Mercy: The Last New England Vampire by Sarah L. Thomson
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- A Portland writer is putting a local twist on the vampire craze that is sweeping across the pop culture landscape.
Sarah L. Thomson is a former editor who made the transition to writing about 10 years ago. Her latest book is called Mercy: The Last New England Vampire.
NEWS CENTER's Lee Nelson recently spoke with Thomson to find out what her book is about.
Thomson said her inspiration came from the true story of Mercy Brown. The real Mercy lived in Rhode Island in the 1890s. She died of tuberculosis, and after her brother started showing the same symptoms, her parents grew concerned that Mercy was attacking him from beyond the grave.
Mercy's body was exhumed and appeared to be infused with fresh blood. Her parents leaped to the conclusion that Mercy must be a vampire. They cut out her heart, burned it and fed the ashes to her brother as medicine. It had no effect and he still died.
Thomson used the Mercy legend as a jumping-off point for a modern story about a teenage girl who has to find the courage to confront a vampire to save the people she loves.
You'll have to wait to find out how the story ends. Thomson said the book isn't due to be released until September.
Mercy is aimed at young readers, starting at 12 years old. Thomson said she prefers to write for children. Her bibliography includes includes both fiction and non-fiction works, with different books geared toward different age groups.
To learn more about Thomson's writing, click here for a link to her website.
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