I've recently learned today that we lost an author last week. C.J. Henderson passed from this life into the next last week. Sadly, a loving father and husband, a kind friend and author has lost his battle with cancer.
It's sad to see him go. I had the pleasure of talking with C.J. in the last few years at Balticon. He was a kind man and could make you smile.
If you'd like to help his family with the costs,
donations are being taken through a fundraiser. The fundraiser going on right now and will end in 903 days (as of July 14, 2014).
Danielle Ackley-McPhail is holding a
CJ-Con - The Afterlife Launch in CJ's honor. A One day celebration of C.J.'s life and you are all invited to attend. There are details on Facebook at the event page
CJ-Con - The Afterlife Launch.
The party is being held in Brooklyn, NY. But I know it's not feasible for everyone to get there. Danielle Ackley-McPhail and the crew - Beth Malone, Erica Henderson, Iris Feng, and Grace Tin Low - are working hard to get things in order to have online tracking and interaction as well (even if only through the event page on Facebook). If you can go, please RSVP to the email or phone number found on the Facebook page.
There are going to be memorials at various conventions in the month(s) to come as well. Please keep checking the event page for any and all updates.
Now, for those of you who aren't sure who CJ is (that's hard) was. Let me share with you his bio and his books. Maybe your find something you'll like to read.
Author Full Bio from Site:
C.J. Henderson’s early days were spent in the Midwest. The family moved around for the first few years of his life until finally settling in Western Pennsylvania, in Bridgeville (officially known by the sign at its entrance as, appropriately, the Town of Many Bridges), a small town outside of Pittsburgh. High school and college kept him in the general area, but shortly thereafter it was on to the big city, more specifically, New York City (officially known by the sign at its entrance as, appropriately, the Town That Doesn’t Want You–Get the Hell Out!).
CJ Henderson
Since (a real fact coming up) out of all the people in America who actually make money from writing, only some 6% of them actually manage to support themselves entirely from such endeavors, C.J., like the grand majority of his peers, has had to come up with other ways to rake in the miscellaneous dollar or two. In his time, he has earned his keep and kicked around as a: movie house manager, waiter, drama coach, fast food jockey, interior painter, blackjack dealer, book reviewer, stockman, English teacher, roadie, advertising salesman, creative writing instructor, supernatural investigator, bank guard, storage coordinator, children’s theater director, card shark, film critic, dishwasher, magazine editor, traffic manager, short-order cook, stand-up comic, interview & general article writer; toy salesman, camp counselor, movie booker, street mime, lounge lizard and as a senior editor of legal publications at Matthew Bender & Co., Inc. All too often, he still has to do such things. But, at least when one is writing film columns, the movies are free.
These days, C.J. is married in all the typical manners to fashion designer Grace Tin Lo. They live in Brooklyn, NY, along with their daughter Erica, and everyone’s cats, Tyco and Tiger.
A Few of His Books:
Piers Knight series:
Brooklyn Knight
Professor Piers Knight is an esteemed curator at the Brooklyn Museum and is regarded by many on the staff as a revered institution of his own if not an outright curiosity. Knight’s portfolio includes lost civilizations; arcane cultures, languages, and belief; and more than a little bit of the history of magic and mysticism.What his contemporaries don't know is that in addition to being a scholar of all things ancient he is schooled in the uses of magical artifacts, the teachings of forgotten deities, and the threats of unseen dangers.
If a mysterious object surfaces, Professor Knight makes it his job to figure it out--and make sure it stays out of dangerous hands.
A contemporary on an expedition in the Middle East calls Knight's attention to a mysterious object in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum … just before it becomes the target of a sorcerous attack that leads to a siege on a local precinct house by a fire elemental.
What looks like an ordinary inscribed stone may unlock an otherworldly Armageddon that certain dark powers are all too eager to bring about--and only Piers Knight stands in their way.
Central Park Knight
Professor Piers Knight is the Brooklyn Museum’s very own Indiana Jones. His specialties include lost civilizations, arcane cultures, and more than a little bit of the history of magic and mysticism. What his contemporaries don't know is that in addition to being a scholar of all these topics, he is also proficient in the uses of magical artifacts.
Knight receives a chilling message from Tian Lu, a former lover and an agent for the Chinese government. Years ago, they made a frightening discovery at an archeological dig when out of the depths rose… a living, fire-breathing dragon. Now, the dragons are waking from their slumber before their scheduled time. And one particularly diabolical dragon is set on eliminating the others and taking over the world.
As civilization plunges into panic, Knight, Lu, Knight’s seventeen-year-old techie intern George Rainert, and an untrustworthy dragon ally must use all their resources-- magical and otherwise--to stop the destruction before it’s too late.
Radio City Knight
Professor Piers Knight is the Brooklyn Museum's very own Indiana Jones. In addition to being a scholar of lost civilizations, arcane cultures, and the history of mysticism, he is also proficient in the use of magical artifacts. Saving the world as we know it from apocalyptic endings is all in a day's work for Professor Knight. With the world still reeling from the discovery that not only are dragons real, but that they still walk among us, no one was really prepared for more horror to be unleashed on humanity. But, on the heels of that news comes more, not only are dragons real, but so are demons! Piers Knight is thrust into the middle of a chaotic storm of biblical proportions. The fabric of time and space is unraveling, bringing the world to the brink of judgment as the gates of Hell begin to open. Throw in a police investigation that is closing in on the professor's most dangerous secret, and the return of his greatest love, and suddenly the stakes have never been higher.
Teddy London series:
The Things That Are Not There
Private detective Theodore London ran the best agency in New York City until a demon-driven storm trashed his operation. Ready to quit the business, fate delivered a beautiful woman to his doorstep—one being pursued by an army of winged monsters determined to use her as the key to unlock a doorway that will lead the world to madness.
The Stench of Fresh Air
In The Things That Are Not There, private detective Theodore London was battered almost to death by forces from beyond. Now, on his first day out of his recovery bed, Teddy discovers that there is a new evil afoot in New York City. While he's been incapacitated, a coven of vampires has set forces in motion so that they might come forth from the shadows and begin their march toward world domination. Worse yet, London learns that he may have more in common with such forces than he thinks. Armed with only a .38 named Betty and a blade named Veronica, Teddy London gathers those few souls capable of weathering the terror ahead. In this second adventure, London and those who stand with him face both power and temptations not only unimaginable, but unbearable as well.
The Sleep That Rescues: A Supernatural Detective Novel
Private investigator Teddy London, who has stood firm against vampires, werewolves, and terrors from beyond without flinching, now faces not only an unimaginable god-horror of unlimited power but also the consequences of his own reckless ego. Acting without thinking, he inadvertently opens the doorway of the dreamplane to a beautiful cat burglar, giving her access to the secrets of the universe. Now, the balance of all time and space has been thrown into chaos, and Teddy will need more than a gun named Betty and a blade named Veronica to save his own skin, let alone the entire world.
CJ had many additional books published. A man of many traits he was. From supernatural to science fiction to detective novels. I hope you check out all his works. You can find them all on Amazon:
C.J. Henderson
Rest in peace CJ. And blessings and thoughts to your family. Thank you for what you've shared and given to the world.
