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.    After reading Three Blue Hearts , by Lynne Kelly, I decided to give her other works a look. For some reason I don't find the blurbs wholly appealing, but I'm liking her stories.   Title : The Secret Language of Birds Author : Lynne Kelly Publication Info : Delacourt Press, 2024, 233 pages (Kindle edition) Source : Library Publisher's Blurb (via Goodreads) :  From the award-winning author of Song for a Whale comes a poignant and heartwarming tale about a girl who discovers a pair of endangered birds about to lay eggs in the marshes of her summer camp...and the secret plan she hatches to help them. Nina is used to feeling like the odd one out, both at school and in her large family. But while trying to fit in at summer camp, she discovers s...

I apparently originally wrote this one in 2014, and I know exactly what climb and descent were in my mind at the time! I don't bike much anymore, but can still relate to this version of hell, though I forgot to put in the saddle sores and knee pain...   Biking in Hell   "They're always there," Phil said. "If you get up enough speed to have fun, they'll nail you. And if you’re making headway on the hill, they’ll belch exhaust at you."   "How do they do it?"   Phil shrugged. "I used to call those things the spawn of Satan. Turns out I was right."   The two cyclists struggled up the hill, which grew steeper as they neared the top. A jacked-up pickup passed them, leaving a cloud of thick black diesel exhaust in its wake. By the time the summit was in sight, both stood on the pedals, straining every fiber to make any headway at all, gasping for air.   Jim sighed with relief as he topped out, but even as the riders s...

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Blog tours for the chance to read and review the 3rd book in Leslie Karst's Orchid Isle Mystery series! (See reviews of Molten Death and Waters of Destruction if you like to start at the beginning.) Murder, Local Style (An Orchid Isle Mystery) Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting – Hawaii Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 7, 2026 Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages Hardcover ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448316588 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448316588 Digital ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448316571 ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FVLW3ZL8     Retired caterer Valerie Corbin investigates a suspicious poisoning in this Orchid Isle cozy culinary mystery, featuring a feisty queer couple who swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions in tropical Hilo, Hawai‘i. A dinner to die for! It’s been an eventful transition, but retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen are finally settling into life on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Val’s even joined the ne...

  It's the first Wednesday of the month again already, and time for my IWSG post! I'm honored to be a co-host this month and will be visiting as many of you as possible! 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 ...

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.  This week's book I won in a give-away, thanks to author Jamie Sumner and Rosi Hollinbeck for the chance to read this story!     Title : Schooled Author : Jamie Sumner Publication Info: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025. 218 pages Source: Won a paperback in a giveaway from a 3rd party (not the author or publisher) Publisher's Blurb (Goodreads) :  A bighearted, compulsively readable novel from acclaimed author Jamie Sumner about new schools, unexpected friendships, and overcoming loss. Eleven-year-old Lenny Syms is about to start college—sort of. As part of a brand-new experimental school, Lenny and four other students are starting sixth grade on a university campus, where they’ll be taught by the most brilliant professors and given every re...

My sad lack of travel for what is now approaching 3 months (!) means I don't have a lot in the photo department (I could look on it as an amazing opportunity to catch up with photo edits, not to mention the novel edits, which are coming along, thank you for asking!). But spring is starting to spring here in Seattle, so I'll share some flowers, for those who are still in winter, or those who are in our SW states, where you are apparently racing directly to summer. These are in no particular order, and are from walks around my neighborhood or my local park (yes, we have a creek with herons. Also beavers, and salmon during the salmon runs) Okay, not a flower. Also not a flower.    Photos were all shot on my iPhone 15ProMax, and generally improved a little in Lightroom (I typically end up lightening shadows and toning down over-exposed areas, and not a lot else). ☕ Buy me a coffee--or get my ebooks     ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2026  As always, please ask permission ...

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the chance to review this fun cozy, and to interview the author!   Lies Are Better At The Lake: A Claire O’Keefe Mystery by Cindy Quayle About Lies Are Better At The Lake Lies Are Better At The Lake: A Claire O’Keefe Mystery Cozy Mystery 4th in Series Setting – Arkansas Independently Published Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 24, 2026 Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GF38FDVD     Welcome to Osage Springs, where small-town charm meets big trouble. When Claire O’Keefe’s father suffers a stroke, she puts her plans to teach overseas on hold and returns home to Osage Springs, Arkansas. Between caring for her parents and reconnecting with her roots, she expects a quiet few months—until a chance encounter at the grocery store changes everything. An old high school classmate, now an English teacher at Lakeside High, asks Claire to fill in during her maternity leave. It sounds simple en...