Mad Money Author Adds Second Financial Thriller

November 22, 2005 -- You'd never confuse her with Jim Cramer. Delicately built, the author's moderate vocal tones would be more comparable to that of an MTV vee-jay than those of CNBC television's gruff-voiced financial guru.

And yet. Their beats are, in some ways, not starkly different. However, where Cramer shouts about the stock market in all its real-time confusion, author Linda L. Richards writes twisted and sophisticated novels with a slightly humorous bent set against the backdrop of, you guessed it, the stock market.

Linda L. Richards' debut novel, 2004's Mad Money, featured the first appearance of successful stock broker Madeline Carter who, at the unexpected death of her friend and a crazed realignment in the market, moves to Los Angeles and sets herself up as a day trader.

Mad Money's plot centers around a short selling scheme that is unexpectedly captivating. Crime Spree Magazine said that "...Mad Money is no lightweight airplane read; instead, we have the fiendishly complex tale of corporate swindles, surreal glimpses into the world of the stock-trader," and Murder and Mayhem said that, "With all the stock scandals of recent times, [Mad Money] is a cautionary tale as well as a polished and highly entertaining novel .... The fast pacing adds an air of true suspense and the dialog is nearly pitch perfect." The book was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.

"Honestly," Richards says today, "if I could have seen into the future when the book was heading towards publication, I would have picked a different title. It's caused so much confusion." One thing that's happened, says Richards, is that it's created a lot of misplaced excitement with her friends and fans when they check their TV listings and see Mad Money. "They keep thinking they're going to tune in and see Madeline. Instead, there's a very shouty guy with a lot of sound effects. I mean, he's super. And I really enjoy his show. But he's not Madeline."

Richards maintains that she had no idea Cramer was plotting to name his show Mad Money when she was working on the novel. "But there was never any other title under consideration for that book. I mean, the protagonist's name is 'Madeline,' right? And the world of securities is certainly mad, particularly right now so... what else could I have called it? It was kind of a no-brainer."

Since the book came out in December of 2004 and Cramer's show debuted early in 2005, there isn't much argument about who was using the title first, especially since Richards' project was documented as Mad Money through the writing of the book in 2001 and 2002, and Richards' agent selling the manuscript -- along with two other Madeline Carter adventures -- to MIRA Books in mid-2003.

The second Madeline Carter novel, The Next Ex, will be released December 1st. The Next Ex is like Sunset Boulevard meets Boiler Room, with classic elements of Hollywood -- both old and new -- plus the high-paced, high tech high jinx of the contemporary financial world.

"With verve and scalpel-like precision," writes bestselling author Gayle Lynds, "Richards peels back layers of power and wealth to show all of us that the past is always present, and murder is never pretty."

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For more information: http://www.lindalrichards.com

About the author: Linda L. Richards is the editor of JanuaryMagazine.com, one of the leading book-related sites on the Web. As a journalist, she has written extensively about books, authors, high tech and business for a number of publications. Her first book in the Madeline Carter series, MAD MONEY, was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. The second, THE NEXT EX, will be released in December.

To request a review copy or schedule an interview with Ms. Richards, please contact Dana Ungaro at dana@lindalrichards.com