Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Ugh. My hopes of having an original post for this weekend flew away as I spent the first half of the week down with fever and cough (flu, I think, breaking through the vaccine), and am now in the middle of helping my daughter move. But have no fear! I found you another old story I think you'll enjoy. It's just a sweet tale of false assumptions, and maybe just a little snarky feminism :D Georgie and the Dragon Lady   The residents of Oakblossom Lane all knew her, and she kept them in line. There were two or three cranky old guys who sat on their front porches and hollered, “get off my lawn!’ but they inspired none of the awe the Dragon Lady commanded. The children mocked the old guys. They didn’t mock Mrs. DuMont.   “Mom says she’s ruled this street since Adam was a pup.”   “I don’t know any dogs named Adam.”   Georgie fixed Alec with a disdainful sneer. “Don’t you know anything ? Adam was the first man.”   “First man on Oak...

This was one of my audio "reads" via the library's "similar books" feature. Not quite sure what it was similar to, except that I was probably looking at books about historical events. This is a look at the Dust Bowl that's a bit different from the usual, since this is about the people who *didn't* leave. Title: The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl Author: Timothy Egan. Read by Jacob York Publication Info: Audio book by Audible Audio, 2022. 13 hours. Originally published by Houghton Mifflin, 2005, 340 pages. Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since. Timothy Egan’s critically acclaimed account rescues this iconic chapter of American history from the shadows in a tour de force of historical reportage. Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and ...

My recent trip to Tucson gave me two flights with some amazing photo opportunities. I am definitely that person who has the window shade up and my face plastered to the glass looking at everything, and this time it was truly rewarding. On the way down, I left under a cloud cover, but we quickly rose above it, and did about as close a fly-by of Mt. Rainier as I've ever done. As we passed beyond Rainier, I got to look over at some of the mountains through which I hiked last summer. Then we flew almost directly over Mt. Adams. At this point, we were angling well to the east, and as I was on the east side of the plane, the rest of the Cascade volcanoes were out of sight to me. I trust some of the people on the west side were looking at them. Meanwhile, we passed over the Columbia River. Pretty sure that's the Highway 97 bridge, which we crossed back at the beginning of December on our way home from California.  A fairly long period of unidentifiable eastern Oregon, and Nevada follo...

It's been an challenging month to be a writer. Since I finished drafting Logged Off at the Library just after Christmas, I've had a lot of distractions as I did battle with a single short story to try to ready it for a deadline at the end of the month. You'd think I could manage 4000 words in 4 weeks, right? That story is nearly ready, and I'm about to start edits on Seffi Wardwell #3, Edited Out. In addition, I have applied to another artists' residency, though I have not managed any more short story submissions.  It's my hope to begin writing and sharing new flash fiction pieces in this space. I think the exercise is good, and it can be pleasant to do a little fresh writing while struggling through the lengthy editing process with a new book!  Meanwhile, I'm learning about and gingerly trying some new things in the area of marketing, always my weakest point as an independent author. Wish me luck! Petey Possum does his best to help me write. ©Rebecca M. D...

I'm posting today with t he fantastic Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays blog hop hosted by Greg Pattrige of Always in the Middle . Check out Greg's blog for a list of additional middle grade reviews. I've been discovering some great reads there--possibly including the one I'm reviewing today (I'm not really sure; it was on my library wish list).    Title : Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms Author : Katherine Rundell; read by Biana Amato Publication Info : 2014, Recorded Books. 7 hours. First published by Faber & Faber, 2011, as The Girl Savage Source: Library Publisher's Blurb (via Goodreads): Even a life on the untamed plains of Africa can’t prepare Wilhelmina for the wilds of an English boarding school in this lovely and lyrical novel from the author of Rooftoppers, which Booklist called “a glorious adventure.” Wilhelmina Silver’s world is golden. Living half-wild on an African farm with her horse, her monkey, and her best friend, every day is beautiful...

This is an almost-real-time photo post--these pictures are cell-phone photos (easiest to handle away from my home computer) of a hike on Thursday in Saguero National Park East. I fled down here a week ago to get some light and reset my winter brain. Predictably, while Seattle has been awash in rain, the desert SW has been horribly dry (a part of the reason for the LA fires). I noticed the effects of that drought all around on my hike. I started from the Douglas Springs trailhead on the far fringes of Tucson, and hiked a loop incorporating the Douglas Springs trail, the Three Tanks trail, and the Garwood trail for a 6.25-mile hike with a modest 1100' of climbing and descending. Yes, Petey Possum came along! The hike started with easy walking along the valley floor before beginning a stiff climb up and around a hill. This is the Sonoran Desert, and the iconic plant of the Sonoran (at least, the northern part) is the saguaro--outlined against the horizon. I hadn't been walking lon...

Another of the books I've found browsing around the library catalog (I love those "similar books" lists!),  this was an interesting companion to Journeys North, which I reviewed last week . Title: The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind--and Almost Found Myself--On the Pacific Crest Trail Author : Dan White Publication Info : Harper-Collins, 2008. 427 pages, Kindle Edition Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: When Dan White and his girlfriend Melissa [note: her name, per the books, is Allison] set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from Mexico to Canada through boiling desert and snowcapped mountain passes, his parents wondered how two people who had never shared an apartment could survive in a tent in the desert. But when Dan and Melissa, dubbed “The Lois and Clark Expedition” by a fellow hiker, quit their doldrum jobs to set out into the wilderness, the hardships of the trail provided these addled adventurers with a crystalline view of the Ame...

This story is from January 2018. Have fun! Garbage Cans   I knew we were in trouble when the garbage cans started moving about on their own.   It just turned out that it wasn’t exactly the trouble I thought we were in. I mean, I spotted them first, and made the usual resolve. You know, to swear off the moonshine, give up the mason jar, and dry out.   The first thing wrong with that reaction was that I don’t drink.   The second thing was that I wasn’t the only one who saw them. Oh, lots of people had noticed that their trashcans weren’t in the same place in the morning as they’d been the night before. There were lots of reasons for that. “It’s raccoons. Those critters will do anything for a meal.” “Teenagers playing pranks.” “Minor earthquakes are vibrating them so that they move about.”   Then there were the whacko reasons: “There are magical fields in this neighborhood.” “It’s the aliens again. I told you they’d be back.” “Pol...

It's... actually the second Wednesday of the month, but we weren't going to post our IWSG posts on New Year's Day, though maybe actually that would be a good day to spend just reading blog posts? Anyway, here we are and I'm delighted to be one of this month's co-hosts. Thanks for visiting!     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! 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 writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. Th...

More trail dreams in mid-winter, thanks to diving down rabbit-holes on the library website.     Title: J ourneys North: The Pacific Crest Trail 
Author : 
Barney Scout Mann. Read by Traber Burns Publication Info: 
Blackstone Audio, 2020, 12 hours. Originally published 2020, Mountaineers Books, 320 pages. Source : 

Library Publisher’s Blurb: 

 In Journeys North , legendary trail angel and thru hiker Barney Scout Mann spins a compelling tale of six hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2007 as they walk from Mexico to Canada. This ensemble story unfolds as these half-dozen hikers--including Barney and his wife, Sandy--trod north, slowly forming relationships and revealing their deepest secrets and aspirations. They face a once-in-a-generation drought and early severe winter storms that test their will in this bare-knuckled adventure. In fact, only a third of all the hikers who set out on the trail that year would finish. As the group approaches Canada, a storm rage...

This is a photo post of a few of my favorites from among the many photos I shared in 2024. If you're a regular reader you've seen them before, but I hope you can enjoy them anyway. Methow Sunset. Wintrop, Washington The Women's Market, Arusha, Tanzania South Serengeti, Tanzania Tarangire National Park, Tanzania South Serengeti, Tanzania Crested Cranes, Ngorogoro Caldera, Tanzania Mt. Meru, Tanzania Distant lightning storm, Mt. Kenya. Flamingos, Amboseli National Park, Kenya Zambezi River sunset Utah sunrise. Little Wild Horse Canyon Grand Gulch, Bears Ears National Monument, Utah West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island Coastal sunrise After the rain. Mt. Rainier, Goat Rocks Wilderness, WA The author, Goat Rocks Wilderness, WA Timberline Trail, Mt. Hood, Oregon Marl Lake, Alberta, Canada Canoes on Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Canada The Ten Peaks, Banff National Park Zigadenus Lake, Banff National Park Skoki Lodge, Banff National Park Winter is Coming! Banff National Park R...