Kristina Henry grew up in Vienna, Virginia. As a child she spent many weekends with her family in Rock Hall, Maryland, a small watermen’s community on the Eastern Shore. She graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, in 1988 with a bachelor's degree.
After college, Henry worked in Washington, D.C., as a technical writer for several small firms and then in public relations for the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland. She has written for such periodicals as The Washington Post and Washingtonian magazine and is the author of the book Sam: The Tale of a Chesapeake Bay Rockfish.