Caitlyn's Prize

Linda Warren

After selling her first book to Harlequin's Superromance line, Linda's life hasn't been the same. It's fun, exciting, and she never has enough time, but she enjoys every minute.
She grew up in a small farming community called Smetana outside of Bryan, Texas. Writing was never in her plans. She enjoyed it and even won an essay contest in high school. Her English teacher told her if she could get her grammar and emotion on the same level that she could be a good writer. She didn't pay much attention to her words because she had always planned to be a nurse.
In college her life took an unexpected turn. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and had to drop out of school because of the pain. Nothing in life had prepared her for this, but luckily she had a wonderful man waiting for her, her high school sweetheart and own personal hero. With his love and support she learned to deal with a crippling disease at an early age.
With a lot of time on her hands, she took art classes and began to paint. To her shock her paintings started to sell and win awards. This kept her busy for a number of years. Then the turpentine and fume from the oils began to irritate her eyes. The doctor suggested that she put the paints away for a while or try watercolor or acrylics, but she wasn't sure what she wanted to do.
She had always loved to read and when she had to be in the hospital, friends and family would bring her books. That's how she discovered the wonderful world of Harlequin. No matter how bad she was feeling, she could lose herself in a Harlequin novel, knowing that whatever trials the heroine had to go through there was always hope, always a happy ending.
Her family was pressuring her to start painting again, but secretly she was thinking of trying her hand at writing. The only credentials she had for such an insane idea were years of reading and sheer determination. She didn't do anything about the idea until her dad gave her a push. His reasoning was that she had read so many books that it should be a snap. She began by writing long hand in a tablet -- testing her skills. Her husband then bought her a computer and she had no choice. She had to write in earnest.
After a lot of hard work, tears, perseverance...and more patience than she ever thought she possessed, she's finally doing something she loves -- writing. And those happy endings? She writes them now and hopes they touch someone who needs a lift, a smile, or just a good feeling day. No matter what, Linda believes there is a happy ending -- you just have to find it.
She loves hearing from readers. Her address is P.O. Box 5172, Bryan, TX 77805 and her email address is LW1508@aol.com.