Sunday, March 17, 2024

PROGESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING MARCH 16, 2024

 Work proceeds apace on my CODE NAME INTREPRID story for Robert J. Mendenhall's third volume of his CONFIDENTIAL anthology, collecting adventures from other writers.

My working title for the adventure featuring a pre-World War 2 multi-military task force investigating the "strange and unusual" while trying to stop a group of Axis soldiers dedicated to finding anything Germany might be able to use in hopes of bringing the world under control of their pending Third Reich is "OPERATION COLOSSUS".
The reason why is quite interesting and will be revealed when Volume Three is released this fall.


Considering today is March 17, HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY TO ONE AND ALL. πŸ€

Take care.
STAY SAFE! 😷
And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior
17 March, 2024


Sunday, March 10, 2024

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING MARCH 9, 2024

 Things are finally starting to get back to "normal".
Whatever that is.

While my actual writing time is still a bit limited at the moment, especially dealing with that ongoing/private family matter via long distance; at least I AM writing! πŸ˜€πŸ˜Ž

My CODE NAME INTREPID story for Robert J. Mendenhall's CONFIDENTIAL anthology series is going well, although I haven't broken the 4,000 word mark yet.
For those who came in late, the submission has to be between 7,500 and 10,000 words maximum, featuring Mendenhall's team of multiple military branch representatives united together to investigate the "unusual" and stop would-be world dictator Adolph Hitler's soldiers from gathering any possible supernatural or otherworldly weapon that might aid his cause.

There's also lots of research involved in a pre-World War 2 story, especially considering I'm a civilian who wasn't born until 1962. In fact, I celebrated my 62nd birthday last week!πŸ€―πŸŽ‚
I definitely have to agree with Garth Brooks on the fact that ♫I'm much too young to feel this damn old.♫
Then again, although they have taken a collective toll on my overall health; considering that I have survived two different bouts of pneumonia, congestive heart failure, an aortic aneurysm, a second heart operation to replace a failing part from repairing the aneurysm and a bout of COVID—which I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy!—I AM VERY THANKFUL to still be around! 😁

I better get back to writing now.
Take care.
STAY SAFE!😷
And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior
10 March, 2024


Sunday, March 3, 2024

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING MARCH 2, 2024

 "Prepare for trouble." "And make it double!"—Team Rocket's (in)famous Pokemon intro.

Still trying to remotely deal with some Texas based family issues from my neck of the woods in the
"wilds" of New England right now. But that's a personal matter, so I won't be expanding any further on that subject at this time.

Otherwise, working on my CODE NAME: INTREPID CONFIDENTIAL story for Robert J. Mendenhall when I can. Haven't put too many words on it overall since the last Progress Report, but at least I do have a story title now. Since I started on this project before 2024 began, I'm not worried about making the June 1 deadline. Yet I'm certainly not resting on my laurels, or my Hardys either. πŸ˜‰

Most of the time I write because it's my creative expression outlet.
I "paint" with words. Creating scenes, stories, and whole books about people, places and adventures that most of us can only dream about at best.

Then there are other times like right now when writing can be therapeutic by taking your mind off your troubles for awhile and giving you a much needed break.
Which could be why a lot of writers started out and still are avid readers.
I know I am.

In any event, I better get back to writing now.
Take care.
STAY SAFE! 😷
And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior
3 March, 2024


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 24, 2024

 There has just been too much going on in my personal life at the moment to get much writing done, which is one of the reasons that I am just now posting a Progress Report at all despite how late it is.

On the other hand, I am still working on my CODE NAME INTREPID story for Robert Mendenhall when time is available.

I have managed to break the 2,600+ word mark, which puts the first draft of my story roughly about a quarter done.

I will be well finished long before the June 1 deadline on this project and then back to SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGEDNA. Just skidding through a rough patch at the moment.

Take folks, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
27 February, 2024

Sunday, February 18, 2024

I'M BACK!

 OR: ON BEING ANALOG IN A DIGITAL AGE.

Computers are wonderful things.
My old system, so to speak.
Until they break down and become nothing more than oversize, useless paperweights.
I was without a computer since December 26, 2023 until sometime the week before this was posted.
All I really had to work with was my cellphoneπŸ“±, along with a few pens and a lot of paper.
Every word written during that time was in long hand.
Does anyone even still remember how to write in cursive beyond signing their name nowadays?

Anyway, I'm still trying to transcribe all my notes into a coherent manuscript. Thankfully between multiple flash cards/drives I was able to recreate all my files, but work on SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA is on hold at the moment because—what I eluded to last time but didn't get the chance to reveal before now because of being involuntarily offline for so long—is that I have been asked to contribute a story to Robert J. Mendenhall's CODE NAME INTREPID series! πŸ˜€

CODE NAME INTREPID CONFIDENTIAL, VOLUME 1 came out last fall and is on the ballot for BEST PULP ANTHOLOGY in this year's Pulp Factory Awards! 😁
Volume 2 is scheduled for a Spring (March or April) 2024 release.
My story, along with everyone else contributing to Volume 3, is scheduled to be out sometime this fall.

I have a 7,500 minimum to 10,000 maximum word limit and, now that Mendenhall approved my plot, the story itself is due by June 1, 2024.
For those unfamiliar with the series, CODE NAME INTREPID is a team with representatives from every branch of the United States Military Services investigating "the unusual" while trying to stop the Sonderstaffel, whose mission is to gather every possible weapon and artifact of supernatural or unknown origin that could aid the Axis/Nazis in the days before World War 2 began; which would be September 1, 1939 for Europe and December 7, 1941 for the United States.

While obviously a work of fiction, everything has to be as historically accurate as possible, hence all the research I had to do via my cellphone and trust me. On that device, I don't set any texting speed records as it is so typing Google requests, let alone attempting to read the results on such a small screen was really "fun".

But now I have a working computer again and am trying to get back up to speed even as you read these words.
With that in mind I better get back to writing now.
Take care.
STAY SAFE! 😷 (I was gone for so long, Google changed the Blogger emoticons on me!)
And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior
18 February, 2024



Monday, January 22, 2024

STILL OFF LINE

 I'm on a borrowed system at the moment to let all my readers and fans know that if they didn't see the notice on The Free Choice E-zine, my computer byted the big one (no pun intended) December 26.

I am trying to do all my writing by hand at the moment and have no idea when my computer will be fixed or replaced.

Until then, take care.

Lee Houston, Junior

Saturday, December 23, 2023

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 23, 2023

I received a fantastic, early Christmas gift this week but while I can share the news with everybody, I have to wait until after the contract is signed to do so.


It has unfortunately been slow going this past week writing wise versus trying to get everything ready for Christmas, but I have managed to break the 51,000+ word count on SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA, although I'm still on Chapter 30 at the moment.
Hopefully after the first of the year I'll be able to concentrate on my writing more.
Especially after I share my good news with you next weekend.
Until then, take care.
STAY SAFE! 😷
And 

Lee Houston, Junior
24 December, 2023