Pedigree

a brief history of Cat…

Born: Long Eaton, England, United Kingdom
Date of Birth: July 9, a long time ago
Education: all over the map; but no geography degree
Languages: hopefully English; working knowledge of French and Italian; can swear in Irish Gaelic and Latin
Physical: short, slim, one head, ten fingers and toes
Claim to Fame: lives in a cathouse, but is not a hooker
Favourite Writers: Ian McEwan, Anne Enwright, W. Somerset Maugham, Sartre, Lloyd Jones, Michael Mercer
Favourite Artists: J.W. Waterhouse, John Everett Millais, Danny Izzard, Ivan Murphy, Rudolf Kurz, Ted Nasmith
Favourite Films: The Legend of 1900, Babe, Stage Beauty, Truly Madly Deeply, Callas Forever, 8 Women, Water
Favourite Musicians: Daniel Lanois, Ray Montford, Southside Johnny, David Sanborn, David Darling, Paul Carrack

Cat, an award- and prize-winning poet and playwright, and journalist has been published widely in periodicals; her work has appeared in Where Toronto Magazine, Homemakers magazine, AMOI, The Globe and Mail, Guelph Mercury, Kings County Advertiser, Formula, Dogs in Canada, Pets Magazine, Canadian Property Management Magazine, Spalife, North American Inns, CanPlay, Coastal Life, and Condominium, among many others.

Her non-fiction book, Shylock’s Last Stand, (1997, Pendragon Publishing) dealt with sordid business dealings and odd participants in Stratford, Ontario, where she lived for 13 years. It was well reviewed by the local press and sold out its first edition. Cat went on to other adevtnures in Stratford…

She was co-artistic director and producer for a small, independent theatre company, PostScript Productions, located in Stratford, 2003-2005; it staged Leon Pownall’s Do Not Go Gentle and Michael Mercer’s Goodnight Disgrace in its first season. The company retired upon the untimely death of Mr. Pownall. A world-renowned actor, writer and director, Mr. Pownall had planned to direct and take the lead role in Cat’s historical epic stage play, A Man of Letters, about the one deep regret of Samuel “Dictionary” Johnson. Cat continues to look for a suitable person to direct this landmark work for the stage, dedicated to her friend’s memory.

Theatre has been in Cat’s blood all her life, from writing to directing and acting, from designing sets and costumes, to set painting, hands-on, with a couple of dozen completed one- and two-act plays for the stage; she also writes screenplays, poetry, fiction, satire, and business documents like annual reports and medical newsletters, and works as a professional free-lance editor.

In the 1980s-90s she was manager and press agent for racecar drivers in Formula Atlantic, Formula 1 and IndyCar. In this capacity, she traveled all over the world, writing articles and press releases, and promoting her drivers, many of whom remain her friends. Originally from Paris, France, IndyCar driver Franck Fréon now lives in south New Jersey, where he owns and operates Pumpkin Fine Cars & Exotics. Franck was hero of the day in the Moosehead Grand Prix, and this picture, taken with Cats, shows what happens when metal hits concrete.

Cat has great difficulty keeping a straight face. To combat this, she writes a lot of humour. Her social satire, two-act stage play, Welfarewell, won the 2009 Samuel French Canadian Playwriting Competition, and it flew off the nib of Cat’s funnybone like lard off a spatula in July. Her witty dig at motivational gurus and the desperate souls (she used to be one!) who follow their false wisdom is entitled Success Sucks! How to Burn Motivational Gurus and Cook Your Life Your Own Way. Her laugh-out-loud personal essay about her name was published by the Globe and Mail newspaper. She is, yes, happiest, when writing humour!

Because she is something of a gourmet cook (understatement) and has owned two restaurants, Cat often uses a culinary theme or motif in her work (see above longer title of Success Sucks!). She plans to publish the essentials of a cookbook crafted by her great-grandmother, Lucy Noster Andrew Stone, a Dubliner with spunk.

Here is one tasty morsel from Lucy’s recipe collection, with modern “technological” updates by Cat:

Queen Victoria’s Gingerbread

Makes one loaf.

1 cup sugar
1 cup good quality blackstrap molasses
1 cup butter, melted
3 fresh (large) eggs
3 cups flour, sifted (preferably unbleached)
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/4 cups boiling water

Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C

Don your apron. Gather ingredients, measured accurately. Thoroughly mix all wet ingredients, except the boiling water (Cat uses her Cuisinart for this; Lucy used a bowl and spoon!). Sift dry ingredients together into a large measuring jug for ease of pouring. Into the nicely mixed wet ingredients, add dry ingredients and boiling water alternately, and when all ingredients are combined, mix vigorously until completely blended. Grease a standard bread pan and dust it with flour. Pour batter into pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes, during which time your kitchen with smell positively heavenly.

Slice and enjoy. This gingerbread may be served warm with butter, and is an excellent accompaniment to afternoon tea. It also makes a delightful dessert served with berryfruits and clotted cream.

In writing for trade and consumer magazines, and local and national newspapers, Cat has written on serious and humorous topics; in many cases, her photographs have accompanied her words. She has shot portraiture and travel pictures, a number of which have appeared in the Michelin Green Guides.

Educated largely in the Toronto area, Cat attended the University of Toronto (Erindale), the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD), Ryerson Polytechnic Institute (now Ryerson University), Three Schools of Fine Art, and by correspondence, Athabasca University. She specialized in English, Film Arts, History and Drama.

In support of her writing career, Cat has worked in many odd jobs, including house painting, retail sales, wine agency sales (she drank all the samples…), waitressing and bar tending, landscaping and cleaning horse stalls. For many years, she owned and operated a high-end B&B in Stratford, Ontario. In other words, she has a ton of life experience, about which she writes.

Cat is an avid badminton player, film buff, wine aficionado, traveller, gourmet cook, art collector, theatre fan, and reader, living in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Canada..

Memberships
Pamela Catherine (Cat) Delaney is a member of:
• The Playwrights Guild of Canada
• Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre

Pseudonyms
She also writes under the names Pamela Delaney and Catherine Delaney. She previously wrote under the name Pamela Snow.

Awards & Prizes
Cat won the 2009 Samuel French Canadian Playwriting Competition for her social satire Welfarewell. She won an award for her poem “Saint of Springtime” in the 2007 Elora Writers’ Festival, and awards for two of her plays, Beggar’s Dream and The Death of Honour. In 2004, she was nominated as Woman of the Year in the Arts Category in Stratford, Ontario.