SINS OF THE ANGELS and SINS OF THE SON by Linda Poitevin

This week's featured author is Linda Poitevin, author of SINS OF THE ANGELS and SINS OF THE SON, in The Grigori Legacy series. Those who like dark urban fantasy should snap these up quick!

If you'd like enter to win a free tote bag, please include questions for Linda in the comments section below. I'll bet she'll have good advice for aspiring writers!

From Goodreads:

A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case—a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell.

Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.

Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

 When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis sees a photo of Seth Benjamin on a police bulletin, she knows that Heaven's plan to halt Armageddon has gone terribly wrong. As the only mortal who knows of Seth's true nature, only she can save him. Aramael was a hunter of Fallen Angels until a traitor forced him into earthly exile. Now, with no powers and only a faint memory of Alex, his mortal soulmate, he will stop at nothing to redeem himself-even if it means destroying Seth in the name of the Creator...

Thank you for the invitation to appear on your blog, Karen! I'm thrilled to be here. :) Thrilled to have you, Linda! 

On your website bio, it says you "continue to live [your] dream of being a cop vicariously through [your] characters." Can you elaborate on this, and tell us more about what makes your characters unique?

I had actually applied to be a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) when I was 20. At that time they still had height restrictions in place and when the recruiter measured me, he made a mistake and I was a half inch too short. I went on to become a civilian member of the force (a dispatcher), but I would have loved to be an officer. I think my experience working with a police force -- and the fact that I married a cop! -- has really helped give my heroine, Alex, an air of authenticity. Having my husband and his female partner as beta readers played a huge role as well, particularly with the finer details of police procedure.

It's great when writing can be derived from experience--and it sounds like you have a lot to draw from! SINS OF THE ANGELS, the first book in the GRIGORI LEGACY series combines angel lore with murder. Can you elaborate on how this affects the plot? What do you want readers to take away when they're finished reading it?

The angel mythology puts a real spin on the usual police procedural, I think. Alex is faced with what seems to be an 'ordinary' serial killer, but the presence of angels takes the case to a whole other level for her -- and for the reader. Having her whole perception of reality altered means a serious paradigm shift -- Alex has to change not just how she does her job, but how she thinks.

I'll bet that makes for some unexpected plot twists! SINS OF THE SON the second book in the series, debuted in March. Does your protagonist, Alexandra Jarvis, play a simliar or different role in the new book?

While Alex remains a cop in SINS OF THE SON, the story focuses less on the police aspect and more on Alex's role as a protector. She still thinks like a cop, but she's forced to make some decisions that fly in the face of her training and the law she's sworn to uphold.

Definitely not a typical "angels" series! What are some other projects you're working on?

I'm currently working on book 3 of the series, SINS OF THE RIGHTEOUS. I have a fourth book planned after that, and then -- a year or so down the road! -- I have another series idea in mind (also in the urban fantasy genre). Apart from that, it's spring and garden season, so I'm hoping to spend a good chunk of time working in my yard. :)

SINS OF THE ANGELS and SINS OF THE SON are both available on Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com! Please post questions for Linda below.