April Henry
Encyclopedia
April Henry is an American
New York Times bestselling author of mysteries
, thrillers and young adult novels
.
, April 14, 1959, April grew up in the small southern Oregon town of Medford
where her father, Hank Henry, was a KTVL
television newscaster, and her mother, Nora Henry, was a florist.
helped April take her first step as a writer. When April was eleven, she sent Dahl a short story about a frog who loved peanut butter. Dahl had lunch with the editor of an international children's magazine and read her the story. The editor contacted April and asked to publish her story.
In 1999, April’s first book, Circles of Confusion, was published by HarperCollins
. It was short-listed for the Agatha Award
and the Anthony Award
. It was also chosen for the Booksense
76 list, and the Oregonian
Book Club, and was a Mystery Guild
Editor's Choice. It has been translated into Japanese
and French
. Other books in the series followed: Square in the Face (published in 2000); Heart-Shaped Box (published in 2001); and Buried Diamonds (published in 2003).
April’s first stand-alone thriller, Learning to Fly, was published by St. Martin's Press
in 2002. It was a Booksense pick, got starred reviews in Library Journal
and Booklist
, was named one of Library Journal's Best of 2002, and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. It was translated into Dutch
, Japanese
, and French
.
Shock Point, April’s first young-adult thriller, was published by Putnam in 2006. It was ALA Quick Pick, a Top 10 Books for Teens nominee, a New York Library’s Books for the Teen Age book, named to the Texas Tayshas list, and a finalist for Philadelphia’s Young Readers Choice Award. Her next young-adult book, Torched, a thriller about a girl who goes undercover in an environmental extremist group, was published in 2009. Girl, Stolen, a young-adult thriller about a blind girl who is accidentally kidnapped by a car thief, was released from Henry Holt in October 2010. In April of 2011, April found the blind girl whose brief kidnapping inspired Girl, Stolen. Their story was featured in Publishers Weekly.
In 2009, April Henry partnered with Lis Wiehl
to collaborate on the Triple Threat Mystery series. The first book in the series, Face of Betrayal, was on the New York Times bestseller list for four weeks.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
New York Times bestselling author of mysteries
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
, thrillers and young adult novels
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
.
Early life
Born in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, April 14, 1959, April grew up in the small southern Oregon town of Medford
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
where her father, Hank Henry, was a KTVL
KTVL
KTVL, channel 10 is a CBS television affiliate based in Medford, Oregon and broadcasts from a transmitter high atop Mount Ashland, 15 miles south of the city. The station covers eight counties in southern Oregon and northern California. The studios are located on Rossanley Drive in northwest...
television newscaster, and her mother, Nora Henry, was a florist.
Writer
Author Roald DahlRoald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
helped April take her first step as a writer. When April was eleven, she sent Dahl a short story about a frog who loved peanut butter. Dahl had lunch with the editor of an international children's magazine and read her the story. The editor contacted April and asked to publish her story.
In 1999, April’s first book, Circles of Confusion, was published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. It was short-listed for the Agatha Award
Agatha Award
The Agatha Awards are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write via the same method as Agatha Christie...
and the Anthony Award
Anthony Award
The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher , one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America....
. It was also chosen for the Booksense
Book Sense
Book Sense was a marketing and branding program of the American Booksellers Association, in which many independent bookstores across North America participated in order to better compete with the large book chains. Bookstores participating in the Book Sense program were expected to display the Book...
76 list, and the Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
Book Club, and was a Mystery Guild
Book of the Month Club
The Book of the Month Club is a United States mail-order book sales club that offers a new book each month to customers.The Book of the Month Club is part of a larger company that runs many book clubs in the United States and Canada. It was formerly the flagship club of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc...
Editor's Choice. It has been translated into Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. Other books in the series followed: Square in the Face (published in 2000); Heart-Shaped Box (published in 2001); and Buried Diamonds (published in 2003).
April’s first stand-alone thriller, Learning to Fly, was published by St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
in 2002. It was a Booksense pick, got starred reviews in Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
and Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
, was named one of Library Journal's Best of 2002, and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. It was translated into Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Shock Point, April’s first young-adult thriller, was published by Putnam in 2006. It was ALA Quick Pick, a Top 10 Books for Teens nominee, a New York Library’s Books for the Teen Age book, named to the Texas Tayshas list, and a finalist for Philadelphia’s Young Readers Choice Award. Her next young-adult book, Torched, a thriller about a girl who goes undercover in an environmental extremist group, was published in 2009. Girl, Stolen, a young-adult thriller about a blind girl who is accidentally kidnapped by a car thief, was released from Henry Holt in October 2010. In April of 2011, April found the blind girl whose brief kidnapping inspired Girl, Stolen. Their story was featured in Publishers Weekly.
In 2009, April Henry partnered with Lis Wiehl
Lis Wiehl
Lis Wiehl is an American author and legal analyst for Fox News.She is an adjunct professor of law at New York Law School, and formerly was an associate professor at University of Washington Law School. She formerly offered legal commentary for National Public Radio program and on Bill O'Reilly's...
to collaborate on the Triple Threat Mystery series. The first book in the series, Face of Betrayal, was on the New York Times bestseller list for four weeks.
Books
- HEART OF ICE (A Triple Threat Novel) Thomas Nelson Publishers-Fiction by Lis Wiehl (Author), April Henry (Author)
- HAND OF FATE (A Triple Threat Novel) Thomas Nelson Publishers-Fiction by Lis Wiehl (Author), April Henry (Author)
- FACE OF BETRAYAL (A Triple Threat Novel) Thomas Nelson Publishers-Fiction (April 7, 2009) by Lis Wiehl (Author), April Henry (Author)
- LEARNING TO FLY
- BURIED DIAMONDS
- HEART-SHAPED BOX
- SQUARE IN THE FACE
- CIRCLES OF CONFUSION
- GIRL, STOLEN
- TORCHED
- SHOCK POINT