Interview with Linda Style

I'd like to welcome our guest today, Linda Style. It's a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

I understand you have a new release out called GOING FOR BROKE. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

GOING FOR BROKE is the third book in the Texas Hold 'Em continuity series about five lifelong buddies who play Texas hold 'em once a week. Dubbed "The Wild Bunch" by everyone in the small town of River Bluff, Texas, the five guys are now older and wiser...or maybe not so much. :-) Each book is about one of the guys in the poker group and while all of the heroes show up in all the books, each story stands alone. My book is Jake's story (Jake Chandler) who, after taking the rap for a crime he didn't commit, swore he'd never return to his unforgiving hometown--until his uncle's funeral brings him back...face-to-face with his past. Face-to-face with Rachel Diamonte. Not only did Rachel break his heart, she was the lone witness whose so-called evidence fifteen years earlier branded him a "barn burner." And now, the former homecoming queen--a single mom who needs help--has the nerve to ask him for a job. And, as you can imagine, Jake soon learns that when it comes to love, the stakes are high.

GOING FOR BROKE is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

All the titles in the series relate to the Texas Hold 'Em poker theme in the series. My title came up while I was playing Texas Hold 'Em with a group of friends. I liked that it fit the story, which is more than a cowboy buddy story. It's about love, redemption and forgiveness--on several levels. I wasn't sure if it was possible to love someone who betrayed you. To forgive? I wasn't sure...but I knew Jake and Rachel would have to go for broke if they wanted a future together.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

I love researching and always do a lot for each of my books. But this time, the research was a little different. I usually have research related to the suspense elements in my books, but GOING FOR BROKE is more of a straight romance. I didn't have the technical police procedural things to deal with. Instead, I had main characters with major issues, five buddies who get on each other's nerves at times, and a small Texas town that has it's own personality. I'm big on authenticity in my stories, so I also had to learn to play Texas Hold 'Em. To do that, I enlisted a group of author friends (who understand this kind of research) and we began a monthly hold 'em game. I had one of my son's teach me how to play and, at first, it was very much like the blind leading the blind. Now, even though the book has been long finished, we still play--just like the Wild Bunch in GOING FOR BROKE! I even win some times. :-}

What character did you like writing about the most, and why?

My hero, Jake Chandler, of course! He's not only easy on the eyes, he's smart and doesn't need to live up to anyone's expectations but his own. He's a rebel with principles, he takes chances, he's an entrepreneur who made it big in the dot.com business. But even though he has no money worries, he's still living with a past that isn't his. Well, not entirely. He's a complicated man with a soft center, the kind of man I like.

If your book was made into a movie, what actor would you like to fill your hero's shoes?

Oh, easy question. But a good one. I always picture my hero and my story as if it were a movie. Scenes come to me visually, so I have my main characters firmly envisioned before I ever start writing. If GOING FOR BROKE was made into a movie, I'd love to see Jake played by Matthew Fox (with longer hair) from Lost. Fox's character on Lost is similar to Jake. An honest guy with a turbulent past. If Matthew isn't available, my second choice would be a taller Patrick Dempsey. (from Gray's Anatomy)

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Absolutely. In fact, too many to list. Early on when I first started writing, I read all the top authors and was inspired by all of them--whether I liked a particular story or not. The authors who inspired me (and still do) are those who work hard at their art/craft and always bring to the reader the best of what they do. The authors who inspire me are those who bring a piece of their heart to their stories.

What do we have to look forward next?

I'm actually working on two books. The first book, THE WRONG MAN, (working title) is about a man who spent ten years in prison for a crime he didn't commit--and the woman whose testimony put him there.

Thanks, Linda!

Thank you for inviting me, Kim. The pleasure was mine.

To celebrate her book release, Linda is offering a free book of your choice from her backlist to one lucky commenter on today's blog. She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio: Linda Style moved from one extreme (20 below zero winters) to the other (120 degree summers) when she left Minnesota for Arizona. Since then, she's visited every ghost town in the state, explaining that she likes to seek out the unusual. "I've been to the Corn Palace in Nebraska, the Sturgis S.D. motorcycle rally, trekked the outback in Australia, hung upside down to kiss the Blarney Stone, climbed Cichen Itza in the Yucatan, and drank more than my share of ouzo in Istanbul."

She combines those adventures with her writing career, which began after graduating ASU with a degree in journalism in the early '80s. Her venture into romantic fiction came about after she took a class on writing romance novels "as a lark," in the early '90s. Recently she finished her eleventh Harlequin Superromance, which will be out in December 2007. GOING FOR BROKE is part of the new Texas Hold 'em series, for which she had great fun doing research. She started a monthly Texas Hold 'em poker game "with a bunch of crazy-fun writers," who she says continue to play even though the book is finished.

Along with writing her novels, Linda serves as editor of View Highlife Magazine. For fun, she enjoys travel, hiking and photography...and recently, she went to her first opera!

Check out author's website at http://www.lindastyle.com/

Buy GOING FOR BROKE at www.LindaStyle.com Just click on the book page.