Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

I set this post up a few days ago as a sort of deadline. I've been struggling with creating an outline for the next book, distracted by a few things--you know, catastrophic politics, finding a home for my daughter and her friends (an on-going process that will no doubt involve flying to the Bay Area on short notice), and getting Washed Up With the Tide launched. But here it is: I have begun drafting Logged Off at the Library (working title. May shorten to just Logged Off. Thoughts?). I had hoped to be ready about a week ago, but the story details just wouldn't coalesce in my brain. I finally reached a tipping point about Monday and started producing a helpful outline! In order to do this, I've put all short story work on hold, but the result is that I have begun writing (rather late yesterday)! Word count as of 11/12: 1092. Watch the space on the left side of the page just below my photo for daily word count updates (this isn't a very elegant solution but I will try to...

Another installment in my quest to understand walking, hiking and the huge mental health benefits that I, at least, get from doing it.     Title: On Trails: An Exploration 
 Author: 
Robert Moor, read by Jason Grasl Publication Info: Audiobooks.com, 2016. 11 hours. Original by Simon and Schuster, 2016. 
 Source:  Library 

 Publisher’s Blurb: 

   From a brilliant new literary voice comes a groundbreaking exploration of how trails help us understand the world—from tiny ant trails to hiking paths that span continents, from interstate highways to the Internet. In 2009, while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Robert Moor began to wonder about the paths that lie beneath our feet: How do they form? Why do some improve over time while others fade? What makes us follow or strike off on our own? Over the course of the next seven years, Moor traveled the globe, exploring trails of all kinds, from the minuscule to the massive. He learned the tricks of master trail-...

Last week's post featured a hike out of Moraine Lake. Today we'll take a look at a few more lakes on two hikes.  After our crowded hike at Moraine Lake, we decided not to use our bus tickets to Lake Louise the next day , but instead to do a highly rated but much less populated hike to Helen Lake and Dolomite Ridge. My companions settled for Helen Lake, but I pushed on, despite a fierce and cold wind, to get the views from the ridge into the next drainage. First we stopped at Hector Lake for what we hoped would be sunrise photography. Dang it, the sun forgot to rise! We then moved on to the Helen Lake trailhead to be among the first up the trail. The sun did eventually come out, at least in spots. Sun spots and glacial lakes. Ptarmigan, maybe just starting to turn switch to the white winter coat. Just short of this spot we met a pair of somewhat flustered hikers, bear spray in hand, who'd just seen a mother grizzly and cup. We were not lucky enough to see them, though I fou...

 It's the first Wednesday of the Month, and that means time for our Insecure Writers Support Group posts!   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!   Don't forget you can post your link on the IWSG Facebook page !   Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and h...

I got my tip for these books from a regular poster on the 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.      Title: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise Author: Dan Gemeinhart. Read by Khristine Hvam Publication Info: Macmillan Audio, 2019. 9 hours (original hardback by Henry Holt & Co, 352 pages. Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: Five years. That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, crisscrossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash. Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished - the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box - she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,6...

I've been away so much I've accumulated photos far faster than I can edit them. But I've made a super effort and have a set of images for you from Moraine Lake and Larch Valley for your viewing pleasure this weekend. I went up there with my brother- and sister-in-law in late September, and we caught the larches turning just about perfectly. As always when I travel with them, I also will direct you to my brother-in-law's web page, Photoseek.com , where you can see the REALLY good photos. I shared photos from our first stage, in Kananaskis Country , a few weeks ago. Then we moved to Banff NP. Our first hike after moving HQ to Lake Louise campground was to Larch Valley, out of Moraine Lake. It had rained on us the day before, which meant snow in the even slightly higher country, an exciting prospect for the photographers. There is no longer any general parking allowed at Moraine Lake, at least during peak seasons (and yes, late September is a peak season, thanks to the lar...

I've been pretty quiet for quite a while, and it's time I got back on the blogging schedule! I've been enjoying some great trips--I even got to see Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS from a perch in the Grand Canyon! And followed it up with several days in the Bay Area with my kids, engaging in some house-hunting on their behalf, which is both fun and stressful as all get out. As a result, very little writing has happened (again). I did work a little on the poor sad short story that keeps getting shunted aside in favor of another hike, and of course, the new book has a cover, is formatted, and--ta-da! -- has a release date! So here it is:  It's available November 18, just in time to give copies as Christmas presents! So that's pretty cool. I still have some tinkering to do with the formatting but it is substantially finished--and I'm really excited, both for the release and to be working on the next book! Edited Out has been patiently waiting its turn for revisions, and Bo...