Interview with Henry Mitchell, author of fantasy The Winged Child
An adult fairytale about a girl who might know how to fly, a neurobotanist who might be a dragon, an innkeeper who might be a machine and a politician who might be the antichrist.
Millicent McTeer grows to adulthood in Ashton, an Appalachian tourist town, convinced she knows how to fly. With a new president in power, the life Millicent knew changes. The government has spies on every corner, coercing citizens to follow the new order. As the country descends into anarchy, Millicent is drawn into political activism by her professor and becomes an exile.
In the Laurel Creek Containment District, separated from the chaos of the Atlantic American Republic, she finds a new life. As she develops her unique abilities and leads the exiles, incursions from the outside world threaten to destroy the tranquil life they have built together. Will Millicent reclaim her reality and discover the peace that has eluded her?
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Excerpt from The Winged Child
“Do you have wings, Dad?”
“Sure I do. Runs in the family.”
“So, why don’t you ever fly?”
Joshua shot her a convincingly wistful glance. “Grownups aren’t allowed to fly in this country, Angel. Otherwise, on special occasions, like birthdays, I just might.”
“That would be showing off,” said Millicent, affecting her mother’s stern expression.
“I suppose it would, but that didn’t stop you trying, did it?”
Millicent couldn’t summon a proper retort, stared intently at the road ahead.
Joshua rescued her from silence. “Anyway, grownups can’t fly, except on airplanes. It’s the law.”
“Then, I don’t want to grow up,” declared Millicent. “Ever.”
“I truly hope you don’t,” said her father, watching the truck in front of them turn without flashing a signal. “I hope that when you become a woman grown and strong, you are still my little girl inside.”
Millicent found no more words to say over the next two blocks until they turned onto McTeer Street. Ahead, she could see Hillhaven, the inn that had been run by their family ever since her great-grandmother Alice inherited it from her employer and life-long friend, who had no family of her own to whom she could pass it on.
“Will you always be my dad?” Millicent asked, gazing up at her father, who kept his eyes on his road.
“I’ll always be your dad, Angel,” he said. “Ever and ever amen.”
That sounded to her like an impossible promise. “Even when you are dead and gone?” she asked, using a phrase she’d overheard from one of the guests at the inn.
“Nobody’s ever dead and gone, Angel.”
Buy The Winged Cycle
An Interview with Henry Mitchell
-What inspired you to become a writer?
I had been working as a painter and sculptor for decades, and began having difficulty with my vision, eventually diagnosed as macular degeneration. I wanted to do something I could get better at and not leave evidence of a slow decline. Taking my wife’s advice, I wrote a novel.
-If you could visit your book’s world for a day, what one thing would you do?
I would vote against Ronald Horne.
-It’s two in the morning. What does your protagonist reveal in confidence? (Don’t worry, we won’t tell.)
She’s pregnant.
-Which of your characters would you go out for drinks with?
Joshua McTeer He didn’t fit in his world, either.
-You’re in a tavern, and a dwarf challenges you to a duel. What do you do?
Buy him a drink.
-Is there a genre you could never write? Which and why?
I don’t think I could write porn. Ultimately, nothing is so boring as lust.
About Henry Mitchell
Henry Mitchell reads and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
He has written five novels and two collections of short stories.
Find him online:
Giveaway
Henry Mitchell will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you for hosting our wonderful author, Henry Mitchell!
Thanks for hosting my Winged Child today.
That first paragraph of the synopsis has me hooked, I just have to know who is what, lol. Thank you for sharing this author interview and book details, I have enjoyed reading this post and am looking forward to reading this book
Henry Mitchell is new to me, but I love meeting new authors. Thanks to this blog for the introduction.
Actually, Audrey, Henry is pretty old (81). This is my fifth novel. I’ve also written two collections of short stories.
nice cover
Sounds awesome! How did you come up with this?