Square
in the Face: A Claire Montrose Mystery
(HarperCollins, 258 pages, $24)
Upcoming readings:
Powell's 1005
W Burnside St., 228-4651, 7:30
pm Tuesday, Feb. 22
Free
Annie Bloom's Books 7834 SW Capitol Highway, 246-0053, 5 pm
Sunday, Feb. 27
Borders-Tigard 16920 SW 72nd Ave., 968-7576, 7
pm Monday, Feb. 28 Free
Broadway Books 1714 NE Broadway, 284-1726, 7
pm Tuesday, March 7 Free
"I thought I was going to pass out," recalls April Henry,
describing her very first reading last year at Powell's. "All
of the sudden the podium was really far away and I thought,
OK, I'm just going to fall on the floor, and my husband's
going to get up and drag my body out." Circles of Confusion,
Henry's debut mystery novel, thrust her into the spotlight
when it was published. But despite opening-night jitters,
she was ready to chug straight shots of celebrity elixir.
Her newfound fame was the culmination of a decade spent writing
fiction--including three "practice" books that weren't published--while
working full time and starting a family.
"I'm a really stubborn kind of person," Henry admits, "but
it's very depressing to be in the middle of that process."
After she wrote one admittedly bad novel--a learning experience--she
plowed ahead with another. "It got me a good agent in New
York," she says, "who sent it all around town. I got really
great rejection letters; the third book didn't get as good
rejection letters." Finally, Henry's fourth book, Circles
of Confusion, sold in two days.
Now, a year after swooning in Powell's Purple Room, Henry
prepares to embark upon a book tour for Square in the
Face, her second quirky mystery starring the naive but
intrepid DMV employee Claire Montrose. In the new novel,
Claire has quit her job approving vanity plates at the DMV.
But life didn't imitate art in Henry's case; she still toils
in corporate hell even after achieving publication. "I had
the fantasy that they give you the big check and you quit
your job," she says. By the time Henry's royalties get nibbled
away by taxes and her agent's fee, all that's left is "fun
money." Although her Kaiser Permanente communications desk
job is very supportive of her fiction career, allowing her
to work 6 am to 2:30 pm so she can write in the afternoon,
Henry dreams of the day when she can kiss the daily grind
goodbye. "It isn't as far away as it used to be."
In the meantime, Henry remains heavily scheduled, writing
every day. "I'm a pretty organized person," she explains,
"possibly anal. Ever since I signed that first contract,
I don't skip days as much as I used to." But Henry isn't
a complete drudge, especially on reading tours when she
slurps up the perks as though the mystery-writing world
were her oyster. "There are fun things that I didn't consider,"
she says. "I keep getting reunited with people, like co-workers
I haven't seen for 10 years. My old college roommate showed
up; I had no idea what had happened to her." Henry is also
pleasantly surprised by new admirers. "It's weird for me
to meet people who say, 'I'm a real fan,' and I don't know
them. For so long, the only people who read my books were
relatives or really good friends."
The road may massage Henry's ego, but she's also gathering
plenty of support right here in Portland. Her novels are
set in the Rose City, and she uses many real-life landmarks
and businesses to add authenticity to her stories. After
her first book came out, people thrilled to be included
contacted her. "KXL radio was really excited that I had
their weather and traffic report--and its correct time--in
my book," she says. "I heard from Tri-Met because there's
a scene where Claire escapes on bus."
Henry mentions another business, Annie Bloom's Books, in
Square in the Face. Annie Bloom's is also one of
the stops on Henry's local tour; the owners promise they'll
turn the reading into a party by serving champagne. This
year, if Henry swoons on the way to the podium, it will
be from too much bubbly.
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Willamette Week | originally
published February 16,
2000
|
