LINZ, Cathie

PERSONAL: Married.

ADDRESSES: Home—Chicago, IL. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Silhouette Books, P.O. Box 5190, Buffalo, NY 14240-5190. E-mail—cathielinz@aol.com.

CAREER: Writer, novelist, and librarian. Worked in a university law library.

MEMBER: Romance Writers of America.

AWARDS, HONORS: National Service Award, Romance Writers of America; Storyteller of the Year Award, Romantic Times.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Remembrance of Love, Dell (New York, NY), 1982.

Wildfire, Dell (New York, NY), 1983.

A Summer's Embrace, Dell (New York, NY), 1983.

A Charming Strategy, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

A Private Account, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Winner Takes All, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Pride and Joy, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

A Glimpse of Paradise, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Tender Guardian, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Lover and Deceiver, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

Continental Lover, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

A Handful of Trouble, Dell (New York, NY), 1987.

Change of Heart, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1988.

A Friend in Need, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1988.

As Good as Gold, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Smiles, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Handyman, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Smooth Sailing, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Flirting with Trouble, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Male Ordered Bride, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Escapades, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Midnight Ice, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1994.

One of a Kind Marriage, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Bridal Blues, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Baby Wanted, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1995.

A Wife in Time, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Husband Needed, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1997.

The Rancher Gets Hitched, Harlequin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1999.

The Cowboy Finds a Bride, Harlequin, (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) 1999.

The Lawman Gets Lucky, Harlequin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

Between the Covers, Harlequin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

A Prince at Last, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2002.

"THREE WEDDINGS AND A GIFT" TRILOGY

Michael's Baby, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Seducing Hunter, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Abbie and the Cowboy, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1996.

"MARRIAGE MAKERS" TRILOGY

Too Sexy for Marriage, Harlequin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

Too Stubborn to Marry, Harlequin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

Too Smart for Marriage, Harlequin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

"MEN OF HONOR" SERIES

Daddy in Dress Blues, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Stranded with the Sergeant, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2001.

The Marine and the Princess, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Married to a Marine, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Sleeping Beauty and the Marine, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Her Millionaire Marine, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Cinderella's Sweet-talking Marine, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Marine Meets His Match, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, edited by Jayne Anne Krentz, University of Pennsylvania Press (Philadelphia, PA), 1992.

Author's works have been translated into twenty languages.

SIDELIGHTS: Romance novelist Cathie Linz has written nearly fifty romances, mostly for Silhouette Books. She has been writing and publishing for more than two decades. Linz's novels are often characterized as "sweet," although her characters are sexually aware and drawn to each other. "Some describe these books as sweet because there are no consummated love scenes without marriage in them, but actually my books are very sensual in the build-up, in the building of sexual tension," Linz remarked in an interview for RomanceEverAfter.com.

Many of Linz's more recent novels have involved military themes, combining the hard-edged life of a U.S. marine with the more gentle pursuits of romance. As she stated in her RomanceEverAfter.com interview, Linz got the idea to use a military man as her hero after a marine spoke at her Chicago-area writers' group. One novel features Curt Blackwell, a marine who learns that the leg wound he suffered in Bosnia has curtailed his active service and restricted him to a desk job. On the plus side, however, he finds out he is the father of a three-year-old girl named Blue and locates her. In a short amount of time, Blackwell has to become what the book's title implies, a Daddy in Dress Blues. Intent on making his time with his daughter as rewarding as possible, he asks a preschool teacher, Jessie Moore, to give a crash course in parenting. Blackwell fails to realize, however, that the hauntingly familiar Jessie is the same woman who gladly surrendered her virginity to him twelve years before and who was devastated by his rejection. Jessie struggles to come to terms with her past while she helps the man she once loved cope with his present situation. Suzie Housley, writing for Myshelf.com, commented that Linz's "wonderful writing style is unique and her writing, a pure joy to read."

In Between the Covers Linz "displays a wonderful talent for combining beautifully created characters, scintillating dialogue, and sassy humor into an absolutely delicious story," remarked Leena Hyat on TheBestReviews.com. Shane Huntington, a handsome police officer, faces a problem when he is told by his family's lawyer that he must marry before his thirtieth birthday or risk losing his inheritance. A confirmed bachelor, Shane chafes under the marriage mandate which he sees as just another attempt by his family to control him—they were, after all, scandalized when he decided to join the police force rather than become a doctor. He asks librarian Paige Turner to help him find the perfect wife. Paige has recently started over in Chicago, leaving behind a failed relationship and seeking solace as a quiet librarian. Although she had vowed never again to fall for a handsome man with a wild scheme, she is unable to deny her attraction to Shane. Against her better judgment, the cautious Paige agrees to help. As their plan unfolds, Paige and Shane realize that she may be offering more than reference help and that his perfect wife may be closer than he thought. Hyat called the book "a hilarious, sexy, and full-of-fun romp that is not to be missed" by romance readers.

Linz returns to a military theme with Married to a Marine. Kelly Hart has nursed a crush on Justice Wilder since she was a teenager. Back then, he was her older sister's boyfriend, and Kelly was beneath his notice. His marriage to her sister lasted only two years. Now a physical therapist, Kelly has been called upon to help Justice recover from an injury he suffered while saving a child from a burning car. Hardheaded Justice does not want help, even after Kelly travels to his island hideaway in a soaking downpour to meet with him. Justice agrees to let her stay, but Kelly's long-term crush and Justice's newfound interest move them ever closer to falling for each other. TheBestReviews.com critic Cynthia Meidinger called Married to a Marine "a great read" with "a strong, fast-paced plot," while Booklist reviewer John Charles named it "a sweetly sexy, gently humorous romance."

In Sleeping Beauty and the Marine journalist Cassandra Jones is indignant when military hero Sam Wilder ignores her at a press conference in favor of one of her blonde competitors. Assigned to do a magazine profile on the marine, she undergoes a makeover that turns her into a physically stunning "whiplash blonde." No matter how hard the two try to keep things businesslike between them, they find themselves strongly attracted and getting closer all the time. Linz "expertly maneuvers the simmering sexual chemistry between her hero and heroine into a sweetly satisfying romance" novel, Charles commented in another Booklist review.

Marine Striker Kozlowski, the hero of Her Millionaire Marine, is not happy to have to go back to Texas to run his grandfather's oil company, King Oil, but he has been ordered to do so by his superiors. When assertive but beautiful attorney Kate Bradley offers to help, Striker declines. Kate is just as relieved to not have to deal with the handsome marine, whom she views as little more than a grandstander addicted to danger. As they come together more and more often for business, they soon realize that they might not be the opposites they thought they were. Linz "adds just the right dash of humor and bit of sizzle into this subtly sensual contemporary romance," Charles commented in Booklist.

In The Marine Meets His Match Captain Rad Kozlowski needs a decoy to put the overzealous daughter of a general off his romantic trail. He asks bookseller Serena Anderson, who has disapproved of the marine ever since he spoke during a fifth-grade career day, to pose as his fiancée. Kozlowski, the owner of the building that houses Serena's bookstore, sweetens the deal by offering to cut her rent in half for a year. Unable to resist, Serena agrees, thinking that a few months of play-acting would be worth the effort. When Kozlowski's family hears of the engagement, Rad and Serena find themselves moving closer to a real engagement. "Funny, upbeat, and heartwarming," was Library Journal contributor Kristin Ramsdell's assessment of the book. Writing again for Booklist, Charles observed that in The Marine Meets His Match Linz "excels at crafting a satisfying sensual yet sweetly humorous form of chemistry between her love interests."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2002, John Charles, review of Married to a Marine, p. 214; February 1, 2003, John Charles, review of Sleeping Beauty and the Marine, p. 976; May 1, 2004, John Charles, review of Her Millionaire Marine, p. 1550; July, 2004, John Charles, review of Cinderella's Sweet-talking Marine, p. 1827; September 1, 2004, John Charles, review of The Marine Meets His Match, p. 72.

Library Journal, August, 2004, Kristin Ramsdell, review of The Marine Meets His Match, p. 55.

ONLINE

Cathie Linz Home Page, http://www.cathielinz.com (April 12, 2005).

MyShelf.com, http://www.myshelf.com/ (April 12, 2005), Suzie Housley, review of Daddy in Dress Blues.

RomanceEverAfter.com, http://www.romanceeverafter.com/ (April 12, 2005), interview with Linz.

TheBestReviews.com, http://www.thebestreviews.com/ (July 4, 2001), Leena Hyat, review of Between the Covers; (August 29, 2002) Cynthia Meidinger, review of Married to a Marine; (March 19, 2003) Kathy Boswell, review of Sleeping Beauty and the Marine; (May 14, 2004) Kathy Boswell, review of Her Millionaire Marine; (July 23, 2004) Kathy Boswell, review of Cinderella's Sweet-talking Marine; (April 12, 2005) "Cathie Linz."