Our client April Henry is known for writing tense, page-turning thrillers that readers can’t put down. The New York Times best-selling author has three young adult novels coming out in the next few years from Macmillan—RUN, HIDE, FIGHT BACK on Aug. 27, PLAYING WITH FIRE in May 2021, and EYES OF THE FOREST later in 2021.
How does she do it? We wanted to know…
Booking Biz: What does your average day look like?
April: Most days begin with me lying on the floor with a hot compress on my eyes, because I have dry eyes and I don’t want to give up wearing contacts. After that, coffee, email and breakfast. I usually exercise in the morning, and also get started on my writing. I spend the rest of the day researching and writing, often working into the early evening hours, with a break for making dinner, catching up with my husband and watching the news. And there are always things to be done that aren’t writing, but writing-adjacent, like answering reader email or tweaking jacket copy.
Booking Biz: When you’re not writing, what do you like to do best?
April: My mornings always includes Brazilian jiu jitsu. Unless I’m out of town doing school visits (and sometimes even then), I do it every single day. BJJ is like wrestling plus chokes and joint locks. I turned 60 in April, and I think rolling around on the floor with guys who are half my age keeps me young. I just got a blue belt, and I’m inordinately proud of it. As a child, I was the kind of girl who walked home from school reading a book.
I also love to read and cook. And I’m delighted with all the wonderful TV—almost too much—available to stream.
Booking Biz: Where do you get the inspiration for your books?
April: My fiction often starts with a true story. GIRL, STOLEN began with a story I saw on the local news. A local teen who was blind was accidentally kidnapped for a few minutes when she decided not to go along on an errand and her mom left the keys in the car. A man came along, saw the keys, jumped into the car, drove off—and then realized there was a girl in the back seat. He forced her out of the car. As I was watching the story, I thought, “What if he had kept her?” In the coming days, I added more what ifs. What if the thief was a teenager too? And what if his dad was running a chop shop for stolen cars? And what if they thought about letting her go—until they learned she was the daughter of Nike’s president?
RUN, HIDE, FIGHT BACK,, which comes out Aug. 27, got its start when I started wondering about domestic terrorism reaching the US. I combined some of the facts of the Kenyan mall shooting and the Paris terrorist attacks. I also drew on my memories of my Dad being targeted by a far-right anti-government group in the 1980s. He was just a county commissioner in Oregon, and they were threatening to kill him.
I’m working on a book right now that was inspired by Oregon’s Eagle Creek fire in 2017. It’s called PLAYING WITH FIRE. The real fire was caused by a 15-year-old playing with fireworks. Not only did it result in $43 million in damage, it also trapped people at a waterfall an easy walk from a parking lot. The group was forced to hike on technical trails at night with a forest fire at their backs—and many of them were totally unprepared, with no food or water. Some were only wearing flip flops. While I frequently write books about killers, in this book, the serial killer is nature! To write it, I got certified in wilderness medicine.
Booking Biz: Did you always want to write books for children, or was there another career you wished for as a child?
April: According to my parents, I started reading when I was three. I don’t remember that, but I do know I’ve always loved to read. I started writing short stories when I was in grade school. I even sent one to Roald Dahl, the author of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. He not only sent me back a postcard about it, but he showed it to his editor over lunch. She contacted me and asked if she could publish it in a British children’s magazine called Puffin Post.
Booking Biz: If you ruled the world, what would it look like?
April: I wish this world was kinder, especially to people who are different or seen as “outsiders.” My daughter’s best friend is a Chinese-American transgender woman who is often afraid. She has been insulted and even beaten by strangers. The children detained at the border in poor conditions tear at my heart. If I ruled the world, there would be more love.
Booking Biz: Yes, we need more love in this world.