Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

I think this post was supposed to go up several days ago... once again lost track of time! Fiction in 50 is a regular feature in the last week of every month and I invite any interested composers of mini-narrative to join in! I didn't do a heads-up post this month, but feel free to jump in at any time.      What is #Fi50? In the words of founder Bruce Gargoyle, "Fiction in 50: think of it as the anti-NaNoWriMo experience!" Pack a beginning, middle and end of story into 50 words or less (bonus points for hitting exactly 50 words). The rules for participation are simple : 1. Create a piece of fictional writing in 50 words or less, ideally using the prompt as title or theme or inspiration. That’s it!  But for those who wish to challenge themselves further, here’s an additional rule: 2. Post your piece of flash fiction on your blog or (for those poor blog-less souls) add it as a comment on the Ninja Librarian’s post for everyone to enjoy.  And for those thrill-seekers

Still working my way through the photos from our time in New Zealand! Back in late February, we did a trip from Christchurch down the east coast of South Island all the way to Invercargill, then up to Te Anau, the launching point for our Milford Track tramp. I've picked a few highlights from the trip south, into an area that gets a lot less attention than many parts of the island. We weren't sure what we'd find, but we found more than enough to fill our 4 days Oamaru: Steampunk HQ This trip included not only our 21-y.o. son, but a friend of his as well (I'll call him Friend B). It was in part with the boys in mind that we planned a visit to Steampunk Headquarters. We didn't regret it. At the entrance. Kind of a Mad Max feel.  Out back there were a lot of interesting machines welded together from stray parts and a lot of imagination. Definitely a Mad Max feel.  One of the fun things was the Metagalactic pipe organ, which played sounds picked up from around the univer

Yep, you read that correctly! I have actually resumed work on my MS, and while the first thing I did was get distracted and went down a rabbit hole (or maybe a wormhole) of fixing some issues with an earlier book, I HAVE started! I have also started my story for the IWSG anthology. Unfortunately, I've started that 4 times (maybe 5. About 2 for the story I dropped because it's fantasy and adventure but not necessarily historical, and 3 starts on the story I want to write, a pure historical adventure). So I can't say the writing is going well, but the very fact that it's happening at all is huge. Oh, and I've been working over the blurb for the new book, because my cover artist gave me a nudge... Yeah, there's some hope that I might be a writer. On the happy dance list: --started to work on the MS --started on my IWSG story --enjoying tons of garden produce--canned 7 quarts of tomatoes on Friday, and made a peach pie for Sunday dinner with the family --working out

Title: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes Author: Chris Crutcher. Read by Johnny Heller Publication Info: Recorded Books LLC, 2007.  Original: Greenwillow Books, 1993. 224 pages. Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune have been friends for years. When they were children, his weight and her scars made them both outcasts. Now Sarah Byrnes—the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known—sits silent in a hospital. Eric must uncover the terrible secret she’s hiding before its dark current pulls them both under. Will appeal to fans of Marieke Nijkamp, Andrew Smith, and John Corey Whaley. 
 My Review:   I'd heard about this book for a while, though I can't now recall why or where. I was vaguely under the impression that it was a middle grade book (for the 8-12 crowd), but in spite of having gotten it from the Kids' section of the library's Overdrive collection, it is definitely YA. The book deals with some pretty heavy issue

No, I haven't been writing enough to have a new flash for you today. But no fear--I have plenty of re-runs you probably didn't see or don't remember! As a little encouragement to myself as I get back to work (at last!) on Death By Library , I have a short story from Pismawallops Island. Unlike the books, this is from the perspective of the town's police chief, Ron Karlson. I picked it in part because it features a character who plays a larger role in the new book. In the Line of Duty When his radio disturbed him, Ron Karlson was sitting in his police cruiser staring out to sea and thinking. “Chief? You out there?” The Pismawallops Island police force, having precisely 2.5 officers, could be informal. He reached for the handset. “Karlson here.” “Homer’s lost his car again.” The dispatcher sounded like she was rolling her eyes. Homer Roller. The biggest disaster ever to grace a cop car. He had a tendency to leave the car in odd places, forget where he’d parked, and hit th

I missed release day by a couple of weeks, but I'm here at last with a review the latest in Ellen Jacobson's delightful Mollie McGhie mystery series. I just finished a binge-read of the whole book! Title: Poisoned by the Pier (Mollie McGhie Sailing Mysteries #3) Author: Ellen Jacobson Publication Info: June 2019, 242 pages Source: I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for my honest review Publisher's Blurb: When Mollie's husband signs the two of them up for an extreme diet, she's not amused. When someone ends up poisoned by a cake, things get even worse. While she tries to identify the killer, Coconut Cove’s annual boating festival is in full swing. In between getting ready for her first sailing race and cheating on her diet, Mollie and her cat, Mrs. Moto, uncover clues, interview suspects, and do their best to avoid rutabagas. Can Mollie nab the killer before someone else is poisoned? If you like quirky characters, adorable cats, and plenty of chocola

Cozy novella spotlight! Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries by Dianne Ascroft About the Book   Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries   Cozy Mystery Prequel Novella   Independently Published (April 28, 2019)   Paperback: 126 pages   ISBN-10: 1096163373   ISBN-13: 978-1096163374 D igital ASIN: B07R4GQWQN   Out of Options is a prequel novella to the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series, and introduces Lois Stone and her companions, Raggs and Ribbons, a pair of perceptive calico cats. A dry district, a shocking secret, a missing person. When Lois Stone’s friend, Beth Darrow, arranges to meet her to reveal an astonishing discovery, Lois’s curiosity is piqued. Then Beth doesn’t keep their lunch date and Lois becomes worried. What has happened to her friend? Middle-aged widow Lois is settling into life on her own in her neighbourhood and in the library where she works, and she is just about coping with her fear of strangers after her husband was mugged and died in the

A few weeks ago I reviewed a short story/novella from Ronel Janse van Vuuren . I'm back today to spotlight another novella, just because it's free this week at Amazon! I'd hoped to do a review, but, yeah. Later :D I'll be picking up a copy while it's free! Title: Magic at Midnight Author: Ronel Janse van Vuuren Publication Info: May, 2019. 98 pages Publisher's Blurb: Amy has only known one life. Now she needs to put it all on the line to save what is precious to   her. Can this simple farm girl survive court life? Can she stop a war from burning down her world? And what of the   mysterious princess of Hazel Wood and her covert glances…? Not to mention the prince of Acacia Wood who might or might not be involved with the prophecies ruling their kingdoms. With mysteries and secrets   threatening the life she longs to return to, can she separate her feelings from the mission? About the author: Award-winning author Ronel Janse van Vuuren mainly writes for teens an

It's been a while since I got out a photo post, but I haven't forgotten that I've a bunch of trips and sights still to share! I also realize I still haven't shared a couple of other trips we did before this one, including the Milford Track, but since I've started here, I'll do this and get back to the others. Our visit to Abel Tasman National Park on the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand (got all that? :D) was a special one. We broke from our standard hiking pattern, as well as from the huts, and rented kayaks and reserved spaces in the beach-front camping grounds. The three-night, four-day trip involved two days of kayaking, then two days hiking back. Abel Tasman is probably the most heavily visited of New Zealand's national parks, with as many as 5-7000 people on the water, beaches, and trails on a peak-season day. I could see why (and was glad that we were a bit off the peak). On the drive north from Christchurch, we spent 5 or 10 minutes wa