It did have the Wilton cupcake server on the cover.

Huh. What operating system and network protocol does a cupcake server use?

What operating system and network protocol does a cupcake server use?

Betty Crocker Oven Windows 95 with a flournet connection.

So there's error correction?

So there's error correction?

Flournet has the SIFT protocol to ensure consistent dataflow.

shakes and stirs head

Many happy wishes for b-day!Aimee!

I, too, have a kittylump. Fortunately she only weighs 6.5 lbs. I heart my kittylump.

Am bored. Want to go home now.

Chiming in late with a happy birthday for the Empress!

Cindy, glad your son's OK ... and hope the doctor has raked the staff over the coals so that they will never, ever take something like that lightly.

Gerald Durrell is funny ... and he can be funny about himself. I remember reading one of his books from when he was young and his family was living on (I think) Cyprus. There was something about looking after a pet deer for someone, they were expecting Bambi and got The Stag at Bay ... scared his brother half to death (Lawrence Durrell).

And in regard to dialect, I once read a book by Josephine Tey in which one character, a young boy, chooses to speak - and write - in what his mother calls "clotted Perthshire". After one sample, the author reverts to standard English on the grounds that it's as hard on the eye as it is on the ear.

OK, so I got my scoresheets back for one of the three contests I've been waiting on...and landed the dreaded non-commenting judges! This particular contest is unusual in that it's judged by booksellers (mostly owners of independent bookstores AFAICT) instead of writers, and rather than a series of questions evaluating various aspects of craft and storytelling, the scoresheet asks them to rank each entry on a scale from 1 to 7 on the following 5 statements:

I would recommend this book to any customer who liked this type of novel. (both judges gave me 6's)

I would hand sell this book. (one 6, one 7)

I have customers who would enjoy this book. I believe it would sell. (both 6's)

This is an excellent beginning, and I want to read more. (one 5, one 7)

I want to read more of this author's books. (both 6's)

Then there's a place where they're asked to say what, if anything, would keep them from recommending the book to their customers, and what they enjoyed most about the entry. One judge didn't comment at all. The other, the one who gave me both the 7's, said, "Great start--I want to read the rest of the story."

So, high scores, on the whole, which is good, but I sure wish they'd explained what it would've taken to get straight 7's...

Mostly compliments, though. Sounds like it.

True. And I know myself from judging how hard it is to explain sometimes why I'm giving something a 4 out of 5 or a 9 out of 10 or whatever. With a lower score I can usually point to something specific and fixable, but when something is almost there it's a lot harder to identify the flaw, and I'm left spouting vagaries like, "The characters just didn't come alive for me," or "The pacing feels just a trifle slow, but I can't put my finger on where to tighten it up."