Hideous by Devon McCormack
Publication date: June 19th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Eight years ago, Luke Retter witnessed the brutal murder of his mother and sister at the hands of his demon-possessed father. He survived but lost a hand and an eye. The demon also burned its emblem into his skin, marking him as a cursed. Those who bear this mark are at risk of becoming possessed themselves, so they are monitored and enslaved by the state-run UCIS. Working as a slave is hard, but Luke prefers it to the possibility of being controlled by a demon.
One night, Luke wakes to find his worst nightmare coming true. His father’s demon has returned. In a panic, he runs to the only person who might be able to help: Zack, a cursed who ran away from the state and created an underground community to protect other fugitive curseds. Zack helps him suppress the demon. But the city’s become a time bomb, and Luke’s demon itches to escape.
With the UCIS closing in on Zack’s underground operation and Luke’s demon crafting its own, nefarious plot, Luke realizes that he must take a stand.
One night, Luke wakes to find his worst nightmare coming true. His father’s demon has returned. In a panic, he runs to the only person who might be able to help: Zack, a cursed who ran away from the state and created an underground community to protect other fugitive curseds. Zack helps him suppress the demon. But the city’s become a time bomb, and Luke’s demon itches to escape.
With the UCIS closing in on Zack’s underground operation and Luke’s demon crafting its own, nefarious plot, Luke realizes that he must take a stand.
MINI AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What’s the story of Hideous?
I always say it’s the story of a boy and his demon. Luke
Retter lives in a world where demons are a known and constant threat. When Luke
was eight, his demon-possessed severed off one of his hands and gouged out one
of his eyes. It also marked him with its emblem. People who bear an emblem of a
demon are called curseds. Curseds are
more likely to be possessed themselves later in life, so they are monitored and
essentially enslaved by the state. Many years after his attack, Luke works as a
janitor at an all-boys academy, where he has to watch all the other kids live
out their normal lives. He’s jealous. He wishes he could just make friends and
go to school dances, but he can’t and he knows he never will. Then the demon
that possessed his father finds him, and things just get even worse…
When did you decide you wanted to write YA books?
I didn’t really ever make a decision to write Young Adult
novels. I knew when the idea for Hideous
came to me that it was going to end up being most appropriate for a Young Adult
audience, but I just write stories as they come to me. I try not to write for
genres, but I think that it’s natural for people to gravitate to genres they
like. For instance, I’ve noticed that I primarily write paranormal stories,
which makes sense, considering those were the types of stories that I grew up
loving. I think a part of what interests me about that age range is that
there’s so much emotion during that time. And not just emotion, but very strong
emotion coupled with very rigid ideas about the world. As I grew up, I
discovered that the world wasn’t what I was led to believe, so my expectations
changed, and I never have the sort of dramatic breakdowns that I had in high
school. But back then, when I was still believing so many of the distortions of
reality, I had very strong reactions to not getting what I wanted.
Who are your favorite YA authors?
Hands down, I’d have to say S.E. Hinton. She was the first book I read that was technically Young Adult adult. It was Rumble Fish. I think most people read The Outsiders first, but we didn’t get to that until the following year. Tex was my favorite book, though. He was so cool. He was so interesting. I wanted to be him. My most recent Young Adult adult author favorite would have to be Scott Westerfeld. I adore his The Midnighters series. It’s about these kids who have powers during this special hour where time stops for everyone but them. The stories are so well written and fun. When I first read those books, I stood up and paced my room because I was so excited. They were thrilling. They were riveting. I recommend those books to anyone and everyone. I can’t think of a book that has elicited as much excitement from me as that.
Hands down, I’d have to say S.E. Hinton. She was the first book I read that was technically Young Adult adult. It was Rumble Fish. I think most people read The Outsiders first, but we didn’t get to that until the following year. Tex was my favorite book, though. He was so cool. He was so interesting. I wanted to be him. My most recent Young Adult adult author favorite would have to be Scott Westerfeld. I adore his The Midnighters series. It’s about these kids who have powers during this special hour where time stops for everyone but them. The stories are so well written and fun. When I first read those books, I stood up and paced my room because I was so excited. They were thrilling. They were riveting. I recommend those books to anyone and everyone. I can’t think of a book that has elicited as much excitement from me as that.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Devon McCormack spends most of his time hiding in his lair, adventuring in paranormal worlds with his island of misfit characters. A good ole Southern boy, McCormack grew up in the Georgian suburbs with his two younger brothers and an older sister. At a very young age, he spun tales the old fashioned way, lying to anyone and everyone he encountered. He claimed he was an orphan. He claimed to be a king from another planet. He claimed to have supernatural powers. He has since harnessed this penchant for tall tales by crafting whole worlds where he can live out whatever fantasy he chooses.
A gay man himself, McCormack focuses on gay male characters, adding to the immense body of literature that chooses to represent and advocate gay men's presence in media. His body of work ranges from erotica to young adult, so readers should check the synopses of his books before purchasing so that they know what they're getting into.
A gay man himself, McCormack focuses on gay male characters, adding to the immense body of literature that chooses to represent and advocate gay men's presence in media. His body of work ranges from erotica to young adult, so readers should check the synopses of his books before purchasing so that they know what they're getting into.
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