Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Wow, where did the last week go? Anyway, here I am again with more from the Gila Wilderness. The third day of our trek was a shorter hike up the Middle Fork to the point where we would be crossing over to the West Fork.  Heading out. We'd been in no doubt that we weren't alone out there, passing many piles of bear poop on the previous days. We'd spotted a bear early in the second day's hike, as well. This morning, we found fresh tracks shortly after leaving camp. My size 9.5 (40.5) boot next to the print. The same bit of sandy trail also provided some tracks of a mountain lion (spoiler alert: we never saw any of them). We carried on, being sure to announce our presence before pushing into the brush.   We seemed to be coming out of the narrow canyon, with more and larger open spaces. That just left us more exposed to the sun, and things were heating up. "Meadow" and pointy bits of eroded rock.  Not sure about the ID--my app says Black Locust. Beautiful pink blo...

Where has the month gone? I think I was due for a writing update last week, but something happened. Let's see... oh, yes. That was the day I was planning trips for later in the year. (Nor was it the first day I've spent lately on trip planning. That's always so much more fun than working!)  I'll save the details for next week's IWSG post, but today, let's talk about... really lousy moments in MS editing. Here's the thing: my beta readers were mostly happy with the new novel, but everyone mentioned the ending not quite working. That's obviously not okay, so I started thinking about how to fix it. And I got a pretty good idea! Alas, that idea means a major rewrite from about 2/3 of the way through. Since I thought I had the end in sight, this is pretty much like when you're climbing a mountain and you think this next little rise will be the summit... and you top the rise and see another thousand feet of climbing ahead of you. Now, if I were out hiking,...

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.    In honor of Pride month, I am also seeking out, reading, and reviewing MG books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes.     Title : A World Worth Saving Author : Kyle Lukoff. Read by Will Malloy, with notes read by the author. Publication Info: Books on Tape, 2025. 9 hours. Hardcover by Dial Books, 2025, 344 pages. Source : Library Publisher's Blurb (Goodreads):   A groundbreaking, action-packed, and ultimately uplifting adventure that intertwines elements of Jewish mythology with an unflinching examination of the impacts of transphobia, from Newbery Honor winner Kyle Lukoff. Lockdown is over, but A’s world feels smaller than ever. Coming out as trans didn’t exactly go well, and most days, he still barely leaves his bedroom, let alone the ...

Last month I went down to New Mexico and did a mellow 6-night backpack trip up the Middle Fork of the Gila River, and down the West Fork. I'm still working on the photos (I'm also working on some significant revisions to the new novel, and selling books live on weekends, so it's been hard to focus on my photography, no pun intended). The hike was exactly what I needed, a bit of mountain, a bit of desert, and a bunch of trail nights, but it wasn't as exciting photographically as some. Still, I think I got some good shots, and I'll share a dozen or so here from the first couple of days, which is as far as I've gotten with the edits.  About a hundred yards from the car, we spotted a herd? troop? pack? of javelinas. The hallmark of the Gila River trail is... river crossings. Since the trail follows the river up a canyon, it is forced to switch from side to side frequently. VERY frequently.  First crossing, and a fairly deep one--over my knees. Most were ankle to mid...