in a small town where there are lots of low-stakes murders and I could solve them while working in my family restaurant
tyz7412: lol living the dream
“Mom.”
“Earth to Mom. Come in, Mom.”
“Mom, I’m going to be late for the bus!”
Celia shook her head. The small person beside her was blurry, out of focus. Did she need glasses now?
And why was this person calling her “mom”?
Celia blinked hard, once, twice, and the little person came into focus. A girl—maybe ten, eleven years old?—staring at her expectantly, holding an open backpack.
“What?” Celia asked.
“My lunch,” the girl said. “I need my lunch. Did you drink enough coffee this morning?”
Celia looked down. In front of her, on a white countertop, was an open cloth lunch bag. Inside it there was already a plastic bag of sliced apples, a bag of all-natural puffed corn snacks (cheese flavored), and a chocolate soy milk.
A piece of waxed paper lay unfolded on the counter. What is all this disposable packaging? I would never buy things like this.
“Mom!” The little person was getting really insistent now. “Sandwich!”
Celia couldn’t think. She needed this small girl to leave so she could organize her thoughts.
Why does she keep calling me “Mom”? I don’t have any children.
“Two minutes!” the girl screeched.
There was a loaf of wheat bread and a package of cheese from the deli next to the waxed paper. Celia took out two pieces of bread.
“One piece in half! Mom, what’s wrong with you today?”
“Sorry,” Celia said, cutting the single slice of bread in half. “How much cheese?”
“Two pieces! Come on, come on!”
You’re old enough to do this yourself, Celia thought as she folded the bread around the cheese, wrapped the sandwich in waxed paper and shoved everything in the lunch bag. The girl grabbed it, stuffed it in her pack and sprinted toward the door.
“Bye, love you!” she said as she threw the door open, then slammed it shut behind her.
Celia walked like a sleepwalker to the window next to the door and peered out. The little girl was running down a long inclined driveway toward what appeared to be a country road. Across the street there was nothing to see except trees, tall trees that looked like older-growth maple, oak and ash.
The little girl reached the end of the drive just as a yellow school bus pulled up in front of the mailbox. She clambered onto the bus and it pulled away.
She’s gone. Now I can think.
Footsteps sounded overhead and Celia glanced up at the ceiling in alarm. The steps moved across the floor, and a moment later Celia heard someone large coming down the stairs. She couldn’t see the stairs from where she stood. The kitchen was attached to a dining room on one side and a hallway on the other. Celia peered into the hall. The bottom of the stairs was at the far end.
A strange man rounded the banister and headed toward her, frowning at his cell phone as he walked. Celia backed away from him, her heart pounding. Her butt bumped into the edge of the counter. She scrambled around it and positioned herself close to the door so she could run if she needed to do so. She looked down at her feet. Socks. Not even slippers. There was a pair of low shelves positioned next to the door with shoes neatly arranged on them. One of those pairs should be hers. But would she have time enough to figure out which pair, put them on and get out the door?
“Hey, babe, I’ve got a ton of meetings this morning,” the man said. “I’ll stop by the restaurant at lunchtime.”
Who is he?
The man was very tall, at least six inches taller than herself, and she wasn’t a small woman. He had dark hair cut in what she thought of as “millennial fund manager” style and wore a well-tailored gray suit. He had a gym-toned look about him and altogether gave the impression of someone who belonged in a city. This impression was reinforced when he pulled on an expensive-looking wool overcoat. His shoes, Celia noted, were very shiny.
He leaned close to her and kissed her cheek absently, still looking at the phone so he didn’t notice the way she inched backward. She caught a whiff of his aftershave, something musky and heavy. Her nose twitched.
“See you later,” he said, and disappeared out the same door as the little girl.
Celia went to the window and pulled one blind up to peek out. The man who’d called her “babe,” the man who’d kissed her goodbye, had gotten into a black Audi SUV that was parked at the top of the driveway. He backed down the drive and pulled out onto the road, heading in the opposite direction of the bus.
An Audi. City guy, she thought again, and then wondered why she thought this.
Because I live in a city and I see those kinds of guys all the time, she thought, but the thought was like a stabbing pain in her head. She looked around the kitchen, then out the window once more.
Clearly, she did not live in a city. Why did she think she lived in a city?
Hello, dear readers and friends. If you checked up on this page at any time in 2022 you probably wondered if I had fallen off the face of the earth. The answer: kinda?
If you follow me on any social media channels you may have seen from my intermittent posting there that I’ve been dealing with an ongoing, undiagnosed illness since late 2020 that occasionally prevents me from doing anything at all. While my condition is still undiagnosed and I continue to have issues, I’ve now got some medication that helps with some aspects of my illness and makes life a little more bearable. It also makes me more functional so I’m hoping to return to in-person events this year – more info on that to come!
I did sign a contract for two new books to be published with Berkley/Penguin Random House – GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE, which will be out in November of 2023, and BRIGHT HORSES, which will be out some time next year. GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE is in the copyediting stage, and BRIGHT HORSES has been sent to my editor for revisions. When I have cover info and preorder links I’ll share those here and on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Some quick release news for all of you – LOOKING GLASS, the final volume in The Chronicles of Alice, is now available! If you haven’t been able to get out to your local bookstore because of shelter-in-place orders, now is a great time to browse your local shop and pick up a few books. If they don’t have a copy of LOOKING GLASS in stock they can always order it for you.
Many local businesses have been hard hit by COVID-related lockdowns and bookstores need your support more than ever.
If you don’t have a local shop in your area a great alternative is Bookshop.org. Books ship directly from the distributor and the profits are distributed to local bookstores. You can check out their mission statement here.
In other news, the release date for THE GHOST TREE has been moved up to September 8, 2020. I’m so excited for all of you to read this book, which is very close to my heart. More information about THE GHOST TREE can be found here.
I’m extremely sorry that my U.K. tour for LOOKING GLASS with Tim Lebbon was cancelled due to the COVID epidemic. I hope to see all of you in the future.
Be safe, stay healthy and happy reading.
U.S. edition published by Berkley Publishing, an imprint of Penguin Random House
To add LOOKING GLASS to your Goodreads list click here
Grab the U.S. edition from your favorite bookseller:
I’ve gathered all the information for my upcoming appearances in this post, so read on!
I’ll be a literary guest at C2E2 in Chicago on February 29th and March 1st! There’s an amazing lineup of authors this year and I’m so excited to be participating. My publisher has generously provided a limited number of LOOKING GLASS arcs to Anderson’s Bookshop, the retailer at the autographing area. The arcs will be given as a bonus to anyone who purchases one of my titles, so it’s two books for one and you get an early copy! Panel and signing information below:
Saturday, February 29 12:30 pm- 1:30 pm Room S405a
AUTHORS ON THE BEST ADVICE I EVER GOT – Join authors Terry Brooks (The Shannara Chronicles), Rae Carson (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), Christina Henry (The Chronicles of Alice), Zack Jordan (The Last Human), Josh Malerman (Bird Box), and Sam Sykes (Seven Blades in Black,) as they talk about the best writing advice they ever got, and what advice they would give to an aspiring writer.
Saturday, February 29 1:45 pm- 2:45 pm Autographing at Autograph Table 4
Come meet Terry Brooks, Rae Carson, Christina Henry, Zack Jordan, Josh Malerman, and Sam Sykes (all at Table 4)! Items will not be provided, but books will be available for purchase at the signing from Andersons, the official bookseller of C2E2. Author signings are free and first come first served.
Sunday, March 1 1:45 pm- 2:45 pm Room S504
TODAY’S VOICES IN CONTEMPORARY HORROR WRITING: Join Josh Malerman (Bird Box), Joe Hill (Horns, Heart-Shaped Box), Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water, Bent Heavens), and Christina Henry (The Chronicles of Alice) as they discuss how to build terror and deliver expertly crafted chills and thrills in horror fiction.
Sunday, March 1 3:00 pm- 4:00 pm Autographing
Come meet Joe Hill (Table 1), Josh Malerman (Table 2), Christina Henry and Daniel Kraus (Table 4)! Items will not be provided, but books will be available for purchase at the signing from Andersons, the official bookseller of C2E2. Author signings are free and first come first served.
I’m also extremely excited to announce all the details for my upcoming Australian tour from March 6-March 14. I’ll be a guest at Supanova in Melbourne and the Gold Coast, and in between I’ll have several bookstore appearances in and around Sydney. For more information on Supanova panels and signings, check here. For bookstore stops, please check out the graphic below. Further information can be found by contacting the bookshops.
And last but not least, I’ll be appearing at StokerCon UK in Scarborough from April 16th – April 19th, 2020. More information plus weekend memberships and single-day tickets can be found here.
I’ll be doing a short bookshop tour of the UK following StokerCon with the wonderful Tim Lebbon. Tickets and more information can be found on the Waterstones event page here. For all of our tour stops, see below!
I’ve got lots of news to share this week, so read on for info about new books, upcoming appearances and my brand-new gig as a podcast host.
The news is now official so I can announce that I’ll be writing two more books for Berkley – NEAR THE BONE, a horror novel about a woman who lives on a mountain with her abusive husband and discovers there’s more than one kind of monster in the woods, and HORSEMAN, a dark reimagining of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. Release dates, covers and more info to come!
In the meantime I’ve got a novella collection, a novel and a short story coming out this year, so there’s plenty to keep you busy until NEAR THE BONE and HORSEMAN are released.
First up is my short story “As Red As Blood, As White As Snow” in the CURSED anthology, edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane. There’s a fantastic lineup of authors in this anthology, including M.R. Carey, Neil Gaiman, Charlie Jane Anders, Jane Yolen, Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon and more. If you love dark fairy tales you won’t want to miss this! CURSED will be released on March 3rd, 2020 and you can preorder now at any bookstore.
LOOKING GLASS, a collection of four novellas set in the ALICE universe, releases April 21, 2020. For more info you can read an excerpt here.
Finally, THE GHOST TREE, a horror novel about a Midwestern town under a curse, releases October 6th, 2020. I’m so excited for all of you to read this one – this book is really close to my heart. Here’s the back cover copy:
“When people go missing in the sleepy town of Smith’s Hollow, the only clue to their fate comes when a teenager starts having terrifying visions, in a chilling horror novel from national bestselling author Christina Henry.
When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won’t find the killer. After all, the year before her father’s body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids.
So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can’t just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.”
One of my favorite hobbies is to watch movies and talk about movies, and my pals Jeff and Jim gave me a chance to do this for a wider audience on their podcast T.M.I. – Confessionals of the Nerd Kind by making me an official member of T.M.I.! If you love movies as much as we do give us a listen on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Last week we had a very impassioned episode discussing PARASITE and THE HOST, two masterpieces by Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho. You can listen here or on your favorite podcast app.
I’m so pleased to announce that I’ll be a literary guest at C2E2 in Chicago on February 29th & March 1 2020. For more information about the convention and my panels and signings you can click here.
I’ve got some really exciting news for my U.K. fans – I’ll be attending StokerCon in Scarborough from April 16th to April 19th, and I’ll be touring the U.K. the following week! My publisher is still finalizing dates and locations (and that information will be announced here when I have it), but I look forward to seeing you all at bookstores around the U.K. in April!
Headed to C2E2 this weekend? So am I! I have panels and signings on Friday and Sunday, and my publisher will be giving away early copies of THE GIRL IN RED as a gift-with-purchase for anyone who buys one of my books at the signing. I hope to see some of you there!
Friday, March 22
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM: Panel in Room S405a
Once Upon a Time (But Also Different)
Think you know what’s really over the rainbow? Or the true story behind Alice’s adventures in wonderland? Come hear from authors and comic creators that are flipping your favorite fairy tales and iconic stories on their heads with delicious twists, turns and remixes that’ll keep fans turning the page!
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Autographing at Tables 41 & 42
SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 24
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Panel in Room S405a
Twists, Turns & Screams
Do you have a secret? Do you need answers! Put your detective’s hat, follow the clues and the things that go bump in the night to this can’t miss panel featuring a bevy of mystery, thriller and horror writers! What makes a compelling mystery? What will keep your readers on the edge of their seat till the very last page?
It’s finally June and THE MERMAID will be out eight days from now – June 19th, 2018! You can check out a sample chapter and preorder your copy here
I’ll be at Denver Comic-Con from June 15th-June 17th. I’ve got multiple panels and signings, so I hope to see you there! My schedule is as follows:
Friday, June 15______________________________________________________
11:30am—12:20pm: BEST BADDIES ARE MORE THAN THE HERO OF THEIR OWN STORY (ROOM 405) When developing a villain, how does a creator navigate making them powerful, yet flawed, charming, yet diabolical? Bring your favorite antagonists and the panel will break down the strengths and weaknesses that went into building memorable characters.
Panelists: Scott Beckman, Scott Bergstrom, Peter V. Brett, Betsy Dornbusch (Moderator), Travis Heerman, Christina Henry
1:00pm—2:00pm: PRH BOOTH SIGNING (BOOTH #509)
3:30pm—4:25pm: SOLO SIGNING (AUTHOR SIGNING BOOTH 1)
In Booktopia on the Show Floor – near upper entrance to Hall F.
6:00pm—6:50pm: AVOIDING CARDBOARD VILLAINS: HOW TO WRITE VILLAINS THAT ENGAGE & INTRIGUE READERS (ROOM 406/407)
Great protagonists are only as memorable as the antagonists they must defeat! Instead of making all murderers crazy psychopaths and all adversaries driven by revenge, let’s discuss easy, practical ways to build villains that are as complex and formidable as our heroes.
Panelists: Terry Brooks, Kristi Charish, Delilah Dawson, Christie Golden, Liv Hadden (Moderator), Christina Henry, Aaron Mahnke
Saturday, June 16____________________________________________________
11:00am—11:50am: SOLO SIGNING (AUTHOR SIGNING BOOTH 5)
In Booktopia on the Show Floor – near upper entrance to Hall F.
12:00pm—12:50pm: WORLDBUILDING AND STORYTELLING (KEYSTONE CITY ROOM – MILE HIGH BALLROOM DCCP4)
Every story has a beginning and an ending. How do you start to fill out the culture, laws and rules of conduct? Building a world to explore takes time and thought. Interact with the panel as we discuss how they go about creating a world to put their characters in.
Panelists: Robert Jackson Bennett, Peter V. Brett, Kristi Charish, Christina Henry, Naomi Novik. Jeffrey Twohig (Moderator)
2:00pm—2:50pm: ONE DAY, YOU WILL BE OLD ENOUGH TO READ FAIRYTALES AGAIN (ROOM 406/407)
You’re never too old – or young – to read fantasy fiction, as this all-star cast of authors proves. They’ll discuss why the modern fairytale resonates with them and readers, where they find their inspiration. They may even solve the time-worn question of whether vampires, werewolves, dragons, and trolls are really monsters.
Panelists: Jacqueline Carey, C. Robert Cargill, Emily Hash (Moderator), Christina Henry, R. F. Kuang, Melissa Jane Osborne
3:30pm-4:00pm: PRH BOOTH SIGNING (BOOTH #509)
Sunday, June 17_____________________________________________________
10:15am-11:00am: PRH BOOTH SIGNING (BOOTH #509)
11:30am—12:20pm: IT’S A MYSTERY TO ME! (ROOM 402/403)
Mystery, horror and suspense writers – both fiction and non – will discuss their latest books, and why readers like to be scared, surprised, or even disgusted when they read.
Panelists: Katherine Arden, Marguerite Bennett, Kristi Charish, Emily Hash (Moderator), Christina Henry, Stephen Graham Jones, Caroline Kepnes
1:00pm—1:55pm: SOLO SIGNING (SIGNING BOOTH 2)
In Booktopia on the Show Floor – near upper entrance to Hall F.
Hey, U.K. fans! Want to get your shiny new copies of THE MERMAID autographed? Come see me on my first ever U.K. tour! I’ll be touring with Sarah Maria Griffin, author of SPARE AND FOUND PARTS, for all dates. Two dates will also feature V.E. Schwab (A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC) and the London Picadilly date will feature Dhonielle Clayton (THE BELLES). I am so excited to meet all of you – hope to see you out on tour in late July/early August!
