Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Another of my semi-random picks from the library's digital audio books.    Title: The Way Home: Tales from a life without technology Author: Mark Boyle Publication Info: Blackstone Audio, 2019. 8hrs 40 min. Original hardcover, Oneworld, 2019, 288 pages Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: "It was 11:00 pm when I checked my email for the last time and turned off my phone for what I hoped would be forever. No running water, no car, no electricity or any of the things it powers: the internet, phone, washing machine, radio, or light bulb. Just a wooden cabin, on a smallholding, by the edge of a stand of spruce." The Way Home is a modern-day Walden―an honest and lyrical account of a remarkable life lived in nature without modern technology. Mark Boyle, author of The Moneyless Man, explores the hard-won joys of building a home with his bare hands, learning to make fire, collecting water from the stream, foraging, and fishing. What he finds is an elemental life, one ...

I'm linking up this week with the F irst Friday Photo bloghop from Many Worlds From Many Minds. If you like to post photos, join in and help Eden Mabee grow this start-up hop. Back in March I shared photos from a 2021 visit to Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. Last month I went back for another visit and a few more trails among the stunning rock features of that park. My timing was awful--it was Easter Week and thus spring break for way too many people, so the park was crowded and campgrounds full. Nonetheless I found a place to crash outside the park, and trails are never crowded at the crack of dawn. I drove into the park in the afternoon and caught the low light coming up to sunset, doing a couple of short hikes to stretch my legs and see the sights. Mouse's Tank My first little hike was in to Mouse's Tank, which got its name from an outlaw who hid out there. The real attraction, as it turns out, is not the tank (which was dry, despite the wet winter?) but the pe...

It's the first Wednesday of the month--and that means it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group post! 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. This group is all about connecting! Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. The awesome co-hosts for the May 3 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell ...

Way back at the beginning of the year I joined Jemima Pett's SpaceTime Reading Challenge . Jemima has been hosting the SpaceTime Reading Challenge for a few years now, and I keep signing up and then losing track. If you are a SF fan, like a little mind-bending time travel now and then, or just want to find out if you do, sign up and jump in. I recommend following jemimapett.com for ideas about what to read--I've gotten a lot of good tips from her reviews (and currently have two more SF books on my reading pile)! #spacetimereads You can read any book that is from the science fiction/time-travel genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.  Non-fiction is not included in this challenge. You don’t need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews (even one-liners) to link up. (blog, Goodreads, booklikes, shelfari, etc.) Make a goal post and link it back to Jemima's page with your goal for this challenge. Bo...

Last month I enjoyed a girls' weekend on the Oregon coast before heading to the Grand Canyon (and yes, I had to pack for 4 seasons. I experienced them all in 3 weeks). We had scenic weather--rain showers and sun, wind and waves. Here are a few of the scenic highlights. We stayed two nights at the adorable and literary-themed Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, OR. Every room is named for and decorated in keeping with a writer. Our group used the Ken Kesey room--think bunkroom at the asylum only with comfy beds--and Oscar Wilde. The hotel is named for Sylvia Beach, who opened the Shakespeare & Co bookstore in Paris in 1919. The hotel sits on a bluff overlooking the beach. The view from breakfast. Unfortunately, they weren't serving dinner while we were there. It was too cold, wet, and windy for us to sit out, but I'll bet it's wonderful in summer! We enjoyed the usual things--great meals out, walks on the beach, and a massage. Rain just made new magic. My artist friend P...

My second of Katherine May's books in just a couple of months, so you know that she's touched something in me. (See review of The Electricity of Every Living Thing ).     Title: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times Author: Katherine May Publication Info: Riverhead Books, 2020. 245 pages (Kindle edition). Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down. Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. A moving personal narrative shot through with ...

Thanks to an injury to my foot (exact extent of the problem TBD when I see the doctor Thursday), I came home early. Also thanks to that injury, I've been putting in some long hours on the last stages of revision before I send A Coastal Corpse to my beta readers to see how I've done at addressing the issues that sidelined it last year. I'll be sending it out in a few days. If you are willing to read for cohesion, consistency, character, and plot (but not yet polish), let me know and I'll include you. Meanwhile, I wrote 2/3 of a short story while hanging about in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and will get back to that as soon as I get the novel out. I missed the deadline for the original inspiration for the story, but will find other markets when it's ready. I also did a lot of sitting and thinking down there (and a certain amount of just sitting); some of that may come out here and there in my writing as well.   Cloaked Press's Spring into Sci Fi 2023 , contai...