Today we have a guest post from Christina Henry, author of Black Wings series. She's here as part of her blog tour celebrating the release of BLACK SPRING. Christina has written a great guest post for us, and there's a wonderful tour-wide giveaway. Welcome, Christina!
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TOP FIVE REASONS WHY GARGOYLES MAKE THE BEST SIDEKICKS
by Beezle, adorably round home guardian of the BLACK WINGS series
5) I’m travel-sized for your convenience. I fit in, say, a trench coat pocket (if you are someone named Madeline Black and have no fashion sense).
I also fit in a Coach handbag if you are a wealthy housewife and you are looking for a pet that will help you stand out from your teacup-chihuahua-loving peers.
4) Isn’t it handy to have someone around who knows the thing that looks like the UPS guy is actually a demon from another dimension? I could save your life. For real.
3) You know all that stuff in the kitchen you don’t want to eat because there are too many calories are in it or something? Consider that problem SOLVED. I will sacrifice myself by eating it in your stead.
2) If you need someone to tell you the truth, I’m your man. Or your gargoyle. I’m pretty sure I’m incapable of whitewashing a bad situation.
1) Wait, who said I was the SIDEKICK? I think it’s pretty apparent that Maddy wouldn’t have gotten through a single crisis without my valuable input. I think an argument could be made that I was actually the hero of the piece. Or at least a co-hero. So maybe I didn’t swing the sword around or set things on fire. The value of witty repartee should not be underrated.
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For more Christina, check out the following links:
A former Agent of death, Madeline Black now has everything to live for, most importantly, her unborn child. But Chicago has become ground zero in a struggle between ancient creatures, and only Maddy can stop the carnage…
The mayor of Chicago has announced a plan to round up the city’s supernatural beings and put them in camps. With her due date looming, Maddy’s best move would be to lay low for a while. But not everyone is willing to respect her privacy. Hounded by tentacled monsters, a rogue shapeshifter, and a tenacious blogger, Maddy turns to her most powerful ally, her uncle Daharan, only to find him missing.
Just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, Maddy gets an invitation in the mail—to Lucifer’s wedding. Turns out everyone has been invited, friends and enemies alike. And with that kind of guest list, it’s highly unlikely there will be a happily ever after.
CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the BLACK WINGS series (Ace/Roc) featuring Madeline Black, an Agent of Death, and her popcorn-loving gargoyle sidekick Beezle: BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and BLACK SPRING. She is also the author of the forthcoming dark fantasy ALICE (summer 2015). Christina was born in New York and now lives on the North Side of Chicago with her husband and son. She sees no conflict in rooting for both the Yankees and the Cubs. She also enjoys running long distances, eating large quantities of cinnamon rolls, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with zombies, samurai and/or subtitles.
Today's post is a great story by Christina Henry, author of the Madeline Black urban fantasy series. I adore Maddy, Beezle, and the world they live in and I bet you do, too! Christina's written a wonderful short story for us and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Maddy Black books, here's a very quick description of the characters in the story:
Maddy (the narrator): Agent of Death, granddaughter of Lucifer.
Beezle: Maddy's gargoyle and best friend.
Gabriel: Maddy's bodyguard.
Read on to find out what Christina's got in store for her characters! And make sure to stick around for the giveaway, where you have a chance to win a copy of BLACK HOWL, courtesy of the lovely folks at Penguin!
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This story takes place between the events
of BLACK WINGS and BLACK NIGHT.
“There’s someone on the front lawn,” Beezle announced. He was perched on the sill of the picture window, peering into the darkness of the evening. It was December, and dark came early this time of year in Chicago.
I was at my desk trying to figure out how to spin straw into gold, because that was just about the only way I was going to meet my expenses that month. Unfortunately, the ability to turn grass into treasure had not been included in my magical skill set.
“Who is it?” I asked, distracted.
“You,” he said.
That got my attention. “What?”
“It looks like you.” He was staring with intense concentration, which meant that my gargoyle was looking through all the layers of reality to see the true nature of the person on the lawn. “It looks like you, but it’s not moving.”
“Someone put a statue of me on my lawn?” I asked, walking over to the window to join him. I looked out the window and saw the object in my yard. In the glow of the streetlight it did look real, and disconcertingly like me.
Beezle shook his head. “It’s not a statue, but it does seem to be clay.”
“A sculpture?” The object was making me uneasy. It was like looking at a copy of myself watching the house. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “Whatever it is, I’m getting rid of it.”
Beezle frowned. “It doesn’t seem to have any magic attached to it, but be careful anyway. Whoever left it might still be hanging around.”
“I will,” I promised. I pulled on my boots and coat and headed downstairs.
Gabriel, my bodyguard, was in his own apartment below mine. I thought about knocking on his door, but then decided I could handle a lump of clay on my own. If I knocked on his door he might think I’d done it just so I could see him, and even though I wanted to see him I didn’t want him to think that I did. I blew out an annoyed breath. Life was a lot easier without romantic complications.
The clay copy was posed on the lawn, hands at its sides. Up close it was even more unnerving. It was an amazingly precise copy of me, from the dark curly hair that tumbled over its shoulders to the black overcoat that I usually wore.
I tried to figure out how to lift the thing and carry it to the alley. I’d just about concluded that I’d have to ask Gabriel for help anyway when the clay copy moved.
Its hands were around my neck in an instant, squeezing tight. It lifted me from the ground, its face smooth and unconcerned, its eyes as blank as a doll’s. I choked, gasped for air, kicked out to no avail.
I tried to focus, to summon up my will and my magic. It was still difficult for me to call my powers easily, but mortal peril does wonders for your concentration. I closed my hands around the wrists of the clay doll and pushed all the magic I had in me through the palms of my hands.
Cracks appeared in the surface of the doll’s face, and a moment later its grip loosened. The clay burst into dust, the motes glowing blue with nightfire.
I rubbed my throat, sure that I would have bruises tomorrow.
Someone clapped their hands behind me, and I spun around, nightfire on my palm.
Lucifer stood on my porch, grinning.
“Did you send that thing?” I asked, and could tell by the expression on his face that he had. “Why?”
“Perhaps I wanted to see what you were capable of.” The Prince of Darkness gestured at the nightfire. “It’s not generally considered polite to threaten your grandfather.”
I kept the nightfire where it was. “It’s not generally considered polite to try to kill your granddaughter by proxy.”
“I would not have allowed you to die,” Lucifer said, but something about the way that he said it made me think that maybe he would have let me die, if it suited me purpose. “It was just a little prank.”
“Prank?” I said, getting more annoyed by the minute. Maybe I would blast him with nightfire just because he was irritating.
“April Fool?” he said.
“It’s not April.”
“It could be,” he said carelessly. “I’m a very old being, you know. I lose track of the months.”
“I don’t think you lost track of anything,” I said. “I think you know exactly what you’re doing at all times.”
Lucifer winked at me, and then he disappeared in a puff of smoke, just as the devil should.
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Has this left you wanting more? I bet it has! Here’s more on BLACK HOWL:
Something is wrong with the souls of Chicago's dead. Ghosts are walking the streets, and Agent of Death Madeline Black's exasperating boss wants her to figure out why. And while work is bad enough, Maddy has a plethora of personal problems too. Now that Gabriel has been assigned as her thrall, their relationship has hit an impasse. At least her sleazy ex-fiance Nathaniel is out of the picture—or so she thinks...
Christina Henry is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago and 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.
Something is wrong with the souls of Chicago's dead. Ghosts are walking the streets, and Agent of Death Madeline Black's exasperating boss wants her to figure out why. And while work is bad enough, Maddy has a plethora of personal problems too. Now that Gabriel has been assigned as her thrall, their relationship has hit an impasse. At least her sleazy ex-fiancé Nathaniel is out of the picture--or so she thinks.
I’ve been a fan of Christina Henry since her very first book, Black Wings. She just knows how to write good urban fantasy with non-stop action, likeable characters and the right touch of romance.
In Black Howl, Maddy who is an Agent of Death and responsible for escorting the souls of the dead to the Door, has a lot on her plate. She is asked to help a pack of werewolves whose cubs have gone missing, while trying to stay under her father’s and her grandfather’s radar. On top of all that, Chicago’s ghosts are acting really weird.
Maddy hasn’t changed or grown much character-wise: she is still a little bit too reckless for her own good and acts rashly more often than is safe for her. This unhealthy habit maneuvers her into more than one tight spot. I sometimes wished she would think about the consequences for just one second. Her rushing into a situation while knowing it is a bad idea can be very frustrating for the reader. I often felt like screaming at her to act more level-headed.
The relationship between her and Gabriel, the love of her life, has never been an easy one. But ever since the events of the previous books, it is put under even more pressure. Being her thrall now, Gabriel has to do everything Maddy wants. Even though she doesn’t abuse the power she has over him, Gabriel often lashes out at Maddy (if you ask me, he suffers from some kind of inferiority complex). Still, Christina Henry creates a few scenes where they move forward as a couple; some of said scenes are romantic, some rather tragic, but each one really moved me and made me feel for Maddy and Gabriel.
Beezle has to be one of the funniest and snarkiest sidekicks I have ever encountered and I´m not ashamed to admit that he is my favorite character in this series. His snarky comments, constant craving for doughnut and his ability to sleep at the strangest of times make him very endearing and add a comic relief to some of the darker scenes.
Another highly interesting character is Jude, the shifter who asks for Maddy’s help. At first I was a bit reluctant to like him because of his unapologetic, accusatory behavior towards Maddy, but after a jaw dropping revelation about his past, I’m now more than eager to learn more about him.
The supernatural world in Christina Henry’s Chicago might not be too complex, but the politics surely are. You can´t help but feel bad for Madeline, since everyone seems to see her only as a pawn. Every situation and plight she stumbles upon seems to have been planned ahead by one of the power players around her, in order to provoke something they want. That’s really sad, since everything Maddy wants is to be left alone with her “family”. On the other hand, it also adds up to a very interesting story with many, intricately woven story arcs that combine in one final, cataclysmic event.
The end of Black Howl came as a shock, both for Maddy and for me. She has to learn that eventually, her luck runs out and her rash actions will have consequences. I´m not sure how the next book will continue and if what happened is actually final. I can´t wait to find out!
Once again, Christina Henry has written an enthralling and riveting story with compelling and funny characters and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended for all lovers of urban fantasy series!
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A former Agent of death, Madeline Black now has everything to live for, most importantly, her unborn child. But Chicago has become ground zero in a struggle between ancient creatures, and only Maddy can stop the carnage…
