To right a wrong

I am going to die before the night is out.

I know it. I can feel it. There is a strange stillness in the air that heralds the end of life for me. Leaves rustle without wind. Wings of birds flutter ominously as they nestle amongst each other in sleep. A dog howls at the moon, it seems to me like it is baying for the dead. And I have just broken the vow.

In the remotest interiors of India, there exists an unremarkable village. It is not very large, is near neither the highway nor the sea, has neither natural scenic beauty nor historical importance, no popular film star has made a home in it, nor is it the haunt...

Read the full story in the March 2012 issue of Big Pulp

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3500 words
Drama
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"I think your story is excellently written. I enjoyed the details of life in a remote Indian village setting, and think you have done a great job of introducing this village and its people."

David Peters

Editor

Fried Fiction

"The opening line is quite good, portending the narrator's imminent demise. And the trailing paragraph, what in the old journalism game we call 'the bridge' is fantastic, too. It is, judging from the work's opening, a good night to die."

Theodore Q. Rorschalk

Editor

Total Quality Reading

"It has an original plot line. I love the setting too, and all the great cultural details you include. You're a very talented writer with good instincts for intriguing stories."

Paula Jolin

Manuscript Reader

The Sun

"I liked a lot about this story. The setting was spot on and authentic. The plot was unique; I've never seen anything like it. The piece had entertainment value and depth, which it's often hard to find both in a story."

A. Leonard Lucas

Fiction Editor

Fender Stitch

"We think that you have a very unique voice. The beginning paragraph is pretty much perfect. We were immediately drawn in"

Anonymous

Editor

Black Fox Literary Review

"I loved the opening few paragraphs... Amusing story... and the setting/atmosphere at the Indian village is well done."

Anonymous

Manuscript Reader

Antigonish Review

"We like your writing."

Ann Rushton & Kelly Shriver

Editors

Bound Off

"We enjoyed reading it"

Paul Barrett

Managing Editor

Mary Magazine

"We enjoyed reading it"

Bill Olver

Editor

Big Pulp

A Hindu god worth waiting (and waiting) for

The queues are serpentine. Everywhere the eye can see, dark heads and pale, shining pates are milling about in the crowd as people jostle for legroom and, like some covert military operation, sneakily inch forward when their neighbour isn't looking. I have wrapped a scarf around my head to protect myself from the blazing rays of the sun, but the garment is fighting a losing battle. A low hum of conversation pervades the air and cries of the sopranic “Get your laddoos here!” and the wrathful “Watch where you're going!” break the monotony.

It was 6 in the morning when I had set out for the Tirupathi...

Read the full article in the second week of March 2012 issue of Globe And Mail

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600 words
Drama
Canada publication

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Words from the Wise

"I enjoyed reading it."

Catherine Dawson-March

Deputy Travel Editor

The Globe And Mail

"It is good."

Acharya Arumuganathaswami

Managing Editor

Hinduism Today

Getting the hing of it

Devil’s Dung. Not exactly the most flattering epithet for something that is eaten with such relish in parts of the world. Stinking Gum? Not much better. Food Of The Gods. Ah, now that’s more like it.

My finger runs down the definition in the guide. Asafoetida i.e. Ferula assafoetida, family Apiaceae, it says, is a species of Ferula native to Iran. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to two metres in height, with stout, hollow, somewhat succulent stems that are five to eight centimetres in diameter at the base of the plant. The leaves are thirty to forty centimetres long, tripinnate in...

Read the full article in the February/March 2012 issue of Whole Life Times

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885 words
Humour
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"It's a very nice and interesting piece. Though I've heard of the herb, I didn't know all about it. You write very nicely."

Nicola Ross

Editor

Alternatives Journal

"You are a wonderful writer."

Elaine Gillespie

Editor

Sandlapper

"It's very good, it's got more plot than many of the stories we get in other categories... very well done."

Geoffrey C Porter

Editor

Untied Shoelaces Of The Mind

"This is a lovely piece of writing"

Tim Kroenert

Assistant Editor

Eureka Street

"Charming article. Very nice. Thank you again for your fascinating contribution to our magazine."

Abigail Lewis

Editor

Whole Life Times

"It was well-written and an enjoyable read."

Jess Wallace

Editorial Assistant

New Zealand Woman’s Weekly

"It is charming and informative."

Colleen Leonardi

Assistant Editor

Edible Columbus

"I enjoyed it very much"

Steve Ott

Editor

Kitchen Garden

"It is very well written"

Acharya Arumuganathaswami

Managing Editor

Hinduism Today

"I enjoyed reading your essay"

Leslie C. Moore

Editor

Sasee

"Interesting article"

Janet Wallace

Editor

Canadian Organic Grower

Top 5 irritating editor habits (And what writers can do about them)

On a whim they can subject us to torture of the vilest bilge. On a fancy they can deny us the pleasure of a beautiful composition. They control what comes into the market and what remains. They are the demi-gods of the publishing industry. They are, of course, the Editors.

Where would the writing world be without these paragons of the paragraph? They may work behind the scenes, unobtrusively and unstintingly, yet it is their sweat that lends the sheen of dazzle to the pages they produce. A good editor is worth his/her weight in words. And a really great one can make the difference between the Pushcart...
Read the full article in the Winter 2012 issue of New Writer

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2170 words
Humour/Writing
UK publication

Is your website accessible?

Your website is your showcase to the world. You are proud of it and have invested time and resources into making it useful and relevant. You want everybody who is anybody to visit it. But did you know that you might be restricting an entire group of users – and potential customers – from getting to you? These are people with disabilities, people for whom the most mundane activities in life can be extremely challenging and who struggle to get basic tasks done. Nevertheless, these same people are also doing exactly what the rest of us are – working, enjoying food, leisure and sport. They have spiritual...


Read the full article in the Winter 2011/2012 issue of Work Your Way


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800 words
Nonfiction/Corporate
UK publication

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Words from the Wise

"It's a good feature. I must say that your articles are always very well written. It is nice to be able to simply 'plonk' them in, without having to heavily edit them to make sense. It's perfect as is it."

Mary Cummings

Editor

Work Your Way

From parchment to attachment

‘To be or not to wee, that is the question.’

‘Er, that’s be.’

‘Eh?’

‘That should be not to be, not not to wee.’

‘What the hell is thyself talking about?’

‘Thou said... ah, never mind. Go on reading, will thee?’

‘Right. Moving on. I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word would narrow up thy soul, freeze thy young brood, make thy two eyes, like scars, start from their spheres, thy knitted and combined locks to fart, and each particular hair... ‘

‘Um, that’s harrow not narrow, blood not brood, stars not scars, knotted not knitted and part not, er, fart.’

‘Quite. Look, perhaps thee had better make me...


Read the full article in the January 2012 section of Irascible Professor


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1715 words
Humour
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"We start the new year with a humorous article from a new guest commentator. Devyani Borade riffs eloquently about the changes that technological advances have brought to the craft of writing. And, where they have fallen short. We think you will enjoy this piece."

Dr. Mark H. Shapiro

Editor and Publisher

Irascible Professor

"It's an incredibly witty and well-written piece"

Rebecca Rego Barry

Editor

Fine Books & Collections

"The piece is funny and intriguing"

Zachary Petit

Managing Editor

Writer's Digest

"It's very cute"

Moira Allen

Publisher

Writing World

Managing test data - The challenges of testing on live websites

Angelina Jolie is my customer. Tom Cruise shops at my online store. Sachin Tendulkar has often worked for me collecting meter readings. Wayne Rooney is a frequent supplier who ships my products to their destinations, taking care of fulfilment and logistics. Bill Gates features regularly as a job-hunting candidate when I am posting online jobs. Even Albert Einstein has managed some general administrative work behind the desk for me.

Before you think I am talking through my hat, allow me to tell you that these are all only “user records” in my software application testing!

For those of you who...


Read the full article in the December 2011/January 2012 issue of Software Test and Quality Assurance

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1885 words
Nonfiction/Corporate
US publication