LL-L "Holidays" 2007.12.09 (03) [E/S]

Sun Dec 9 22:36:56 UTC 2007

L O W L A N D S - L  -  08 December 2007 - Volume 03
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: LL-L "Holidays" 2007.12.08 (03) [E/S]

> From: R. F. Hahn < sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Holidays

> An nou a speir fer our Scottish feres an feresses: Whit kin o bodie or
> craitur luik the gate o yer wee yins on Yule, Pace an mibbie ither
> hoalidays, an whit are the ongauns (tradeetion-lik)?

As faur as I ken, we juist haes Santae Claus for Christmas, gey like the
American ane (in England they for ornar says "Father Christmas" but we
dinna uize that).

I think in Scotland Christmas wisna celebrate tradeetional, an's juist
taen fae English or Continental praticks. I'v says it afore, that in oor
veelage in Scotland the schuil records shows 1917 as the year the bairns
wis first gien a holiday on Christmas day, sae it micht be that the idea
wis brocht back bi sodgers fae WWI.

There disna seem tae be ony bogles or demi-gods associate wi the New
Year or Pasche. Yiblins faurer back, but I hinna heard o them.

Sandy Fleming
http://sctostext.org/

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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org >
Subject: LL-L "Holidays" 2007.12.07 (08) [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn < sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Holidays
>
> Of course I had to gild the lily. (How could I have failed to do so?)
> I proposed instead of "Santa Fangs" the name "Santa Jaws." Not only
> does this rhyme with the counterpart's name but it also goes with the
> emergence and disappearance of the Anti-Claus via a sink's or
> bathtub's drain (or was it perhaps the toilet?).
>
> I took a quick survey, and the result is two for "Fangs" and two for
> "Jaws."
>
> At any rate, I suggest we quickly trademark or copyright the
> respective names, because I smell the makings of a dark (goth?)
> children's book.

Though kind of already done in the shape of the Futurama Robot Santa  :)

Sandy Fleming
http://scotstext.org/

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From: Wesley Parish < wes.parish at paradise.net.nz>
Subject: LL-L "Holidays" 2007.12.07 (08) [E]

I did plan a children's book on Satan Fangs back in the nineties, when I was
boarding at my friend's place ... indeed, my friend and landlady was much in
support of my doing so.  But, I never got around to it.  Back then I thought

I'd need to do the pictures myself; apparently children's publishers get
professional artists to do that sort of thing, but I didn't know that then.

Ron, it's an object case in "Why Radio Stations Ought Not To Play Stupid
Christmas Songs" - we listen to radio stations for the silly love songs, not
the stupid Christmas songs.  There was a song by Dolly Parton with the
phrase "I believe in Santa Claus" - and I couldn't resist ... ;)

Do you know anyone who might take such a venture on?  A dark, gothic
children's horror generally has a hard time getting to market, mostly
because
they scare the publishers with the idea that they'd scare the parents with
the idea that they'd scare the children ...  The original Grimm's Tales and
a
good many of the French folk tales were rather graphically gory, ditto for
the Russian and Yugoslavian and many of the Arabic ... it was the Victorians
who bowdlerized Maui, not the Maori ... he was told that Hine Nui Te Po -
the
Goddess of Death - had obsidian teeth where men enter her - of course when
she woke and closed her legs, he died -, and I never read about that little
feature in the many variants of the story I read as a child ... ;)

But I've had a Santa Fangs story floating around what passes for my mind
these
days, for 12 years.  I may as well make use of it. ;)

And thanks for telling my tale.  I'm pleased it found such a positive
reaction.  I think Santa Fangs has a slightly more shock value than Santa
Jaws, but that's just my opinion.

Wesley Parish

On Saturday 08 December 2007 19:04, Lowlands-L List wrote:
<snip>
> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Holidays
>
> Wes, you old rascal,
>
> I very much enjoyed your description of the Anti-Claus: Santa Fang, the
> antipodean antithesis of the jolly old man most of us were made to
> anticipate (unless we were Jewish, in which case we of course anticipated
> the Hanukkah Armadillo so ably portrayed in the American sitcom *Friends*
> by Ross when he tried to warm his estranged son's heart to his paternal
> Mosaic heritage but all the costume rental place had left was an armadillo
> outfit).
>
> Wes, I hope you don't mind that I ran your engaging story by three friends

> and a grocery store checkout person (who reported having been tailgated by
> Santa Claus in a Jaguar earlier in the day). It may please you to know
that
> all four of these persons approved (unless they thought I was not only
> insane but also dangerous and would have said anything to get rid of me).
>
> Of course I had to gild the lily. (How could I have failed to do so?) I
> proposed instead of "Santa Fangs" the name "Santa Jaws." Not only does
this
> rhyme with the counterpart's name but it also goes with the emergence and
> disappearance of the Anti-Claus via a sink's or bathtub's drain (or was it

> perhaps the toilet?).
>
> I took a quick survey, and the result is two for "Fangs" and two for
> "Jaws."
>
> At any rate, I suggest we quickly trademark or copyright the respective
> names, because I smell the makings of a dark (goth?) children's book.
>
> Cheerio!
> Reinhard/Ron

--
Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish
-----
Gaul is quartered into three halves.  Things which are
impossible are equal to each other.  Guerrilla
warfare means up to their monkey tricks.
Extracts from "Schoolboy Howlers" - the collective wisdom
of the foolish.
-----
Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui?
You ask, what is the most important thing?
Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people.

----------

From: R. F. Hahn < sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Holidays

Thanks, Sandy and Wes!

Sandy, A see. Lang syne the puir wee yins in Scotland had anerly Hogmanay
tae bide fer in wintertyde.

Wes, I do think the world is ready for Santa Fangs. Children love to be
scared. Today's grandparents are Baby Boomers that once rocked the boat.

Much depends on how you package it. Is it only good Santa v bad Santa? Or
does Fang have redeeming qualities he keeps secret in order to protect his
bad-ass image? Why, the message could even be uplifting!

Think of the success of some "scary" children's books such as *Where the
Wild Things Are* by Maurice Sendak (German translation: * Wo die wilden
Kerle wohnen*, French translation: *Max et les maximonstres*, Hebrew
translation: ארץ יצורי הפרא).

You just have to be persistent, not be discouraged too early but to keep
pushing.

My suggestions:

   - Get the concept and contents together in writing.
   - Write a promotional summary.
   - Run it all by friends that give you honest opinions and good
   suggestions.
   - Check out children's books at your local library and find publishers
   most likely to go with your idea. Then contact them.
   - Send promising literary agents the summary, your vision and wishes,
   a part of the text, and a suggested shortlist of publishers. (If any of them
   asks for a retainer, drop him or her right there.)

You could also look around which illustrators' works you like, and just
write to them, or at least mention their names to potential agents and
publishers.

Research, networking and persistence are fundamental requirements. Don't
allow rejection to discourage you!

Best of luck!

Reinhard/Ron
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