Interview with Christina Henry – Author of THE GIRL IN RED

Chistina Henry’s The Girl in Red was just released into the wild this week, and today I’m thrilled to have her visit the blog to talk about her book! I loved this book, and in fact I’m a big fan of all her books, and if you’re a fan too, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this interview. Please welcome Christina to the blog!

Welcome back to the blog, Christina! I’m thrilled to help promote your latest book, The Girl in Red, a post apocalyptic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Can you tell us what the story is about?

It’s about a woman named Cordelia (her nickname is Red) and her family. They’re trying to walk to her grandmother’s house after a mysterious disease has decimated a large percentage of the population. I wanted to retain the structure of the original story while exploring what happens after civilization has broken down.

The main character, Red, is unique in that she has a prosthetic leg. What made you decide to add this feature to her character?

Honestly, it’s just the way that I saw her character. Her amputation is a part of what defines her and how the people around her view her.

I love the relationships that Red has with her family members, especially the prickly one with her brother Adam. Do you draw from personal experience when you create relationships like these?

No, I don’t draw from personal experience in my books except to the extent that my personality affects my writing (as it does for every writer).  Adam and Red’s relationship happened very organically as I was writing. I didn’t set out to make them combative but they presented themselves that way.  I do think it’s more realistic than a family that’s ooey-gooey-loving all the time – you can love each other even if you don’t always like the people you’re related to.

I love the way you added Shakespearean elements to the story, and lovers of Shakespeare might recognize that you’re paying homage to one play in particular, Macbeth. Is there any connection between the play and your story?

Yeah, they’re both short and bloody!

Macbeth is as much about loss as it is about ambition – grief and guilt permeate the entire play even as Macbeth himself drives forward relentlessly to become the king, remaking his world as he goes. In The Girl in Red, the world is literally in transition. Things are moving from comfortable and familiar to terrifying and catastrophic. In that situation there’s always loss and there’s always regret for the life that you had before.  And Red moves forward just as relentlessly as Macbeth does, albeit in her own way.

You’re known for your unusual takes on established stories. You’ve tackled Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan in the past. Why do you think you’re drawn to these types of stories and fables?

Storytellers love to take familiar plots and give them a twist. When you take an existing story and adapt it for your own you are making a connection – a connection with every storyteller who told their own version of that story, and a connection with every audience that has loved some variation of that story. It allows the writer to create a kind of shorthand with the audience – if you like “x”, then you’ll find familiar things in this new version of the story. We take comfort in the familiar and relish the new that’s mixed in, and something fresh and original is created from that mixture.

You have a talent for taking a seemingly benign story and adding horrific elements. And like the best horror stories, yours often echo real life. What’s your thought process when you decide to tackle a well-known story, and how do you go about making it your own?

My process is the same for every book – I start from the beginning and I keep writing until I get to the end.  I don’t think of re-imaginings as different because I’m still writing an original story. Every story has been influenced by other stories, even if those influences aren’t obvious. Storytellers are always building on what came before them.

I have to ask, now that The Girl in Red is out, what’s next for you?

I have two books coming out next year – Looking Glass, which is a four-novella collection set in the Chronicles of Alice universe, and The Ghost Tree, a horror novel about a cursed Midwestern town.

Thank you, Christina! I appreciate your time!

Thanks for having me!

About the Author:

CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of The Mermaid, a historical fairy tale based on the P.T. Barnum Feejee Mermaid hoax. She is also the author of the Chronicles of Alice duology, Alice and Red Queen, a dark and twisted take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook, an origin story of Captain Hook from Peter Pan.

She is also the author of the national bestselling Black Wings series (Black Wings, Black Night, Black Howl, Black Lament, Black City, Black Heart, and Black Spring), featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle, Beezle.

Christina 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.

Find her online: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Read my review of The Girl in Red here!

Posted June 20, 2019 by Tammy in Author Interviews / 27 Comments

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27 responses to “Interview with Christina Henry – Author of THE GIRL IN RED”

  2. Ashleigh

    I’ve owned Alice for a couple of years now, I really need to get around to reading it. These all sound like great premises.

    Reply
  4. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    So you know how much I loved Lost Boy (it’s one of my all-time faves) and I enjoyed The Mermaid too. I have this one now and will be reading it soon. I can’t wait for The Ghost Tree – sounds awesome. Great interview.

    Reply
    • Tammy

      Ha ha, that’s always the trick, right? Asking the right questions. It’s very stressful for me!

      Reply
  9. Stormi Johnson

    I was really bummed I didn’t like this novel more as I really loved loved Lost Boys, but it happens. I am really curious about The Ghost Tree though!! Cool interview!

    Reply

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