living up to potential

From Friday's SA (again...I'm playing catch-up; you know how it is):
Ashworth Wins Borders Employee Fiction Writing Contest
Ralph Ashworth, a supervisor at a Borders store in Tarentum, Pa., near Pittsburgh, has won the Borders Group fiction writing contest that was open to its 30,000 employees. His crime-thriller, The Killer of Orchids, will be published by Borders's State Street Press early next year and will have "the full support of Borders's merchandising and marketing arsenal," as the company put it. Employees submitted more than 200 manuscripts.The book "follows two amateur sleuths, Xander Pooka, an 11-year-old boy who is bright beyond his years, and Jeff Redwing, a single, gay computer genius, as they investigate the murder of two local men by a samurai," Borders judges at the corporate office said. "Their investigation leads them into an underground ring where murder is the game and they become the hunted." Ashworth, who has worked for Borders since 1994, said in a statement, "Two years ago I made a commitment to establish myself as a nationally published author, so this is a dream come true. . . . writing fiction is my passion. I'm thankful for this great opportunity Borders has given me to help me achieve my dream."In 1994, Ashworth published a book, Greetings from Pittsburgh, which tells the history of the city through postcards. A video featuring Ashworth and his postcards are part of a permanent exhibit at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. He has also written feature articles for Pittsburgh Tribune Review and Pittsburgh Magazine. Ashworth studied writing at Carnegie Mellon with historical novelist Gladys Schmitt and attended a master class with 10 writers, including E.L. Doctorow, Raymond Carver and Frank Herbert.

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Anyone else realize just how sad this is? The guy went to Carnagie Mellon, he's studied with freaking Raymond Carver (yes, yes, and the rest)...and he's a supervisor at a Borders in PA???? Shoulda taken a left at Albuquerque...