In the Blood, with April Henry

"I wrote a book and tried to find an agent and did not succeed. I wrote a second book that got an agent and no sales. I wrote a third book — it didn't even get nice rejection letters. I wrote a fourth book and it sold in three days." — April Henry

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE

April Henry is the New York Times bestselling author of over thirty mysteries and thrillers, including Girl Stolen, Girl Forgotten, and Two Truths and a Lie. Her latest novel, In the Blood, follows Tessa, an adopted high school senior who takes a DNA test and discovers her biological father is a serial killer the Portland police have been hunting for over a decade. April's own origin story is just as compelling: at nine years old she killed off a character named Maggie in her first short story, then sent a tale about a six-foot frog to Roald Dahl — who wrote back, took it to lunch with his editor, and got it published in England. Mike and April talk about the nine-year journey to her first published novel, running through the woods in handcuffs for research, the nature-versus-nurture question at the heart of In the Blood, how AI is changing the publishing landscape, and why the best compliment a writer can get is "I stayed up till two in the morning."

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Roald Dahl made her believe she was a writer. At nine, April sent a story about a six-foot frog named Herman to Roald Dahl. He wrote back, showed it to his editor, and it was published in Puffin Post. That validation stuck — even though it would be decades before she published again.

2. Four books, nine years, one overnight success. Book one: no agent. Book two: agent, no sale. Book three: not even nice rejection letters. Book four: sold in three days. April's stubbornness and "willful optimism" kept her going when the math didn't add up.

3. A bad library book reignited the spark. After years of not writing, April read a terrible novel from a major publisher and thought: if that's the bar, I can clear it. That anger became motivation.

4. Research means running in handcuffs. April has taken knife-fighting classes, a three-day kidnapping escape course, and attended the Writers Police Academy. She learned that blood-test solution smells like rubbing alcohol — a sensory detail no textbook would ever mention.

5. DNA and family secrets inspired In the Blood. After inheriting old family photos she couldn't identify, April built a family tree and uncovered buried secrets. That curiosity, combined with the rise of consumer DNA testing, became the engine of the novel.

6. Nature versus nurture is the real question. April read memoirs by daughters of serial killers and studied the Minnesota Twins Separated at Birth study. Heredity influences more than we'd like to admit — down to identical twins who independently loved eating ketchup plain.




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GET THE BOOK

In the Blood by April Henry (released May 2025)
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=In+the+Blood+April+Henry&tag=rettocasgra-20
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/in+the+blood+april+henry
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/s/in+the+blood+april+henry


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CONNECT WITH APRIL

Website: https://aprilhenry.com
TikTok: @aprilhenrybooks — https://www.tiktok.com/@aprilhenrybooks
TikTok (writing advice): @aprilhenrywritingadvice — https://www.tiktok.com/@aprilhenrywritingadvice
Instagram: @aprilhenrybooks — https://www.instagram.com/aprilhenrybooks
Facebook: April Henry — https://www.facebook.com/aprilhenrybooks
Bluesky: @aprilhenry — https://bsky.app/profile/aprilhenry

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CONNECT WITH YOUR HOST

Mike Carlon | Uncorking a Story

Website: https://uncorkingastory.com
YouTube: @uncorkingastory — https://www.youtube.com/@Uncorkingastory
Instagram: @uncorkingastory — https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Facebook: Uncorking a Story — https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
TikTok: @uncorkingastory — https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory
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LinkedIn: Uncorking a Story — https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

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Uncorking a Story is produced by Mike Carlon. New episodes drop every Tuesday.


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