Spotlight on Through the Lens by Shannon Dermott

Expected Publication: 13th November 2012

Being a twin isn’t all that bad, nor is it all that good. Being the fat twin makes things a little worse. Seventeen year old, Jessa Shelby has been all but ignored. Trimmed down, but not skinny like her sister, she has decided to make her mark in her final year in high school.

Things begin anew the summer before her senior year when she makes friends with Ethan Hart, a boy with a twisted past, and Allie, his near celebrity status girlfriend, while taking pictures with her new prized possession. Hanging out with them opened her eyes to a lot of new possibilities including Josh Macon, whom she’s secretly crushed on all through high school. No longer the ‘fat girl’, Josh now seems interested in her too.

Long before the day comes to graduate, Jessa finds herself gasping for air. With her vision clouded from tears born of pain as the straps from her precious camera tighten around her throat, clarity sets in. They say that just before you die your life flashes before your eyes. And on the threshold of death claiming her, she finds that partially true. Her flash begins as if to explain just how she ended up on Death’s door. With mere moments left, she has to wonder if trust had come at a very high price.

Teaser #1
Moving his hands from his lap, he placed them on the floor to help him stand from his crouched position. The black leather of the couch seemed like a stone now weighed down with all the things left unsaid in the room. “The light was for the pictures,” he said scooping up my camera. “I had a feeling that you hadn't finished the roll. You don’t have a flash, so we would need good light to make use of it.”

Wow, he’d thought of everything. He’d known that I was a fraud from the beginning. I wasn’t sure whether that was good or bad. Bravery was new to me when it came to boys, “If you knew I hadn’t finished taking pictures, why invite me over?”

Raising his eyebrows, I realized he was just as surprised as I was that I’d asked that question. “Maybe I wanted to see how good your pictures of me came out.” It almost sounded arrogant, but it was off. He wasn’t that guy even if he tried. “Maybe I just wanted to hang out with you.” And that sent the butterflies off in my stomach.

Teaser #2
One moment his hands were in my hair, the next I was lying on the couch underneath him without a clue how that happened. His hands made their way up the side of my dress which let me know I still had it on, thank goodness. Obviously, I’d lost all reason. Taking inventory of myself, my damp skin was surely from the heat of the room. With a sudden urge, I felt the desire to undress to just to cool off, of course.

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.

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