3 minute read
Mystery Girl
You likely know Linda Hurtado as the Emmy-winning news anchor at Fox 13, but did you know she has been living a double life as a successful author?
By Nick Steele Portrait by Andy Bloxham
Picture it— a determined reporter is thrust into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with an ingenious serial killer, racing through the streets and hidden tunnels of Ybor City during the chaos of the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival. This is the gripping premise of All the Captive Girls, a standalone book in a series of fast-paced thrillers that comes out on February 17th. Early reviews have hailed it as a “white-knuckle thrill ride” that “grabs you by the throat and never lets go,” calling it a “riveting” and “heart-stopping adventure” from start to finish.
Hurtado says she’s been writing since high school but became serious about it around ten years ago.
“I joined writers’ groups, attended conferences and met an editor at one of those events. Entangled Publishing published my first book Alive at 5 in 2015, under my pen name Linda Bond. People always ask why Bond,” she explains. “My uncle was James Bond. Not the sexy movie character—My James Bond was a law professor. I write thrillers, so the name worked. When you say Bond, you know you’re getting action adventure, a little romance and lots of fun.”
After two decades in Tampa, Hurtado and her husband sold the home where they raised their five children and relocated to St. Petersburg. Now settled in Tierra Verde, with a boat right in their backyard, they delight in spending time out on the local waterways.
“Is there any more beautiful place than our St. Petersburg? St Pete is a small town with that big city feel and an ever-changing plate of interesting dishes to feast on and I’m not just talking about food!” she offers. “My favorite thing about the St. Pete area is how culturally diverse it is. From its many museums to a variety of places to eat from Doc Ford’s near the St. Pete Pier to the Tiki Bar in the Skyway Marina district to Egmont Key, we never run out of exciting things to try here. As an author, I also dig two fabulous local bookstores— Tombolo Books and Books & Bottle.”
For more information, visit lindabond.com or order All the Captive Girls on Amazon.
