PCL MS 153 Cathie Linz Papers

Cathie Linz was an author of contemporary and paranormal romance novels. This collection consists of approximately 2 cubic feet of manscript and promotional materials by Linz and other authors.

Cathie Linz first transferred her manuscripts to the Browne Popular Culture Library, Bowling Green State University, in June 1997, with an additional donation in 2001. The collection is open for research, but photocopying or other duplication of manuscripts must comply with applicable copyright laws. Any questions about the collection may be made by contacting the BPCL reference email.

This register was compiled by Kirk Richardson under the supervision of Jean Geist, Popular Culture Library Associate II in February 1998. It was updated in September 2009 by Patricia Falk. The collection was reorganized and the finding aid updated by Manuscripts and Outreach Archivist Steve Ammidown in October 2019.

Cathie Linz Baumgardner (1954-2015) was born in Chicago, Illinois. She had her first literary success in the third grade, winning second prize for a four-page "book" she wrote. However, she did not resume writing until 1979. Linz worked for several years as a law librarian at Northern Illinois University Law School, before taking up writing full time in 1984.

"I write what I love to read," said Linz, who read her first romance when she was a freshman in high school and became an immediate convert to the genre. She said that she on average read 20 romances per month.

After completing her first manuscript, Linz quit her library job and gave herself one year to sell it. Two weeks short of a year later, Dell Publishing bought Remembrance of Love. After putting out 12 more Dell books, Linz then signed on with Silhouette, where she wrote for the "Desire" line.

Linz was a prolific author, writing more than 50 romance novels under her own name, as well as four paranormal romances under the name Cat Devon. She was also an active member of the Romance Writers of America, serving as the organization's first Librarian Liasion and spearhaeading Librarian's Day at the organization's annual conference.

The romance collections at the Browne Popular Culture Library owe a particular debt to Cathie Linz, as it was her inititative in 1995 that resulted in the donation of not only her papers but those of the Romance Writers of America, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and many other authors of the genre.

Cathie Linz passed away in 2015. In her honor, the Romance Writers of America renamed their award honoring librarians as the Cathie Linz Librarian of the Year Award.

The Cathie Linz Papers includes edited manuscripts for several of the author's earliest works as well as promotional items and a small amount of correspondence.

Reflective of Linz's passion for the romance community, the collection also includes several galley proofs for books by other authors, including Sharon Ihle, Jill Barnett, and Kristin Hannah. A collection of promotional items from a wide array of other romance authors makes this collection an interesting reflection of the romance industry in the early to mid 1990s.

Researchers interested in romantic fiction and the writing process will find this collection useful.