Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Just a quick note today to say it's working: I have progressed from forcing myself to write a sentence a day, however hard, to writing multiple paragraphs. As a result, my story for the 2020 IWSG Anthology contest is now up to over 1200 words. Many of those words, I have no doubt, will need to be removed again. But the point is that the words are coming, the story is taking shape both in my mind and on the page, and I can even lose myself in that other world for a time. Encouraged by that progress, I've resumed editing on my novel in a small way, though that's much more sporadic. I'm not doing the heavy lifting: I'm making notes of what I have and what needs to be changed and rewritten. I'm not trying yet to actually rewrite it. Baby steps. What is most encouraging is simply that I can work on these projects, even if only for a short time each day. It gives me hope that I can once again start enjoying creating new worlds and losing myself in them. Thanks again

Title:   Bad Fairy Series:  A Bad Fairy Adventure (Book One) Author:  Elaine Kaye Publisher:  The Wild Rose Press, 2020. 66 pages Genre:  Fantasy Middle Grade Age Range:  8-12 
 Publisher's Blurb: Thistle Greenbud is not a bad fairy. She simply doesn't like rules, and it's just her luck that her homework is to create a new rule for the fairy handbook. But first, she has more important things to do. Like figure out how to get back at Dusty and Moss for playing tricks on her. Before she can carry out her plan, though, disaster strikes and she finds herself working alongside the very fairies she wanted revenge on. Can they work together and trust each other, or will things go from bad to worse? BUY LINKS: Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble EXCERPT: As we watch the boys, the wind picks up, making the fern lay flat, exposing us. We gasp and make a dash for the closest tree. Behind it, we huddle together. “Boogles! A branch just hit me,” Weedy says. The sky turns black. Wind swirls du

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!   Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! If it links to Google+, be sure to change it as Google+ is going away in January. Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back. Let’s rock the neur

Title: Talking Leaves Author: Joseph Bruchac. Read by the author Publication Info: 2016, Random House Audio. Original 2016 by Dial Books, 256 pages Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: Thirteen-year-old Uwohali has not seen his father, Sequoyah, for many years. So when Sequoyah returns to the village, Uwohali is eager to reconnect. But Sequoyah’s new obsession with making strange markings causes friends and neighbors in their tribe to wonder whether he is crazy, or worse—practicing witchcraft. What they don’t know, and what Uwohali discovers, is that Sequoyah is a genius and his strange markings are actually an alphabet representing the sounds of the Cherokee language.  The story of one of the most important figures in Native American history is brought to life for middle grade readers. 
 My Review:   This is both a story of a boy coming of age and learning to understand his father, and a story of something very important in Native American history. As with

It has now been nearly three weeks since my entire world was upended , and I am making very small steps back to being a writer. This post is one of those steps--restarting my blog. Getting the blog moving is going to require some changes. For now, I'm not accepting, reviewing, or much reading any mysteries. Mostly I'm sticking with rereading favorite books that offer me comfort (if only by being very familiar). So I apologize to anyone whose book I've promised to review--I assume at some point I will be able to do that, but for now, no. That said, I have finished one review of a book I'd read and started to review before this happened, and will post that on Monday. Writing that review was okay, so when I'm ready I think I'll go back to at least Middle Grade reviews. The other main recent feature of this blog has been photos from our travels. I do want to continue to share those, including perhaps more of my husband's amazing work, as I am able to look at it.

I will be letting this blog go on a break while I try to cope with loss and grief. I will not be keeping any commitments about posts or reviews. My husband was killed in a car-bike crash on Friday night. Dave Dempsey. 1955-2020

We are delighted to be participating today in the Great Escapes Blog Tour for Mousse and Murder, by Elizabeth Logan! Mousse and Murder (An Alaskan Diner Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Publisher: Berkley (May 5, 2020) Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages ISBN-10: 0593100441 ISBN-13: 978-0593100448 Kindle ASIN: B07WCZPZY7 Publisher's Blurb: A young chef might bite off more than she can chew when she returns to her Alaskan hometown to take over her parents’ diner in this charming first installment in a new cozy mystery series set in an Alaskan tourist town. When Chef Charlie Cooke is offered the chance to leave San Francisco and return home to Elkview, Alaska, to take over her mother’s diner, she doesn’t even consider saying no. After all–her love life has recently become a Love Life Crumble, and a chance to reconnect with her roots may be just what she needs.  Determined to bring fresh life and flavors to the Bear Claw Diner, Charlie starts planning changes to the menu, wh