sharonecathcart

sharonecathcart, 9 months ago to random

Quote from article: If you live in a Blue area of a Red state, get ready: the GOP plans to pull out all the stops for the 2024 election.

Double-check your voter registration every month or two, and be sure to double-check it in the weeks just before the deadline for registration, as Republican Secretaries of State prefer to purge people in this window so by the time people discovered they’re purged it’s too late to re-register.

Forewarned is forearmed. Pass it on to your friends in Red states.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/the-shocking-voter-purge-crisis-of-c66?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 8 months ago to random

Quote from article: Again, these platitudes are meant to make us forget that conservative policies created vast maternal health deserts across the country. And that instead of trying to fix that problem, Republicans are populating those desperate communities with religious organizations posing as medical clinics.

We already know that crisis pregnancy centers spread misinformation about contraception. A recent report on the groups in Ohio, for example, found that in addition to refusing to discuss contraception, staff at one center told women that birth control “causes an abortion.” (A common Republican refrain, as you know from Part I of this series.) Another staffer at a Maryland center told an investigator that she couldn’t give a referral for birth control because contraception is “next to aborting your baby.”

https://open.substack.com/pub/jessica/p/the-gops-plan-to-ban-birth-control-09e?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 9 months ago to bookstodon

So, today is National Book Lover's Day. Among others, I'm reading an ARC of Tara L. Roi's "Haven" (2nd edition), a cli-fi romance.

What are you reading?

#readingcommunity #booklovers #clifi @bookstodon

https://taralroi.com/haven/

sharonecathcart, 7 months ago to random

Quote from article: In the eleven months since Republicans have taken control of the US House of Representatives, child poverty in America has doubled. This is because Republicans in the House refused to renew programs Democrats put in place providing health care, food assistance, housing support, the child tax credit, and subsidized child care: all have now expired.

In the past 40 days, 3.2 million children lost access to healthcare, 70,000 childcare and preschool programs have closed, and the child tax credit has expired. So have the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s emergency allotments. As of yesterday, 10,046,000 Americans have been kicked off Medicaid, nearly all in Red states.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/will-we-hold-the-gop-responsible-70d?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 11 months ago to random

Quote from article: Every nation’s single biggest long-term asset is a well-educated populace, and student debt diminishes that.

Every other advanced democracy on the planet understands this.

That’s why student debt at the scale we have in America literally does not exist anywhere else in the rest of the developed world.

American students, in fact, are going to college for free right now in Germany, Iceland, France, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, because pretty much anybody can go to college for free in those countries and dozens of others.

“Student debt?” The rest of the developed world doesn’t know what you’re talking about.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/is-student-debt-a-crime-against-americas?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 1 year ago to random

Quote from article: Once the Nazis took power they banned books, outlawed drag shows and homosexuality, changed school curricula to remove mention of their atrocities in WWI, and rewrote election laws so they’d never again lose an election.

My thoughts: A whole bunch of people, myself included, started pointing out parallels between the Trump-era GOP and the Nazis well before he was elected. We were accused of employing hyperbole, and told to "give him a chance."

Well, just call me Cassandra ... because here we are.

Just. Like. I. Said. We. Would. Be.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/whats-behind-the-gops-war-against?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 1 year ago to random

A while back, I decided that Walt Dress Wednesday was a thing; I was having a severe morale crisis at the time, and thought that wearing my vintage-inspired Disney dresses might help.

Today, I'm wearing a simple popover dress with Cinderella's mice and the things they used to make her pink dress.

Why does this matter? Well, it was my dad's favorite part of the movie. We lost him four years ago, to health complications caused by his exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam war ... where he had also been a POW. Our relationship was sometimes complicated, to say the least, but I've missed him unbelievably since he passed.

#Grief has its own timetable, for sure. Most of the time I do all right, but sometimes it just hits me. I am wearing the dress today because I've been thinking about Daddy a lot.

sharonecathcart, 10 months ago to random

Quote from article: The prosecution of former president Trump for trying to destroy those institutions and principles, including our right to consent to the government under which we live—a right the Founders articulated in the Declaration of Independence—should deter others from trying to do the same. Moreover, it will defend the rights of the victims—those who gave their lives as well as all of us whose votes were attacked—by establishing the truth in place of lies. That realistic view should enable us to recommit to the principles on which we want our nation to rest.

https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/august-1-2023?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 1 year ago to random

#WritingWonders 15 — Is your MC good at romantic relationships?

Gilbert Rochambeau initially lacks confidence due to an injury that leaves him in need of a walking stick. After his wife dies, he decides to take a chance on a woman he'd once loved from afar.

Excerpt:

She spent several moments looking at one of the sketches I had made while she slept. She had curled her hand under her cheek in a child-like attitude, and I had written a Shakespearean quote next to the drawing. She and Erik had taught me to speak English, and in that language I had written “Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand.”

When she looked up at me, I confessed my love to her. And then she looked away.

I was crestfallen, my deepest fear realized.

“I had to try,” I said softly, my eyes downcast.

And then I looked up at her again. Her beautiful eyes shone with emotion as she smiled and reached up to touch my hair.

https://books2read.com/b/b6RAw0

sharonecathcart, 11 months ago to random

Welp ... tested positive for Covid.

An epidemiologist friend thinks I had one of the prodromal cases in late 2019, before the virus was identified. I've had five vaccines, and honestly feel like I just have a bad cold. Paxlovid requested. Needless to say, I'll be following all of the appropriate protocols.

I'm fortunate to have good health insurance and the ability to work from home.

sharonecathcart, 10 months ago to random

I'm exhausted, friends. I haven't said anything about this yet.

We took four seriously ill kittens from our feral colony to the emergency vet last night. Long story short, they have upper respiratory infections. They all got antibiotics in their mouths and eyes last night and this morning. We did syringe feedings with KMR because their mother had stopped looking after them. We lost one between the 9 PM and midnight feedings.

Today, the remaining kittens are a little better. They all took more KMR this morning, and then ate some wet food on their own (not a lot, but I let them eat until they wanted to stop).

I'm working from home this week to do day shift care while my husband sleeps in the hospital room with them at night.

They're all napping right now; I should probably do the same.

#feralkittens #TNR

sharonecathcart, 7 months ago to random

https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/can-we-stop-the-republican-war-on?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 11 months ago to random

Final dose of Paxlovid was taken early this morning. Still coughing a little, and slightly light-headed. How much of this latter is due to covid vs. lack of sleep is debatable; I don't get much sleep in the seated position necessary to keep the cough at bay. Looking forward to a return to normalcy. Taking another antigen test tomorrow. #covid

sharonecathcart, 1 year ago to random

Quote from article: I’m proposing Congress change the rules of how the Court operates around decisions in which they invoke the Constitution to change or strike down laws. Instead of operating along partisan majority lines, I’m suggesting they must have an absolute consensus — a unanimous decision — on any decisions involving the US Constitution.

The Supreme Courts of Belgium, France, and Italy work this way by law and those of Germany and Spain do so by tradition. It has served those nations well, stripping politics and partisanship out of their judicial systems.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/how-to-de-throne-the-self-appointed?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 1 year ago to random

#WritingWonders June 8: How are weddings celebrated in your WIP world?

There were three types of weddings in ancient Rome (which obviously carries over to Pompeii). An excellent overview may be found at the link below, which covers not only the types of weddings but also the expected/appropriate clothing, ring, etc.

#AmWriting #PompeiiFire #historicalfiction

https://www.getty.edu/news/ancient-roman-wedding-traditions/

sharonecathcart, 10 months ago to random

Two of my books, "Bayou Fire" and "Pompeii Fire," have protagonists who write for "Time Away," a (fictional) travel magazine. A third and final book in the series is bubbling away in my mind.

Where would you want to go for travel, adventure, and romance?

#bookstodon #indieauthor #writingcommunity #readingcommunity

sharonecathcart, 11 months ago (edited 15 days ago) to random

Long overdue #intropost now pinned:

I'm an award-winning author, primarily writing historical fiction but dabbling in other genres. I'm happily married, an empty-nester, and we are owned by several rescue cats. We also look after a feral cat colony and do TNR. I still have a day job, which I like most of the time (and I know what a blessing that is). I vote blue, support my LGBTQ+ friends and family, and am a proud SJW.

I also love Disney, all animals, reading, films, travel, and good food. I live with two autoimmune diseases that sometimes affect my ability to do these things.

Howdy!

sharonecathcart, 11 months ago to bookstodon

#WritingWonders Day 7/6 - (MC) Name one thing that is guaranteed to make you angry.

Erik: seeing my plans thwarted, or someone I love threatened.

Excerpt: “They hurt my horses, Erik ... and wanted me dead.” My voice was deep with anger.

For his part, Erik paced the room, cloak swirling about his ankles. “They will pay dearly for this,” he announced, depressing the mechanism for the mirrored door. “I will return to you tonight ... my love.”

With that, he was gone, the endearment hanging in the air even as the secret door slid shut behind him.

#writingcommunity #readingcommunity #historicalfiction #phantomoftheopera #indieauthor #bookstodon @bookstodon

https://books2read.com/b/4DP10d

sharonecathcart, 8 months ago to random

I just got word that "Pompeii Fire" has earned the Literary Titan silver medal!

#indieauthor #HistoricalFiction #awadwinner

sharonecathcart, 6 months ago to random

Quote from article: For those whose parents, grandparents, and family members suffered and died under Hitler and Mussolini, Trump's deliberate effort to model his language on theirs is unsettling, even traumatizing. Every American should be alarmed and concerned by this dark turn in the hate speech of a man known for his hate speech.

Trump must not be normalized. He is not merely a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination—as he is frequently portrayed by major media. His plans are anti-democratic, unconstitutional, and despotic.

https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/an-eventful-coming-week?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 6 months ago to random

Quote from article: And now House Speaker Mike Johnson wants to gut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid because “we’re drowning in debt.” What he fails to mention is that 100% of our nation’s $34 trillion debt was caused by Reagan, Bush, and Trump tax cuts along with the $10 billion in illegal wars Bush and Cheney lied us into.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/if-democrats-ran-red-states-fewer?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 6 months ago to random

Quote from article: Kate’s fetus bears an extra copy of chromosome 18 — a condition known as Trisomy 18. this syndrome causes a fetus to have multiple severe defects, to the heart, the brain, appendages and elsewhere.

in most cases, such a fetus dies in utero and is stillbirthed, or is born and lives a few minutes or hours.

to add more horror to this story, if Kate brings her pregnancy to term, it will very likely damage her uterus — ending her ability to have the third child she wants.

in a civilized country, Kate Cox would be free to terminate her pregnancy and try again — but she doen’t live in a civilized country. she lives in America. even worse, she lives in the state of Texas.

https://open.substack.com/pub/jefftiedrich/p/a-woman-shouldnt-have-to-beg-a-judges?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

sharonecathcart, 5 months ago to random

"Pompeii Fire" has just received the Historical Fiction Company's 5-star "Highly Recommended" award. I am beyond honored!

#awardwinning #dualtimeline #historicalfiction #ancientrome #pompeii #indieauthor #bookstodon

https://books2read.com/b/3nNrde

sharonecathcart, 3 months ago to random

Been in a bit of a dark space, and to top it all off we had to let our 17-year-old cat go last week. I promise I'll be back, sharing news articles and doing book promo ... but I thought you should all know.

sharonecathcart, 4 months ago to random

https://open.substack.com/pub/johnpavlovitz/p/hey-media-how-about-asking-magas?r=1ekuyr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email