Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Title: Northwind Author: Gary Paulsen Publication Info: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2022. 256 pages Source: Library digital resources Publisher’s Blurb: When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. But the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to "the heartbeat of the ocean . . . the pulse of the sea." With hints of Nordic mythology and an irresistible narrative pull, Northwind is Gary Paulsen at his captivating, adventuresome best.   My Review: When I saw this on the library web site last fall, I had to put myself on the holds list, and was lucky to get a copy as soon as it came out. It is Gary Paulsen's last book, but as he says in the afterword, he has been writing it all his life. I think it feels l...

  F or those who have just discovered this, the previous posts about my trek through the Everest Region in November 2021: Kathmandu Part I: Lukla to Namche Part II: Namche to Khunde Part III: Khunde to Pangboche Part IV: Ama Dablam Basecamp to Dingboche Part V: Chukkhung Part VI: Kongma La Part VII: Gorek Shep, Everest Basecamp, and a snowstorm on Kala Patthar Day 12 This day was a short(ish) transfer from Lobuche (16,186') to Gorek Shep (16,990'), then an afternoon outing to Everest Base Camp (approx. 17,600'). The next day or so were our biggest "I wish I had the fur of a yak" days. Wool of a yak? Patient (and warm) yak waiting for the load to go on its pack saddle. Those guys' humps are about shoulder high on a not-too-tall person like me or our guides. The day's hike started next to the Khumbu glacier's lateral moraine, but soon we were up on the jumble of rocks. The trail was pretty good, but had its moments. Nor was the weather looking promising....

"Messy" does seem the best way to describe most aspects of my life just now. Personally, I've been very distracted by moving my younger son out into his own new adult life (along with a certain amount of my furniture...) and preparing for my own upcoming move in a couple of months. That's caused a lot of literal mess as I sort and discard, and pull my things off shelves in a hurry when we decided he would take this or that dresser or bookcase. Submissions have been slow, but I do currently have two stories out. It took a lot of looking for find a place to send one of them; if you know of markets for lighthearted fantasy basically for kids/YA (though it's not explicitly non-adult), let me know in the comments! And the novel? When I'm not too distracted by moving, it's actually coming along. I'm nearly done creating the new outline, and will start drafting the new version as soon as that is done--hopefully by the weekend. It's a mess, but one I have ...

Title: Author: Publication Info: Source: Publisher’s Blurb: Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home and livelihood is taken away. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall. They have almost no money for food or shelter and must carry only the essentials for survival on their backs as they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter, and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey. The Salt Path is an honest and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt, and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.   My Review: As an aficionado of hiking memoirs, I had so...

F or those who have just discovered this, the previous posts about my trek through the Everest Region in November 2021: Kathmandu Part I: Lukla to Namche Part II: Namche to Khunde Part III: Khunde to Pangboche Part IV: Ama Dablam Basecamp to Dingboche Part V: Chukkhung   Day 11: Kongma La On this day, we split the party again. Four of us, plus leader Kim and most of the guides, and the yaks, headed down towards Dingboche and took the "low" route to Lobuche, up the river than drains off the Khumbu Glacier. My son and I, plus Alison, Lhakpa, and Junar, headed for Kongma La (Kongma Pass), just a few feet lower than the summit of Chukkhung Ri! Cool cloud effects in the morning Heading out. The yaks have farther to go, but much less climbing. They seem unworried. The climb started pretty easy, up the same grassy slopes we'd been on, and traversing gently. Things got more real after an hour. My son and Lhakpa waiting for Alison and me, as usual. Hard to see how we'll...

This week my writer news is about a new book coming from blogger and short-story maven Shannon Lawrence! (Next week, maybe I report on finally getting my stories back out there?)       The Business of Short Stories: Writing, Submitting, Publishing, and Marketing By Shannon Lawrence ISBN: 978-1-7320314-5-6 Format/Price: Print ($13.99) and e-book ($3.99) Release Date: February 1, 2022 Pre-orders:  E-book   Paperback Will also be available after the release date from Ingram, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and other sites. About the Book: Whether you're looking to add short stories to your repertoire as a solo pursuit or in addition to novel writing,  The Business of Short Stories  covers every aspect from writing to marketing. Learn the dynamics of short story writing, where to focus your editing efforts, how and where to submit, how to handle acceptances and rejections, what to do with reprints, and how to market yourself and your stories online and in person...

    Title: A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II Author: Simon Parkin. Read by Elliott Fitzpatrick Publication Info: Audible Audio, 2020, 10 hours 10 minutes. Hardcover 2020 by Little, Brown, 320 pages. Source: Library   Publisher’s Blurb: The triumphant story of a group of young women who helped devised a winning strategy to defeat the Nazi U-boats and deliver a decisive victory in the Battle of the Atlantic  By 1941, Winston Churchill had come to believe that the outcome of World War II rested on the battle for the Atlantic. A grand strategy game was devised by Captain Gilbert Roberts and a group of ten Wrens (members of the Women's Royal Naval Service) assigned to his team in an attempt to reveal the tactics behind the vicious success of the German U-boats. Played on a linoleum floor divided into painted squares, it required model ships to be moved across a make-believe ocean in a manner r...

Chukkhung Ri First, for those who have just discovered this, the previous posts about my trek through the Everest Region in November 2021: Kathmandu Part I: Lukla to Namche Part II: Namche to Khunde Part III: Khunde to Pangboche Part IV: Ama Dablam Basecamp to Dingboche Day 9: To Chukkhung From Dinboche to Chukkhung was a short day, so we were able to do some explorations after arriving (and lunch, of course). Short or not, it was also our highest point to date--the little hotel village of Chukkhung is higher than Ama Dablam base camp! We headed out about 8:30, as usual, up the Imja Khola river valley. We didn't try for really early starts because overnight temperatures were just too cold--with our reasonable days, it made more sense to wait for the sun in most places. Passing through Dingboche in the morning. The amount of ice on the river tells you that even the days are getting cold! Guide Junar arriving at the Chukkhung Resort. "Resort" has a different meaning in the...