I just found out the one of my oldest online friends, fellow Fangirl and one of my favorite authors, Cathie Linz, just passed away this morning from Colon Cancer. (I lost too many in my life to Cancer. Cancer sucks!).
I met Cathie in the earliest days of the Internet on the Prodigy Network. She along with a host of others established an active group of readers and writers through the Prodigy Bulletin Board posts. It was through this group that I got to know Cathie. She, like me, loved to read romance stories, loved cats and even have Masters in Library Science. Not only did I find out she read the same romance novels that I did, but wrote some of them as well.
I was fortunate to interact with Cathie in person during a group “meet up” in Chicago over 15 years ago. Something that is common now, but not as common back then. It was during this trip that Cathie encouraged me to be a writer and editor. No matter what I write or edit, I always remembered the advise she gave me back then. Basically, Cathie said that the key to writing or editing is to put your heart and soul into it and to not be afraid to make a mistake.
Cathie has always encouraged and supported me both personally and professionally. My first published article in the Romantic Times, now RT, Magazine was a direct result of her sponsorship and encouragement When I established this blog, Cathie was the first author that offered to be interviewed to help promote my blog and her latest book release under the name of Cat Devon.
I found out recently that Cathie was gravely ill from her dear friend and fellow author, Susan Phillips. However, I did not know that she was so ill that it would lead to her death. I am very, very sad that my friend Cathie is gone and on top of that, I was not given a opportunity to give her a proper goodbye. Therefore, this is my way of saying a proper goodbye to her.
Farewell my dear friend, I love you very much and I WILL miss you and our conversations! Know that your memory will live on through me.
Cathie Linz’s last book, Tall Dark and Immortal, under the name of Cat Devon is up for preorder at Barnes and Noble and will be published in both Paperback and eBook formats on September 1, 2015!
