What could possibly be better than a brand-new Quo Vadis notebook? Receiving one in the mail as a gift! Because I participated in a collaborative writing project at the Quo Vadis website, their marketing director, Karen Doherty, asked me to pick out a notebook as a thank-you gift.  Soon this beauty will arrive in the mail, and I am thrilled to be able to add it to my collection. I certainly wasn’t expecting any reward other than the fun and challenge of writing with a group.  The story will be posted on the website and hopefully it will bring new readers to my blog. That in itself would be reward enough. It seemed to mean a lot to Karen that we volunteered to write, and I had a great time trying to figure out the motivation for the ghost who is the central character of the story. As is the case with much of my writing, my part more or less wrote itself, so I hope I didn’t make it too difficult for the writers after me to figure out exactly what I was trying to say. I love to write and working with a group is a challenge that helps break me out of the creative ruts I so often find myself in. I have used the Quo Vadis Habana notebooks before and have had my eye on this one for a long time. At first, I thought it depicted a joyful scene of someone reaching for the  stars, but then I realized it’s Henri Matisse’s representation of the downfall of Icarus. Its meaning has changed for me, but I will enjoy keeping this notebook as a chronicle of my life. I keep handwritten copies of all my writing and blog posts as well as journals, and I am happy to add it to my collection. Thank you, Karen!!