Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

  It's the first Wednesday of the month--time for the IWSG post.       Why? The IWSG is here to share and encourage, to offer a place for authors to admit their insecurities and offer help and support to each other. How? The official IWSG posting day is the first Wednesday of every month. Hop around the list and see who has worries, triumphs, and news to share.  Every month we have an optional question to spark discussion.  Our motto:  Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. The awesome co-hosts for the February 7 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, SE White, Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine! Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Out today from Dancing Lemur Press! The fourth in the series. In Darkness: The Alien By L. Diane Wolfe Souls shrouded in darkness… Abducted from her research station, Liz’s life is flung into chaos. Sold into servanthood for her knowledge of planetary mining to a race called the Stren, she discovers her problems go far deeper. She is to marry her alien master, Krist, after enduring a procedure designed to eradicate her emotions. Desperate, Liz persuades the Stren to grant her the duration of a short voyage to change his perception of emotions. But how can she convince someone lacking feelings of their value? Is there a means of accessing the emotional side of Krist before it’s too late? Links: Amazon -   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6QVWB2K iTunes -   https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6449979850 Le Barnes & Noble -   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940166065681 Kobo -   https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844972 Everand -   https://www.everand.com/search?query

Astonishingly, I seem to have caught up with my photos, just days before leaving to go collect a whole lot more (watch this space). So this week, and for the next 5 weeks, I'll share a story from the archives for your entertainment and enjoyment.   This particular tale dates back to 2016. 919 words. I'm In Love With A Zombie But He Doesn’t Even Know I’m Alive Look, I’ve been crushing on Armand since the sixth grade. We’re graduating next spring, so that’s pretty much a whole lifetime, in teen years. He’s never liked me back, of course. Why should the cutest guy in the school pay any attention to a geek with pimples? Even if I do have the best brains in our class. Plus I don’t even know if he likes boys.   So I guess I have the best brains except when it comes to crushing on beautiful boys with no brains and 17 girlfriends. I have to admit that’s pretty stupid.   After last month, it’s even more stupid.   You know all about that, of course. There

Another in my long list of books about being in or traveling in the wilderness, Boyd Varty's memoir is a little different.   Title: Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home Author: Boyd Varty. Audiobook narrated by the author. Publication info: Random House Audio, 2014. 9 hours. Hardback Random House 2014, 304 pages. Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: When Nelson Mandela was released after twenty-seven years of imprisonment, he needed a place to recover and adjust to his new life. He went to Londolozi Game Reserve. Founded over eighty years ago by Boyd Varty's great-grandfather, Londolozi started as a hunting safari. But in 1973, Boyd's visionary father, Dave, transformed it into a nature reserve, creating a blueprint for modern-day conservation. This transformation is the backdrop of Boyd's family history and his own personal odyssey. Alongside his feisty, daring sister, Bronwyn, Boyd grows up learning to track lions, raise leopard cubs, and pilot L

I will admit to being a little mystified here. It appears that this book was originally published (in 1980) as a much longer adult novel. I had been expecting middle-grade, but at the youngest I would call this YA, given a fair number of rather adult incidents, not to mention a morally ambiguous resolution. The version I got was "updated in time for the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic," a central event in the book.     Title: Amanda/Miranda Author: Richard Peck Publication Info: Abridged edition 1999 by Dial Books for Young Readers; Kindle edition by Speak, 2001. 176 pages. Publisher's Blurb: This updated edition of the popular Richard Peck novel, available in time to commemorate the anniversary of the Titanic's fateful voyage in 1912, starts with a chilling prophecy. When Miranda begins her position as maid-servant to the glamorous and selfish Amanda Whitwell, Amanda wastes no time in using Miranda to suit her own cruel purposes. Miranda becomes

A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days visiting friends in the Methow Valley on the east side of the Cascades. We were in the grip of some serious winter, but the snow wasn't deep so we went out for some little "hikes" in the beautiful powder (made me wish I were a skier!). Photography was a little challenging but I got a few cool shots, no narrative needed. Driving out over Blewett Pass Winter trails Critters in the snow Another critter in the snow Pearrygin Lake Winter sundown Hope you enjoyed this little tramp in the snow! ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2024  As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated. Don't miss a post-- Follow us !    

It's come to my attention that I really need to highlight my backlist from time to time. Over the past 12 years I've published 4 middle grade novels and a picture book in addition to 6 cozy mysteries, and they deserve a little love now and again! Today's feature: A Fair Maiden who breaks all the rules.   A would-be Hero who fails everything by the book.   It’ll be the adventure of a lifetime… if they survive past breakfast. Okay, for one thing, this may still be my favorite cover. For another, I love the story and so will you--and your 8-12 year old kids! I wrote this out of my own love of fantasy, tempered by an awareness of the absurdity of many high fantasy conventions. A would-be Hero in training, looking for a princess to rescue. A Fair Maiden who breaks all the rules, working as a kitchen wench. In this fun fantasy adventure they form a team that seems doomed to failure. But things don’t always go as expected in the lands be