Books with author Patrick Douglas

Jason Thorn is a filthy and unwanted 13-year-old with a bleak future. He's been pulled from school for good and is kept prisoner in the family basement with his dog when a wicked storm hits his tiny hometown of Niobrara. Already adept at enduring situations most 13-year-olds wouldn't be able to comprehend, Jason must survive the onslaught of floodwaters and devastation that has destroyed his hometown. To do so, he'll rely on three unexpected friends who will encourage him along the way.

A harrowing account of survival against incredible odds, this is the story of Jason Thorn, an unwanted 13-year-old who has been pulled from school and kept prisoner with his dog in the filth and squalor of his family basement. After a wicked storm hits his tiny hometown of Niobrara, Jason must draw upon the encouragement of unexpected friends and his own adept endurance skills—the result of situations most kids his age wouldn't be able to comprehend—to stave off an onslaught of floodwaters and devastation. Loosely based on a terrible true story of child abuse that played out in the media years ago, Jason's haunting story brings to light the continuing problem of "invisible" abuse cases and the extraordinary capabilities that people can acquire in the face of continued adversity and catastrophe.

Jason Thorn is a filthy and unwanted 13-year-old with a bleak future. He's been pulled from school for good and is kept prisoner in the family basement with his dog when a wicked storm hits his tiny hometown of Niobrara. Already adept at enduring situations most 13-year-olds wouldn't be able to comprehend, Jason must survive the onslaught of floodwaters and devastation that has destroyed his hometown. To do so, he'll rely on three unexpected friends who will encourage him along the way.

Elwood Pitch is only thirteen years old when he is carried away to the land of Winnitok, in the otherworld of Ehm. Desperate to find a way back home to his family, Elwood's one hope is Granashon, the land's immortal protector. But Granashon is missing, and her power that protects Winnitok is fading fast. When Elwood dreams of the Eye of Ogin, a legendary object with the power to see Granashon wherever she might be, he vows to find it. With his dog Slukee and two newfound companions, Drallah Wehr of Winnitok and her talking raven Booj, Elwood sets out on an epic quest.Legend states that the Eye was lost in the Great Swamp of Migdowsh, a land of nightmare ruled by a horrible frog demon known as the Otguk. The Great Swamp is far to the west, and a vast wilderness lies between the companions and their goal. Many dangers threaten them along the way-hungry nahrwucks, cruel green yugs and their Graycloak masters, a despotic girl queen and the powerful witch who counsels her-but by their wits and courage, as well as an unseen hand that seems to guide and protect them, the companions reach the Great Swamp at last. And then their troubles really begin…Will they find the Eye and Granashon? Will Elwood find a way home? And how will he live with the terrible truth the Great Swamp reveals to him? Patrick Doud brings memorable characters, poetic language, and a driving narrative to this timeless tale that recalls classic epic adventure stories.

Twelve stories about a kingdom where an Ambassador and his two small daughters, Debbie and Lexi, solve day-to-day problems.Problems like how to find a unicorn, please a fussy Princess, make a silent King converse, or work out what exactly you do with 369 tortoises. My father was a witty and amusing man. He was half Scottish, the clan MacGregor, and wore the kilt both on holidays in Mudeford, and on formal occasions with the addition of a plaid and dress dagger down his sock. An architect, he fought right through World War II, and went over on D Day. When we were little, he used to tell me and my sister adventures set in a faraway kingdom, a mixture of what was recognizably our own daily life and magical fantasy. Not all the stories got written down; I remember one about a fancy dress ball. I had the brilliant idea that someone should go as a pillar box, and my father said that indeed one of the minor Princes did, and it turned out badly. He found that unfortunately he couldn’t eat or drink in his costume – then he fell over in a corner and rolled about unable to get up. I am the Lexi in these stories, and my sister is Debbie; my father is Mr Ambassador. I now write novels myself, under the name Lexi Revellian.

Elwood Pitch is only thirteen years old when he is carried away to the land of Winnitok, in the otherworld of Ehm. Desperate to find a way back home to his family, Elwood's one hope is Granashon, the land's immortal protector. But Granashon is missing, and her power that protects Winnitok is fading fast. When Elwood dreams of the Eye of Ogin, a legendary object with the power to see Granashon wherever she might be, he vows to find it. With his dog Slukee and two newfound companions, Drallah Wehr of Winnitok and her talking raven Booj, Elwood sets out on an epic quest.Legend states that the Eye was lost in the Great Swamp of Migdowsh, a land of nightmare ruled by a horrible frog demon known as the Otguk. The Great Swamp is far to the west, and a vast wilderness lies between the companions and their goal. Many dangers threaten them along the way-hungry nahrwucks, cruel green yugs and their Graycloak masters, a despotic girl queen and the powerful witch who counsels her-but by their wits and courage, as well as an unseen hand that seems to guide and protect them, the companions reach the Great Swamp at last. And then their troubles really begin…Will they find the Eye and Granashon? Will Elwood find a way home? And how will he live with the terrible truth the Great Swamp reveals to him? Patrick Doud brings memorable characters, poetic language, and a driving narrative to this timeless tale that recalls classic epic adventure stories.From the Hardcover edition.

Many people, when first considering the possibility of taking up flyfishing, naturally see it as a tranquil, poetic sport that is done in beautiful surroundings. There’s one hiccup though - most newcomers perceive flyfishing to be a difficult sport that is hard to learn.Often they only try it once or twice and then consequently give it away to pursue easier recreational activities because they either struggle to cast or don’t catch any fish. In reality flyfishing is not a difficult sport and you can start at any age in life. It is not that difficult to get to a competent level in which you have the skills to be able to catch a fish or two in a session. The biggest difference between anglers who have little or no luck and those who are competent is the understanding of where fish are most likely to be and why they are there at any given time. The difference between the competent and those who are in the top five per cent is huge but to get to a fish-catching stage is not that far away.