Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

I haven't published a story about Xavier Xanthum, Space Explorer, since sometime in 2020, and I thought it was about time. Imagine my surprise when I found that I seem to have a story I wrote and never published (I'm not sure why; evidence suggests I eventually used it as a writing sample when applying for an artist residency). I may simply have given up; 2020 was a difficult year. In any case, I clearly wrote the story to highlight the birds of New Zealand, and it was kind of fun revisiting some of them. I've included a couple of photos at the end to match at least one of the birds mentioned. It's just over 1100 words.   It’s for the Birds   “Larry, are there any unexplored planets in this sector?” The Wanderlust ’s AI took a moment to respond. Even a computer needs time to review all the planets in a sector as crowded as their current location, or so Larry would have him believe. “Negative, Captain. There appears to have been at least a preliminary review of ...

I wrote a partial draft of this during the last session of the writing class I've been teaching, then realized I needed a different approach, so I rewrote it, cut it down by several hundred words (it's still too long, at 1140 words), and here it is.    Seatmates Keri James settled into the window seat at 47A with an air of excitement that drew cynical smiles from her fellow-passengers. A sixteen-hour flight in economy class wasn’t going to be fun for any of them. Keri knew that. They’d have to use a crowbar—or a crane—to get her out of her seat when they reached Aukland. She’d drooled over the business-class seats, with their little cubicles and seats that made up into beds. On her budget, she’d have to settle for airsickness meds that would put her to sleep. Keri occupied herself with setting up her little space, everything she might want during the flight within reach. She’d change to slippers once they were airborne. Earbuds, e-reader… she knew what she was doing. I...

True to my promise, I'm working on writing flash fiction again for your reading pleasure! I drafted this a couple of weeks ago at the writing class I'm teaching, and spiffed it up a bit, cutting it down to 1000 words.  I've had laryngitis all week, which is amazingly frustrating. It's a good thing I mostly don't have anyone to talk to or I'd go nuts! Anyway, the next story might need to include someone who can't speak, but thinks a lot :D Invincible   Marla surveyed the building while she pulled on a hairnet and tied a scarf tightly over top of that. Not a hair would escape to say she’d been there, let alone provide a DNA tracer. Gloves, long sleeves, the works. No traces. With one last look around for observers, though who could see anything through the stygian darkness of a blackout on a rainy night was a mystery she didn’t care to solve, Marla began to climb. Buying the blackout had been the risky part, but by the time it was done the bribes were at...