Today we are very excited to share an interview with author April Henry!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: April Henry
April Henry is the New York Times bestselling author of many acclaimed mysteries for adults and over fifteen novels for teens, including the bestselling Girl, Stolen; Girl Forgotten, which won the Edgar Award, Two Truths and a Lie, which was a YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers; and The Girl I Used to Be, which was an Edgar Award finalist and won the Anthony Award for Best YA Mystery. She lives in Oregon and invites you to visit her at aprilhenry.com.
About the Book: IN THE BLOOD
When an adopted teen takes a DNA test to find her biological parents, she unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of a serial killer.
Adopted as a newborn, Tessa has always wondered who her biological parents are. After turning eighteen, she takes a DNA test in hopes of finding the answers. With best friend El and lab partner Victor, Tessa uses the results to start building her family tree. But they find more dead ends than answers. Her biological mother, who was raised in a religious cult, has cut all ties with her controlling family. And her biological father remains a complete mystery, at least until the police show up. For fifteen years, they’ve been trying to identify a serial killer known as the Portland Phantom. Tessa may be the link they’ve been waiting for.
April Henry delivers a twisty thriller about the families who choose us—and the ones we’re born into. Biology does not have to dictate one’s destiny.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What inspired you to write this book?
I have long been fascinated by the concept of nature versus nurture. Are we the way we are because of the way our parents raised us or the genes we inherited? And how much can we control through our own choices? At least three of my four grandparents were dysfunctional in some way, and neither of my parents had a good childhood. Yet they raised us in a happy home and were (and still are) both role models to us. After they died, I uncovered a lot of family secrets among my ancestors: murder, arson, mental illness, desertion, bigamy, being committed to an insane asylum. One was put on trial as a witch.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
Gosh, that’s like asking a mother to pick her favorite child! Tessa, my main character, wants to be a writer, and is processing some of her thoughts and feelings through short stories. She was adopted, and as the book opens, she is looking for her biological parents. She keeps trying to write a story about what happens when she meets her bio mom or dad. Years ago, I took a writing class with a woman who was searching for the son she’d given up for adoption. She could only write the barest beginning of a scene, and then would freeze, too overwhelmed by the million ways it could go. (In real life, it was a great reunion.) I gave some of that uncertainty to Tessa, but from the other side. Spoiler alert: what Tessa finds out is not as good.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
You can always edit crap. You can’t edit nothing. When we start writing, we compare what we write to published books. But they have been edited, tweaked, and polished multiple times. No one picks up a paintbrush and paints the Mona Lisa the first day. But it’s only through practice that you get better.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
I love it all. They consulted with me every step of the way, from the colors, to the images, to the tag line. We talked about what the character looked like. (Oddly the model they chose looks a lot like my best friend in middle school.) We even discussed whether there were too many drops of blood.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book?
Your past doesn’t have to be your future.
YABC: What are your favorite themes or tropes?
Good guys who turn out to be bad guys
Killer with a heart (maybe not of gold) Mistaken identity
Amnesia
Kidnappings
Psychic frauds (but who actually have a smidge of real power)
Identical twins, strangers, clones, and doppelgangers
Talismanic objects that can inspire the character at a crucial juncture (like a necklace, a small stone from the river, etc)
Characters who know martial arts
Deadlines/countdowns
YABC: Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing?
I often listen to Apple Music and let it choose songs it thinks I would like. Sometimes it is scary-accurate. Other days, like today, I have disliked 95 percent. I like clever lyrics, a fast pace, and often something that’s both downbeat and toe-tapping.
YABC: Do you have an unusual office supply that helps you in your writing routine?
My Lifespan Treadmill Desk. I bought it in 2014, and I have written every book since on it. There is something very soothing about it. I routinely log 25,000 steps or more, mostly thanks to it.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Tenacity. Tenacity helped me keep putting my work out there even though I got 107 rejection letters from agents. After I finally got an agent, I got more rejection letters, this time from editors. When my fourth book sold in two days in a two-book deal, some people called me an overnight success. In reality, it took me eight years to be an overnight success. Tenacity made me persevere after a publisher dropped me while I was still on tour, or when a different editor stopped answering my emails. Tenacity got me a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu in my late 50s, and got me my money back from Enterprise Rent-A-Car after they told me they would never refund me.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I can’t say much, because it hasn’t been officially announced, but just know that if you loved Girl, Stolen, you’re going to be very happy in 2027.
YABC: What new release book are you looking forward to in 2026?
Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet. It sounds like the best kind of mashup. It’s a contemporary reimagining of Little Women, where Beth March’s sisters are determined to track down her killer—until they begin to suspect each other.
Title: IN THE BLOOD
Author: April Henry
On Sale:May 12, 2026
Page Count: 304 pages
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
ISBN-13: 9780316586214
Ages: 12 and up
Genre: Young Adult/Crime; Mystery; Thriller
~ Giveaway Details ~
Use the Rafflepress Form below to enter
*be sure to include complete mailing address for the second entry question to qualify to win*
Three (3) winners will receive a hardcover copy of IN THE BLOOD (April Henry) ~US Only!
I’m a fan of this author and need to read this one.