Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Here's the second collection of interesting A to Z blogs and posts. Your short-cut to blogging wonderfulness! Pempi's Palace --Tales from the life of a teacher. Trina's North Germany -- just some ramblings and observations about life in North Germany Linda Q. Lampert -- a selection of random ramblings, sparked by prompts that require a lot of imagination to fit to A to Z :) And this was supposed to have gone up yesterday, and with more than 3 blogs. I'll add in here, in case any of my followers don't already know her, Jemima Pett . And, on a totally more serious note, and nothing to do with A to Z, this is the blog of a group of scientists headed to the Greenland ice sheet next week. They are in their 4th year, I think, of doing research on the melt rates and other issues on the ice sheet. CIRES FirnCover team. I'll do better next week. Really.

  Two covers, because the image of the one I read--on the left--is so small. Plus, I think the other  cover is nicer :) Title: Glory in a Camel's Eye: A Perilous Trek Through the Greatest African Desert Author: Jeffrey Tayler Publisher: Houghton Mifflen Harcourt, 2003. 245 pages. Source: Library Publisher's Summary:  Hailed by Bill Bryson and the New York Times Book Review as an emerging master of travel writing, Tayler penetrates one of the most forbidding regions on Earth. Journeying along routes little altered since the Middle Ages, he uses his linguistic and observational gifts to illuminate a venerable, enigmatic culture of nomads and mystics. Though no stranger to privation (having journeyed across Siberia and up the Congo for his earlier books), Tayler is unprepared for the physical challenges that await him in a Sahara dessicated by eight years of unprecedented drought. He travels across a landscape of nightmares - charred earth, blinding sky, choking gales,

This week Chuck Wendig is back on the job, and he gave us a pretty simple and open-ended challenge: write about a dragon . He then suggested that we think outside the box, maybe do something other than the obvious fantasy story. There's another kind of dragon most of us meet sooner or later. Young Georgie conquers one sort in this story. Chuck gave us 2000 words; I used right around 1000 of them. You are welcome to the rest. Saint Georgie and the Dragon Lady The residents of Oakblossom Lane all knew her, and they were all scared of her. There were two or three cranky old guys who sat on their front porches and hollered, “get off my lawn!’ but they were scared of her too. The children mocked the old guys. They didn’t mock Mrs. DuMont. “Mom says she’s ruled this street since Adam was a pup.” “I don’t know any dogs named Adam. And anyway, dogs aren't very old, so that's not such a big deal.” Georgie fixed Alec with a disdainful sneer. “Don’t you know anything? Adam was the fir

I was debating how to do this--add a few links at the end of my regular posts, or do a special post once a week or something. I'll probably do both. My A to Z Challenge is--not to blog daily, but to visit daily and to share any and all blogs I found interesting. Here's my list so far: Shell's Tales and Sails --blogging about women aviators--what a fantastic topic, and well done. Inconspicuous Contemplation --a brand-new blogger with the nerve to make the first day of A to Z his (her?) first post. Star Lit Stories --bits of flash fiction around animals (and some less-than-typical animals). Screaming Willow --a brave and open sharing of the writer's battle with eating disorders. I of course failed right at the start, because I spent 3 days camping and hiking with my son, who is on spring break this week. So this post, which was going to go on Tuesday, is coming today, and with fewer blogs than I'd hoped! But here's best wishes to all the A to Z bloggers!

First Wednesday, and time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! 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! Last month I attended a conference on race in our schools, run by the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators. While there, I naturally gravitated toward the book sale display by Ashay by the Bay Books . Chatting there with the woman running the booth, it naturally came up that I write. And I had to admit I don't think  have persons of color in my books (I don't really describe characters much at all, so there is some wiggle-room there, but the reality is, no, I don't). And she asked me straight out why not. I had to answer with equal honesty: I don't write about people of color because I'm afraid of getting it wrong. Whi

  Title: The Boy on the Porch Author: Sharon Creech; read by Heather Henderson Publisher: Harper Audio, 2013. (Hardcover 160 pages) Source:  Library (digital media) Publisher's Summary: When John and Marta found the boy on the porch, they were curious, naturally, as to why he was there and they hadn't expected him to stay, not at first, but he did stay, day after day, until it seemed as if he belonged, running and smiling and laughing his silent laugh, tapping and patting on every surface as he made his music, and painting with water, with paint, with mud those swirly swirls and swings and trees... I'll add: the book is set in an unspecified time and place, but it is very rural, and the general feel is maybe 1950s, with cars and trucks around, but not many telephones, and a more casual attitude toward fostering than we have today. My Review: This is a poignant little story, written in an unusual but effective style. It's heartwarming to watch a family forged out o

There was no Chuck Wendig Challenge this week, which fit nicely with my intention to do a little creative non-fiction, with photos. We spent Tues-Sunday last week visiting Death Valley and the environs in search of stunning desert landscapes and spring wildflowers. We found both. The Panamint Dunes are located in the far north end of the Panamint Valley, which is the next valley west of Death Valley proper and part of the National Park. Night Hike to the Panamint Dunes Six miles of rough dirt road behind us, and a hasty dinner prepared and eaten, we hoist loaded packs as the last of the evening light fades away. The sun set early behind the Inyo Mountains, and at 8 p.m. the full moon isn't up. Even so, we can see our goal: the Panamint Dunes are pale in contrast to the surrounding mountains and the scrub-covered alluvial fans that surrounded them. Headlamps, even though I forgot to replace the dying batteries, are enough to show us the footing and avoid injuries as we pick our way