Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

I'm posting this morning with the Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays blog hop. The hop is sponsored by  Greg Pattridge of Always in the Middle . Check out Greg's blog for a list of additional middle grade reviews.    I'm pretty sure I got the recommendation for this book from another MMGM poster. I got the book from the library :)    Title : A Sky Full of Song Author : Susan Lynn Meyer  Publication Info: 2023, Union Square Kids; 272 pages Source : Library Publisher's Blurb (Goodreads): North Dakota, 1905   After fleeing persecution in the Russian Empire, eleven-year-old Shoshana and her family, Jewish immigrants, start a new life on the prairie. Shoshana takes fierce joy in the wild beauty of the plains and the thrill of forging a new, American identity. But it’s not as simple for her older sister, Libke, who misses their Ukrainian village and doesn’t pick up English as quickly or make new friends as easily. Desperate to fit in, Shoshana finds...

Hey, Happy 4th of July (Independence Day to my US readers; just another summer Saturday for the rest of you).    This is my third post from the Gila Wilderness, way back in May! Our last couple of days hiking out were short days, with us shading up at mid-day and refusing to go any farther, as the heat was getting a bit much, and the distance remaining was modest. On our 5th day, we were happy to find in the morning that the bear hadn't come near us overnight (as the designated banger of pots in the event of a raid, I was particularly grateful for this). There were some long stretches early on without crossings, once we did an initial crossing. I was happy to find stones we could use to keep our feet dry, a definite luxury. On a shelf well above the river. This day's hike took us through the narrowest narrows, which we mostly navigated by climbing above the inner canyon. As we climbed another slope to get above the gorge, the canyon appeared to be giving us the finger. Cool ro...

It's the first Wednesday of the month again already, and time for my IWSG post! I'm excited to be a co-host again this month!   Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds (and come on, we're all insecure in some way)! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writers - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar lin...

I'm posting this morning with the Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays blog hop. The hop is sponsored by  Greg Pattridge of Always in the Middle . Check out Greg's blog for a list of additional middle grade reviews.    In honor of Pride month, I am also seeking out, reading, and reviewing MG books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes. This verse novel is a little different from the others I've read and reviewed.    Title : Glitch Girl! Author : Rainie Oet Publication Info: Kokila, 2025. 448 pages Source : Library Publisher's Blurb (via Goodreads): A middle grade novel in verse about a young trans girl who uses a computer game to process an ADHD diagnosis, isolation, and her relationship to gender for fans of Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff. J —’s life is consumed by the roller coaster video game Coaster Boss , and by the power she exerts over the pixelated theme park attendees. Her life outside the game, however, is less controllable. Me. I’m such a big space. I b...

Wow, where did the last week go? Anyway, here I am again with more from the Gila Wilderness. The third day of our trek was a shorter hike up the Middle Fork to the point where we would be crossing over to the West Fork.  Heading out. We'd been in no doubt that we weren't alone out there, passing many piles of bear poop on the previous days. We'd spotted a bear early in the second day's hike, as well. This morning, we found fresh tracks shortly after leaving camp. My size 9.5 (40.5) boot next to the print. The same bit of sandy trail also provided some tracks of a mountain lion (spoiler alert: we never saw any of them). We carried on, being sure to announce our presence before pushing into the brush.   We seemed to be coming out of the narrow canyon, with more and larger open spaces. That just left us more exposed to the sun, and things were heating up. "Meadow" and pointy bits of eroded rock.  Not sure about the ID--my app says Black Locust. Beautiful pink blo...

Where has the month gone? I think I was due for a writing update last week, but something happened. Let's see... oh, yes. That was the day I was planning trips for later in the year. (Nor was it the first day I've spent lately on trip planning. That's always so much more fun than working!)  I'll save the details for next week's IWSG post, but today, let's talk about... really lousy moments in MS editing. Here's the thing: my beta readers were mostly happy with the new novel, but everyone mentioned the ending not quite working. That's obviously not okay, so I started thinking about how to fix it. And I got a pretty good idea! Alas, that idea means a major rewrite from about 2/3 of the way through. Since I thought I had the end in sight, this is pretty much like when you're climbing a mountain and you think this next little rise will be the summit... and you top the rise and see another thousand feet of climbing ahead of you. Now, if I were out hiking,...