Henry: A Man for All Series

Those of you who are familiar with Henry Winslow would say that his inclusion in Arkham Files was inevitable. Neal's cousin is the most popular of all the Caffrey Conversation original characters. Penna introduced him in the very first story of the series, Caffrey Conversation. From that mysterious beginning when it was hard to know if he was a real person or simply an alias, Henry's role has steadily increased in importance. Readers have been lavish in their praise of Penna's creation. One compliment, among many, which Henry especially loved was that he seemed such a natural addition the reader had difficulty remembering he wasn't a canon character.

I was initially nervous about including Henry in my stories. Would I be able to do justice to such a talented individual? He and Penna are close friends but I only knew him through her stories. But Henry was patient . . . and crafty. He started inserting snippets about himself in Penna's emails to me. As I gradually learned more about him, he became much more approachable. I discovered he's not only brilliant but also a goofball on occasion. He has likes and dislikes that cry out to be explored.

My first story to include Henry was The Queen's Jewels. Henry's appearances continued to be bit parts for the next few stories. In The Dreamer, he took off for South America in a search for Adler. Much as he enjoyed going rogue, he was disgruntled at being so far removed from Neal. Penna had originally envisioned moving him to New York after about two years, but he insisted on moving up the timetable to the spring of 2005, a little over a year after Neal started work at the FBI. Not long afterward, he acquired a loft and a boyfriend. Henry was now running a branch office of Win-Win while also assisting the Bureau with cons against Adler and Ydrus. Surely, that would provide enough scope, even for Henry the overachiever.

Apparently not. Henry's next salvo was to sneak into Crossed Lines, a crossover series blending Supernatural with Caffrey Conversation. The predicament I'd feared over having the same actor, Jensen Ackles, appearing in two roles turned into an enticing plot development. Crowley's paranoia about the significance of Dean and Henry's resemblance may lead to a new story arc.

Now Henry has entered the world of the Cthulhu Mythos. Sprinkled in his introduction are a few breadcrumbs for what is to come. Without delving into spoilers, Henry points out that Mozzie and Peter have been able to customize their characters. He demands the same privilege.

Will Henry appear in other series? Penna and I both are working on other projects. She's writing an original novel. I'm participating in the Invisible Library and All Souls Trilogy fandoms. Our actions have not gone unnoticed by him, and he's already campaigning for a piece of the action. He's even willing to assume a disguise. I wouldn't be at all surprised if updates to this post will be necessary.

Related Posts:
Henry Winslow: Neal Caffrey's Alternate Me
When An Original Character Talks Back

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Time Crystals on FanFiction