AUTHOR INTERVIEW/GIVEAWAY: Beg for Mercy by Shannon Dermott

Blurb: 

 Everyone dreams of that first kiss. Of that magic moment when your lips finally meet those of that special person you’ve waited your whole life for. A little awkward, a little scary, a little hot and every bit amazing. We speculate that the whole world will shake and time will just stop. No one, however, ever imagines that kiss would be lethal. 

Sixteen year old Mercy Moore's life got more than just complicated. The kiss that originally could have meant she would finally have a boyfriend, now was the kiss that could have very nearly ended his life. A small detail her mother conveniently never told her will take her life for an abrupt u-turn. Dating, no love, was now completely and utterly impossible. 

But life, however cruel, goes on. Far too soon for her taste, Mercy finds herself at a party with the elite students of her school and her best friend. And of all things, playing a stupid game that could very well mean the death of someone in that small room. If it were not for her best friend, the hottest guys in school, and a small need to fit in, she may have been able to escape the disaster that was to come. Her worst nightmare, her personal curse, her very life, only gets dangerously worse. 

Author Interview:

My inspiration for Beg for Mercy in the Cambion series began when I was shopping anther book around. Even though there was a lot of positive feedback, there were no takers. The reason given to me multiple times was that market at the time was saturated with the paranormal being portrayed in my book even though it was in a new way. So I sat back to think about something not done before. 

And, although a succubus has been written about, it hadn’t been done in young adult (“YA”) at least not as the main character or topic. Mercy was born. I just thought it would be interesting to explore a teenage succubus. The next question was how to do a sex/lust demon it and keep it YA. Thus, Mercy couldn’t be full demon, so I made her a cambion, which is a half succubus/or incubi and half human. 

Now, what problem would a teenage girl full of hormones and an inner lust demon react in her human life? Generally speaking, when I write, I know my beginning and ending. I also know a few bumps in the road along the way. But then I let the characters go from there. 

Figuring a succubus would be beautiful and alluring, wouldn’t be interesting to see how she would react to multiple guys trying to get her attention? So I explored that. Later, I found that there is a double standard in books as well with girls and boys. Where hot boys in books can have girls falling all over them, some find that Mercy having multiple guys interested in her unrealistic. That perplexed me some. If she is a lust demon, it would stand to reason that many guys would want to date her. 

So in Beg for Mercy, we explore Mercy and how she handles being human and having an inner demon that controls her from time to time. And of course, someone is trying to kill her. I’m a hopeless romantic, so this story tends to lean more on romance than action but has the undercurrent of mystery. In the next book, Waiting for Mercy, there is more action and more questions answered. I’m in the middle of writing Angel of Mercy the next in the story, which will continue with action and solving a few open questions and should be out very soon. 

Thanks for having me and giving me the opportunity to share about my inspiration to this story. 

Author Bio: 

Shannon first love was reading, diving into other realities to explore and brave new worlds. To share her writing is the best experience of all. Her first series explores the life and trials of being Mercy Moore, a teenage cambion. When Shannon isn't writing she loves to shop and watch horror movies that make turning out the lights seem like a stupid idea. 

You can explore more about her at her website www.shannondermott.com. She can also be found on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. 

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