Homepage of Cathie Linz:
www.cathielinz.com

Danny: Cathie, could you introduce yourself to your German readers? Who you are, your likes and dislikes, where you come from etc.

Cathie: I’m the author of 48 contemporary romances, most of which have been published in Germany by Cora Verlag in their various lines. My mom was born in Germany and came to America as a child. I have frequently returned to Germany, but my favorite part ofthe country is Garmisch and the mountains in that area. I now live in the Chicago area.

Danny: Why and how did your career as an author start? Is your writing career of influence on your private life?

Cathie:  I started when I had to have emergency surgery and I realized that life is not open ended and that if I wanted to write, I needed to just do it and not wait any longer. I am a full-time writer, this has been my job for twenty years now (I started when I was 12 years old….well almost that young <grin>)

Danny: Did you have difficulties in the beginning getting your books published?  

Cathie: I gave myself a year to get my first book published and came within two weeks of that deadline when the editor at Dell called to say she was buying it.

Danny: What did you do when you saw your first book in print for the first time in bookstores?  Did you have a party? Or drink a bottle of Dom Perignon?

Cathie: I ate chocolate!! Lindt chocolate!  And I took photos of my book on the shelves at bookstores and even did some book signings.

Danny: How long did it take you to write the book?  

Cathie: It took me about six months to write that first book because I was still working full time as Head of Acquisitions at a university law library.

Danny: And how did you got the idea for it?  

Cathie: Part of the idea came to me in a dream!

Danny: My personal favorites are the Men of Honor books. What inspired you to write the books? And how did you researched them?  

Cathie: We had a Marine come speak at my writers’group and I thought that a Marine would make a wonderful hero – honor, courage, commitment -- these are heroic concepts and great characteristics of a hero.

Danny: How do you do your research for your books and where do you get all the ideas for the plots from?   

Cathie: I do a lot of research – for the Marines, I did interviews, read books, and used the internet. I also do this for my heroine’s occupations and also for the locations I choose for my stories.  

Danny: How much time do you spend on research before you start a new book?  Is it a continual process until the book is finished?  

Cathie: It is a continual process,and I’m always discovering new things as I write!

Danny: Can you describe one of your typical work days for us?  How many hours a day do you average writing?  

Cathie: I generally write best from noon until 6 pm in my home office which looks out onto the woods and has a nice view.

Danny: You have written more than 40 romances.  Do you have a favourite hero/heroine among them all?  Do your heroes/heroines have living models, like friends, family or a romance book cover model?

Cathie: No living models, but small bits of some people are mixed with bits of others to create new characters. I don’t have a favorite, they all have a special place, although theMarine series is dear to my heart.

Danny: When one of your books gets a bad review, how do you handle that?

Cathie:  It is very difficult because writers are often sensitive people, I know that I certainly am. Yet we are in a profession that is filled with rejection. Are you disappointed or do you try to improve yourself in your next book? It depends what the reviewer said, if it is something I can relate to then I can learn from that, but often it is just a matter of someone having certain subjective likes or dislikes that I have no control over.

Danny: When you finish a book, is this chapter close for you or do the heroes and heroines stay with you in your mind?

Cathie: Always! My characters are very real to me. I’ve often said that if I could only teach them how to type, I’d be in great shape!

Danny: How do you handle family and your writing career? Is your family understanding to the time that you have to give your career? Is it sometimes difficult for you?  

Cathie: It is difficult, especially right now as my mom is staying with me to recover from emergency triple bypass open heart surgery. Other family members (siblings) don’t realize that just because I work at home, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a real job!

Danny: What are your favourite authors/books?  

Cathie: Too many to list but I’ll give you a few – Jayne Ann Krentz, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nora Roberts, Jennifer Greene, Jodi Thomas.  I have several thousand romances on my keeper shelves!

Danny: What is your favorite book from the book that you have written so far? Who are your favorite hero and heroine and why?

Cathie:  I can’t chose a favorite, but I’m very excited about the book I’m working on now which is my first single title romantic comedy – a longer book!

Danny: Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

Cathie: My most recent book was THE MARINE MEETS HIS MATCH which was out in September in America. It was selected by Romantic Times magazine as a Top Pick and was recently nominated for an Romantic Times award for best Silhouette Romance! You can read about the storyline for the book on my website at Cathielinz.com

Danny: What are your future plans? Are you going to continue to write the types of  books you write presently or possibly change genre? If so, what would you cross over to?  

Cathie: I won’t change genres. I love romance! But I am going to be writing longer books so watch for those starting in early 2006!  And coming around that time as well in America are the final two books in my Marine series, featuring the youngest Kozlowski brothers – the twins.

Danny: Are you already working on a new story? What will it be about?

Cathie: I am working on my longer book now. It’s a romantic comedy about a good girl and a very sexy bad boy. This hunk on a motorcycle (a former Marine) has been haunting me for a year. When he started telling me his story, I realized it was going to be too big to fit into series romance.  For more information be sure to visit my website at cathielinz.com. The photo of the month for January features the Zugspitze.