Linda Howard was born as Linda S. Howington on the 3th of August 1950, in Alabama. She chose the surname Howard as an artistic pseudonym for a career that seemed paved since Linda was a child. In fact, Mrs. Howington began writing when she was only 9 years old. She then studied journalism but never finished her studies deciding, instead, to work for a large transport operator. A long time passed before her first publication finally arrived (in 1980). At that point she decided to resign, but that working experience marked her forever: during the same years and in the same place where she fought for her wage, in fact, Linda met her husband. As an unpublished author, while she was still waiting for the arrival of the first publication, Mrs. Howington had time to develop her artistic skills, writing for herself for two decades, learning the art of narration. Then, finally, she found the courage to send one of her pieces to an editor (it required a lot of strength, and while she was waiting for the answer she lost 10 kg and she felt, as stated by Linda herself, like she was sick).
A Blossoming Style
The second phase of her artistic blossoming, a process that runs through her entire professional journey, pushed her to move beyond the genre that made her famous: romance. This happened also because, besides being a passionate author, Linda Howard has always been a dedicated and eclectic reader able to explore different genres, starting from the writings of Margaret Mitchell and Robert Ruark, pushing the boundaries of her curiosity. As a matter of fact, her first works were small books built around a complicated love story, difficult and tormented. As the plot moves on, the reader welcomes the disentangling of the situation and a final moment of appeasement. In the 90s the tones of her novels turn darker, her writing acquires a dramatic flavor. Linda’s latest works, however, are extremely dense and robust, the dark tones are substituted by a brilliant, quick irony, and the plots become more complicated. Adventure is now much more important in her novels, together with drama and, sometimes, historical backgrounds. Plus, besides long novels, Linda Howard also writes short stories.
The charm of her characters, especially the unforgivable male protagonists (beautiful, sensual, with a strong soul, attractive like sin itself), is surely among the reasons behind the success of her books, together with the intensity of the love scenes she portrays.
The Life of an Author
Linda lives in Alabama, with her beloved husband and two beautiful golden retrievers. She is the cofounder of Romance Writers of America. Her books earned her a series of awards – she is a habitue of the Waldenbooks prize for best author – and she is a constant presence in the New York Times’ best-sellers list. Also, her Intimate Moments climbed up to number 61 in the list of best selling books published by USA Today. Linda is the author of over 25 titles and her novels have sold thousands of copies all over the world.
The First Success
Her first successful novel was All That Glitters, published in 1982. This was written before the author decided to adopt the pseudonym Howard. It’s the story of Jessica, a young, beautiful woman who left behind a failed marriage and a big scandal. Her heart seems parched, her instinct is caged by fear and her life suffers from a lack of passion. All this is destined to change, however, when she meets Nikolas, a man burning with desire, who is able to bring the woman back to the warmth of pure passion. As the sensuality runs unleashed, Jessica finds the peace she thought lost forever, she rediscovers her femininity and the ability the let herself run towards the embrace of another human being: a strong, passionate man. Can such a burning passion turn slowly into stable, long lasting love? And this man, will he be able to keep his promises? Welcome Mrs. Howard
One of the first books that she signed using the pseudonym Howard was Tears of the Renegade, published in 1985. The protagonist is the beautiful Susan, a woman who sees the world turning upside down when, in a crowded room, Cord Blackstone appears, a charming man she has never seen before. Cord was considered the black sheep of the family, a man who lived with one purpose: vengeance. He never thought about the chance of falling in love with someone like Susan, a woman who will change his life forever.
The artistic blossoming of the author is clearly visible in Death Angel, published in 2008. Drea, the protagonist, is a young unrepeatable beauty, a woman who loves diamonds and dangerous men. This time, Drea wears the mask of the cute silly woman, the perfect character to carry around the world like a status symbol. The smart Drea, however, has a plan and behind the misleading appearances she hides a great hacker and an incredible manipulator. She will be able to steal from her lover, a criminal genius, two millions of dollars. The man, however, doesn’t give up and hires a killer to eliminate the attractive thief. Something happens, however, between the cold Drea and the colder killer. With him, she will take the risk of accepting compromises that will make her feel as if she was naked in front of a crowd.
Linda Howard and the Movies
The 1998 Loving Evangeline, is a film adaptation of a short story written by Linda Howard. The focal point is the romantic intrigue between Evangeline Shaw and Robert Cannon. Robert’s brother was developing an important project for a software company, which ends up in the end of a foreign institution, when he is suddenly killed. Apparently, this is not a matter of espionage: someone from within the company is responsible for what happened. Soon, Angeline becomes one of the suspects because she had a motive and the possibility to commit the terrible crime. Robert Cannon decides to investigate on his own, trying to do whatever he can to catch Angeline by surprise. Little by little, however, the man starts to lose its confidence and doubts become the protagonists of the story.
My #1 Linda Howard favorite is Now You See Her. I have the hardback, paperback, Kindle & Audible versions. I read this one at least once a year. It has humanity, suspense, interesting characters and a good love story. Give it a try!
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My #1 Linda Howard favorite is Now You See Her. I have the hardback, paperback, Kindle & Audible versions. I read this one at least once a year. It has humanity, suspense, interesting characters and a good love story. Give it a try!
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