We chat with author April Henry about In the Blood, which sees an adopted teen take a DNA test to find her biological parents and she unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of a serial killer.
Hi, April! Welcome back! How have you been since we last spoke for Girl Forgotten?
I’ve been very busy, but in a good way! Girl Forgotten won the Edgar, which was definitely a career highlight. I’ve written four more books in the interim, including In The Blood. And I continue to crisscross the country, speaking to middle and high school students about reading, writing, and research.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My parents claimed I was reading at age three. One of my earliest memories is of my mom showing me flashcards with a letter on one side, like an A, and on the back was a picture of something that began with that letter, like an apple. They felt magical. Learning to read opened up door after door for me, a kid who grew up poor in a logging town.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading:
It might have been Are You My Mother, by PD Eastman, but that could also have been read to me. I definitely remember the thrill of Evelyn Lampman’s City Under the Back Steps, which is about two children who shrink down small enough they can join the world of ants.
- The one that made you want to become an author:
I loved Charlie in the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl so much. When I was 12, I wrote a short story about a 6-foot tall frog named Herman who loved peanut butter, and I was sure Dahl would like it. It did have some of his sense of whimsy. I mailed it to him care of his publisher. He not only sent me back a postcard saying how much he loved it, he actually showed it to his editor, who asked if she could publish it in a children’s magazine called Puffin Post.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about:
Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips. Her main character, a woman who is with her four-year-old at the zoo, is desperate to have them both survive a mass shooting. Phillips has the character make some less-than-saintly choices, which is a brave thing to do with your main character.
Your latest novel, In the Blood, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
I’ll take the five words from reviews:
“Unsettling”
“Exciting”
“Disturbing”
“Insightful”
“Suspenseful”
What can readers expect?
After an adopted teen takes a DNA test, she figures out her biological mother is missing and her biological father a mystery. As she tries to identify him, law enforcement is too—because she’s the daughter of the Portland Phantom, a serial killer they’ve been hunting for over a decade.
Tessa just wants to feel like she belongs. And once her biological father learns of her existence, he’ll think she does belong—to him.
Where did the inspiration for In the Blood come from?
Over the last ten years, I’ve become pretty good at genetic genealogy. In addition to helping adoptees and other people find relatives, genetic genealogy can help law enforcement identify both victims and killers. During the pandemic, I volunteered with the DNA Doe Project. And even though I’m not adopted, I’m a member of the DNA Adoption Google Group.
Using DNA matches, I was able to identify my great-grandmother’s family. Last year I hired a researcher to comb through the National Archives, and he uncovered handwritten family records that proved I was right. These same records showed that my great-great grandfather was a scoundrel who seems to have faked his own death.
When I first started using DNA to trace my family tree I was warned that I might find unwelcome surprises. I did figure out I was descended from a murderer, an arsonist, and even an accused witch—but all long enough ago that it was more interesting than disturbing.
I started picturing an adopted girl who turns 18, takes a DNA test, and discovers far more than she bargained for. How much of who we are is in our genes?
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Tessa, my main character, wants to be a writer, and is processing her thoughts and feelings through short stories. It was fun to write snippets of them.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
At one point, two characters are trapped in a locked storage unit the bad guy has set on fire. I had no idea how they would get out. Through obsessive googling, I discovered a message board for storage unit owners. I managed to get approved to post, and then asked the group for help on how to get my characters out alive. And they had lots of advice!
What’s next for you?
Two of my most popular books have been Girl, Stolen and Count All Her Bones, both about Cheyenne Wilder, a blind girl who unexpectedly crosses paths with Griffin Sawyer, a boy from the very wrong side of the tracks. In September 2027 there will be a third book in the series, Dig Another Grave. While hiking in a remote Oregon forest, Cheyenne and Griffin stumble across a man digging a secret grave.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
Looking forward to:
- Five: A Novel by Ilona Bannister
- Ghost Town by Tom Perotta
- The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
Enjoyed so far:
- Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
- It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica
- Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet
