The Variety Pages

Round Robin: Up a Tree

2009-11-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the weekly Round Robin! Each week I post a four-sentence prompt, and your mission, should you choose to accept it is to continue the story (up to 4 sentences at a time) in the comments. You may post more than once, but not consecutively. You don’t have to be a writer to join in – anyone can play, and take the story whatever direction you want.

Here we go!

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Up a Tree

Nelson stood barefoot in the cool grass, his neck craned at an impossible angle. Above him leaves rustled and danced as the object of his interest moved through the branches. Dark clouds were approaching, and lightening had flashed just south of the ridge moments ago. He reached for a low branch, preparing to swing himself up.

Construction Zone: Automatic Sub-plots

2009-11-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Delve into my NaNo draft with me for a moment, if you will. Marie, our heroine is driving her team in a big truck with an extended cab along a highway in the desert. The next “catastrophe” I’ve planned for them is an engine problem, which happens on schedule. They get out, one of the guys thinks he can fix it, and rummage around in back for a tool box. I’ve not given them one, I want them to solve the problem creatively (or not, whatever happens as I write).

And then they find a box in the back. One that could be a tool box. I’m intrigued, because it’s not supposed to be there. I’m typing furiously; just as curious as they are to find out what’s in the mysterious box. They open it up, and through a serious of cryptic comments, we all find out that it’s a kilo bag of cocaine.

Obviously, this adds some serious issues to the story. There are certain logical things that one “expects” to go with illegal drugs being randomly found. One of which is that at the very least, someone’s probably looking for the drugs.

This doesn’t actually change my plot at all…it just adds another layer of complexity. More bad guys to watch out for. Maybe more good guys if law enforcement gets involved. Certainly more challenges and danger to deal with as they try to solve the main challenge in the story. It’s something I hadn’t thought of, and why would I? I was focused on the main story when planning out my scenes, and I don’t plan out every little detail before I start writing (because knowing too much about the story before I write it bores me, and then I don’t write it).

This happens to me quite often – I’ll be writing along, minding my own characters when someone finds something, or an event I didn’t plan just sort of happens. Sometimes it’s annoying, and completely unusable. My past NaNo drafts have many such examples that make me fear editing them. Occasionally, they’re like the example above, and I sit in awe of what can happen when you let things play out as they will on the page.

Do automatic sub-plots pop up in your drafts? Are they normally usable, or just words to cut later? Have you ever taken an automatic sub-plot out and turned it into it’s own story?

Goals and Reading List 11/9/09

2009-11-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, looking at another week full of things to do. Last week I was about half and half with accomplishing things, but the momentum wasn't too bad. I'm about 1,100 words behind on NaNo at this point, but I'll catch up eventually.

I couldn't wait to re-check the word count guidelines again - for anyone who might be interested, Harlequin Blaze and Intrigue (the two lines I'm considering for my novels) are both 55,000 to 60,000 words now. Must have gone up, but that's okay. Good, actually, since it opens up potential to submit to other houses without having to add so much should Harlequin turn me down, if I write to 60,000 words. Cool.

Anyway, I didn't do too badly last week, even with falling behind a bit. Desert Heat is cruisin' along, but needs more "heat". I didn't get a short story drafted, but did get the plot down for each of them, along with the main character and common thread. So good progress - they should go quickly with the advanced planning.

As far as personal goals went, the Thanksgiving decor is up, work-outs were a non-event, and all the halloween stuff is gathered for inventory, but that's as far as I got. Sometimes, you just have to sit and play games instead of working all weekend.

So...here we go again...

Weekly Goals

Writing
- 2000 words per day on Desert Heat
- 2 short story drafts for Holiday Lights
- Chapter 32 of Tempest
- Start writing earlier in the evenings (ie, quit playing on FB so much)

Personal
- Get cracking on the halloween decor inventory. I don't want it stretching into Christmas. We have Wednesday off (Veteran's Day is a federal holiday), so will hit it hard then.
- Start my gift calendars
- Catch up on the backlog of laundry from before the Halloween party

Weekly Reading List

It's slow going with all the writing at night, but I still manage to sneak some reading in at lunch and on the occasional break at work. The beautiful thing about ebooks is they are completely portable, and unnoticable on a device as small as my PDA.

Another Harlequin freebie, Snowbound by Janice Kay Johnson was completely delightful, fraught with angst as it was. A teacher and her high school charges are stranded in the mountains by a huge snowstorm, and taken in by a war vet in a remote mountain lodge who isn't at all happy for the company. It's a wonderful story of redemption and healing, very well written.

Starstruck by Julie Kenner (Harlequin Blaze) is a hilarious and poignant story about falling in love with your best friend - or not. The tension is high, the heat is on, and so is the struggle between following your heart, or following your head. The sort of on again/off again bumbling relationship between the two main characters, Alyssa & Chris, is very believable, and the ending is just perfect. I can't wait to get Claire's story (Alyssa's best friend) when it comes out!

Texas Blaze by Debbi Rawlins (Harlequin Blaze) is my current read. Last month I read her Texas Heat, which was three shorter stories about three of Kate's friends finding love at her ranch (two with Kate's brothers, one with a local rodeo hero). I was really looking forward to Kate's story, and so far, it hasn't disappointed. How do you get the guy you had a crush on when you were young to admit his attraction to your grown self when it seems "taboo"? This is an excellent read, but I wouldn't expect anything less from Rawlins.

That's it for this week - how's your week shaping up? Any good reads, or is everyone busy writing away?

Variety News 11/8/09

2009-11-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

It makes no sense, but it seems like the busier I get the easier it is to be organized. Probably because I don't have a chance of keeping up unless I am organized! Last week, I had nearly every post for the blog written early and scheduled to post on the correct day. It really does make things go so much more smoothly. Why can't I do that when I'm not rushing to write a novel draft in 30 days?

In any case, 'twas a good week around here last week. Thanks to everyone who participated in the first Round Robin! It went a completely different direction on Facebook, which was really cool but I don't have enough interested friends there to keep it moving along. So I'll fix the connection over there today, so everyone can come over here to participate in one spot.

Welcome, new followers! Glad to have you with us!

There are always several posts I read during the week that ressonate with me, I always find myself thinking, "I wonder if all my online peeps have read this yet?" Because I find myself wanting to refer these to people, I'm creating a new topic for Saturdays called "Notable Posts". This is where I'll mention and link posts on other blogs/sites that I found particularly interesting or helpful during the week. Hopefully you'll enjoy visiting them too.

This week on The Variety Pages:

Monday: Weekly Goals & Reading List
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Automatic Subplots
Wednesday: Round Robin - Up a Tree
Thursday: Wildcard - NaNo Update & excerpt
Friday: Chapter 32 of Tempest
Saturday: Notable Posts

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Word Blizzard - I've fallen behind on updates for this over the weekend, but since all the members are doing NaNo, they don't have time to read anyway. I'll get caught up tomorrow with the next chapters and daily prompts.

Nail Art Tuesday - Something pink and petally for this week, I think. Maybe. My creativity is faltering a bit, but I'll figure something out by tonight.

Scaryview Cemetery - is effectively going silent for awhile. I might post occasionally on the inventory process or ideas for next year's party, but nothing with any regularity. Time to move on to Thanksgiving!

Tea on Tap - I do waffle on this one. I'll keep it open, but not sure I'll get around to posting over there anytime soon. We'll see. I have tons of tea to try and comment on...

Here's to another great week!

Tempest, Chapter 31

2009-11-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

This serial novel draft is posted weekly on Fridays. Comments are always welcome. I hope you enjoy it!

Tempest

Chapter 31

Jake lunged as Adrienne lifted the gun, pulling it away just as it went off. Charlie jumped back, standing helplessly by while he held the girl back. The gun landed several feet away, and Charlie ran to pick it up. She turned, and saw Nick on the ground, blood soaking into the dirt around him.

"Nick..." She went over and knelt beside him, placing two fingers at the side of his neck.She looked up at Jake, still holding Adrienne as she sobbed against his chest. "He's dead." She stood and moved to Jake's side. He released Adrienne, took the gun from Charlie and flipped a lever on the back that she assumed was the safety before he tucked it into the back of his waistband.

"Do you know where the others are? Are they okay?" he asked Adrienne.

She nodded, pointing into the trees. "They're camped out a mile that way," she said, her voice breaking. "I went there first, then followed Nick when he left them to see what he was up to."

Charlie frowned as they started hiking again. "How did you get here ahead of us? I thought the mine would be faster."

"I came up the river," Adrienne said. "Right after I left you, I had instructions to go to the river where I'd be taken back to my father." She grinned, wiping the last of the tears from her face. "I guess I don't follow instructions very well."

Jake shook his head. "We need to pick up the pace, ladies." He glanced over his shoulder at Charlie. "Are you okay to keep going?"

She nodded, forcing her aching muscles to a longer stride. "I'll be fine."

They walked in silence, hearing low murmers ahead after about half an hour. Jake signalled them to duck behind some bushes, and Charlie crouched beside Adrienne as he went on ahead.

"I'm glad Jake saved your life," Charlie whispered. Adrienne looked at the ground, letting out a long sigh. "Is there anything I can do? Someone I can call when we get out of here?"

The girl shook her head. "There's no one left to care," she said, her voice low. "It's okay though. Thanks for wanting to help. I'll be okay." She smiled. Charlie noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Movement ahead caught her eye. "There's Jake," she said, standing and reaching a hand out to help Adrienne up. "Looks like it's safe."

"Nick's wife is worried," he said when they reached him. "I haven't told her yet, but we need to get moving soon to stay ahead of Winters' men. You two get everyone packed up and ready while I break the news. I want to get her away from the group when I tell her, just in case she's in on it too."

Charlie nodded. She and Adrienne followed him into the clearing to join the group. They were waiting, and everyone started talking at once. Charlie held up her hands, waiting until they quieted to speak. She noticed that Jake pulled Nick's wife, Tanya aside.

"Thank you, everyone for your concern." She looked around at the expectant faces. "We're fine - Jake helped us get away, for now. But we need to keep moving, and get off this mountain. So if you would all gather your things quickly, we'll go as soon as you're ready."

No one moved. Don Wilson spoke up. "Tell us what's going on. Who are these people? What do they want with us?"

"We have a right to know who's trying to kill us, don't we?" Brenda looked around, and the others nodded.

Charlie rubbed the side of her neck with one hand. They did deserve to know. But what was the point? It didn't change anything, and they were wasting time. She looked around, hoping to defer to Jake, but he and Tanya had gone out of site. She took a breath, preparing to stall.

"It's my father." Adrienne stepped forward. "He's a drug dealer that I was helping Jake catch." She took a deep breath, letting it out slow. "I'm sorry you were all involved, but it's done, and there's nothing we can do now but stay ahead of him."

Don put his hands on his hips. "Well what does he want? Is there anything we can give him to make him go away?"

"No." Charlie's voice was firm, and she held his stare until he looked away. "That's enough. Get packed up, everyone. We're going home."

Awards Ceremony - Thank you, thank you!

2009-11-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

Last week, no less than three people passed along two blog awards to this site. So today, I'm accepting and passing them along to more worthy bloggers.

First, the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thanks so much to The Lost Wanderer and Erica from Laugh. Write. Play. for passing this one on to me! Here are
The Rules:

1. Copy the Kreativ Blogger picture and post it on your page.
2. Thank the person that gave the award to you and link back to their blog.
3. Write 7 things about you that we don't know.
4. Choose 7 other bloggers that you would like to give the award to.
5. Link to the bloggers that you chose.
6. Let your winners know that they have the lovely award!

So...Seven things you may not know about me:

1. I lived on the East Coast (Maryland) for 6 months when I was 12/13 yrs old. Visiting all the historical places while I was there is what eventually made me study for my Bachelor's in History (emphasis on Early American history).
2. I visited Paris for 2 weeks when I was in college. Amazing trip.
3. I've been to Euro-Disney, but no Disney theme parks in the states.
4. I'm really not all that fond of traveling.
5. I was homeschooled from 3rd grade through high school.
6. I have an affinity for very old first editions. I saved up for weeks in college to buy a 1st edition of Gone with the Wind once, only to find it had been sold when I finally went to purchase it. I still mourn the loss.
7. I've always wanted to own a Camero IROC-Z. Preferably in teal.

I always try to pass awards on to people who haven't yet received that particular award, though I can't be sure in the event people don't actually post awards (which is perfectly fine, of course). So here are the seven bloggers I bestow the Kreativ Blogger award on:

Jason A. Myers
Ieva Melgalve
Adam – Editing Hat.
Erica Vetsch - On the Write Path
Dan - The Man Who Painted Agniezka’s Shoes
Meg – Writing, Food & Life
Amy De Trempe - Timeless Romance

I could tell you great things about all of these excellent people, but I'd much rather you just clicked the links and went to see for yourself. You can't go wrong with any of them - all are very worthy recipients, in my opinion.

Secondly, Mary Ann Gruen from The Starlight Blog bestowed this award on all of her followers, as did the original creator.

I have 41 followers...which is a lot more than I ever thought I'd have! And I appreciate each and every one of you, plus all of those who subscribe in some other way or even just pop in to visit once in awhile. In the tradition of this award, I bestow this on you all - you make my blogging experience all the sweeter whether you comment or not.

I would love to list everyone out, as others have been doing, but frankly, I simply don't have the time. And it seems redundant when I have that nifty little followers box there on the left side of the page. I would encourage all of you to go over there when you have a few minutes, and randomly click on a photo, then check out the blog linked there. Do that several times, and I bet you'll discover some fabulous new blog buddies to add to your circle!

Thanks again to Lost Wanderer, Erica and Mary Ann for the lovely awards!

Round Robin: The Cabin

2009-11-04T04:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first Wednesday Round Robin! Each week I’ll post a four-sentence prompt, and your mission, should you choose to accept it is to continue the story (up to 4 sentences at a time) in the comments. You may post more than once, but not consecutively. You don’t have to be a writer to join in – anyone can play. Get those creative juices flowing!

Clear as glass, right? (Just smile and nod and pretend you know what’s going on. It’s easy, you’ll see.)

Here we go!

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The Cabin

Amanda pushed the thin curtain aside, peering out into the darkness as snowflakes pummeled the window. The cabin was cold and drafty. Collin had locked the door from the outside, leaving her trapped with only a small pile of firewood, two candles and the leftovers from dinner. Last time he’d been gone for a week.

Story Construction: Planning a Character’s Arc

2009-11-03T04:30:00.000-08:00

I’ve just recently learned (after having not really given it much thought before) that I am a plot-driven writer. That means when I think about telling a story, I’m not really thinking characters, I’m thinking about what happens. Once I know what’s going on, I put the characters into the scenes, and let them react to the plot as it unfolds. I don’t really get too attached to them, and think nothing of throwing things at my characters just to see how they’ll react, torturing them whenever I get bored with how things are moving. Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? I think as writers, sometimes we have to acknowledge the darker side of our nature (or is that just me?).

It seems that while some readers are perfectly fine with plot driven stories, there are also a good many readers who want characters to be in the spotlight, developing and growing and learning things about themselves as they navigate the gauntlet I gleefully throw them into. I’ve been (and still am) working on making my characters more “real”, and now I’m trying to give the main character(s) a development arc to travel through the story.

For me, this is not as easy as it sounds.

Don’t get me wrong. My characters generally have some sort of arc. When you throw that much stuff at them to deal with all at once, they can’t help but change and grow in some way or other without my pushing them to. But now I find that I want to control them just a little bit more, sort of “lead” them where I want them to go (without being obvious about it, of course). So as I was planning out scenes for Desert Heat, I tried to keep the character arc for Marie, my main character in focus throughout. I also made her personality in the beginning such that it would be easy to see any shift in her personal perceptions. I’m hoping this will make it easier for me to see/adjust the arc once I get to revisions with her. So far, I’m pleased with how she’s starting out, and already throwing things at her that are testing her personal boundaries. With any luck, she’ll have some very poignant revelations at crucial intervals.

Marie is pretty easy, because I’ve created her as someone with nowhere to go but up from the beginning. But what about the more subtle characters, like Hannah from Her Private Chef? I know what arc I want her character to take, but it’s more difficult for me to “see” it through the scenes of my story. I’m wondering if I should actually plot her arc independently when I start revising, so I have a clearer picture of what I’m looking for?

How you do deal with creating/maintaining character arcs? Diagrams? Outlines? Just as the story comes out?

Goals and Reading List 11/2/09

2009-11-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Last week, I got 3 out of the 4 writing goals completed. The first draft of Her Private Chef is now complete. It didn’t quite make 50,000 words, but it will in the revisions, without even trying. Maybe even 55,000. I should check the word count guidelines for Blaze again before I start revising. I can’t tell you how excited I am about that draft – it’s the first one I’ve ever written that, even though there are a bunch of revisions to be made, I know exactly where to take it and how to add what’s needed to make it a potentially salable story. A very heady feeling, to be sure! In any case, it’s set aside to “marinate” for the month while I work on my NaNo novel, Desert Heat. I’ll do revisions on HPC in December.

Last week I also planned out my short stories for the Holiday Lights collection, and did the beta reading/commented requested by a twitter buddy. Unfortunately, while I almost got one more complete chapter of Tempest done, that’s all I did for the serial. So there’s nothing else to do but just keep writing it week to week, I guess. It’s okay. I’ll make it happen.

Personal goals didn’t fare quite so well, though we did get the graveyard taken down yesterday, and started staging tubs for décor downstairs where I can inventory it as we put it back. It’s going to be a huge project, and I think I’m just going to have to be strict and devote a few hours per week to it. Hopefully it will go quicker than I think. And I still need to send my Grandma a birthday card – will get the letter written today and mail it tomorrow. Better late than never!

This week is going to be a crazy blizzard of activity – lots to do!

Weekly Goals

Writing
- 2000 words daily for NaNo. I may not hit that every day, but if that’s the goal, I’m more likely to get at least 1,667. It’s only double what I’ve been writing per day…
- Chapter 31 of Tempest
- Write one flash piece for my Holiday Lights collection

Personal
- Start the Halloween inventory process.
- Work out 20 min. per night (hubby and I are on another kick)
- Start planning out the calendar pages I’m designing for Christmas gifts.
- Put out the meager-by-comparison Thanksgiving decorations I have.

Weekly Reading List

Last Friday night I indulged in staying up ‘til the wee hours of the morning to finish The Bartered Bride by Erica Vetsch. It’s her debut novel, and in a couple of weeks I’ll be posting the first chapter here, followed by a guest post and contest to win a signed copy of her book. A historical inspirational romance, it’s the emotionally intense story of a business merger hinging on a marriage between two parties who are less than enthusiastic about it. For such a small book it’s stuffed with internal conflicts and the attempt to balance family loyalty with personal principles. Have I made you curious? Good! It comes out this month, and I highly recommend it. I plan on buying at least one copy for a gift.

I also managed to fit a Harlequin into my lunch hours last week – one of the free reads they released for their 60th anniversary this year. Stranded with a Spy by Merline Lovelace is a frightening story of a woman suspected of smuggling government secrets out of the country, after having lost a sexual harassment suit against a prominent politician. She’s been put through the ringer, and decides to get away for a vacation, but ends up with no money, no passport, and a man she eventually learns is a spy sent to catch the person she’s accused of passing secrets to. It’s a whirlwind of international intrigue and mystery – not to mention insanely hard to put down once it’s started! Excellent read, and free on the Harlequin site (at least it was…).

My monthly subscription reads are ready for download, so I see more good lunch reading in my future…

That’s it for me – how’s your week look? Read anything good lately?

Variety News 11/1/09

2009-11-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Happy November, everyone! If you are participating in National Novel Writing Month - happy NaN0! Everyone should be off and writing now...how are those word counts coming? I got 744 before I crashed last night (early this morning).

A few orders of business for the week. First, as announced last Wednesday I'll be discontinuing the photo contest. The winner of October's contest (drawn by my husband this morning) is:

Erica from Laugh, Write, Play! Congratulations, Erica - email me your address, and I'll send you a couple books & some tea.

Having discontinued the contest, I was faced with the dilemma of what to replace it with. I wanted to do something we could all participate in, rather than me just rambling on. This morning, it came to me - what about a round robin story? I think it could be lots of fun, especially if people who write in many different genres contribute.

Here's how it will work. Every Wednesday I'll post the opening paragraph of a story - a prompt, if you will. Then whoever would like to participate can add up to four sentences at a time in the comments. I think it will be great fun to see what kind of tales materialize from our collaborative efforts. I hope everyone will join in!

Second, this blog received awards from three people last week - thanks to all of you! I'll collect and pass them on Thursday...much appreciated.

This week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Weekly Goals & Reading List
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Planning a Character Arc
Wednesday: Round Robin Story Prompt
Thursday: Wildcard - Awards Ceremony
Friday: Chapter 31 of Tempest

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Word Blizzard - NaNo has started, and I am blogging my novel! I also have daily prompts on the blog to keep us all inspired. Email me for an invitation to join if you don't have one already.

Nail Art Tuesday - This week's manicure will be fall-inspired, burgandy or gold, I think (or both).

Scaryview Cemetery - This blog is winding down for the year. I'll be posting photos from Halloween night in our graveyard either later today or tomorrow.

Tea On Tap - Didn't quite get to my puerh session last week, but will make a point of a quick post later this week.

Here's to another great week in the blogosphere!

Tempest, Chapter 30

2009-10-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

This serial novel draft is posted weekly on Fridays. Comments are always welcome. I hope you enjoy it!

Tempest

Chapter 30

Charlie shivered as Jake stepped away from her after the branch cracked behind them. Missing the heat of his body, she started to close the distance between them. She glanced over his shoulder, relieved to see Nick stepping out from behind a tree. The feeling was short lived though as she registered the blood running down his right arm.

"Nick - what happened? Where are the others?" Jake strode forward, his voice husky. Nick stumbled to meet him, holding his hand over the bleeding wound.

"The others are upstream about two miles," he said, gasping between short breaths. "I came back to look for you, and got shot about half a mile back." He lifted his hand, showing them the bandage he'd fashioned from a strip off his shirt. "I'm not sure how we're going to reach the rest of the group now - seems like they're guarding the river farther up."

Charlie frowned. She felt like they were missing something as Nick relayed his story. Winter's men had no reason to follow the others, and she doubted they could have covered the same distance in less time as she and Jake had inside the mine. So who would be up here, and why would they have shot at Nick? It was too early for hunting season...

"Did you see who shot you?" Charlie glanced over at Jake, noting his blank expression. Did he suspect something was off too?

Nick shook his head, looking past them into the woods. "No. I didn't even hear the shot, to be honest. Whoever it was must have used a silencer." Jake appeared to consider that for a moment, then looked back at Charlie. His eyes locked with hers, confirming her fears. She gave a small, controlled nod, trying to let him know she'd follow his lead.

"Show me where you got shot," he said, turning back to Nick.

Nick nodded and started walking back the way he'd supposedly come. "This way," he said, gesturing for them to follow. Charlie waited, following Jake back under the forest canopy. Were they walking into an ambush, she wondered? She found that her senses were on high alert, even as exhausted as she was. She found herself listening more closely, recognizing individual sounds rather than hearing them as a whole. When a twig snapped off to her left, she turned her head immediately, in time to catch a glimpse of an arm and a leg disappearing behind a tree.

She tapped Jake on the shoulder, not sure if she should alert Nick or not. He nodded, keeping a steady pace. Obviously he'd seen the person too, so why weren't they stopping? She looked into the trees again, watching for any more signs of whoever was following.

"It was right about here," Nick said, stopping abruptly. He looked around, then went over to a tree just off the path they'd been following. "Yeah - here's where the bullet nicked the tree."

Jake bent over, appearing to scrutinize the ground. Charlie saw him ease his knife out of the ankle sheath, holding it just behind his leg as he stood again. "So what did you do to make Adrienne want to kill you, Nick? You working for her father?"

Charlie jumped as Adrienne suddenly stepped out from behind a tree, a revolver trained on Nick's chest. How had she closed in so quietly? Nick's eyes grew wide, and the blood left his face.

"Daddy dearest paid this man to leave a trail so his men could follow us. Nick's been helping him and his men this whole time. Apparently he was offered a large sum of money in return. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that outsiders aren't paid after they've outlived their usefulness. They're exterminated." Adrienne glanced at Jake, then back to Nick. "You two can go catch up with the others. I can take care of this moron."

Jake shook his head. "You know I can't let you do that, Adrienne. We need him alive, at least for now." He took a step towards her, holding out his hand. "Give me the gun. I'm a better shot than you - I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere we don't want him to."

She shook her head. "No." Tears were pooling in her eyes, and Charlie pitied the poor girl for all she'd been through already in her young life. Killing another person wasn't the answer though. She stepped forward, peering around Jake's broad shoulders.

"Adrienne, let us help you," she said softly. "You trusted Jake with your life when you came back to find your father, right?" She paused until the girl gave a tentative nod. "Can't you trust him with this too?"

Adrienne met Charlie's eyes, her blank expression sending a panic racing through Charlie's veins. She knew then it wasn't Nick who was going to die. Her own eyes welled up and her heart broke as she gripped Nick's arm with both hands.

"Don't do this, Adrienne. Please."

Wildcard Post: Free E-Day, and Why I'm Participating

2009-10-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

What is Free E-Day, you ask? In the words of Dan Holloway, author and event organizer extraordinaire:

Free-e-day 2009 is the biggest ever cultural electronic giveaway & celebration of the independent creative spirit.

Click on the logo for his complete introductory post on the official web site. Basically, it's an electronic carnival for artists of all mediums to give their work away to the world for free in the spirit of sharing our talents with others. This is not just a day for writers, but for musicians, filmmakers, graphic artists, and whoever else has something they want to share with the world.

I'll be the first to admit - I often consider self-publishing my books, not as any rebellious "statement" against the traditional publishing industry, but because it would be something I did myself, independent of outside influences. For me, it's much the same as making tangible crafts and selling them at shows - I had a huge sense of pride whenever someone would compliment my dishcloths or homemade soaps. I could see myself standing at a craft show behind a table of my books, flattered beyond belief whenever someone purchased one for a nominal fee. Even just posting my serial novels, or flash fiction for free makes the work feel more like "art" than a job. I love that feeling, and I'm convinced that no matter what happens to me in the traditional publishing industry, I'll always self-publish some of my work as well. It makes me happy, and fulfills me in a way that the business side of writing probably never will.

While there's that part of me that wants to make writing more about the art of storytelling than the money, I also freely admit that someday I want to turn what I love into a living wage. I want to be published by a traditional house, vetted by editors and deemed "worthy" enough for someone else to spend time and money and paper on. I want to see my books on the shelves of a big box store, available for anyone strolling by to pick up, read the back cover and add to their grocery or movie rental pile. For a lot of people, this desire can't coexist with the more independent spirit, but I've made peace with the fact that both of these methods of getting my work out there are simply two faucets of my nature, and that I *can* in fact, indulge in them both.

As a matter of fact, I think it would be healthier if more people embraced both methods of sharing their work (whatever it is), rather than limiting themselves to one or the other. Balance is key for most things in life.

In order to be successful in traditional publishing (in the US, at least), one has to pay attention not only to quality, but quantity. Getting and keeping one's name out there is the key to making any money at all as an author, and sticking to deadlines and working well in a collaboration with editors is of utmost importance to continued contracts. It's a job...and while creativity is an important part, an author who expects to make a living at it needs to focus on the business aspects as well. I'm very close to flinging myself full-tilt into this business, and trying to make a go of it. This doesn't mean I don't still love the process of creating a story to submit, but I do feel compelled to restrict my writing to stories with the potential to make money, since the ultimate goal is to be able to make a living writing full-time.

That's where things like Free E-Day come in for me. The stories I create for free don't need to conform to any standards aside from my own. I'm not limited in genre or scope, and rather than focusing on how many people will pay for my work (and how much), I can simply make it available and if people like it, they are free to enjoy it. The very act of creating it fulfills my own desires for it. I need nothing more from it, though if others get enjoyment from it, that only enhances the value to me. Once the pressure to create a salable product is off, writing becomes just a hobby again, an enjoyable past time that reminds me why I want to make a living at it, if that makes any sense.

Free E-Day is December 1st, 2009. I hope you'll join me, if not in giving something to the world, then in the enjoyment of what's being offered. I'll be posting a collection of flash stories for free entitled "Holiday Lights" that I hope you'll all enjoy.

Do you give any of your work away for free? Would you? Would you ever consider self-publishing, or are you strictly on the traditional path? If you were never able to sell your work, would you still write?

What Is It?

2009-10-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

I don't have my original for last week's photo, unfortunately...so you're going to have to take my word for the fact that it was/is my crockpot. Sorry C, but thanks for guessing!

This is the last mystery photo for the month...and I think it's going to be my last mystery photo contest. It's fun, but my creativity is running dry when it comes to choosing photos anymore, so I think it's run its natural course. Any suggestions for what you'd like to see here on Wednesdays? I'm completely open...

Anyways, here's the last photo - something easy. I'll hold the drawing on Sunday, and announce the winner for this month's book and tea in the weekly news post then.

What Is It?

Good Luck!

To enter: Simply post a comment with your best guess as to what the subject of the photo is. Each correct answer = 1 drawing entry. Drawings held at the end of each month. Prizes include a book and tea.

Construction Zone: Plotting a Short Story Collection

2009-10-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

Regular readers may have noticed I have a propensity for thinking I'm more organized than I am. This sometimes results in over-confidence in my own abilities...which is what happened when I signed up to be part of Free E-Day way back in the spring. I had every intention of editing my first blog serial, and offering the polished version as a whole on December 1st. If you don't know what Free E-Day is, there's a link if you scroll down on the right sidebar, or you can wait until Thursday and I'll tell you all about it. In a nutshell, it's a bunch of artists giving away their work for free for the day on December 1st.

Realizing that there's no way I could have a novel ready to give away by Dec. 1st, but still wanting to participate, I've changed my offering to a collection of 6-8 short (flash) stories that will be themed for the holidays. I'm titling it "Holiday Lights", and will be working furiously to get it finished by Dec. 1st, but I'm excited about it. My goal is to have all the stories have one common thread (besides the holiday setting) that runs through the collection.

If you've written flash fiction, you know it's basically just writing one scene of a bigger story, sometimes leaving the end open for interpretation. It's quite the challenge for me to plan several stories that will be "complete" in themselves, while tying into each other as well.

I'm curious - have any of you ever plotted a collection of flash pieces to go together, yet stand on their own before? How did you do it? What were your biggest challenges?

What makes a flash piece "great" in your eyes, as opposed to other forms of writing?

Goals & Reading List 10/26/09

2009-10-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Last week was a bit hard on the writing goals, but I did manage to write 1,000 words per day most days, so I still made progress, just not as much as I'd have liked. Tempest was late, which bummed me out, but we had a stellar party on Saturday night that made the catch up I'll be doing this week totally worth it.

I have a deadline this week too - NaNoWriMo starts at midnight Sat. (or 12:01am Sun., whichever you prefer) this weekend, and I have a few things that I really, really, really want to have done before that happens. Thus my extensive writing goals this week. I'm determined to meet them!

Weekly Goals

Writing

- Finish the draft of Her Private Chef
- Write 5 chapters of Tempest to schedule through Nov. (that's one ch. per day Tues-Sat)
- Plan out a series of holiday flash stories for Free E-Day (see Thurs. post for details)
- Beta read an ms for a writer buddy

Personal

- Get the house tidied up after the party
- Start an inventory for our Halloween decor
- Write a letter to my Grandma and mail it with a card for her birthday (these are the little things I always forget, and feel like an idiot about afterwards...so I'm putting it here to remember)

Reading List

Would you be surprised that I hardly read at all last week? I was just too busy with everything else going on, didn't even get my lunchtime reading in. Major bummer. This week I'll be beta reading (see above), and I'd love to get in a few more books, but we'll see. I've got a lot of writing to catch up on! Now where did I hide my TBR pile when I was cleaning the bedroom? Hmmm...

That's it for me (that's enough, I think)...what are you up to this week? Reading anything good?

Tempest, Chapter 29

2009-10-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

The regular Goals & Reading List post will be up this afternoon - stay tuned!

This serial novel draft is posted weekly on Fridays. Comments are always welcome. I hope you enjoy it!

Tempest

Chapter 29

"Take off the blindfold, sweetheart." He turned and watched as she pulled the fabric up off her head, and blinked her eyes open. Shadows danced over her face from the waterfall just ahead reflecting light back into the tunnel.

"Wow. Now we know why this end is hidden," she said, stepping around him to walk up to the water. "It's beautiful." She reached out, let the water swirl over her fingers briefly before snapping them back. She glanced over her shoulder at him, grinning. "It's cold!"

He smiled at the inane comment, knowing she was close to the breaking point. They needed to catch up with the others quickly, and get some food and rest. He examined the narrow ledge on both sides of the water, and decided that the left one would be easier to navigate.

"This way," he said, holding out his hand. Charlotte took it, and he led her into the narrow passage, choosing his steps carefully.

She let go of his hand to get a better hold on the wall. Even though this was the drier side, it was still damp, the hard surface polished by years of water eroding the rock face away. He moved slowly, a few inches at a time and glanced back at her often to make sure she was okay. He should have had her go first, but there wasn't enough room now for her to pass.

"It's really slippery," she commented, her voice shaking a little. He waited for her to catch up, frowning at the tremble of her arms as she reached for the next hold. She slid her foot towards him, then moved the other to catch up, moving like a sideways inch worm. She had almost reached him when she looked up, meeting his eyes with a smile. "I think I've got it now," she said, sliding her foot forward a few more inches. She reached for the next hold that would bring her to stand beside him.

And missed.

Jake watched in horror as her arm slipped away from the wall, the momentum twisting her body and pulling her out toward the curtain of water. He lunged out with one hand and grabbed for her, but he wasn't fast enough. The water caught her, pulled her down off the ledge into the swirling depths below. She didn't even scream, and Jake stood there for a moment, stunned.

Could she have survived the fall? He looked down. It wasn't likely, but he had to get down there and see if she'd been able to get out of the current once she went under. He moved quickly along the ledge until he reached the shore, relieved when he saw that the drop wasn't as far as it had looked from the passage way. It was only about ten feet to the natural pool from the ledge they'd been on, and he scanned the water and shoreline, looking for any sign of her.

A rustling noise drew his attention a few yards to the right. He circled around cautiously, peering through the thick brush that lined the rocky beach.

"Charlotte?" He stepped around the last bush, and saw her, laying on the ground, her skin pale and her mouth blue. He rushed to her side, quickly feeling her limbs for any sign of broken bones. She was shivering violently, and he knew he had to get her warm before hypothermia set in. "Can you stand?" He felt bad for even asking, but they had to catch up to the others, and if she kept moving, it might keep her warm enough until they could make a fire.

She nodded. "I th--th-ink s-s-s-so." She pushed up to a sitting position, then took his offered hands and stood shaking in front of him. He pulled his shirt off over his head.

"Here - take off your shirt, and put mine on." He watched as she tried to get her shirt off, but couldn't manage through the tremors. He took it off for her, then helped her put his on. He draped an arm around her shoulder and started walking, pulling her along with him.

"We need to keep moving - it will keep you warmer."

She nodded, stumbling beside him as they made their way along the bank to where the river picked up speed again. He looked at her face, noting with satisfaction that the color was starting to return. A good sign. If they could catch up with the rest of the group, they could make a fire and bed down for the night. Then tomorrow, they could get off this damn mountain and send in the troops to save Adrienne and capture her father once and for all.

A twig snapped loudly behind them, making Charlie jump. Jake spun around, expecting to come face to face with a bear, or Winter's men. He frowned when the identity of the person who stepped out from behind a large tree finally registered in his brain.

Variety News 10/25/09

2009-10-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a week last week...late posts, no serial chapter...what's the world coming to? It's all good though - the party's over, a good time was had by all, and it's time to get back to normal.

So this week I'll be posting two chapters of Tempest rather than one, to get caught up. I think I should have the next chapter up by tomorrow morning, and then the regular chapter on Friday. It's going to be a busy writing week around here!

This week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Ch. 29 of Tempest in the morning, Goals & Reading list in the afternoon.
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Plotting a Flash Story Collection
Wednesday: New mystery photo - the last one for October!
Thursday: Free E-Day
Friday: Chapter 30 of Tempest

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Scaryview Cemetery features party pics, and ongoing prep for Halloween night in our graveyard.

Nail Art Tuesday features my party manicure, plus the last Halloween manicure for the year.

Word Blizzard features my NaNo outline, such as it is.

Tea On Tap features a gong fu session of puerh drinking.

Onward!

Tempest Delayed

2009-10-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

I regret to inform you (or C, at least...since she's my only regular commenter on Tempest), that the serial novel chapter for this week will be delayed until Monday. Or maybe as early as Sunday. I've fallen deplorably behind, and I sincerely doubt I'll have any time today (and certainly not tomorrow, as I'm hosting the Halloween party) to rectify that.

So thanks for your patience, dear readers.

Wildcard Topic: Hobbies

2009-10-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

A quick post today - more cleaning/decorating to do, and I need to write tomorrow's chapter of Tempest at some point too. But all this Halloween stuff has got me thinking about the unique lives of writers - especially those of us who work full time as well as writing. I'll be honest, I still look at writing as more of a hobby, because I don't make any money from it (and can't just "expect to" either). I'm hoping to change that to more of "second job" next year, though just typing the words scares me.

In any case, that's not all I like to do in my free time. I read, of course, and do all the other stuff listed in my bio there to the left. I haven't had much time to do other things lately, but I love to craft things by hand. I'm planning on making calendars in the next month or so for Christmas gifts, and when I have time, I really like to crochet too (never learned to knit).

I started collecting stamps last year, but found I didn't have the time to really devote to it. I love doing jigsaw puzzles, especially on Christmas day after the morning festivities are over. Nothing better than to spend the whole afternoon working on a puzzle.

And of course there's the Halloween thing. When I have the energy, I actually like creating themed tablescapes for each month. I adore a nicely set and themed table, for some reason (which is funny, since we rarely actually eat at the table).

So tell me, what are your hobbies? What kinds of things do you like to do when you're not working?

What Is It?

2009-10-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, right? It's been a long day, but I didn't want to leave you without a mystery photo to work on this week.

Everyone who guessed last week's photo was a faux jack-o-lantern - correct! It's one of my favorite new decorations this year.
This week's photo does have something to do with Halloween...but more the party than the actual day.

What Is It?

Good Luck!

Construction Zone: Wrapping Things Up

2009-10-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Do you know the end of your story before you start writing? I never do.

I write romance for the most part, so with those, I know that the guy gets the girl (or vice versa). If I'm writing horror/suspense (the other genre I seem to be decent at), I know that someone's going to die in the end. Preferably someone important. My stories always end in either true love or extreme tragedy, it seems. That's about as far as I even think about the end most times, even when I'm outlining. Because if I plan the end, the story is finished in my brain - and I don't have a need to write it anymore.

The whole time I've been working on Her Private Chef, I haven't known how it would end. I had a few ideas of what might happen, but that's it. And then I added another plot line that completely changed things - including the possible endings. But it's time to end it now...I'm close to finishing up the draft. Normally I just keep writing, and go with whatever ending comes out.

Last night, my eyes were so sore I just could not look at the computer screen any longer (no writing), so I got out a notepad and pen, and started brainstorming. I wrote down some of the background to the new plot line that will be added in later so I'd know what the story as a whole would eventually look like, and then I wrote down all the problems that need to be tied up in "the end". I started looking at "what if" questions, and in the space of about 20 minutes, came up with the ending for my draft. It could change in revisions, but for now, it's perfect.

So now I know how it's going to end, I just have to write it. And that was so much easier than just writing through in kind of a "blunt force" style to find the ending, that I think I'll do that for the next draft too. I think it's probably much better than my normal endings as well, since I really thought about all the plot lines in concrete terms and how they could logically be tied up.

What's your method for finding the end of your story? Do you plan it out before you start writing? Just keep writing until the ending sort of "comes out"? Or something in between?

Goals & Reading List 10/19/09

2009-10-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

This week, I get a taste of what it would be like to be a full-time writer. Sort of. Okay, not really. But I will have more time to write since I can make my own breaks in the midst of finishing the Halloween "stuff" up. Hence my insanity of thinking I might be able to finish the first draft of Her Private Chef this week.

I have another plot line running through these last chapters that will undoubtedly add words to the beginning when I revise. So I'm not holding myself strictly to the 50,000 word minimum for this draft...if it finishes earlier, that's fine, because I know I'll be adding later.

Of course the main reason for my taking vacation time this week is to finish the Halloween decorating, and complete all the prep for the party Saturday night. It's going to be a very busy week, but dare I say...I'm looking forward to it!

Weekly Goals

Writing

- Finish the first draft of Her Private Chef
- One chapter of Tempest

Personal

- Finish Halloween decorating and stow all tubs/boxes/etc
- Finish party prep (gift bags, contests, activities, etc)
- Make sure everyone has a great time Saturday night

Weekly Reading List

Wedding at King's Convenience by Maureen Child (Harlequin Silhouette Desire) - I know, I know. If I don't like baby books, why do I keep reading them? Honestly? Because to cancel my subscription I have to get in touch with the HQN people, and I haven't taken the time to do that. But one of these days...

In any case, this isn't too bad, as far as accidental pregnancies and weddings go. For once, the heroine has a brain, and refuses to marry the father of her baby just because she's pregnant. She wants love, and she's not afraid to be alone if she can't have it. For that, I applaud both her and the author - bravo! You'll have to read it to discover how things work out...if you like baby-based plots, you'll enjoy this book.

The Maverick's Virgin Mistress by Jennifer Lewis (Harlequin Silhouette Desire) - This is another reason I haven't canceled the Silhouettes yet. They don't all have babies in them...like this one! As you may have guessed by the title, it's a story of innocence, as well as one of deception and confusion. It's a great book - I love the heroine (again), and the hero is just adorable, sweet and heartbreaking. A very enjoyable two-hour read.

Don't Look Down by Jennifer Cruisie & Bob Mayer - I just started this, and so far, it's everything I'd expect from a Cruisie novel, with the added bonus of Mayer writing the male POV character. I'm not far into it, but expect it to be a good ride - will let you know what I think when it's done.

Okay - your turn! What are your goals for this week (feel free to link to your blog if you post them)? What are you reading now?

Variety News 10/18/09

2009-10-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

Last week just flew by, and since I'm off work and at home this week to finish up Halloween party prep, I know the week is going speed right along as well. I *will* be blogging this week, but due to the nature of the week, posts might be at odd times of the day. Or not, if I stay organized and get them done the night before...we'll see.

This week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Goals & Reading List - Can I finish my draft this week?
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Wrapping Things Up
Wednesday: New mystery photo
Thursday: Wildcard - Non-Writing Hobbies
Friday: Chapter 29 of Tempest

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Word Blizzard will be pretty quiet this week...next week I'll be ramping up with a NaNo outline.

Scaryview Cemetery will feature the latest on finishing up the decor and last minute prep for the party on Saturday night.

Nail Art Tuesday will feature *two* Halloween manicures this week...one on Tuesday, and a second on Friday (my "party costume" art).

Tea On Tap may feature a puerh session, if I can find/make the time.

Everyone ready for another round? Here we go...

Tempest, Chapter 28

2009-10-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

This serial novel draft is posted bi-weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays. Comments are always welcome. I hope you enjoy it!

Tempest

Chapter 28

She tasted sweet, Jake thought as his tongue traced the line of her lips. He didn't deepen the kiss, but kept it light, pulling away slowly after just a few seconds. He had to get her out of here, get to the others and get off this damn mountain. Time was running out, and every second Adrienne was out there with her father's men, it was less likely he'd be able to save her.

"We have to go," he said quietly, feeling her head nod against his shoulder. "Are you going to be able to make it through the dark?"

He heard her take in a big breath, then blow it out slowly, the warm draft skimming the front of his neck. "Yes." Her body trembled against him, but her voice was like steel. He admired her determination as he felt for her right hand with his left. He squeezed it gently for a moment, then inched his way up the wall until he was standing. He helped her up, keeping their hands locked together.

"Just hold on to me, okay? Don't let go. I'm going to follow the tracks." He shuffled forward slowly until one toe tapped metal. Sliding his left foot against the rail, and holding his free hand out in front, he started to go deeper into the mine with cautious steps with Charlie following close behind.

Half an hour later, he could feel Charlie's grip losening in his fingers. Her breathing was more labored to his ears, and he stopped, careful to keep a foot propped against the rails. He had no idea how far they'd gone, but the path was relatively flat, and he was grateful for that.

"Are you okay? Do you want to rest for a few minutes?"

When she didn't answer, he pulled her closer, reaching out with his other hand until it found her skin. He inched his fingers up her arm and across her shoulder to slide the palm of his hand over her chest. Her heart was beating wildly, and panic swept through him.

"Charlie? Answer me - what's wrong?"

Her fingers tightened over his in a death grip, and she was trembling all over. He pulled her against his chest, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, shaking violently now. "I'm trying, but..."

"Shhh." He kissed her hair, rubbing her back and rocking her from side to side. "It's okay. You're strong. You can do this. Close your eyes for a moment, and just think about me. Don't think about where we are, or what's happening - just listen to my heartbeat. Do you hear it?"

She nodded against his chest. Her tremors were slowly subsiding, and he stroked her back in a soothing, rhythmic motion. They couldn't turn back now, they'd come too far. He had an idea though.

"Does it help to keep your eyes closed?"

"I think so," she said tentatively. "But I can't seem to stop opening them."

He took one step back. "I think I have an idea. Don't move - I'm not going anywhere, I just need both hands for a minute."

"Okay..." Her voice was unsteady, and Jake hurried to tear a strip off the bottom of his shirt.
He reached for her again, drawing her close. "I'm going to tie this around your eyes - it's a blindfold." He turned her around, then felt up both sides of her head until he thought he could place the fabric over her eyes. "Is that the right place?"

"Yes."

He tied the fabric in a knot at the back of her head, then turned her around again. "How does that feel?" He waited, half-expecting her to run screaming into the darkness.

"Better, actually." She sounded surprised, but her breathing was returning to normal, if his ears were correct. "I don't know why, but I think it helps."

Jake grinned. He wasn't a therapist, but he'd thought maybe the illusion of being in control of the darkness might help. He kept his surprise that it actually did to himself. "Great - let's keep going then. I don't think it's too much farther." He started walking again, and Charlie followed, not squeezing his hand quite so tightly this time.

What seemed like hours later, he started to hear a dull roaring sound down the tunnel.
"I think we're getting there, Charlotte - do you hear that?"

"I hear it - is that water?" The relief in her voice was almost palatable, and a renewed sense of respect for her welled up in his chest.

"It has to be - and it's getting closer. Can you move any faster?"

She lengthened her stride, one toe coming down against the back of his heel. "If you get out of my way," she teased. Music to his ears.

He lengthened his own stride, careful to follow the rail at his feet as they turned a sharp corner to the left. He stopped short, causing Charlotte to run into his back.

"What - why are we stopping?"

Wildcard: Keeping Inventories

2009-10-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

Our house looks like a cyclone went through it right now. There are orange and brown tubs everywhere, with black, orange, and creepy spilling out all over the floors, tables, and any available surface. The holiday has taken over with a vengeance, and it’s hard to believe that just one week from now, the majority of that “stuff” will be posed and posted to create neatly themed tableaus with no trace of the disorganized mess that came before.

Needless to say, we have so much stuff that we actually have a hard time remembering what we already have. This nearly resulted in some duplicate purchases that would have been a waste of time and money.

So hubby has requested that we create an inventory of our Halloween items this year. Preferably with pictures. Aside from the time involved to actually complete this daunting task, I think it’s a fabulous idea, and will start working on it when I’m off work next week to finish up the décor & party prep.

I’ve tried this before, incidentally, with less than stellar results. Once I tried to take and keep an inventory of all my books. I have a lot of books (as I’m sure many of you do too). I would still love to get the database set up, but at this point, I’m not sure when I’ll ever have the time to inventory our entire library. It’s more daunting than the Halloween stuff, that’s for sure. I started an inventory for my stamps at one point too, but that quickly fell away – also due to time constraints. Hubby is a coin collector, and I’d really, really like to have an inventory of his collection for insurance purposes. But we haven’t done that either. How does one find the time to inventory their collections? I have the software, and the desire…but never seem to find (make?) the time.

Do you inventory your “stuff”? What was the last entry in your inventory list/database/notebook?