Genevieve Mercier, who changed her name to Eva Mercy upon publication of her first book, is a bestselling author of Cursed, a fantasy erotica series featuring witches and vampires. Eva is one of the main protagonists and a major point-of-view character in the novel.

The novel sets up Eva as a heroine in many ways—not necessarily by giving her innate psychological qualities but by placing her in circumstances that require heroism. In other words, Eva faces tremendous obstacles, and her heroism accrues through her continual decisions to face them head on. Moreover, most of these obstacles are intertwined. The first challenge is her career; she feels she’s outgrown her Cursed series, and she’s always had to fight tooth and nail for recognition, but she’s driven by her desire to provide for her daughter—which, in turn, ties into the challenge of motherhood and her own traumatic childhood with a neglectful mother. The challenge of her career also ties into that of being a Black woman; not only do her male counterparts automatically receive credit and attention (while Eva, in contrast, must strive for it), but the entertainment industry insists on whitewashing her series.

Another obstacle that underlies all this is Eva’s invisible disability.