Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

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! 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 writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting, so be sure to click on the image above and link your blog--and visit as many as you can. The Monthly Question: Have you ever surprised yourself with your writing? For example, by trying a new genre you didn't think you'd be comfortable in?? This is a great question, and one I can speak to,

Title: Going Over Author: Beth Kephart Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2014 Source: Library Publisher's Summary: In the early 1980s Ada and Stefan are young, would-be lovers living on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall--Ada lives with her mother and grandmother and paints graffiti on the Wall, and Stefan lives with his grandmother in the East and dreams of escaping to the West. My Review:  I debated about how to classify this book. I found it in the juvvy section of my library, but I hadn't read very far before I realized that it fits much more in what I consider YA. It's not so much that there is a love story at the heart of it, as that there are too many "adult situations" as they say. There is a pregnancy, a strongly implied rape, spousal abuse, and a lot of death as well. Nor are the politics behind the story all that easy to understand. So: YA. Not for children. That taken care of, this was a good book. It highlights a part of history that doesn't get a l

A few weeks ago, Chuck Wendig asked for people to come up with (just for a variation on the usual) the final line of a story. I enjoyed reading through them, but I admit that most felt more like the first line to me. I managed to snitch this one (I'm sorry that I no longer have the record of whose line it was) and use it at both ends of the story. It's just a bit of speculative fiction. If you think it's anything else, think what you will. I give you my story, in 834 words. We Apologize for the Error… I always knew I’d be present at the end of the world. I just didn’t know it would look like this. I didn’t know it would be my fault. I suppose I should explain: I am immortal. I have no memory of my beginnings, and I can have no end, no matter how much I may wish it. And I have wished it many, many times, for all the good it does. So of course I knew I’d be around when the world ends. But I never meant to be the reason it ended. It happened like this. I won’t say it was just

Title: Murder Wears Mittens (Seaside Knitters Society #1)  Author: Sally Goldenbaum Publisher: Kensington, 2017. 272 pages. Source: electronic ARC through Great Escapes free blog tours Publisher's Blurb: As autumn washes over coastal Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, the Seaside Knitters anticipate a relaxing off-season. But when murder shatters the peace, the craftiest bunch in town must unravel a killer’s deadly scheme . . . After retrieving fresh lobster nets from a local Laundromat, Cass Halloran rushes to attend a last-minute gathering with her knitting circle. But Cass can’t stop worrying about the lonely boy seen hanging around the dryers, and the school uniform he left behind in a hurry. When the ladies return the lost clothing the next day, they find the child and his younger sister alone, seemingly abandoned by their mother . . . The knitters intend to facilitate a family reunion, not investigate a crime. But the death of Dolores Cardozo, a recluse from the edge of t

Last Monday of the month, and that means it's time for Fiction in 50. Blessing in Disguise is this month’s prompt from Bruce Gargoyle in his Fiction in Fifty (Fi50) meme.  You can join in this fun communal story-telling any time you like, and post any time during the month. Because Bruce is taking a haitus from blogging, I am working on taking over managing this blog hop. For now, drop in here and link to your own story, and see the remaining prompts below. I've up a page for the party . Blessing in Disguise “I can’t come. Too much work, and my car’s in the shop.” “Bummer! Growing up sucks, doesn’t it?” Kara hung up, agreeing with Marla. She wanted to join the others at the beach house for the weekend. When the first one died of the unknown disease, Kara thanked her car.  *** ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2017 As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated! Welcome to Fiction in 50! The rules for participation are simple! 1. Create a piece of

First the eclipse. As regular readers of this blog will recall, I drove to Oregon last weekend with my oldest son in order to witness the total solar eclipse. I have to say that it was a fantastic experience, and worth the cost of a rental car (because ours chose just that moment to develop a perplexing electrical problem) and 3 days of driving. At least we avoided the massive traffic jams that made some people's trips home 2 or 3 times longer than they should have been. Okay, I'm lying. That's not an eclipse. That's sunset in California, thanks to the fires everywhere. And the reality was even redder than the photo shows. We targeted the National Forest lands east of John Day, Oregon, in hopes of avoiding the worst crowds. Our plan worked pretty well. That is to say, the small towns along the path of totality were absolute zoos, but we needed nothing there--we'd filled the gas tank farther out, and had all our own food and water with us. The National Forest was al

  Title: Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography Author: P. D. James Publisher: Faber & Faber, 1999. Paperback by Ballantine, 2001. 269 pages. Source: Library book sale Publisher's Summary: On the day she turned seventy-seven, internationally acclaimed mystery writer P. D. James embarked on an endeavor unlike any other in her distinguished career: she decided to write a personal memoir in the form of a diary. Over the course of a year she set down not only the events and impressions of her extraordinarily active life, but also the memories, joys, discoveries, and crises of a lifetime. This enchantingly original volume is the result. Time to Be in Earnest offers an intimate portrait of one of most accomplished women of our time. Here are vivid, revealing accounts of her school days in Cambridge in the 1920s and '30s, her happy marriage and the tragedy of her husband's mental illness, and the thrill of publishing her first novel, Cover Her Face , i

The Ninja Librarian is in Oregon, watching the eclipse. As a treat while you wait for our return, a few photos of the Eastern Oregon landscape, from earlier trips. I tend to think of eastern Oregon as fairly flat--a rolling lava field much like eastern Washington (which is also not really that way--that's just what you see from I90). And it can be. Oregon looking prairie-like aside from the volcanic artifact that is Fort Rock. But an awful lot of it is more like this. Still volcanic, but not so flat. US 395 near John Day, Oregon.  Oregon can also look like this: John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Painted Hills Interesting contrasts between the eroding hills, the volcanic butte behind, and the irrigated valley between! We'll be looking for places more like what's behind the Painted Hills, for the best view of the eclipse! And finally, Eastern Oregon can also look like this. See you in a few days! ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2017 As always, please ask permission to use any pho

A couple of weeks ago, I did a 6-day backpack trip with my husband and eldest son (ES) on the east side of Glacier Peak (in Washington State; not to be confused with Glacier National Park). After a good snow year, there was lots of water, a fair collection of mosquitoes, and an overwhelming abundance of wildflowers. Here's a quick trip report with a lot of pretty pictures. For those who like more detail on routes: We hiked the Phelps Creek Trail to Spider Meadows, climbed the Spider Glacier through Spider Gap and down to Lyman Lake. Crossed Cloudy and Suiattle Passes to pick up the PCT for a few miles, then the trail through Buck Creek Pass and back down to the Chiwawa River to complete the near-loop. Day One:  We arrived at the trailhead, after a long and slow dirt road (the last 2.5 miles were not at all appropriate for a small sedan, but we did it anyway), in time for lunch. There were a startling number of cars in the parking area, but it was Sunday and we had faith, well-place