Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Z is for Zito, from the Viridian System In a Nutshell: He is one of very few big cheeses in the Viridian System, and part of the organising group (aka Council) on Pleasant Valley.  Basically the six most powerful/rich people get together whenever anything looks like causing trouble that would threaten their own interests. Biggest secret: where he originally came from. Nobody knows, and he claims to have forgotten: “Most people have changed their identity at least once, so if you know you don’t know, you don’t have to remember a lie.” Favourite line:  “I can get hold of anything for you except space hardware, and if you want that, I’ll introduce you to someone." The Viridian System series will be resumed next year: Book 1 - The Perihelix (an interview with the author about this is here ). Book 2 - Curved Space to Corsair Book 3 - Zanzibar’s Rings Sign up for the newsletter for the Viridian System series here . Check out the Viridian System Sampler - second edition (and update ...

Y is for Yance Milgrim of Skunk Corners In a nutshell: Yance is no kind of student, but he and his twin brother Hank provide Big Al with a different kind of educational challenge. Biggest secret: He's really smart. He just isn't good at book-learning, unless he can see what it's used for. Favorite Line: "We'll have to dig like anything to make your tiger pit in one day." Yance and his twin Hank are in the Skunk Corners school from the beginning, but they move into more important positions in the stories and the town in books 2 and 3. You'll have to read all the way to The Problem With Peggy to learn why they're digging a tiger pit! The series is The Ninja Librarian, with three books, suitable for ages 8 or 9 and up (way up--adults love the books too!).   The Ninja Librarian is a humorous set of tall tales set in the highly fictional gold-country town of Skunk Corners.   It’s the story of a dusty, tough, unfriendly town that gets a new outlook...

  X is for Xavier Xanthum, Space Explorer   In a nutshell: Possibly the most luckless space explorer ever, Xavier specializes in getting into scrapes, and counts on Larry, his ship's computer, to get him out of them. Biggest Secret: Most of the time, he thinks of Larry as human. No quote, because you get a whole story! Xavier was invented several years ago to allow me to write a flash fiction for the A to Z Challenge, and he's hung around, with an ever-growing collection of tales of his adventures (see list under Short Stories , above). Today he takes another dive into a voyage of dubious desirability. I also have a late-breaking reminder that this is #Flashback Friday. I'll consider this a flashback, even though it's a new story, because using Xavier for X is a bit of recycling! Xavier Xanthum and the X-Galaxy Error Xavier Xanthum, Space Explorer, leaned back in his command chair and closed his eyes. He had just finished his greatest triumph to date over Larry, the AI...

W is for Willoughby Who? Willoughby the Narrator! I'm diverging from my format for a review and a launch-day party, because Jemima Pett's new book is out today! But it's all about Willoughby, so we're sticking with a W character. Title: Willoughby the Narrator (Princelings of the East, Book 7) Author: Jemima Pett Publication info: Princelings Press, 2017. 180 pages. Source : I cannot say I'm wholly unbiased; I was a proof-reader on this one :) The copy I read was an advance pre-publication proof. Blurb: Just where did Willoughby, who first appeared in the Talent Seekers (book 5) , learn his ninja skills? How did he come to be a Narrator?  And what happened after he fell from the high tower at Castle Deeping?  Discover Willoughby’s origins, his big secret, and follow his adventures as he travels around, telling stories and acting as an undercover agent for the rich and powerful, as dark deeds start causing big trouble between the rival castles. As might be exp...

  V is for Victor, of the Princelings of the East In a Nutshell: He runs the Inn of the Seventh Happiness at a major crossroads, but Victor does manage to find some adventures in unexpected places. He's quite a business guru, with an education in business administration, thanks to Lady Nimrod. Biggest Secret: Why his dad disappeared for the better part of a year. Favourite line: "When you're busy working on one thing, another part of your brain works away at some other problem."   It’s now 2015.  Victor has grown up, but in spite of his ambitions to be a business guru, he’s still running the Inn of the Seventh Happiness in his spare time.  Fate takes a hand when he visits King Fred of Castle Marsh and is whisked off on a mission to help Sundance and his beautiful accomplice unmask a criminal, and investigate why George has not returned home after his visit to a flying festival. He narrates the particulars of his travels in the Rhinelands, and his quandary when he me...

U is for all the Unnamed Characters Am I cheating? Probably. But Uriah Heep isn't one of my characters, so I'm going to pay homage to the minor characters who don't always even get a name. You've seen them in the movie credits: "Cashier at the 7-Eleven" or "Old Man on Mobility Scooter." They aren't key players, but in books even more than in movies, they may matter. In The Ninja Librarian, in the chapter, "The Ninja Librarian Takes on a Baby," an old woman appears to provide the key to the appearance of an unattached infant on the library steps. She gives a name to the baby's mother, but has no name herself. She has a personality--one that makes a notorious bully back up--but doesn't stick around to introduce herself. In Halitor the Hero , Halitor's own parents have no names. Of course, they don't appear in person, but because he is the only character to speak of them, they are merely Ma and Da. On reflection, parents ar...

T is for Tess Noreen In a Nutshell: Tess Noreen is the proprietor of Two-Timin' Tess's Tavern, located in Skunk Corners next door to the bank. She serves food, drink, and a large helping of help to those who need it the worst. Biggest Secret: Who she's been kissing on the sly. Favorite Line: "You leave that to me." Often said with a wicked smile. Since today is also Fiction in 50 day, where we use a prompt from Bruce the Bookshelf Gargoyle to construct a bit of fiction in 50 words. I made mine a little more of a bio of Tess, in keeping with my A to Z project. Born to Take Care I attract strays. Everyone says so, and I reckon they’re right. All these folks in Skunk Corners who need just a little help, and how could I not reach out a hand? It’s the curse—or the blessing—I was born with, that I will try to save them all. *** The series is The Ninja Librarian, with three books, suitable for ages 8 or 9 and up (way up--adults love the books too!). And while the...

S is for Simon Sharp, of The Camelot Kids by Ben Zackheim In a nutshell: Simon is a stubborn, independent, resourceful kid -- mostly because his luck runs the gamut. His best days can end up as his worst days. And his closest friends can be his greatest enemies. His biggest secret is that he's the reincarnation of a Knight of the Round Table. Favorite line: "How many more surprises does Merlin plan to pull out of his beard?" I reviewed this one recently , and found it a highly enjoyable read.    Learn more about Ben and his books on his web page .

R is for Ron Karlson of Pismawallops Island In a nutshell: Ron is chief of police on Pismawallops Island, which means he's pretty much the Law in the Pismawallops PTA mysteries. Biggest secret: Okay, this is really the worst-kept secret: Ron is madly in love with series narrator JJ MacGregor. And he's stopped keeping it secret. Since this is Friday, i.e., Flash Fiction day, Ron gets his own story today, not merely a favorite quote. In the Line of Duty When his radio disturbed him, Ron Karlson was sitting in his police cruiser staring out to sea and thinking. “Chief? You out there?” The Pismawallops Island police force, having precisely 2.5 officers, could be informal. He reached for the handset. “Karlson here.” “Homer’s lost his car again.” The dispatcher sounded like she was rolling her eyes. Homer Roller. The biggest disaster ever to grace a cop car. He had a tendency to leave the car in odd places, forget where he’d parked, and hit the panic button, sure the car had been sto...

Q is for Queen Kira of Castle Marsh In a nutshell: Queen Kira of Castle Marsh (formerly Princess Kira of Chateau Dimerie); elegant, steady, determined and feisty princess who uses her logical brain as well as her emotional intelligence.  She is the rock on which Castle Marsh’s king (Fred) bases all his good work.  And she’s really nice with it! Biggest secret: She knows Fred’s brother, Prince Engineer George, loves her too.  There’s nothing so sad as a gentle soul suffering from unrequited love. First discovered in the Princelings and the Pirates, when Fred saves her from being held hostage by the pirate king.  She then has a heart-rending adventure in Princelings and the Lost City, when the victim of kidnap (yet again), but brings her influence to bear on her captors to get them to change. Excerpt from The Princelings and the Lost City:  [Princess Kira has been kidnapped by the Queen of Arbor, and now kidnapped again by some rebels causing Arbor trouble] P...