Personal Demons is the story of Frannie Cavanaugh—a good Catholic girl with a unique skill set—who finds herself in a battle for her soul between Lucifer Cain, who works in Acquisitions for Hell, and Gabriel, the angel sent to protect her.
When I started writing Personal Demons, all I had was a name: Lucifer Cain. I knew he was a demon because…well…his name was Lucifer Cain. What I didn’t know was how much fun it was going to be writing from inside a demon’s head.
One of the things that makes Personal Demons different is that we get the opportunity to hear Luc’s side of the story from his first-person POV. Because we’re in his head, we’re in on his inner dialogue as he muses about things from the unique point of view of a demon. He’s lived a dual life, moving between two worlds, so his perspective reflects that. Through the course of the book, we also get to see how Frannie messes with that perspective as he struggles to define feelings he’s never experienced before.
For example, here’s a snippet of Frannie’s and Luc’s first exchange from Luc’s POV:
I watch her write “Frannie and Luke: Steinbeck chapter 26 outline” in her composition book, and for some reason it really bothers me that she spelled my name wrong. I fix it before answering her. “I think he made some choices that he’s now got to pay the consequences for.” One of which is eternity burning in the Abyss.
She looks at me, all incredulity. “Just that simple, huh? No extenuating circumstances. No second chances?”
“Nope. Don’t believe in second chances.” The Underworld’s not big on that concept.
She shifts back in her chair and folds her arms across her chest, scrutinizing me. “You’ve never made a mistake? Done something you were sorry for?”
“Nope.”
“Everybody has something they wish they could undo.”
I lean toward her and gaze into those sapphire eyes. “What do you wish you could undo, Frannie?”
She shudders when I say her name, and I realize I’m being unfair. I pushed a little power at her without really meaning or needing to. But I like the reaction.
When she replies there’s more than a hint of pain in her tone, and the faint scent of rose—sadness. I search deep in those eyes to find the root of it. “Lots of things,” she says without breaking her gaze.
For some reason, out of the blue, I don’t want her to hurt. I feel Hell-bent on making her happy. Just the tiniest push is all it would take…
Stop it. Where the Hell did that come from? I don’t even recognize the sensation that passed with that thought. Demons don’t have feelings. Not like that, anyway. This isn’t a charity mission…I’m here for a clear purpose, and Miss Frannie Cavanaugh is showing promise. Lots of promise.
This passage gives you a peek into Luc’s thought processes. He’s pretty cocky, being a Creature of Pride and from one of the top echelons of Hell. But from the minute they meet, Frannie makes him question everything he’s so sure about. She makes him see shades of gray when he’s convinced everything is black and white. At times his perspective is humorous and other times poignant, but it’s never boring. I hope you have as much fun reading him as I had writing him.
Personal Demons (978-0-7653-2808-3) by Lisa Desrochers will be available September 14 from Tor.
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More from our September newsletter:
- The Way of Kings: An Introduction by Brandon Sanderson
- Translating the Vampire: Six Questions for Russian author Lena Meydan
- What Is An Editor, Anyway? by Christopher Conlon
- Everyday Magic: Lady Lazarus and the Book of Raziel by Michele Lang
