en-US Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:23:39 -0800 60 144 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo_144.jpg /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/305194-in-brief Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:23:39 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/305194-in-brief
I'm saddened myself. AIDS has affected so many people, and it's past time for a cure. Please visit http://www.aidsbegone.org and take a look at what Angie is working on and, if funds permit, purchase a CD. 100 percent of the income goes to AIDS research.

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on February, 05 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/276882-exciting-news Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:31:58 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/276882-exciting-news
Angie has already produced a CD with work by independent artists as part of her AIDS Begone project, and is preparing to issue another one. She is a real dynamo who believes strongly in this cause and is willing to put her time, effort, money and contacts into it. Check out the website, AIDS Begone, for information on the project and Angie Bowie dot Net for even more particulars.

Yep, *that* Angie Bowie. I am so excited about this.

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on February, 05 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/274796-fair-warning Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:42:23 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/274796-fair-warning
What an unfortunate day.

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on February, 05 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/273200-happy-new-year Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:05:21 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/273200-happy-new-year
How are you doing, LOL?

I only made two resolutions for the year. One is to start a light exercise program that will accommodate my previous sports injuries (knees and ankles messed up) and the second is to take up French cookery. To understand what a big deal this is, I would have to explain the complex I was given about cooking by my family as a teen -- and then we'd be here all day.

Suffice it to say that I've been perusing many cookbooks and picking out recipes to try. Among the many are [bc:The Way to Cook|132688|The Way to Cook|Julia Child|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172013233s/132688.jpg|758985][bc:French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure|106881|French Women for All Seasons A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure|Mireille Guiliano|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171567892s/106881.jpg|2425625][bc:Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes|6422680|Lunch in Paris A Love Story, with Recipes|Elizabeth Bard|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qNgAyWZnL._SL75_.jpg|6611909][bc:Le Cordon Bleu at Home|150782|Le Cordon Bleu at Home|Le Cordon Bleu|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172219119s/150782.jpg|145528][bc:Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living|664595|Joie de Vivre Simple French Style for Everyday Living|Robert Arbor|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176912488s/664595.jpg|650655], and my favorite thusfar, an out-of-print book called "French Cooking for Those Who Can't." You have to love a cookbook author who is somewhat irreverent about the whole thing -- and who can break down a complicated recipe into easy-to-follow steps instead of scaring you silly.

So far, I've roasted asparagus, cooked chicken two different ways (not at the same time, don't be silly) and made a pizza. Not exactly brilliance on many levels, but a more than adequate beginning.

Oh, yeah. I managed to write a little bit. :-)

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on February, 04 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/251251-storycasting Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:16:56 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/251251-storycasting In The Eye of The Beholder to the mix. Go to this link at Storycasting and tell people who you would like to see as Erik, Claire, Gilbert or any of the other characters if you were casting a movie based on my book. Thanks for playing!

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on February, 07 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/245892-honesty-is-the-best-policy Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:06:06 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/245892-honesty-is-the-best-policy
The first thing I did was mention that I was a walk-away from a particular genre (romance novels) for many years (the group is focused on romance novels). I didn't get into the particulars as to why, because they were irrelevant. What I did say was that a friend and fellow author had asked me to review her book and that I did -- and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I subsequently read two more of them.

Now the topic was, "What is the best romance novel you read this year" -- and I shared the favorite of those three books along with my explanation.

I got a nasty little note from the group moderator asking "why are you in this group if you walked away from the genre," and telling me that my "sneaky plug" of my friend's book was a violation of the group's rules and that my continued participation in the group would be dependent upon my "cooperation."

I should also add that I was accused of "plugging" my book in a discussion pertinent to a specific matter addressed therein.

I left the group. You see, I don't want to belong to a group where an honest recommendation is seen as a "plug" or one's own book is not permitted to be relevant to a discussion. Obviously, a moderator can run a group in any way he or she sees fit -- from autocracy to laissez-faire. However, I am delighted to manage my own internet experience by not bothering with the autocrats.

One last thing: allow me to take this moment to "plug" the author whose work resulted in the aforementioned nasty-gram: [a:Jaimey Grant|2186463|Jaimey Grant|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1240982280p2/2186463.jpg]. If you are looking for well-written historical romances with interesting characters, Jaimey is your gal. I will not apologize for my honesty about having walked away from historical romance until I read Jaimey's book(s), nor for telling the truth about it.

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on February, 07 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/238425-thoughts-on-holiday-gift-giving Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:22:04 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/238425-thoughts-on-holiday-gift-giving
If you haven't finished your shopping yet, look among your Goodreads authors and select something from their catalog. You'll be glad you did.

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on January, 31 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/233477-attitude-of-gratitude-originally-posted-on-my-red-room-author-page Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:45:49 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/233477-attitude-of-gratitude-originally-posted-on-my-red-room-author-page Metropolitan Community Church of San Jose begins his day with a list of five things for which he is grateful that day.

I admire them. These days, it's not always easy to find things for which to be grateful. Money is tight in our household, as with so many. We cut back our holiday gift- giving list *and* our budget for it. Like so many households, I spend time looking at the information in our bills and do the triage game of "this payday/next payday."

Yet, I also recognize that I am privileged. We have a home. We have income with which to pay the bills (even though we had some setbacks that require some recovery in that regard). We have health insurance. These are all things that a great many people lack. For this, I am profoundly sorry, because I believe that everyone has the right to a safe home and healthcare.

Yesterday, I took a day off from work and helped serve Thanksgiving dinner to clients at the Neil Christie Living Center. The clients are people living with HIV and AIDS. Each person had an amazing story to tell, and they were always stories of gratitude. An older gentleman told me how fortunate he felt that, when he and his partner lost their home due to catastrophic medical bills, they had an RV in which to live -- even though they haven't much money and his partner was not feeling well enough to come to dinner. Another gentleman told me how grateful he was to the Christie Center for helping him be "delivered from" crack cocaine after 10 years of addiction.

The Christie Center has lost significant funding over the course of the past few years, even as the need for their services increases. Yesterday, supervisor Marianne Gallagher announced that the center's hours were being cut from three days per week to two, effective November 30. It disturbs me greatly that these kind people (we served dinner to more than 100) will lose part of their vital lifeline for food, medical care and counseling.

Yet, there was not a complaint to be heard -- just expressions of gratitude for those of us who provided lunch and a smiling face, and for what the Christie Center will still be able to do for the community.

I would be dishonest if I pretended that yesterday was anything other than heartwrenching. I am truly blessed compared to many of the people with whom I ate turkey and ham yesterday, but I learned a lesson in gratitude nevertheless. Reaching out to someone in need, giving them a smile and perhaps a hug, and hearing their stories is something to be grateful for as well.

May all of my readers have a blessed holiday season.

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on February, 08 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/231786-giving-thanks-by-lending-a-hand Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:23:50 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/231786-giving-thanks-by-lending-a-hand Neil Christie Living Center, serving Thanksgiving dinner to people living with HIV and AIDS.

I am so grateful that I a) caught up on my work to allow for this and b) my boss is okay with me doing it on such short notice. I am also grateful to my friends at Metropolitan Community Church of San Jose for organizing this dinner to help so many people in need.

As many of you know, I did a lot of theatre growing up and wanted to have a career on the stage. Life (and lack of home support) got in the way of that. HIV and AIDS have hit the theatre community particularly hard, and that's one of the reasons that I give whenever possible to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS to support their efforts to provide medical care, food, etc.

Well, I can also give some of my time to help folks in my own backyard who are coping with this disease. Survivability has improved drastically since the early days, but the disease is devastating. Services to help those with HIV/AIDS are cut all the time (the Christie Center is now only open three days a week), and these folks cannot get health insurance due to their "pre-existing condition."

I must add that I was accused recently by a not-very-nice-former-friend of doing this kind of work to play Lady Bountiful and show off how liberal I am. If anyone sees it that way I am sorry, because that's not my intent. There are loving, kind people in desperate need, and this is a small way that I can let them know that they are seen, vital and valuable. (I know what it is to feel invisible ...)

If you have some time to spare this holiday season (I know that money is tight for everyone), please consider volunteering at an agency that helps people in need. A warm smile and caring hearts are always welcomed.

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on January, 27 ]]> /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/226668-barnes-noble Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:38:59 -0800 /author/show/2962472.Sharon_E_Cathcart/blog/226668-barnes-noble In The Eye of The Beholder and Les Pensees Dangereuses are now available via Barnes and Noble.

posted by Sharon E. Cathcart on February, 07 ]]>