Teaser Tuesday #4

TWO WEEKS til release!!! And here is your second-to-last teaser from Sins of the Son:

Reaching the end of the hall, Riley inserted the key into a door on the left-hand side and pushed into a room.

Alex drew a breath and followed. Inside, she scanned her surroundings with a cop’s attention to detail that was as much a part of her as her own skin. Walls and ceiling painted institution green, floor tiled beige. Ceiling light flush-mounted behind a protective metal grate. Bathroom, no mirror, off to one side. A basic cot in one corner, bolted to the floor. One window, grated, across from where Alex and Riley stood.

And one man at that window, his back to Alex, standing almost exactly as he had when she’d first seen him on her front porch.

Seth.

Alex stared at him, ignoring Riley’s watchful presence at her side. He was just as big as she remembered. Just as powerful. And, at first glance, just as imposing. But even before he faced her, she sensed a change in him. An emptiness.

The aura that seemed to reduce the rest of the world’s size in comparison to him was gone, along with the overwhelming presence that had once made her want to back away even as it had threatened to draw her in. She met his gaze across the room and saw — nothing. No recognition, no interest, no spark of identity.

He stared at her for several long moments, and then left the window and shambled toward her. Not even his gait remained as she remembered.

Seth on the outside.

Empty on the inside.

Loss tightened Alex’s throat. Her last hope, her last possible connection to Aramael, dissolved in the pale afternoon light of reality.

Stopping in front of her, Seth’s gaze locked with hers. She waited, and then, without warning, he smiled — a familiar, crooked, quirky half smile — and reached out to brush a strand of hair back from her face. A bottomless sadness opened in his dark eyes.

“Alexandra Jarvis,” he whispered.

[Sins of the Son: The Grigori Legacy 2, copyright 2012. All rights reserved.]

The Creepy Lady in the Coffee Shop

Writing is a solitary pursuit. Well, it is if you don’t count the voices in our heads. 

Even though I now have my home office back in which to write, the truth is, I’m sometimes better off working in my local coffee shop. There’s a couple of reasons for this: first, the fact that there’s no Internet access there (well, there is, but I refuse to pay for it!) and therefore I’m less to be distracted; and second, as I’m a bit of an introvert to begin with, it would be all too easy to become a complete hermit. Getting out amongst real, living people a few times a week does me good from a social perspective…and from a writer’s one, too.

Because honestly? Some days I do as much people-watching as I do writing. Parents with children, old friends, business colleagues…the coffee shop is a gathering place for a multitude of people whose conversations I overhear — accidentally, of course (ahem) — become fodder for future stories and scenes and whose mannerisms or dress-choices may well flesh out a new character.

Of course, I have to be very circumspect or else my accidental eavesdropping  can  make other patrons regard me with suspicion. More than one eyebrow has been raised in my direction when my mind drifts away from the need for covertness and I forget that staring is rude. And I’m fairly certain that more than one fellow customer has labelled the lady in the corner as being downright creepy. Oops.

So the next time you see someone sitting in the corner of a coffee shop who seems to be paying an inordinate amount of attention to the goings-on around her/him, remember there’s a possibility s/he isn’t necessarily a social misfit (or a stalker!) but rather a writer looking for a little inspiration. But you may still want to lower your voice. 

(Adapted from a post that first appeared on Dark Central Station)

Blog Tour SOS!!!

All right, folks, it’s gearing-up-for-release time, and I’m scrambling to put together everything for my physical launch here in Ottawa as well as my upcoming blog tour (March 21 – April 26). Some of you may have noticed that I’m not very consistent with the whole blogging thing, and there’s a reason for that: I am crap at coming up with things to say.  I agonize more over what to say in +/- 250 words than I do in an entire novel. Okay, maybe not…but you get my drift.

Anyway, I’ve come up with one idea that I think would be fun: an interview with my husband from a “what it’s like to live with a writer” kind of perspective. Great idea, right? The only problem with this stroke of brilliance on my part is that it turns out that I’m as much crap at coming up with questions as I am at coming up with topics.*sigh*

So…here’s how you can help. If you were reading an interview of this kind, what kinds of questions would you like to see asked? For those of you who don’t already know, my husband is a cop and acts as my police procedural encyclopedia, so if there’s anything about his role in the process that you’d like to know about, ask away. I’ll pick 5-10 questions (depending on how involved they are) and you can see his answers during the blog tour.

Oh, and if you happen to know him personally, do me a favor and don’t mention this to him? I kinda haven’t gotten around to telling him about it yet…

Oh, oh, oh…and if you have any other topics you’d like to see me address during my blog tour, please feel free to suggest those, too! Please?

Teaser Tuesday #3

Three weeks and counting…welcome back for another look at Sins of the Son!

“What do you mean, he’s alive?” The One stared at Verchiel. “He can’t be. I am the Creator. I would have felt the presence of my own son.”

Verchiel tightened her fingers on the sheet of paper she held. “I don’t know what to tell you except the man the Guardians have reported matches Seth’s description.” She glanced at the notes she’d hastily scribbled as details had filtered in. “He is in a place the mortals call Vancouver, British Columbia. In a hospital.”

The barest flicker of something touched the One’s countenance, gone before Verchiel could put a name to it. “Is he injured?”

“Not physically.”

“Explain.”

“The man in question has no soul. At least, not a complete one. There is still something there, but it is too badly damaged for identification. And he has no memory of who he is. It is for that reason the mortals hold him.”

Only a subtle shift in the air around the One gave evidence she had heard. Long seconds ticked by.

“What about powers?” she asked at last, her voice neutral but carrying an underlying thread that sent a shiver down Verchiel’s spine.”

“We’re not sure, but — ” Verchiel mustered her courage, forcing herself to speak the unthinkable. “He seems to have abilities beyond those of a mortal.”

The air around the One pulsed again. Her lips drew tight. “My son is loose in the mortal realm as an adult, with his powers intact and no memory of who he is or what he is to do,” she clarified.

“We aren’t certain — ” Verchiel began, but a single raised eyebrow stopped her. She swallowed. “Yes, One. We believe so.”

The One turned away and Verchiel stared at a back gone rigid with thoughts and emotions she couldn’t begin to guess at. How did a mother deal with the knowledge that her son lived but, for the good of the universe, would be better off dead?

“Damnation!” the One whispered, her voice laced with equal parts fury and pain.

That was how.

[Sins of the Son: The Grigori Legacy 2, copyright 2012. All rights reserved.]

We have WINNERS!!!

Huge congratulations (and much throwing of confetti) to Jyothsna and Elaine! You’ve each won a copy of the ARC for Sins of the Son in the favorite quotes giveaway!

Email me via the Contact page (link in the menu above) with your addresses and I’ll get those sent out to you…and congrats again!

And a big, warm thank you to everyone who entered — it was great fun reading your quotes.

Teaser Tuesday #2

Welcome back for another peek at Sins of the Son!

Michael glowered at the other Archangel. “Let me get this straight. I question a decision and she stops speaking to me for four and a half thousand years and then sends you to collect on the promise I made her. Mittron orchestrates a chain of events that may yet trigger war between Heaven and Hell, but he remains as her administrator until after he loses the Appointed; and a Power commits the ultimate sin and is merely banished to the mortal realm instead of being exiled to Limbo. Does that about cover it?”

Mouth twisting, Raphael nodded. “In a word, yes.”

“And the rest of you are okay with this.”

“She is the One, Mika’el.”

Michael groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes. Yes, that was what it still came down to, wasn’t it? She was the One. The Creator. The others might question her actions, but after the example he’d set all those millennia ago, their reservations would remain unvoiced.

As would his. This time.

Because all those millennia ago, he had also given her his word. Had vowed his undying devotion and allegiance, sworn he would return without question in her time of need, promised he would always remain the Archangel Mika’el — her most powerful warrior.

He lifted his head, straightened his shoulders, and, for the first time since leaving Heaven, unfurled his massive wings. They stretched open, spanning the width of the clinic, a full double-arm’s-length wider than those of his fellow warriors, at once his power, his glory, and his eternal burden.

Flexing the great supporting muscles, he shook out the feathers and stood for a moment, absorbing his own unspoken acceptance of the role he had never thought to play again. Coming to terms with all he would have to become. All he would give up.

Then Michael, once more Mika’el, turned to his messenger. “Where is she?”

[Sins of the Son: The Grigori Legacy 2, copyright 2012. All rights reserved.]

By the way, if you’d like a chance to win a sneak peek at Sins of the Son, you still have time to get in on the Goodreads ARC giveaway and/or the simultaneous giveaway on my blog. Both contests end on March 1st, though, so act fast!

News From My Angel World

So in addition to gearing up for the release of Sins of the Son in just FIVE WEEKS – or in some cases, as part of that gearing-up! – here’s what’s going on in my world at the moment:

1. Cemetery Cat designs and I have been working on a Secret Angel Project for the last few weeks and I am thrilled to announce that we’re done! But it’s still a secret, so you’re going to have to wait to see it. *evil grin* Watch for the grand unveiling here on March 27^th, when Sins of the Son releases
2. My web team and I have completed a portion of Secret Angel Project #2 and they’re meeting this week to put together a prototype. That part of the project is a secret even from me, so needless to say, the anticipation is killing me.
3. Work on the new web site is also progressing. I’ve seen a wire frame (mock-up) of the site and I am sooooo excited…this thing is really going to rock! Have I mentioned how incredibly lucky I am to have found such talented people?
4. I’ve had early comments on Twitter from a couple of blog reviewers about Sins of the Son, earning two OMGs and one “sh**!” This is the first feedback I’ve had other than from my editor, agent, and beta readers, and it makes me very, very happy…and you have no idea how relieved! Julie from Yummy Men & Kick-Ass Chicks says the book is very different from the first but better (you can read her Goodreads comment here), and Bloduedd said that I kept her up late finishing it. Like I said, I’m very happy!
5.  Book 3, Sins of the Righteous, is progressing a little slower than I’d like, but it is progressing. I’ve really been stuck on where to start Chapter One and have rewritten that thing at least a dozen times, but I think I finally have it nailed. Cross your fingers for me!
6. Spring is almost here. I can smell it. I can taste it. I can hear it. And I can walk on pavement instead of ice in many places. The anticipation of this is also nearly killing me.

And last but certainly not least…

1. There are only SIX DAYS LEFT to enter for a total of 10 ARC giveaways of Sins of the Son at both Goodreads and my blog. So if you haven’t already, go! Enter! Win! And have a fabulous rest of the week!

Teaser Tuesday #1

So here it is, as promised. The first of 5 excerpts from Sins of the Son over the next 5 weeks leading up to RELEASE DAY!!! (Ahem. Sorry about that. Just a little excited over here. ) I hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to come back next Tuesday for another tidbit.

The air around Mittron stilled. Panic clutched at his throat. They were nearly here, and he couldn’t make so much as his little finger twitch. The angel who had once been his soulmate crossed the room and placed a gentle hand beneath his chin, held him so he would meet her eyes.

“Tell me,” she said. “Tell me now — everything — and I will speak to her. Perhaps I can spare you some of what you — ” She looked past him and broke off, her face going white and her head inclined in unhesitating supplication. Her hand dropped to her side.

Mittron heard the rustle of feathers and his bowel filled with ice water. His heartbeat slowed until it was a bare thread of rhythm. No.

Verchiel’s gaze met his again, horror behind her expression. Horror not for what he had done this time, but for what she knew was coming. What they all knew was coming.

No.

“There’s a letter!” his mind screamed, but the words remained locked inside him, unable to pass through lips now frozen into the same stillness as the rest of his body. The rustle of feathers grew louder, filling his head with a noise so great the rest of the universe faded into nothingness. Then, silence.

And a new female voice, devoid of expression, devoid of warmth. “Mittron of the Seraphim,” the Archangel Gabriel said, “you have been called to Judgment.”

Please, no…

[Sins of the Son: The Grigori Legacy 2, copyright 2012. All rights reserved]

Ten Sure Signs of Spring

Despite the somewhat frosty temperature outside this morning (it was -10 Celcius/14 Fahrenheit), I am convinced that spring — glorious spring! — is nearly upon us. And what brings on this sudden bout of optimism, you may ask? Ten absolutely indisputable signs, of course!

Counting down:

10. It’s now light out when I take puppy out for a walk at 7 a.m.

9.    The ice and snow have cleared from enough streets that I can wear my trail shoes instead of my clunky winter boots when I’m walking that same puppy.

8.     I actually want to walk puppy instead of doing so out of sheer guilt.

7.     Puppy has taken to napping on the back porch in the sunshine again.

6.    It’s still light out when dinner goes on the table.

5.    Birds are returning. Yesterday morning’s roll call included mourning doves and cardinals.

4.    The dog park is revealing the number of owners who failed to stoop and scoop over the winter.

3.    My daughters are less likely to suffer hypothermia and/or call for a ride when they miss their bus connection.

2.    I’ve started thinking about this year’s exterior to-do list (and my husband has started cringing at conversations which begin with “I’ve been thinking…”)

And the number 1 reason I know it’s spring?

1.    Book 2 of The Grigori Legacy, Sins of the Son, releases five weeks from tomorrow!  Speaking of which, remember to check back tomorrow for the first of five teasers. And don’t forget to enter to win an ARC at my blog giveaway and/or Goodreads!

Happy Monday, everyone…and regardless of what the thermometer says, Happy Almost-Spring!!!

Countdown to release day!

One short year ago, it felt like forever before my first book would hit bookstore shelves…and now not only has Sins of the Angels been out for almost six full months, but  I find myself counting down the weeks until the secondbook in The Grigori Legacy follows suit.

Yes, folks, it’s officially countdown time for Sins of the Son…and in keeping with my promise to you, I’ll be starting Teaser Tuesday again next — you guessed it — Tuesday.

Five weeks with five different teasers to (hopefully) whet your appetites for more. (I’ll be honest, I intended to do seven weeks, but a little lack of organization at my end resulted in one of those “omigod, it’s already the middle of February?!?” moments. So…my apologies, and I hope you’ll forgive me.) I also hope you’ll enjoy your sneak peaks into what’s waiting for you in Sins of the Son: The Grigori Legacy 2.

Oh, and there’s just one more thing while I have your attention…a huge and heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for taking part in my adventure!

Linda