Look and Listen

Biography

Linda Lange grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the era when Vince Lombardi coached the Packers. This experience is the basis for her memoir, "Incomplete Passes," which explores a fifty-year friendship, small-town living, and an unusual mid-life crisis as well as the world of football fans. Linda graduated from Northwestern University in 1969 with a BS in Speech (Radio-Television-Film). She used her education at several broadcast stations before becoming a copywriter in the advertising sales department of U.S.News & World Report magazine. In 1983, Linda moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked as a free-lance writer. But soon she became involved with a no-kill animal shelter, and her volunteer work there became a full-time job. Linda lives in Cincinnati with her husband, Scott, and two enormous cats. She has an adult son who is not named after "Mr. Anonymous" in "Incomplete Passes."

Inspiration

I guess that anyone growing up in the time and place that I did would have to list Vince Lombardi as a formative influence. He set the standards for dedication and excellence. But in relation to writing, my true inspiration has to be my father. Dad was a great storyteller who entertained people all of his life with his humorous anecdotes. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit his sense of timing, so I soon learned to tell my stories on the printed page instead. Dad had to "settle" for his path in life -- he gave up his dream of an acting career to become a clothing store manager in a small town. But he found his place in that town and became a presence there as well as in my life. I hope you'll want to meet him in the pages of "Incomplete Passes."