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The choral music of Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924 and the press c.1875-1925

Smith, Peter John (2008) The choral music of Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924 and the press c.1875-1925. Masters thesis, Durham University.

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This detailed survey of Stanford's choral music is divided into two parts. Part One outlines those influences in the composer's family background and career path that encouraged him to produce so much music for choirs, both sacred and secular, and seeks to contextualise the British cultural environment in which he lived and worked. The sight-singing movement of the 1840s and the rapid spread of choral singing, the development of parish church choirs, choral societies and musical festivals, the slower improvement of musical standards in cathedrals and college chapels, and the growth of music publishing are each examined in turn, with frequent reference to Stanford himself. A complete chapter is devoted to the rapid expansion of the press and the steady evolution of musical journalism during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Part Two contains a chronological examination of Stanford's choral output with particular emphasis on the reception of individual works by critics and the general public, making direct and extensive reference to critical articles in more than forty different newspapers and journals. From this evidence attempts are made to identify the most and least successful of the composer's choral works. A concluding chapter refers to the English Musical Renaissance and Stanford's recognised status as one of its chief protagonists, and also examines the concept of academicism (or 'cleverness') and its impact upon critical appraisal of the composer's works, especially from Shaw and his disciples. Three appendices provide statistical and factual information on Stanford's choral output, and include some material not previously available in published writings on the composer.

Item Type:Thesis (Masters)
Award:Master of Music
Thesis Date:2008
Copyright:Copyright of this thesis is held by the author
Deposited On:08 Sep 2011 18:33

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

People in the AARP Tax Preparing Waiting Room

I took this picture from the front entrance of the Central library in Marietta. You can see the new Cobb County Courthouse on the right side. While I was taking a few pictures from the top steps, a guy came from inside who looked homeless. Every time I go to the Central library I see homeless people. It is a public place where people go out of the weather when they have nowhere else to go. This guy was smoking and was asking me about my camera, which made me nervous. I went back inside.

We took my mother-in-law to the Marietta Central Library to have her taxes done by a trained AARP volunteer. I went to the GA Room to research genealogy for a while and then returned to people watch. I overheard an elderly gentlemen telling somebody that his Marine unit was in China during a big part of World War II. He went on to say his poor wife, “bless her heart”, had a stroke several years ago which paralyzed her left side. She has a hard time speaking where you could understand her except when she is on the phone. She can speak perfectly while on the phone so he said he was going to get her a phone to hold when she is speaking to him.

There were two young ladies in their early 20s that appeared to be identical twins. One of them had swirling designs and green letters on her face. The old man carried on a conversation with them until he asked what was on her face. She explained it was makeup left from Saint Patrick’s day celebrations. He laughed and said when she came in he thought, “that poor girl was all messed up, bless her heart.”

Speaking of twins -

Another 69 year old man told me he retired from the Naval Air Base. His job on the base was spraying for bugs. He said he was “the bug man”. I told him I heard about him. He looked puzzled. I explained that my wife worked on the base and when management wanted to let the office off early for the day, they would say “the Bug Man” was coming, so they had to vacate, “wink, wink”. He said he didn’t know he had so much prestige. He is a father of two sets of twin girls. The oldest two are identical twins but the youngest two were not identical. His wife left shortly after the youngest pair were born so he had to raise them by himself. His name was called so he left with his well organized forms, receipts, statements, etc. in a neat folder ready to work on his taxes with the AARP volunteer.

Then I turned to my left. The young man sitting there was very tall. He said he graduated from Marietta High School last year and is now going to a two year college in town. He told me he did not qualify for the Hope Scholarship but did receive money from a grant, going on to say his mother is a Native of Nassau, Bahamas. He has been to the Caribbean with his family several times to visit his grandmother. I noticed a skateboard was on the floor by him. He said it was his only mode of transportation. He lives over a mile from downtown Marietta, probably 2 miles to Marietta High, and probably 3 or 4 miles to college. He also had a backpack and an I-pod. . Imagine him skateboarding down the road with his I-pod and backpack. His name was called and he left only to return in a short time. As he was picking up his skateboard I said, “That was quick.” He politely said, “Yes, the guy told me I had to bring my earnings statement.” Then he shook hands and said it was nice to meet me. Wonder if he only dates girls with skateboards.

After about 3 hours, we were ready to go. The AARP volunteer tax service is free, except for your time waiting. Since we are retired, our time is free anyway.

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Oceana: Holistic approach crucial to Baltic Sea management

Marine spatial planning must consider healthy ecosystems on equal ground as economic interests.

Today, experts, industry and fisheries managers from around the EU are meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania to discuss how to best to manage the various activities in European marine waters. Oceana, a presenter at the event, argues that special attention must be given to the value of sensitive ecosystems, both from an economic and environmental perspective, in determining the distribution of marine activities.

“Healthy ecosystems must be at the core of all marine spatial planning and in line with the Marine Strategy Framework and the Habitats Directives”, says Hanna Paulomäki, Project Manager at Oceana’s Baltic Sea office.

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) considers how to divide and distribute marine space between different interests like fishing, shipping, tourism and construction. The MSP approach is meant to take a holistic view in considering how economic interests, governance, recreation as well as marine and coastal ecosystems are affected by each other. For example, when building an offshore wind park, or planning a new shipping route, it is important to consider how these will affect marine life, on which the fishing industry relies, or tourism, on which coastal economies depend.

A staunch supporter of this approach, Oceana is however, concerned that short term economic interests might be favored at the expense of the environment, and that governance won’t be coordinated. In the Baltic Sea region for example, the complexities of management between nine countries, different authorities, the EU and other institutes, historically have hindered real progress.

“In order for marine special planning in the Baltic Sea to be successful, all stakeholders must be at the table, and ecosystem based management must be a precondition for all users of the sea”, says Magnus Eckeskog, Marine Policy Advisor at Oceana.


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lawnjart's New Writeups 2012-08-25T18:43:14Z bright orange kiss (poetry)

at night, my shotgun whispers
it promises such peace
and like its magazine spring
I quiver for release.

all through the morning's darkness
she asks me if I would
skip the coming sunrise
and quit these lands for good...

again I say "No thank you,
hold your bright orange kiss,
though the list grows shorter,
there's still things that I'd miss."

Saiga 12 (thing)
The Saiga 12 is an assault shotgun.

The assault shotgun is a growing family of weapon systems that has many fearsome entries as law enforcement and the military have come to fully appreciate the unmatched superiority of the shotgun as a close quarters force multiplier. Gun manufacturers have begun to innovate to meet the demand.

Back in WWI, the German government issued a diplomatic protest against the United States for their use of shotguns in the trenches. In the hellscape of trench warfare, where dug in lines cowered in the mud and fired at each other across a killing field with withering machine gun fire, high powered bolt action rifles and tried to lob explosives into each others narrow ditches, the Americans developed a technique. A few would brave no manâs land at night, drop into the German trenches, and use the Winchester Model 1897 to eradicate the enemy soldiers. Pistols and the rifles were poor defense against a 12 gauge pump gun at such close ranges,…

shakuhachi (thing)
Varying in length between 1 and 3 feet, the Shakuhachi is an end blown bamboo flute. Itâs name comes from the standard length of one foot (shaku) and eight (hachi) yet all variations of length share the same name. This flute is believed to have come from ancient Egypt, migrating through India and China before finding itâs cultural home in Japan. The earliest incarnation of this instrument in Japan was made of thin walled bamboo and sported six finger holes. It was used primarily in court music (gagaku) between the 7th and 17th centuries until a growing number of mendicant monks who called themselves komosô (straw mat monks) formed an order. The Fuke sect (named after an eccentric 9th century Chinese Zen monk ) became officially established as a branch of Rinzai Zen and gained the sole right to solicit alms using the shakuhachi. Many of these monks (now known as komusô, or "monks of empty nothingness") were rônin who were uprooted due to Japanâs civil wars of…
Thus passes the glory of the world (idea)
How could something that drew no blood hurt so bad? The pain he felt now would best be complemented by a complete inversion of the ribcage followed by careful incision of every vein and artery. This hurt worse than any blade that had tasted of his slip, or any crushing force or tearing strain he had incurred during his little span. He was tearing himself apart and was unable to stop. For days on end he burned with a fever that had no viral source and would take no food, no drink. His body twitched and convulsed in time with his internal dialogue.

This was the death of Love.

This was not the death of any ordinary love, as good people are colliding and repelling always to benefit and detriment. This was a pain felt by relatively few through out…

Nodespotting (idea)
Ah drag maself oop an doon th isles of thes public library turned shootin gallery, feelin th sick take a firmer grip on ma soul, feelin th dirt onder th nails of this filthy habbit grind ita the holes those nails ar diggin inta me psyche.

Ah havna logged in fer sex point three hours and i kin feel it in ma fokken teeth.

Due to the particular flavour of junk ah like to push inta me, the library has shelves of the written word ta soothe my sick. It works quite well fir a bit. but straight, dead text starts ta get on ma tits after a while. Is like havin a stick ah gum win what you need is a fokkin shot.
Noat only are they loads longer than iceowl nodes, theres fuckahl fur links, ya canna vote the thing oor ching it, no soflinking, bookmarking, nodeshelling, nor can ye blast th cunt wot rote it wi a wicked slash message, likesay.
Noat even books can slack…
Dreaming under a steady rain of nicotine (idea)

The cherry flares in intensity like a star about to die, then returns to the mute livid orange that matches, almost exactly the color of the couch.

Absentmindedly, he rubs the freshly shaven square in the hollow where spine meets skull. The touch-ability of naked scalp combined with the perpetual itch caused by the derms has developed into a kind of
nervous tic.

He is nervous.

The dreams have resolved, with each successive treatment, from an undifferentiated soup of psychic noise into a strange geography filled with razor sharp edges. There is now an almost painful clarity of the knife edge of every mountain that…


text:
We watched the Perseids a few summers back from an unlit stretch of beach on Lake Huron. A lantern guided our way from campsite through the dunes. We were aware of other groups of people who like us reposed in the darkness along the shore. Eyes that rarely see the sky unpolluted by electricity searched for distant sailing sparks. When one group saw one, they'd cheer to alert those other people, off in the darkness. They would scan the skies and cheer in response. For cheap laughs once, we agreed to applaud a non-existent one, to see if others would follow our lead. They did, though it was half-hearted. A really good flaming star might light a chorus of cheering along the Huron shore, like dogs barking across the countryside at night.

Then four years passed.

In the last six weeks I've written many pages, but not as much as I'd hoped. Mind you, I completed a short story before I returned to the ms, and I think it's a pretty good one. I'll revise it in another month and see if it'll be my next published piece.

Some questions about bears arose during my writing. This prompted some research, during which I encountered the following bit:

When someone asks (as many people have) whether shooting a bear with a pistol will have any effect, one response by those who know bears is to say yes, absolutely, but you should file the site off the barrel before attempting such a thing.

It will hurt less when the bear shoves the pistol up your butt.

In these same weeks, I've also read the following:

  • Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism by David Nickle. I reviewed this unusual historical horror.
  • Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill. Well-written but overrated account of Montreal's seamy side, shown through the eyes of a child. A junky's daughter, she becomes sexually active at twelve, while still retaining a warped childlike perspective. Her perceptions ring true. The beginning needs editing; the conclusion involves a Deus Ex Machina
  • The Paperboy by Pete Dexter: Good, if chaotic novel about some journalists in the American South in the 1960s, and our contemporary notions of the Truth.1
  • Whale Music by Paul Quarrington. I wrote a review of this one, and its film adaptation. The late Paul Quarrington deserves to be more widely-read.
  • Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Huang. A somewhat rambling and stylistically tortuous scholastic account, I nevertheless updated my Charlie Chan write-up as a result of reading it.
  • The Fall of the House of Hapsburg by Edward Crankshaw: Okay—I admit, I haven't quite finished this one, a noted but rather dry and pointedly opinionated account. I return to it when I'm having trouble sleeping.
  • Zodiac by Robert Graysmith: Creepy. This book is responsible for outing a prime suspect. It's questionable whether the individual identified in the book (though not by name) actually was the Zodiac Killer, but said suspect wasn't a very good person, so few mind that the subsequent publicity thwarted his attempt to live in quiet the remainder of his life, after he completed a prison term for molesting a child. See Gerardus's account under Zodiac Killer for further information.
  • The Marvels Project: The Birth of the Superheroes by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. I found this one in the library in Exeter and read it while my wife was rehearsing for the Bach Festival. I reviewed it here.2
  • Superman I finished and reviewed the final, frustrating story arc that completes the run before DC reboots and goes back to issue #1. Probably my exit from mainstream comix for a few years. The well-kept issues of this story arc will be donated to a charity auction with which I'm involved next year. They're already doing reasonably well on ebay.
  • The Walking Dead (first two graphic novels) by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore: A good graphic tale—but I prefer the tv adaptation.

Today would have been my mother's birthday. I have not said all I'd like to say, but I've said what I need to say.

1. I purchased this at an apartment sale in 1996, when the book was still relatively new. The apartment owner was a recent University graduate leaving Canada for Great Britain (where, I have learned through the magic of Google, she has become a curator and author). I bought two books from her sale, and read one right away. The other sort of followed me around, and I forgot its origins until I opened it and found the little piece of paper she included with each item:

Purchase Certificate
JD is the official owner of The Paperboy. Purchased for $1.00 an August 24, 1996. This item is a utilitarian object, [Her Name] collectable and a portion of an original [Her Name] art work.

[Her Signature]
[Her Name] Tally-Ho Party and Charity Auction

Canadian Flag - ONE WAY-> Union Jack

2. Apart from the value of the Bach Festival, we had an interesting experience with Google Maps. Most of the workshops and performances were held in small-town Ontario churches. Do not rely on Google maps to correctly distinguish among the numerous small-town Ontario churches (especially when two churches with nearly-identical names have been built ten minutes from each other), or between a paved rural road and a barely-accessible cowpath.

The choristers did a superlative job of Bach's Mass in B Minor, performed in a hockey rink in a city of 4,500.

It's been awile since I've posted on here, but am very glad to see things are still cranking away. Here's something that I wrote just about a year ago but haven't posted up anywhere, essentially it's a personal take on what happened after this: http://backcountryaccess.com/blog/?p=1821  Take it as you will.

We are well into summer now, the last three weeks being a blur of pain meds and sympathetic conversations.  This has been a tough report to come up with i must say.  I just keep looking over the pictures from the day trying to think of what made it any different from the others- inherent risk I suppose. I keep thinking back to the  the moment where I was back at the trailhead, I sat down on a rock with SAR and paramedics swarming around but there was a moment i turned to see who had sat down next to me, and it was my dad, and I started balling.  I had held in my pain and my emotions all day but the sight of my dad sitting right beside me at the end of it all was too much. I started balling, crying it all out while the paramedic was still standing there trying to ask me questions. And it felt good to get that emotion out, to pour it all out on the table.

Las Vegas is the only city I have visited where the streets are paved with pornography. In the evening, as you walk down the street, groups of "flappers" buzz with the hum of small glossy advertisements being constantly flicked across the wrists and hands. If you stray too close, someone will detach from the swarm and approach you with one of these nuggets of vice. Inevitably it will contain a phone number for "companionship" of some form or another. Often, the message is reinforced by underlying and extremely adult imagery, only marginally censored with bright yellow or black stars in strategic locations. An accommodating tourist will collect many of these over the course of the evening walking from casino to casino. At some point it loses its humor, and the cards are discarded. Evidence shows this does not always happen in a trash receptacle, because for those rare and sporting individuals who see the sun rise before the street sweepers arrive, the streets of Vegas appear covered in chesty and wonderfully disrobed advertisements. Which leads us to:

Flapper Quest

(or some possibly more informative name here)

In a recent editor log, Aerobe pointed out the ever present need to bring in some fresh blood. Through messages, we have discussed possibly sponsoring a quest in support of this drive. However, I continue to have arm troubles, (and will do so for the foreseeable future), and am going through a particularly unpleasant spell. So I'm throwing this idea out there, in hopes that someone will carry the torch forward. Here are the specs:

  • What - A Quest! To Attract New Users!
  • When - ASAP, preferably before October 1, because we don't want to override this year's Horror Quest.
  • How - Really, however the sponsor wants to set it up. But I would recommend something along the following lines:
    1. The quest should encourage creative ways to raise awareness of Everything2. I have created and disseminated bookmarks featuring the website address at my local library. Other users have created bumper stickers. Even more users have created calendars, or wearable items. At one time there was a bounty (cash) for the first person to get the website mentioned on CNN. While I doubt that is still in effect, you get the idea. The quest should document these attempts. Especially if they are replicable.
    2. The quest should have good rewards to reflect its important nature. I will personally provide votes, GP, and non-everything2 real-world gifts to those who participate, and especially those who get creative. Document everything! Additionally, I would like to see whoever ends up being the sponsor providing copious C! support as well.
    3. The quest should not harm e2. Yes, pouring gasoline in the shape of a giant "E2" and setting fire to it on the lawn of the White House would obviously garner a great deal of attention, but probably not all of it would be positive. So avoid destructive (although I suppose that is open to interpretation).
So please, someone with working appendages, take up this banner and go forth!

On a related note, I'm seriously having some arm problems beyond the ordinary again. This means that I will not be checking e2 on my phone or at home except for very brief instances in the next two weeks. However, my decaversary interview is coming out Friday. I WILL respond to messages! It just might take me a week or two. So, if as you read it and your eyes blaze with indignation and you would like to send me some hate mail, just message me. I'm not ignoring you, it just takes a little while for me to respond. Alternately, if you want to send me a message of praise and adulation, I will get back to you immediately. Just kidding, you will have to wait too.

Still vertical,

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text:
Former Editor In Chief for PC Acclerator, Mike also worked as the sports editor for Game Players, also an Imagine Media magazie waaay back in the day (1994-1996 or so). Mike's current whereabouts are unknown.

Update 6-9-2K1 Mike Salmon is apparently still at Imagine Media and will be the Editor In chief for their Official Xbox mag. With Imagine's future in doubt, we can only hope that Mr. Salmon continues to work in the electronic gaming arena.

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text:
-Edgar Allen Poe

Have you ever wondered why time stands still? That moment of happiness seems to last forever, but then vanish under inspection? Time is a tricky mistress and even so the ancient Greeks had another type of time to consider. Their world was not so simply straightforward as we would like to describe our own to be, minute after minute, a never-ending continuum of quantum moments. For them there was the everyday "chronos", what we would like to think of as time. Our normal lives, progressing slowly into the future, each coming second like the last, creating a fading oblivion of memory that recedes into the depths of our minds, as we grow older. They were not limited to such a monotonous perception of the passage of time. They had a word whose meaning these days is so seldom expressed, and even when it is, usually takes the form of some cliché. This word is "kairos" or time outside of time. Kairos consists of those moments when everything seems to just stop and swirl around you, when there is no tomorrow or yesterday and maybe not even today. Kairos is when time doesn't just stand still it races and frolics with you and in you. It encompasses those times we never forget, that sear our synapses, for better or for worse. It is inescapable and beautiful in its power and majesty, and yet still fleeting. We cannot live in the dream world of the moment forever, because it is just that the moment, an instant, and it is gone, but never forgotten. I fear the lack of words to express this has been filled with a mire of hackneyed expressions that seem to undermine the immediacy and beauty of the concept, and what it stands for: that all that we seem and seem is not a dream, but instead a concrete sidewalk and a rusting taxi. Maybe, if only for an instant, the world may be illumined by the brightness of the moment, and all that did not glitter becomes gold. This world of beauty must end and the harsh realities of the world must flood back into the daydream of perfection, but not without the recognition of the truth of those things experienced outside of time. Both are the real world, and both are the truth, and so although kairos must necessarily end, and the utopia of timelessness is impossible to maintain, it cannot be relegated to the world of fantasy, nor can the ordinary perception of time be blamed for the loss of the "magic moment". It is of this idea of time outside of time and its relationship to the eventual fall from grace for that which is idealized that Shakespeare speaks of in his 33rd sonnet.

This dichotomy between kairos and chronos is expressed in the distinctions made between the worlds of light and dark as well as that of high and low. These are different places for creation and alteration, each of which represents one possible perspective, that of the idealized moment, and the thing itself, in it’s base form. On each level the individual alters their surroundings, and yet that alteration is only surface level, or in some sense magical, “gilding” “alchemy”. It is nothing but the “flattery” of the sun. Nothing is perfect, and nothing can be made to be perfect, but the illusion of perfection is maintained, if only for a little while, when the sun remains at it’s zenith, untarnished by the clouds the “base clouds” which stain not only that below but also that above, both the narrator and the object of his narration. This instant is locked in the memory of the writer, and is how the writer wishes to remember the friend to whom he speaks, but cannot because the reality of the interrupting clouds has disturbed his seeming daydream. Even “heaven’s sun” can become stained, and thus those lesser beings, the “suns of the world”, may be permitted to lose their brilliance. But in a sense this loss of brilliance is not necessarily a bad thing, it returns the world to its natural state, the debased reality. The earth cannot maintain its luster, nor is the sun truly responsible for the basic existence of the world below. The clouds interrupt the idyllic relationship between heaven and earth, but reveal that all is not gold, perfection is impossible. It is for this reason that Shakespeare does not disdain him who permitted the clouds to overshadow his brilliance, because it is essential to understanding the truth of the person to whom he writes. In this sense the return of the base world has grieved and separated Shakespeare from the person he loves, but his love was founded upon an half-truth born in the limelight of kairos.

This concept of a special time is often linked to a sense of the action of the supernatural in the world. The images of the sun and mountaintops are clear references to a godlike figure, and that of the author himself, representing the transformative power of god. The sky and the sun have classically been the origin of the most powerful god in the pantheon of many polytheistic religions, i.e. Greece, Rome, Egyptian, and Norse. There is a clear distinction made between the divine powers ascribed to the elements and that of humanity. The capability of sunlight to effortlessly achieve the alchemistic transformation of the meadows is an analog to the failed attempt of humanity to convert base metals to gold, or in another sense, defy the creation of god, and become god like. This is contrasted with the “base clouds” and the stained nature of the “suns of the world” in other words, the godlike creation of god, humanity. Shakespeare links these opposing ideas of kairos and chronos with the relationship of humanity to the divine. Humanity bears the divine ability of creativity, and yet in the end we lack the true power of the demiurge, but we nevertheless try, and in the end remain, stained, in the shadowy freewill bestowed upon us by our god, just as we live in the mundane world and can only ascend briefly into the ethereal plane of kairos.

When we live outside of time, when “he was but for one hour mine.” we create false perceptions and unrealistic ideals that must be tarnished by the effects of time, the sun cannot possibly shine forever, nor will the mountains forever be tall, all ideals and all seeming gods fall before the “ugly rack” of clouds, and the “forlorn world”. This torture of the real, when the force of the mundane shatters the light of ideals is also the tragedy of Charles Baudelaire in his poem “Which Is The True One” in which he meets a girl named Benedict in the bliss of kairos. It was this girl whose “eyes spread the desire for grandeur, beauty, fame and everything which makes us believe in immortality”. (Parisian 98) She was first known only through the eyes of kairos, a fleeting image of perfection, she was truly too “miraculous to live a long time” and thus Baudelaire was forced to kill her, unable to recognize the harsh truth of the everyday world of her existence, her flaws, her humanity, having only known and wanted that which he had seen through the eyes of kairos. And so his ideal of her must die, and he buries here, and must “remain fettered, perhaps forever, to the grave of the ideal” because he truly loves her, but the collapse of his kairotic perspective has caused his love of her to fall fallow. Baudelaire realizes this dichotomy and yet falls victim to the despair that the onrush of the ordinary, after the ephemeral joys of the vision of flawlessness. This is the warning that Shakespeare gives us, that even the “the suns of the earth may stain, when heavens sun staineth” It is when Shakespeare tries to contain this ideal to a period of time, and claim possession of this time that the image of perfection truly escapes him, and yet at that same moment the functional integration of both modalities is understood when the poet does not “disdain” the adulteration of his image of perfection, as well as comes to terms with the imperfect world. Both must co-exist, and one must recognize that even the greatest of moments end, the greatest of suns become stained, and can fall from grace, and must be confined in the linear, methodical here and now for us to see them both as they are and what we dream them to be.

We all seem to play our favorite character in fiction, the Count of Monte Christo, or Holden Caulfield, Gatsby or Raskolnikov, but in the end we are what we are, and when the stage lights fall, when we are no longer “gilded” by our dreams and by our imaginations, that person we once dreamt we were, falls beneath the wayside, the clouds “from the forlorn world our visage hide” and we are hurt, and we hurt those around us. Like Baudelaire, we seek to bury those who have deceived us, and ourselves in the mire of the everyday, refusing to acknowledge the evanescent fleeting joys of the ideal.

When something is not as it seems, both the thing and the observer are betrayed, but for what are they betrayed? The truth naturally, and so for what do you grieve? That you have been told the truth? No, you weep because you have believed a lie. So much so, that we believe our own lie. We become characters in the fictions of others, the secondary role, and if we stray from character what happens to their passion play? So if I can become stained, and, like the specimen on the stage of the microscope, my true self shows through, then others, who have starred in my own sitcom can and will show themselves as who they are, are not destroyed by this revelation. They just become better characters, because even the stain hides and sun leaves much to be discovered.

Works Cited

Baudelaire, Charles. The Parisian Prowler Trans. Edward K. Kaplan. University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia. 1997.

Booth, Stephen. Shakespeare’s Sonnets Murray Printing Co. Westford, Mass. 1977.

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text:
Con*sign" (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Consigned 3; & vb.n. Consigning.] [F. consigner, L. consignare, -signatu,, to seal or sign; con- + signare, fr. signum mark. See Sign.]

To give, transfer, or deliver, in a formal manner, as if by signing over into the possession of another, or into a different state, with the sense of fixedness in that state, or permanence of possession; as, to consign the body to the grave.

At the day of general account, good men are to be consigned over to another state. Atterbury.

To give in charge; to commit; to intrust.

Atrides, parting for the Trojan war, Consigned the youthful consort to his care. Pope.

The four evangelists consigned to writing that history. Addison.

3. Com.

To send or address (by bill of lading or otherwise) to an agent or correspondent in another place, to be cared for or sold, or for the use of such correspondent; as, to cosign a cargo or a ship; to set apart.

To assign; to devote; to set apart.

The French commander consigned it to the use for which it was intended by the donor. Dryden.

To stamp or impress; to affect.

Consign my spirit with great fear. Jer. Taylor.

Syn. -- To commit; deliver; intrust; resign. See Commit.

© Webster 1913.

Con*sign" (?), v. i.

To submit; to surrender or yield one's self.

All lovers young, all lovers must Consign to thee, and come to dust. Shak.

To yield consent; to agree; to acquiesce.

Augment or alter . . . And we'll consign thereto. Shak.

© Webster 1913.

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text:
A entertaining but sometimes incongruous view of modern New Zealand

In the early 1960's, a freshly qualified history graduate from Yorkshire called Austin Mitchell tried to get a position in English academia, but unfortunately was obviously not brillant enough for one of the British universities, so he applied at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand which promptly accepted him as a lecturer in English History. He spend a good ten years in this socialist paradise that was sixties New Zealand and wrote a book about it, the appropriately called "The half-gallon quarter-acre pavlova paradise" that terribly upset the nation, as it painted New Zealand in a rather unflattering light: a backwater full of naive little englanders which closes at 5 pm.

Austin Mitchell returned to the UK in the early seventies and became a Labour MP and all around good guy. In 2001, funded by New Zealand's TVNZ he returned to the antipodeans to see what had changed, and documented his findings in a 3 hour TV documentary and a similar named book.

I was living in NZ at the time of his travels through the islands, and remember that he was viewed with suspicion, but as he was a real MP from the Motherland, he had access to all the political leaders and important figureheads who gave him a update of what happened since the 1970's.

Back in the UK I read the book because I wanted to familiarise myself with New Zealand's recent History, and Mitchell does it pretty well: he he is a good observer without any respect for Kiwi lore and demi-gods and describes current New Zealand society very well. When it comes to political history, he takes a step back and lets the politicians talk about the incredible transformations that happened during the eighties from the inside, just interspersed with the occasional rude remark.

The book got horrible reviews in New Zealand, mainly because it portrayed prominent members of NZ-society that have been interviewed a tad too often, it told stories that had been told too often and obviously did the bloody pom have no respect for New Zealand and its inhabitants at all.

Exactly this fact makes it a fun and entertaining read for all Non-Kiwis: it gives us a witty and sharp characterization of contemporary New Zealand and the political shifts it has undergone in the last 30 years.

Great Stuff!

Austin Mitchell: Pavlova Paradise revisited, Penguin Books, 2001


text:
Thursday, April 30, 2009

Auction Underway

The Brenda Novak Auction, which raises money for diabetes research is now underway and will run throughout the month of May. There are numerous opportunities to get your manuscript in front of specific agents or editors, to meet authors, to buy vacations, jewelry, autographed books, and lots more. All for a good cause. You can view all the stuff up for auction by clicking here and then on the categories on the left of the page.

Today is your chance to bid on Evil Editor's items without the fear of actually winning them, as the bidding starts very low. A lot of early bids will convince others that the items are among the most desirable ones available, leading to a frenzy of late bidding.

Here are links to the EE items:

1294602 Top of Category Featured Item Your Book Featured in Evil Editor's August Book Chat [preview] Standard Bidding - Click to learn more! $ 2.00 30 days 23 hrs
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1306198 Complete EVIL EDITOR Library PLUS CD, All Autographed [preview] Standard Bidding - Click to learn more! $ 2.00 31 days 01 hrs
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Face-Lift 627

Guess the Plot

Dark Visions

1. Teenager Brenda Nockworth discovers a pair of shades on a shelf in the bus station bathroom and puts them on to complete her swank rebel look. She soon realizes they reveal the unseen -- dozens of ghosts and ghouls among the weary travelers.

2. Mariana's family are fortune-tellers by trade, but all she sees in the crystal ball are visions of disaster... And the latest one is about her own future! Also, a talking fruitbat.

3. John knew he shouldn't have bought those cursed sunglasses; now he can't get them off, and he has to fight off a zombie invasion while wearing shades that practically blind him. Good thing his geeky best friend Alvin is around to tell him what's going on... if only Alvin can stop being distracted by the hot zombie leader.

4. Tina has been cast in a new TV show about London vampires. Funny thing is, the male lead never comes out of his trailer unless he's on set. Tina's sure he's a real vampire. Can she confront him without getting bitten?

5. When Jasmine has a psychic vision of her rival Marissa dying at the hands of a serial killer, she's tempted to say nothing, but eventually she tells hunky police detective Eric. Now Jasmine's having visions that indicate she should have kept her mouth shut. Has she become the killer's next target?

6. When Ned founded the Dark Visions sunglasses company he didn't expect it to become popular with the dead-doesn't-mean-gone crowd, but if they're not after his blood, he's not going to complain about the extra publicity. Then he finds out what his sunglasses enable the living-impaired to see...

Original Version

Jasmine Winters is psychic. She knows it is not normal to be psychic, but Jasmine likes to pretend she is normal. So, she does life’s normal things: [We're plodding along here like a tortoise. That story where the tortoise beats the hare? Fiction.] enjoying her friends, like Mark; hating her enemies, [How many enemies does she have?] like Mark’s wife Marissa; and ignoring the visions as best she can. She also tries to do the right thing, though she doesn’t always succeed. [Vague.]

When Jasmine's psychic vision shows Marissa murdered by a headline-making serial killer, she wants to ignore the vision and be done with Marissa once and for all. [Nice. What, exactly, did Marissa do to deserve this?] But Jasmine’s conscience won’t let her, and she warns her nemesis. [When my enemy who wouldn't mind seeing me dead tells me she had a vision in which I was murdered, my first thought is that she's planning to kill me. And I'd better kill her first.] [The first two paragraphs can be condensed to: Jasmine Winters tries to be normal--enjoying her friends, hating her enemies, hiding her psychic abilities--but when she "sees" her nemesis Marissa murdered by a serial killer, her conscience won't let her keep quiet.]

With that done, Jasmine is ready to move on. But, in Dark Visions, my 97,000-word thriller, moving on isn’t so easy.

Mark urges Jasmine to discuss her vision with police investigating the serial murders. [Because he knows the cops are always eager to have input from psychics.] Unable to refuse Mark’s request and trying to do the right thing, Jasmine reluctantly meets with handsome police Det. Eric Mathers. While Jasmine likes the close proximity to Det. Mathers, she’s not enamored of her new visions of the serial killer. [Don't be coy. What does she see in her new visions?]

Things get complicated when Jasmine’s involvement in the case makes the news, putting her on the serial killer’s radar. For a psychic who saw [could see] her own future, this might be alright, but Jasmine isn’t that kind of psychic. [She's more like Kreskin. She can tell you what number you're thinking of, assuming she planted you in the audience and told you what number to think of.]
Not liking the idea of a serial killer lurking in the one future she is blind to, Jasmine dedicates herself to helping Det. Mathers find the killer.

[Jasmine: Detective, I've decided to dedicate myself to helping you find the serial killer.

Mathers: Great. For starters, there's someone I need you to interview. He lives in the Australian Outback.]

As Jasmine and Det. Mathers get closer, new, disturbing visions emerge, but not of the serial killer, of Det. Mathers [dressed in a leather thong and holding a whip].

As Jasmine’s visions of Det. Mathers and serial killer increase, she realizes the killer may be closer than she thought. Jasmine must put the pieces together and find the killer, before the killer finds her. [Everything in this paragraph was already implied.]

Dark Visions is my first novel. By training, I am a journalist and have worked as a night general assignment reporter for The Kansas City Star, where I covered crime and spot news. After leaving the newspaper, I worked mainly in trade media, editing several publications, including Campus Crime.

I’d love to send you the complete Dark Visions manuscript. Thank you for your consideration.

Whether Mark's the serial killer or a love interest or neither, he isn't doing anything important in the query.

As Jasmine tries to live like a normal person and ignore her visions, I assume it's not known to Mark and Marissa and the cops that Jasmine's visions always come to pass (if they do). So why would anyone believe her?

Which is more likely when a serial killer learns that the police are using the services of a psychic to track him down?

1. He immediately makes plans to kill the psychic.
2. He celebrates the obvious fact that the police don't have a clue to his identity by going on a new killing spree.

Cartoon 375

Caption: Wendy

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

New Beginning 632

So this was the place at last. The forbidden road ended in a small stone-paved yard surrounded by brambles. Beyond the yard was a high wall overgrown with dead vines that covered everything but the door.

The night before I had dreamed of that door as a black gaping mouth through which my younger sister Arli passed laughing with her daughter Suli cradled—prisoned—in her arms. It opened into a windowless chamber hung with tapestries. A gold-mailed serpent with human eyes uncoiled itself from a carved seat against the wall and reared above Arli. She reached out to caress it while Suli cried unheeded. I shouted to warn Arli, I who had been like a mother to her, but she did not hear. I tried to run after her, but I could not move.

At last the dream passed into blackness. But again the blackness shaped itself into that doorway, and Arli stepped through it into flames. She smiled as though she felt only comforting warmth, though Suli screamed.

And I woke in the other side of Arli’s bed, with the aftertaste of her sleeping-draught sickly-sweet in my mouth, and Arli and Suli were truly gone.

And I drifted into the realm of Morpheus once more until, seeing Arli and Suli tied up in a camper van driven by a one-handed former Bosnian war criminal who steered with a steel hook, I sat bolt upright and exclaimed: "Accipere quam facere praestat injuriam!"

Ike Beckman hit "save" and leaned back in his chair, grinning. Awesome, he thought. My first try at literary fiction and it's shaping up to be a classic.

Opening: Joanna.....Continuation: Anon.

Cartoon 374

Caption: WO

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Face-Lift 626

Guess the Plot

The Lonesome Isle

1. Searching a small island for her dead mother, Elizabeth crosses into a parallel universe. Is her mother somewhere in this universe? Before she can begin looking she must first defeat a malicious creature bent on world domination.

2. Oahu decides to relocate a little closer to the big island and sets off nonstop tsunamis and underwater volcanos as it makes the move. Only submariner Sonya Turner can save the day, but her propeller's broken.

3. Timmy didn't believe the babysitter when she said one more prank and he was going to the orphanage. Now he regrets sticking tape loops to the cat. He wishes he brought a toothbrush and more underwear. He knows his penmanship spelling and grammar are so bad his bottled HELPME! notes might be unreadable and the current might take them all the wrong way, but what else can he do?

4. Blinka realized all her childhood nightmares about plumbing monsters were real, as the hand emerged from a mess of gunk burbling out the sink drain. Thank God for cutlery! But now -- what to do with the grisly parts? She'll be safe if the fog clears so Captain Wiggins can see the distress flag and sail to her rescue before the Thing comes back...

5. Gibraltar never gets any respect. Even his best friends, Japan and Madagascar barely acknowledge him. But when global bully Australia floats a plan to reform Pangaea, Gibraltar finds itself turning to outcasts like Greenland and Baffin Island in an effort to prevent continental assimilation.

6. The story of a sad little island, marooned in the middle of the ocean, who hatches an unlikely scheme to join a larger land mass. But even if he can teach the nearby pod of whales to sing at just the right frequency, will he really find happiness as a fjord?

Original Version

Dear Agent,

Elizabeth Milton accepted her mother’s death years ago. [Now if only it would hurry up and happen.] As a writer investigating her first feature length assignment, she is faced with the knowledge that not only is her mother alive, [Make the connection between the assignment and learning her mother's alive--if there is one. If there isn't, don't put both in the same sentence.] but she’s been held captive and now doesn’t want to leave this parallel universe [What parallel universe? Is that what Liz is investigating? How does Liz know what her mother wants if she's in another universe?] that’s so much like, yet so much unlike their home. [In my experience, if a place is vastly unlike my home, I don't even notice the ways it's like my home. For instance, when I think back on my trip to Jamaica, I remember the river rafting and the waterfall climbing and the paragliding, but barely recall getting robbed by a knife-wielding hoodlum.]

Elizabeth’s love of writing takes her to the small island, [What small island? You haven't mentioned an island.] [Again, what's the connection? Millions of people love writing, but that doesn't take them to small islands.] but it’s her compassion for others and her intense longing for the mother that she once knew that makes her cross the threshold into the parallel universe. [I don't see the connection between compassion for others and crossing into a parallel universe.] Once there she finds that the devilish creature Dominic and his plans of world domination are the captivating force that holds many prisoners. [I tend to think "mischievous" when someone is described as "devilish," so while there's nothing wrong with "devilish," if he's planning world domination, you might want to call him evil or demonic or satanic.]

In this paranormal, mysterious tale Elizabeth finds her mother, her true love, and herself as she battles Dominic to gain everyone’s freedom.

The Lonesome Isle is complete at 140,000 words.

I have done some ghostwriting of internet articles and have two poems published in anthologies. [Ditch the credits and consider shortening the book.]

Thank you for your time and consideration.

A twenty-something woman versus a creature set on world domination? That's like Hannah Montana taking on the Borg. Has Liz got anything going for her besides spunk?

The title sounds more like a children's book.

You must connect your ideas in a logical progression. Something like this:

While investigating the sudden appearance of an island off the coast of Uruguay, reporter Liz Milton discovers a map that leads her to a portal to a parallel universe. A hunky clerk at the ticket counter gives Liz a quick look at the portal's passenger manifest, which reveals that her supposedly dead mother "crossed over" six years ago.

Longing for a reunion with her mother, Liz bribes the clerk to provide her mother's email address: Lizsmom@gmail.unv. But in their initial correspondence, Liz learns that her mother, despite being held captive by the devilish creature Dominic, who has plans for world domination, doesn't want to come home. Has she been brainwashed? Only one way to find out. Liz books passage on the next portal trip.

Arriving in the parallel universe, not only does Liz quickly find her mother; she also falls in love with a young juice merchant named Rolf, and single-handedly battles Dominic. Liz emerges victorious; then she and Rolf move in with Mom, get married, and await the inevitable sequel.

Here, each sentence follows from the last, thus giving the feel of a coherent, cohesive story. Feel free to use my summary if its details are accurate.

Cartoon 373

Caption: Anon.

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Monday, April 27, 2009

Success Story

Bill Highsmith reports that a flash fiction piece inspired by Dialogue Scene 21 on this blog has been published by in the flash fiction section.

Bill also reports selling a humor/SF piece called "Discerning Women," to in the current edition (April), and an SF story, "Qubit Slip" to an online anthology, Thoughtcrime Experiments (

After three stories sold in April, Bill anticipates a lengthy lull.

New Beginning 631

Okay, I put this title in the query queue without reading it. (It came in an email titled " . . . working on a graphic novel want sound advice.") On the one hand, it could be an attempt to write a clever query in the POV of a character, but I'm pretty sure it's the opening. However, I'm posting some fake plots so those who submitted fakes won't feel their efforts were wasted.

Guess the Plot

Mermaid Country

1. Genetic manipulation has gone too far. Passenger Pigeons are darkening the skies over London, Mastodons are rampaging across Siberia, and Cretaceous Parks are growing up all across the U.S. Spencer Wildman isn't one to be left behind by a trend. His plan to engineer creatures from out of mythology should make history, but he'll need to convince the Minotaurs not to eat the Kraken if Mermaid Country is to become a success.

2. After Jerry saves the fish at the Orlando Aquarium from disaster, reporters hound him night and day, but unless he wants to be thrown in the loony bin, he can't reveal the true story of Layla, goddess of . . . Mermaid Country.

3. The brochures talked up the new island getaway, Atlantis, as a great place to relax and get in some swimming and surfing. But when Andrew and Lauren finally arrive, they discover that their parents have already been taken captive by the mermaid overseers of the place. Can two teenagers beat the fishy fiends and save their family and the other vacationers?

4. When small-town deputy Dan Hickett accepts his cousin's challenge to try a fisherman's life, he doesn't imagine he'll be swept overboard and forced to deal out justice and lay down the law to mermen and tritons--or lose his heart to a green-skinned beauty.

5. Charlie the Tuna thought he was a whale of a good guy, but when he gets swept out of his comfort zone by a rogue tsumani, he learnsd that he doesn't know fishsticks. It all happens when he lands flukes over fins in . . . Mermaid Country

6. Jefferson High School's football team has quite a mascot to live down--despite being 500 miles from the nearest ocean, their mascot is the Mermaids. But no matter how much the McCutcheon Maulers laugh, this here's . . . Mermaid Country.

Chalk it up to fate on the eve of the 1976 Bicentennial to be the night Jerry Ingram's life changed for the better

Unless you have been hiding in a cave for the past week, you must have seen the story in the local papers.

He saved the marine life at the Orlando aquarium from a most horrific fate,and unwittingly thwarted one of the most heinous plots in the Aquariums' History.

The reporter's were hot on his heels. The dogs hounded poor Jerry ,until he wearily agreed to tell his side of the story.

Of course he lied right through his pearly white teeth. It was an absolute necessity. He couldn't have very well told them the real story. It was a tad too bizarre. The truth usually is.

You couldn't blame the guy for stretching the truth a little.He was just reaping the just rewards of being a good person,The last thing in the world he wanted was for the citizens of earth to think he had lost all of his remaining marbles.The humans would lock Jerry in the loony bin and throw away the key.

This would be his fate if he told the earth people the real story or anything about me. I am of course the biggest reason for the cover up. I shudder at how the citizens of earth would react if they ever set their beady, little eyes on me.

My name is Layla, goddess of an underwater, deep sea demention, known as Piaska, by our native inhabitants or Mermaid country, by the few non - sea life creatures who know of our unique culture.

I ,Layla Empress of the deep, will serve as your tour guide through this thoroughly Rollicking tale.

Anyway, the guy in the room across from me is an editor, and I asked him how he’s crazy, because I like to know that sort of thing, and he just sobbed and said he couldn’t take it any more.

So I said editing couldn’t be that hard, you’re just reading books all the time and he said something about typos and commas and spelling and I was like, let me see, so he gives me this paper.

It’s about this goddess named Layla, which is me! But it doesn’t have the whole story and I said to the guy, "This is kind of fun, what’s wrong with it?" and he starts screaming and now I understand why they put padded walls in these places.

Opening: Kristy Hoard.....Continuation: _*Rachel*_

Cartoon 372

Caption: Anon.

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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Saturday Film Series

Sometimes the films are so hot they set off the sprinkler system, so don't be alarmed if it's a little damp in Evil Editor's Shorts.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Face-Lift 625

Guess the Plot

The Magic

1. When 13-year-old Spenser meets magician Morgan Miracle, he wonders if this guy can help him finally get rid of his imaginary friend. Also, two skeletons and a ghost.

2. Science geek Connie has not only figured out the secret to popularity - she's bottled it and is selling it for 40 bucks a pop. But what will happen when the entire student body is dosed up on ... The Magic?

3. Stage magicians Royal and Donat have been rivals since they were boys struggling with the five-ring trick. When they are swept into a world where magic is real, and recruited into opposing armies, will they cooperate to find their way home, or joyfully pitch enchanted fireballs at each other?

4. A loose zoo monkey bites surly waitress Robbi Newport on the ankle, and on Friday she calls in feeling like death with the flu. Monday morning she gets to work on time, but Bob the chef panics when she swoops in like a bat, rearranges the architecture, and starts gobbling raw steak.

5. Mad Felix, the terrible red-eyed ghost of Cousin Sally's cat, levitates his Datsun toward a midnight duel with Uthgar, Son of the Horde. Was he upset by something Sally said? Or is his temper adversely affected by the miniature nuclear reactor Cousin Dave left in the trunk?

6. As the mystery of the Baskerville cat deepens, body parts are found, storm clouds threaten, detectives are summoned, and little Jim-Bob Jenkins goes missing. But nothing can stop Roland Reinhart from cuddling up with the one he loves. Unless, perhaps, it's that man-eating Bengal tiger prowling the 'hood.

Original Version

Dear Editor:

The first rule of magic is never, ever tell how a trick is done. After all, you don’t want to spoil the illusion. [Interestingly, that's also the first rule of hot dog manufacture and editing.] In the Buckler house, the same applied to family secrets. But sometimes rules, like promises, need to be broken. And you do want to know what happened, don’t you? How the bones got into the lake and how they got out again? Where the money came from? How Spenser Buckler discovered who his father was?

With these words, Eddie, the imaginary friend of thirteen-year old Spenser Buckler, introduces us to the Buckler family, [If the first paragraph is the start of the book, making it the hook of the query kind of dilutes its effectiveness for the editor. Especially as you may be enclosing the first x pages with the query. Plus, I wasn't sure I wasn't reading a query for a nonfiction book the way it began.] the leading political and economic dynasty in the town of Quarry, Ohio. Spenser, who suffers from epilepsy, may be the heir to a fortune, but his life is a mess. His grandfather Hiram, a state senator, disappeared shortly after Spenser’s birth, his mother abandoned him to his grandmother’s care in order to pursue an academic career and no one knows who his father is. Hounded by the town bully Arnie and desperate to get rid of Eddie, who refuses to go away, Spenser spends the summer before he turns fourteen trying to uncover the family secrets.

Defying his grandmother, Spenser visits the local magic shop and meets Morgan Miracle, a retired vaudeville magician, who becomes his mentor and his friend. When his mother arrives for a visit and is forced to remain in town, Spenser hopes she will reveal the identity of his father. Through the discovery of two skeletons in the lake behind the Buckler property, Spenser learns the identity of his father. [Are they talking skeletons? How do they reveal anything?] He also finds out that he had a twin sister, Edwina, the ghost of whom is the true identity of the imaginary friend he is so eager to shed. [This paragraph is just a list of some things that happen. Choose the most important one(s) and elaborate. Leave the others out of the query.]

The Magic is an 85,000 word YA novel that explores the importance of family and the cost of keeping secrets while offering information about famous American magicians of the 20th Century

[Spenser: Oh my God! How did these skeletons get here?

Skeleton 1: Your father was the gardener at the Buckner estate.

Skeleton 2: Did you know that magician Doug Henning (1947 - 2000) was born in Manitoba and grew up in Ontario? He performed his first show at the age of 14 at the birthday party of a friend.]

and teaching about epilepsy. It is complete and has two sequels. [One of them, The Dummy, is the gut-wrenching story of Morgan Miracle's losing struggle with pancreatic cancer, into which I've sprinkled anecdotes about great 20th-century ventriloquists; the other, Balls and Clubs, involves Edwina, Parkinson's Disease, and famous jugglers.]

I am a teacher and a published author whose stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, 42opus, Tertulia Magazine, and The Oyez Review, among others. I have been awarded a Fiction Fellowship from the Midwest Writers Conference and the Leo Love Fiction Award from the Taos Writers Conference.

I hope you will consider representing The Magic and would be happy to send a first fifty. [I'm not happily sending you fifty until we've signed a contract. And I recommend you set your sights a little higher than fifty, even if it is your first novel.]

There's a guy with a magic shop, and a ghost. Is there actual magic?

I wouldn't start out with the first rule of magic if you aren't going to talk about magic. Yes, you mention Morgan Miracle's magic shop, but you drop it immediately, so I can see no reason it's in the query.

I would start out: Thirteen-year-old Spenser Buckler, who suffers from epilepsy, may be the heir to a fortune, but his life is a mess. That gives you more room to explore the plot.

Telling us there's a magic shop and a character with epilepsy is enough to convince us we might learn something. Telling us you've worked in information about 20th-century magicians and epilepsy serves only to make me worry you've interrupted the narrative flow of the story. (See the Write Like Cassie Edwards exercise, February 24, 2008 on this blog for exaggerated examples.)

A 13-year-old main character with an "imaginary" friend may be better suited to middle grade than YA, although this may be longer than most middle grade books. Maybe you should focus on the Morgan Miracle/Spenser relationship (I'm assuming Morgan is a major player).

Mostly what this needs is plot. You quote the opening of the book, give us some setup, and then list some events. I want to see a logical progression of events.

Cartoon 371

Caption: Anon.

Your caption on the next cartoon! Link in sidebar.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Anniversary Celebration

Three years already? It feels like only 36 months ago we started.

Link below to a special blogEEversary something or other. And don't leave without watching the film.

Cartoon 370

Caption: Anon.

Your caption on the next cartoon! Link in sidebar.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Face-Lift 624

Guess the Plot

Leonard the Great

1. Leonard doesn't have any problems with being run-of-the-mill. Unfortunately, his father is Phil the Fabulous and his younger brother is Richard the Very Awesome. Is there something incredible in his genes?

2. I am tasked with telling the story of an amazing man, one who led Subiru through its greatest triumphs and darkest hours. From the horror of the great Muskrat Swarm to our victory over Hoondai, he was our King. But no one must ever learn about the goats.

3. Leonard Albacore's mission: get his master, Sir Ronald the Mediocre, a seat at the Round Table. But when Sir Ronald gets arrested for attempted bravery without a license, will Leonard have what it takes to spring him from the royal dungeon?

4. Leonard got called a lot of names growing up: Leonard the Fat, Leonard the Smelly, Leonard the Plain. Later, he became Leonard the Bald, Leonard the Flabby, and even Leonard the Limp. But now, with an unexpected inheritance and a bottle of Rogaine, a vial of Viagra, and a gutful of Hydroxycut, he can finally be . . . Leonard the Great.

5. In the twenty-third century, popes are chosen from among the crowds gathered to celebrate the winter solstice in St. Peter's Oblong. Leonard Jones, stumbling his way from one great Italian restaurant to another, pops in for a drink at the Vatican's La Trattoria PietroPaulo and finds himself anointed before he can finish his beer.

6. Leonard is just another downtrodden cubicle-jockey, until the CEO has a breakdown and declares martial law throughout the building. Suddenly Leonard's detailed knowledge of places to hide and sneak a smoke is vital to the survival--and eventual triumph--of the entire staff.

Original Version

Dear Editor,

Leonard the Great is a middle-grade fantasy novel (77,000 words) set in the days of King Arthur. It's the story of Leonard Albacore, [Already this is sounding like a fish story.] a young page who dreams of getting Sir Ronald the Mediocre, his kind but incompetent master, a seat at the Round Table. [Ah, I was wrong. It's a fish-out-of-water story.] After a chance encounter with a suicidal dragon, he cooks up a plan that will get both of them what they want -- death for the dragon and a sure-fire invite to Camelot for Sir Ronald.

But the plan backfires horribly when the [tuna cartel get wind of the plan and suggest that the] snooty Knights of the Round Table show up and arrest Sir Ronald for "attempted bravery [and fishing] without a license", dragging him off to Camelot's dungeons. Wracked with guilt, Leonard vows to do whatever it takes to free his master even if it means having to outwit dangerous monsters, doing battle with an ancient evil that has taken over Camelot, or going on a dangerous quest with a girl that takes his breath away every time he looks at her.

Full of rough and tumble action, this boy-centric novel is also rich with irreverent asides and unique characters.

I would be happy to send a sample chapter at your request.

This sounds good as it is. It does open the door to a question, namely how is going on a dangerous quest with a girl and outwitting dangerous monsters connected to getting Ronald out of the dungeon? Did the knights give Leonard these tasks, like the Wizard of Oz tasking Dorothy with getting the witch's broomstick? I would suggest dumping the monsters and quest and focusing on the ancient evil:

Wracked with guilt, Leonard vows to do whatever it takes to free his master. But now an ancient evil has settled over Camelot, causing A, and unless Leonard can B, C will happen. Presumably you know your ABCs. Better to give us one super-adversary than to make it sound like a series of unrelated events. (This might be true of the book as well as the query, but I assume the connection is made in the book.)

How hard can it be for a suicidal dragon to die? If plummeting from 20,000 feet won't do it, walking into Camelot breathing fire should get the job done.

Cartoon 369

Caption: Roger Eschbacher

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

New Beginning 630 (Excerpt)

Joe hung back and rode behind the wagons. It smarts bein’ traded for a horse. Jus ‘bout any way a body look at it, it’s belittlin’. Young pup Kincaid goes and gets his horse kilt, then wants old Joe as payment. A slave see a sight of twisted things in the world, but this beat all. An’ Kincaid puts on like he done the right thing, like a nigger ought to be happy and beholden. “But I ain’t no nigger,” Joe swore to himself. Decent folk jus don’t uproot a person like that. Black or white. Fifteen years workin’ for Lerocque, even though he be the masser, means somethin’. Goin’ through good times and bad, sharing cold camps, short rations, and danger; binds people together. Even masser and slave. Lerocque weren’t so bad. He only gave a taste of the lash oncst, and then he didn’t lay it on hard.

No, sir, ain't nothin' worse 'n' bein' traded fer a horse.

Joe mumbled to himself for the next hour, till the group fetched up at ranch. He followed Kincaid and the others as they wandered over to a paddock where a huge horse was kicking up a storm.

"Holy smoke," Garrigan said, pushing back the brim of his hat. "That's one wild stallion. Jeez, look at the size of his--"

"That's the truth," Kincaid said. He leaned on the fence. "Reckon he's frustrated. A meeting with my mare woulda calmed him down enough so's he'd take a saddle."

"Mebbe so, Kincaid, but what you gonna do now yer horse been kilt?"

Kincaid thought for a while, then turned toward Joe.

Opening: Wes.....Continuation: Anon.

Cartoon 368

Caption: Anon.

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Monday, April 20, 2009

Diabetes Auction

As I'm not thrilled with the continuations I've received for the remaining openings, and have received no more than two fake plots for any of the queries waiting, I'll use this space to mention that The Brenda Novak Auction begins May 1. I've offered six items, one of which has been declared a 1-day auction, and the others of which will run throughout the month of May. There are numerous opportunities to get your manuscript in front of specific agents or editors, to meet authors, to buy vacations, jewelry, autographed books, and lots more. All for a good cause. You can view all the stuff up for auction by clicking here and then on the categories on the left of the page.
The EE items:

Item Title Type Bid Ends
FEATURED LISTINGS Featured Item! (sorted and displayed first)
1306200 Top of Category Featured Item FOUR Consecutive Chapters of your Book Edited by EVIL EDITOR [preview]

(1-day auction. 5/29)
Standard Bidding - Click to learn more! $ 2.00 39 days 05 hrs
1294602 Top of Category Featured Item Your Book Featured in Evil Editor's August Book Chat [preview] Standard Bidding - Click to learn more! $ 2.00 41 days 05 hrs
1294591 Top of Category Featured Item Your book (up to 100,000 words) edited by Evil Editor [preview] Standard Bidding - Click to learn more! $ 2.00 41 days 05 hrs
1294600 Top of Category Featured Item An Amusing Book Trailer (created by none other than Evil Editor) for Your Book! [preview] Standard Bidding - Click to learn more! $ 2.00 41 days 05 hrs
REGULAR LISTINGS (sorted and displayed after any featured listings) Hide Thumbnail Images
1306198 Complete EVIL EDITOR Library PLUS CD, All Autographed [preview] Standard Bidding - Click to learn more! $ 2.00 41 days 07 hrs
1306199 YOUR BOOK Featured in an EVIL EDITOR FILM [preview] Standard Bidding - Click to learn more! $ 2.00 41 days 07 hrs

Cartoon 367

Caption: Anon.

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Saturday, April 18, 2009

Saturday Film Series

Remember: What happens in Evil Editor's Shorts stays in Evil Editor's Shorts.

Friday, April 17, 2009

New Beginning 629

It’s an interesting experience, rushing headlong through the woods after dark. The trees and bushes scratch me like they’re trying to and it’s a wonder I haven’t slammed into anything solid enough to break bones.

Ugh, it’s hard to breathe, probably because of the Goliath-sized arm clamped around my waist. I didn’t ask to be carried, but the monster doesn’t care. I wonder if the ride would be more comfortable slung over its shoulder.

And honestly, all this for a rose? It was nobody’s, growing by the pathside!

Hey, light… some sort of building up ahead—stone, maybe. Medieval, with a giant gateway and courtyard.

Wait, medieval in Colorado? Nearly as weird as a tabloid! But the building has to be medieval—torchlight, stone walls, a tapestry with more square feet than my family’s house. Well, at least I’m out of the trees.

I wish I could take a better look at those tapestries…. No, what I’d really like is to be home hot tea and some Robert Frost. Goodness, at this point I’d take reading Poe alone on a stormy night with no electricity!

Well, maybe not Poe, but I think you know what I mean.

The monster stops at the top of the stairs. I can see some swords on the wall, stained glass windows, carpets on the stone floors.

A tall man in a long coat walks over to me. "So this is my rose thief, yes?"

I glance up at him. Dark hair, impossibly good-looking, and fangs. Vampire fangs.

I drop my head. How in God's name did I get trapped inside a crummy romance novel?

Opening: _*Rachel*_.....Continuation: Khazar-khum

Cartoon 366

Caption: anon.

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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Face-Lift 623

Guess the Plot

Harper Street

1. To Kill a Sparrow, To Kill an Albatross, and To Kill a Dodo were all flops. Sooner or later, Harper Street will just have to face it: she's a cheap imitation.

2. From where I lie, I've seen them all-dames, dolls, dicks, devils. On one end it's the sticks, the other, the docks. In between it's penthouses and parks, slums and schools, churches and chopshops. I'm more than just a slab of asphalt: I'm Harper Street, and this is my story.

3. Mandy drives her Hummer to the Harper Street Mall to shop for shoes, but her heel & buckle man is none other than Dwight Lopez, undercover super-spy, who suddenly needs to borrow Mandy's car and lipstick to flee assassins so he can stop the Tinker, a deranged mastermind with a nuclear device in a shoebox.

4. Once the realm of the wealthy elite, Harper Street has fallen on hard times--which is why I've chosen it as my personal hunting grounds. I'm Geoff Van Der Plaz, the sexiest, most ruthless vampire of them all.

5. Who is killing the homeless? I'm Addy. I run the shelter, and I've fallen for one of the homeless guys, but that's the least of my problems. The cops think I'm the obsessed serial killer behind all the grisly murders committed lately, here on . . . Harper Street.

6. Everything gets strange when we move to the mansion on Harper Street and Tyrone digs in the backyard and finds bones. Ramona convinces him we can make it a tourist attraction. She'll sell tickets and tee shirts. And all I need to do is train the ghost.

Original Version

Dear Agent:

I have recently finished a 90,000 word romantic thriller titled Harper Street, for which I am seeking representation.

Tucson celebutante Addy Harper gave up her carefree lifestyle when a drunk-driving accident caused the death of a good friend. Ten years later, her former friends would hardly recognize her – she’s the hardworking director of the Harper Street Shelter, named after her deceased father.

Along with funding the shelter before he died, Ben Harper also left Addy one half of his multi-million dollar empire – If she could stay out of trouble for ten years. He left the other half to her brother, Paul Harper, on the same condition.

When a series of grisly murders is uncovered among the street people of Tucson, all signs point to Addy’s involvement in a complicated insurance scam where death means a nice, meaty payoff. But Tucson homicide detective Renner Cole isn’t so sure. He’s gone undercover at the shelter to try and dig up solid evidence on the real killer, and he’s seen the woman Addy Harper has become: hardworking, spirited, and generous. As a matter of fact, she’s just the kind of woman he’s been looking for – if he can keep her off of death row.

When Addy finds out that her newest resident is really an undercover cop, she’s furious and hurt that she's been lied to. [Now you tell me you're not a homeless guy? Now that I've fallen head over heels in love with you?! Bastard!] She liked RC, with all his crazy talk about walking the perimeter and his invisible buddy Frank. [Frank should be an invisible animal of some sort, but not a rabbit, which has been done to death. Maybe an ostrich.] But when the smoke clears, she realizes that Renner Cole is the only thing standing between her and a serial killer who's out to prove her guilt - permanently. [That word makes me think death, but I don't see how her death proves her guilt. And how does she know the serial killer is out to get her?]

Along the way to tracking down a killer and clearing her name, Addy realizes that she’s finally found the one man brave enough, caring enough, and tough enough to steal her heart. [RC's invisible buddy.]

I would be glad to send you a sample chapter, or the manuscript, at your request. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to facilitate your consideration.

Very nice. Whether or not you want to slip in the answer to a question or two, it should get a positive response from someone.

Is killing homeless guys really enough of a no-no to cost Addy her inheritance?

Are there other specific suspects, or is it just a matter of Addy or anyone else?

As they don't usually put you on death row for running an insurance scam, I assume they suspect Addy is the serial killer. You'd think someone running a shelter would have an alibi for some of the murders.

Obviously Addy's brother is the serial killer. It's refreshing to see a query whose author isn't afraid to give away the surprise ending.

Cartoon 365

Caption: D. Lemma

Your caption on the next cartoon! Link in sidebar.


text:
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  • "Against Medical Advice" by James Patterson

    Having published over 50 novels -- with sales worldwide of more than 140 million copies, James Patterson has just released his second non-fiction title, "Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Condidtion." His first non-fiction work, "The Day America...
    Posted to Books Blog (Weblog) by MediaPhile@evpl on 10-22-2008
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text:
South Africa Marks Nelson Mandela's Birthday

Jul 18, 2013

Millions of children across South Africa sang “Happy Birthday” to Nelson Mandela today as he turns 95.

People around the world are joining South Africans in celebrating his life.

British entrepreneur Richard Branson is among those volunteering 67 minutes in their communities, to honor the 67 years Mandela gave to the struggle against apartheid and creating a new South Africa.

In New York’s Times Square, South African artist Paul Blomkamp is showing his giant portrait of Mandela, which he says was inspired by the leaders great energy.

Mandela himself is in the hospital where he has been since June with a recurring lung ailment, but reports say that his health, which had been described as critical but stable, is improving.

His illness has intensified a bitter family struggle over Mandela’s legacy and inheritance.

Mandela helped create a post-apartheid South Africa, and he is still very much in South African minds, despite having left public life over a decade ago.

How are South Africans feeling about their country’s progress since the end of Apartheid, and what is South Africa’s role in the region today?

Copyright 2013 WBUR-FM. To see more, visit

Nelson Mandela turns 95 today, and people around the world are joining South Africans in celebrating his life. The United Nations has declared today Mandela Day with a call for citizens everywhere to take responsibility for making the world a better place. British entrepreneur Richard Branson is among those volunteering 67 minutes in their communities to honor the 67 years Mandela gave to the struggle against apartheid. In Times Square in New York, a South African artist is showing his giant portrait of Nelson Mandela.

Mandela himself remains in the hospital in South Africa where he has been since June with a lung infection. NPR's Jason Beaubien is in Johannesburg, and he is with us now. Jason, what's the mood like there today?

JASON BEAUBIEN, BYLINE: It's been actually quite festive, considering that Nelson Mandela is in hospital in critical condition. People were out in the streets sort of dancing and singing "Happy Birthday" this morning. At schools all across the country, people were singing "Happy Birthday" to him. Yeah, it's been actually quite upbeat, and sort of a lot of people have been taking this opportunity to really reflect on a very special person, not just in South Africa but in the world.

The Star Newspaper has a big two-page spread of 95 quotes to live by from Mandela, laying out his philosophy both as a freedom fighter and as a politician and as a man. So, it's been really a time to reflect on his legacy and think about, you know, this very special figure in South Africa's history.

HOBSON: And the people that are out there singing "Happy Birthday," are they of all races?

BEAUBIEN: Yeah, they are. I went to a white - predominantly white school - it was a private girls' school - this morning, and they were singing in Xhosa, in Mandela's own native language. They were singing "Happy Birthday" to him. And then, you know, when I crossed the street and there was all these black kids from a much poorer neighborhood from the poor public schools, and they were out singing in English and dancing on the sidewalks, singing "Happy Birthday" and singing old anti-apartheid freedom songs. Yeah, so everybody has really been engaging in year's Mandela Day.

HOBSON: And as you say, sadly, he is still in the hospital in critical condition. What do we know about his condition because there have been some reports that it's improving a bit?

BEAUBIEN: Yes. There have been some reports that it's improving a bit. It is very limited, the amount of information that we get. But some of Mandela's family members who visited him just recently say that he's responsive, that he's been watching television, that he very much sort of communicates with his eyes even though he can't speak at the moment because of a breathing apparatus. But they're saying that he is very much improving.

HOBSON: And is there optimism on the streets that he's going to get better and get out of that hospital and go back home?

BEAUBIEN: Many people here sort of accept that this is a man who spent 27 years in prison, had a very hard life, suffered from tuberculosis. And he's now 95. And I've been struck by South Africans, by - many of them very much seem to be - having prayers for him. And it's not necessarily prayers that he will come out, but prayers just that he is well, that he's in good hands. And even if he passes away, people sort of accept that it's very much the end of his life.

HOBSON: Jason, let's talk about South Africa. It has been now 14 years since Nelson Mandela left office. How much of the country today is a result of him and what he did?

BEAUBIEN: A lot of it is. I think the stability that has been here in South Africa is really quite remarkable given the anger that was there towards the end of apartheid. And much of the optimism and, you know, the Rainbow Nation, you know, their flag is - they refer to it as the flag of the Rainbow Nation. The sense of we are all here together was really planted. That seed was driven home by Nelson Mandela.

HOBSON: So a renewed optimism, although we do hear still about a lot of problems in South Africa, about high levels of violent crime, about still a strong economic divide with whites still disproportionately wealthy compared to blacks.

BEAUBIEN: Absolutely. I mean, this country still has numerous problems. I mean, unemployment, officially, is about 40 percent. You know, it's probably even higher than that. It still has the worst, the largest HIV epidemic in the world. There is a lot of discontent when you talk to young people about how the equality that was talked about during the struggle hasn't sort of trickled down to them, particularly on an economic level.

And it isn't even so much a sense that the whites have all of the power anymore. There has been a big shift of wealth to a very elite black class and a black middle class. But there's still millions of people who are being left out of that. And the frustration among, you hear every time you walk through one of the townships, economics is going to be a big factor whether they can bridge that economic divide down the road. And it's going to be a big fight.

You got several labor unions at the moment, South African Airways. Some of their employees have been on strike. The gold miners are in negotiations at the moment. They're asking for 100 percent increase in wages. Gold producers are offering 5 or 6 percent. You're know, you're heading for a big fight in that sector.

So, yeah, there's - there are some major problems that still need to get worked out, and they're not going to get worked out tomorrow.

HOBSON: Finally, Jason, I mean, there have been questions about whether Mandela's death, when it happens, is going to cause violence or political chaos in South Africa. Is that still a concern?

BEAUBIEN: You know, I don't think that there's going to be violence or, you know, riots the day after he dies. But I do think that it's a legitimate concern. It's a legitimate question. And it's something that I have heard brought up from people here in South Africa. There is a large number of people from throughout the African continent who are living here. A lot of people from Zimbabwe, a lot of Nigerians, people from Ethiopia, Somalia and there's a lot resentment towards them from native South Africans who are unemployed, who feel that these other Africans are driving down wages, they're stealing jobs.

A group of Somalis, who I spoke with, basically said, we're concerned that the protection that Mandela always sort of extended to us by the way that he spoke about all of humanity deserving theses rights were worried that that shield is going to be lifted if he's no longer there. Mandela has been a steadying force in South Africa even when he's lying there in his hospital bed. The fact that he's there, that he has laid out this vision of a united, Democratic, peaceful country. Nobody wants to challenge that while he's still around. And potentially, some people might try to rock the boat once he's gone.

HOBSON: NPR's Jason Beaubien joining us from Johannesburg, South Africa on this 95th birthday of Nelson Mandela. Jason, thank you so much.

BEAUBIEN: You're welcome.

HOBSON: And we'd love to hear from you. You can go to You can also go to tell us about this or any other story you hear on this program. Up next, a financial columnist will join us to tell us why she is paying so much attention to Tyler Perry's TV shows. That's just ahead. HERE AND NOW. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Eaton Corp. (Cleveland): Revathi Advaithi has been promoted to president - Electrical Sector, Americas Region. Effective April 1, Advaithi will be responsible for the company's electrical business in North, South and Central America. She will oversee manufacturing operations, sales, marketing, technology and product development for 12 divisions and $4.2 billion in revenues.

Advaithi joined Eaton in 1995 in the company's Global Leadership Development program as a manufacturing supervisor at the hydraulics facility in Shawnee, Okla., and has held several senior management posts for the company since then, including V.P. and general manager for the Electrical Components Division, and president, Asia Pacific, Electrical Sector, based in Shanghai.

Independent Electric Supply Inc./Sonepar (San Carlos, Calif.): Mike Baker is now V.P. of sales and business development and will support sales and market growth in specific Bay Area markets. He was the company's director of marketing and vendor relations for the last two years. Baker has been with Independent Electric Supply since 1995 and is a graduate of the University of Oregon.

Royal Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, Netherlands): Eric Rondolat has been appointed CEO of Lighting and will be a member of the company's Executive Committee, effective April 1, succeeding Frans van Houten who has led Philips Lighting on an interim basis. Rondolat joins Philips from Schneider Electric, where he held a series of management posts, including executive V.P. of the company's Power Asia-Pacific Business, and global marketing positions with the company's Merlin Gerin subsidiary.

IDEA (Alexandria, Va.): Susan Streich has joined the IDEA team as national sales manager. Streich spent the last six years with Epicor's Vista division and has worked for many years in market research, starting her career with the AC Nielsen company. She also worked for a buying group for eight years.

Halco (Norcross, Ga.): Kim Cook will assume the position as president of Halco Lighting Technologies. She will also retain her current title as COO, which she has held since 2005. Since joining Halco in 1992, Cook has held positions as account representative, regional sales manager, national sales manager and V.P. of sales and marketing before becoming the company's COO. In other news at Halco, Lisa Johnson was promoted to operations manager, where she will oversee IT, Purchasing and Facilities, as well as implementation of company policies.

Needham Electric Supply Co. (NESCO) (Canton Mass.): Mike Gambino has joined the company's board of directors, bringing more than 30 years of executive management experience and industry knowledge. He was president of Pass & Seymour/Legrand and Wiremold/Legrand until his retirement in 2007. Before that, Gambino started his own consulting firm and created, an online site for hard-to-find electrical products. Earlier in his career, he was with Midland Ross/American Electric prior to their acquisition by Thomas & Betts. Gambino joins current board members Tom Cloud, chairman of the board for United Electric; William Von Achen, president of Strategic Management Resources; and Frank Cincotta, co-founder and chairman of the board for Needham Electric.

In other news at the company, Greg Hushin has been appointed purchasing director, bringing NESCO more than 30 years' industry experience in procurement and materials management, most recently with Rexel/CLS. During his time with Capitol Light/CLS he was integral in their growth and managed over 20 branch openings across New England.

Horizon Solutions (Rochester, N.Y.): Industry veteran Mike Ales has joined the company and will manage Horizon's central distribution center and inventory management/purchasing team. He was previously Werner Electric's V.P. of purchasing and operations.

Cleaves-Bessmer-Marietti (CBM), Inc. (Kansas City, Mo.): Duff Greenwood has been named president of this independent manufacturers' rep. Greenwood has been with CBM Inc. since 1978; was named as a vice president in 1992; and been on the board of directors since 1996. Prior to CBM, Greenwood worked at General Electric Supply Co. in Topeka, Kan., as a branch manager, and was a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

WattStopper/Legrand (Santa Clara, Calif.): Jim Young will join the company as vice president of sales and marketing and Shireen Zekanoski becomes the V.P. of operations and engineering. Young was most recently an executive with Acuity Brands, serving as V.P. and general manager of the company's specialty group, which includes Winona Lighting, Peerless, Healthcare Lighting, Hydrel and Mark Architectural Lighting brands. Zekanoski has held numerous senior positions with Silicon Valley companies, including NeoPhotonics, Apple, Celerity and 3Com. Most recently, Zekanoski was V.P. of global operations for Santur Corp. Prior to that, she was with Apple.

Border States Electric (BSE) (Fargo, N.D.): Laura Drager has been named branch manager for the BSE location in Billings, Mont. Drager has been in the electrical supply business for 28 years. Before joining BSE, she was the regional operations manager for HD Supply Utilities' Northwest Region. She earned her BA in organizational leadership at the University of St. Mary, and is a member and past president of the Montana Association of Female Executives (MAFE).

W.W. Grainger (Lake Forest, Ill.): Sean O'Brien, president, Acklands-Grainger Inc., Grainger's Canadian subsidiary, resigned from the company effective March 23. O'Brien joined Acklands-Grainger as V.P., sales, in Nov. 2007, taking on additional responsibilities for e-business and marketing in early 2009. He was named president in Sept. 2009. Mike Pulick, president, Grainger International, will serve as interim president of Acklands-Grainger.

Burndy ( Manchester, N.H): Stephen Hayes is now Southeast regional sales manager. He has been with Burndy since 1998, most recently as a key account manager responsible for Rexel, Sonepar and IMARK and before that a field sales rep in Alabama. He has a BS in Industrial Distribution from the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Maxlite (West Caldwell, N.J.): Douglas Kruse has been appointed South Central region sales manager and will work closely with MaxLite's sales agencies to develop LED marketing programs and other energy-efficient lighting programs for architects, designers, lighting distributors and specifiers in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi. His professional experience includes serving as Southern Central sales rep for Progress Lighting, as well as the district sales rep (to Home Depot) for Hunter Ceiling Fan Co.

In other news at the company, Pat Treadway and James Steedly were appointed to director of product marketing and director of product R&D and engineering, respectively. Treadway and Steedly will continue reporting to Thomas Rhee, MaxLite's senior V.P. of sales, marketing and product. In his new role, Treadway will be responsible for overall product strategic planning, including short- and mid-term product roadmaps, brand positioning, product category expansion, supply chain development and the development of new emerging technologies. Steedly will provide technical leadership and create competitive cutting-edge lighting solutions while incorporating new ideas, technologies and methodologies.