Blog Tour Interview and Giveaway: Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin
Kitt: Hi Linda, we’d like to welcome you to Paperback Dolls! We’re so happy to have you here.
Linda: Thank you so much for having me, Kitt! I’m thrilled to be here. :)
Kitt: Since this is your first time at Paperback Dolls, can you tell our readers a little about yourself?
Linda: I’m happily married (coming up on 25 years this year!), mom to three beautiful, mostly grown daughters, live near Canada’s capital of Ottawa, and apparently can’t say no to pet requests. We have a very large husky/shepherd/Great Dane cross dog, 2 cats, 3 rabbits, and a bearded dragon lizard. ;)
Kitt: When did you first start writing? What made you decide – ‘ok, this is it, I’m writing a book’?
Linda: I’ve been writing stories since grade school — I can’t imagine not writing. It’s what keeps me sane, I think! But the whole book thing started about 12 years ago when my husband picked up a story I’d been working on, loved it, and started pushing me to pursue publication. As an aside, I did finish that story (a romantic suspense) but it will never, ever see the light of day. ;)
Kitt: Do you have any authors that you took inspiration from or influenced you the most?
Linda: I haven’t taken any conscious inspiration from other authors (television, movies & songs, yes, but not so much books). I do, however, look to one in particular as an influence these days. I absolutely love Jim Butcher’s Dresden series and, as I embark on book 3 of The Grigori Legacy, I am paying particular attention to how he does backstory in his books. He handles that aspect so well!
Kitt: Can you tell us a little bit about your first book, Sins of the Angels? And your recently released book, Sins of the Son?
Linda: Sins of the Angels is the first in a dark urban fantasy series that marries angel mythology with police procedural. I like to describe it as Supernatural meets Law & Order SVU. The heroine, Alexandra Jarvis, is a Toronto homicide detective tracking a serial killer who turns out to be a fallen angel. When Heaven assigns its own hunter to track the same killer, Alex finds herself facing a lot of personal demons as she tries to come to terms with her new reality — and to prevent the killer from triggering the Apocalypse. Sins of the Son picks up the story a couple of weeks after book 1 ends, with Alex thrown into the role of protector over the divine being who is supposed to save humanity — only to find herself in opposition to that same heavenly hunter.
Kitt: What made you decide to write about Angels and Demons over other paranormal beasties?
Linda: It wasn’t a conscious decision, to be honest. When the story idea took root, it just happened to be about angels. I’ve tried coming up with storylines around vampires and werewolves and so on, but as much as I like reading some of those stories (love Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series and Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson books!), I just haven’t been able to come up with fresh take on them. I might like to do a dragon story one day, though. Dragons are very cool. ;)
Kitt: You have a unique and fresh look into the worlds of Heaven and Hell, how much research did you put into writing your books? How much came from your imagination?
Linda: I’d say research and imagination ended up being about a 50/50 split. I started out relying on my imagination alone, but realized around mid-point in the story that I needed to round out my angel lore. I took out every angel book our library had and scoured the Internet for stories — but always with my own agenda in mind. I ended up taking the bits that fit in with my story frame and discarding the rest, which allowed me to put my own unique spin on a mythology with which most people are already familiar.
Kitt: Imagine our surprise when we find out that The One, the maker, is a female. Did you have any significant reason for making the Almighty a woman?
Linda: I’ve long been drawn to the earth-based religions and the idea of ‘Mother Nature’ has always played a big role in our family. When I began thinking about who the supreme being might be in this series, it seemed natural that ‘it’ should take on a more feminine, motherly aspect. Giving her that female aspect also freed me to extend the initial story into a series story arc that just wouldn’t have been the same (or existed at all) if I’d made my deity male. Besides, don’t you think it’s time to have a woman in charge? ;)
Kitt: You have a very extensive class system for your Angels, and this question is more for those of us who have read Sins of the Angels, but could you explain your Hierarchy for us?
I have ulterior motives here and mainly would like to know where exactly Seth Benjamin’s tittle name comes from since we know by now exactly who he is.
Linda: In Christian angel lore, I found many references to the nine choirs of angels. The names of these choirs varies, as do their functions, depending on the source. I ended up mixing and matching both to achieve my own ends — and sometimes simply overwriting mythology with my own ideas when I couldn’t find something that suited my nefarious purposes. ;)
As for Seth Benjamin, his name literally means “Appointed Son” — and yes, I chose that name deliberately. He isn’t found in mythology and is purely a figment of my imagination. :)
Kitt: Was there a particular scene or part of the book that was more challenging to write, if so, can you explain?
Linda: I think the most difficult scene to write was the final murder scene in the church. Trying to put myself into something that horrific — let alone describe it — was not easy. And realizing I had the kind of imagination capable of creating a character who could do that was more than a little disturbing.
Kitt: What can we expect next from your Grigori Legacy series?
Linda: Book 2, Sins of the Son, has just released and I’m currently working on the third in the series, Sins of the Righteous. No pub date on that yet, though, sorry! :)
Kitt: Do you have Grigori Legacy all pre-plotted and planned out? How many books you’ll need for the story arc to come completion?
Linda: There will be a total of four books needed to complete the story arc. They’re mostly planned out, but I find that things tend to change once I start writing, so I never say they’re completely planned, lol!
Kitt: So, what’s next on your “to-do” list? We know you are busy promoting your new book, but are there any new works in progress we can be anticipating? Or are there any other genres that you’d like to explore?
Linda: I’m definitely finishing up The Grigori Legacy series before I start anything new, but I do have a new series idea brewing in the meantime. It’s also in the urban fantasy genre, so it looks like I’ll be sticking with that for a while.
Kitt: We want to thank you so much for taking the time to visit us and answer our questions! We are super thrilled to have you on Paperback Dolls. Best of Luck to you!
Linda: Kitt, thank you so much for inviting me here today! I really enjoyed your questions, and if your readers have anything they’d like to ask as well, I’d be happy to answer.
Linda Poitevin was born and raised in B.C., Canada’s westernmost province. Growing up in an era when writing was “a nice hobby, dear, but what are you going to do for a living?”, Linda worked at a variety of secretarial jobs before applying to be a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Due to an error in measurement, however, she was turned down when she didn’t meet the height requirement of that time. Undeterred, Linda became a civilian member in the force and was a dispatcher for two and a half years, during which time she met her husband, a police officer.
Following their transfer to Ottawa, Linda went on to become a real estate agent and then a human resources consultant before starting a family. She has been a stay-at-home mom ever since and has homeschooled her youngest daughter for the last nine years. Now that she has realized writing can be more than a nice hobby, she continues to live her dream of being a cop vicariously through her characters.
Linda currently lives near Ottawa with her husband, three daughters, one very large husky/shepherd/Great Dane-cross dog, two cats, three rabbits, and a bearded dragon lizard. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found in her garden or walking her dog along the river or through the woods.
In addition to her books, Linda also does freelance writing and editing. Information about her services can be found at www.lindapoitevin.ca. Linda is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Quebec Writers’ Federation, Romance Writers of America, RWA Futuristic Fantasy Paranormal Chapter, and Ottawa Romance Writers’ Association.
Find Linda online: Website | | |
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…
Penguin has offered one copy of Sins of the Son — a choice of hardcopy or e-book if the winner is from Canada/US, or e-book only if winner is International. In addition, all winners from the tour will be entered into a grand prize draw (after the tour finishes) for a necklace and earring set inspired by the book and designed by Cemetery Cat.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Terms and Conditions: Giveaway provided by Penguin. By entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to the rules set by our Giveaway Policy. Ends 04/07 International
Sounds like a great read. I’d love to win.
Best of luck, Mary, and thanks for stopping by! :)
I’m happy that i managed to follow all the stop until now ^^ perhaps i will manage to finally discover your books
all the best
Good to see you, Miki! Thank you for being so dedicated! :)
Hunting down an angel…oi. And it sounds like it worked out well writing what called to you, instead of werewolves/vampires just because they’re popular :) I look forward to reading your series!
Thanks, Lauren — I hope you enjoy! :)
I love the world building in this series with its combination of police procedural with the mythology of angels. The first book was fab and I cannot wait to read this one.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
You’re most welcome, Sophia, and I hope you enjoy book 2! :)
The heroine sounds so strong in this series which is a trait I like to see.
With what she’s had to deal with in her past? She NEEDS to be strong! I hope you’ll give the series a try, Na. :)
I can’t wait to read Sins of the Son! And I’m looking forward to hearing more about your new urban fantasy ideas!
Thanks, Thony! And thank you for coming by today! :)
And if your books do really well could there be more than 4 books in the series or will you try another genre?
Hi, Diane,
The story arc in this series will most likely be complete in four books, but the next idea I have in mind would fall under the UF genre as well. Thanks for asking! :)
So, how does this work? I post a comment and win? Awesome.
Good luck with your release Linda.
Thanks, Johnny! :)
Great interview.
Linda what three thing would Alexandra never leave the house without? ;)
Badge, cell phone, and car keys. And if she’s on-duty, her gun. I know that’s four, but since she’s a cop I kinda had to let her have her way on that last one. ;)
Whoa whoa wait- a bearded dragon lizard?
Yup. His name is Steve. Weird, I know, but it suits him, lol!
Thanks for the giveaway. Please enter me in contest.
You’re very welcome, Victoria. :)
I’m since recently into angels, so this is one for my wishlist.
I hope you’ll be able to get it soon, Dovile…enjoy! :)
Congratulations on your anniversary and the book! The book sounds very good.
Thank you so much, bn100! Still can’t believe it’s been that long…sure doesn’t feel like it. I think that’s a good sign, don’t you? ;)
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Woah, writing stories since GRADE SCHOOL, I can imagine myself doing that. Especially since even an essay was enough to make me sweat. Happy early 25th anniversary! (and I am curious what your pets look like! I adore rabbits and cats!…not sure what to say about the bearded dragon lizard.)
Congratulations on your book and thank you so much for the giveaway!
Lilian @ A Novel Toybox
You’re welcome for the giveaway, Lilian, and thank you for the anniversary wishes! And one of these days I’ll have to post pics of my menagerie on my blog…the lizard is actually a really cool looking character. Honest! :)
I really love your cover, and I am really looking forward to reading this book!
Thanks for the giveaway!
~Alicia Jespersen