PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 29, 2018

Well, the last Progress Report of 2018. Where has the time gone?
Wish I had some actual progress to report, but except for The Free Choice E-zine, I haven't really done much writing this past week.

2019 will begin with me going over my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader's latest fantasy novel while she reviews HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.
I know I'll also be getting through the rest of this winter finishing my "Zephyr Lily" story for Jim Beard, starting what will become PROJECT ALPHA, BOOK 3 and who knows what else?

Not much of a party goer myself, but for those celebrating New Year's Eve, please party responsibly.
In any event, I'd like to leave you with a timeless but still very appropriate quote from John Lennon...

A very Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear.

See you in 2019 folks!
Lee Houston, Junior
30 December, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2018

Progress?
WHAT progress?
I managed some personal proofreading one afternoon this past week, and that's been about it.
The closer we get to Christmas...🎄 (sigh)
and I'll be off till at least Wednesday morning because of the holiday.

In any event, take care, and enjoy whatever time you might have with your friends, family, and loved ones.

Lee Houston, Junior
23 December, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 15, 2018

Well...
I'm trying to do what I can get done when the time is available, but in all honesty I'm beginning to think that my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader was right in taking the rest of 2018 off.

Not that I'm giving up.
Just that I don't feel like beating my head against a brick wall when I get mad at myself for not
accomplishing everything I wanted to.

But what I can get done now is less I have to worry about once 2019 starts, so I'm going back to writing now.

See you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
16 December, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 8, 2018

It seems that the closer we get to the holidays, the more demands are placed upon my time.
Nothing I can't handle. It's just that the more I tend to other matters (like housecleaning, shopping, Christmas decorations, etc) the less time there is for writing.
Maybe my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader is right in taking the rest of 2018 off from any major work, which also means she will not start reviewing the manuscript for HUGH MONN, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE until sometime after the first of the year.
I know there are still things I need to do, including owing a marketing director a photo and bio, once I find someone with a working camera willing to take my picture.
In any event, the above was a whole lot of words to explain why not much got done on the writing front this past week.
Maybe this week will be better?
We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime, take care and I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior
9 December, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 1, 2018

First and foremost: for those celebrating starting at sundown tonight, HAPPY HANUKKAH!

Now then...
Can you believe this is my 300TH WRITING BLOG POST???
I tried looking for an appropriate image to celebrate this tricentennial, but all I could find was the (copyrighted) logo to some movie.
Seems like just yesterday I started my writing blog, but we all know it's been longer than that.
Am thinking about changing the background/layout format, but haven't liked any of Blogger's offerings yet.
If you folks have any thoughts on the subject, please leave them in the comments section to this post.

Anyway, my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader and I haven't exchanged files yet, so not sure when she'll be reviewing HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE while I go over her latest fantasy novel, but time will tell.

Been thinking about my writing plans present and future.
Still have to finish my Zephyr Lily story for Jim Beard, and definitely want to do at least another Sherlock Holmes story for Airship 27, but my main focus to open 2019 WILL BE whatever becomes Book 3 in the Project Alpha series!

For better or worse though, my productivity just hasn't been where I want it to be.
Granted, it's physically impossible to write 24/7, and life and other matters do get in the way sometimes when I try to write.
The false starts and restarts, let alone pausing everything when my mother passed away last year, certainly didn't help things on HUGH 3.
Then again other obligations, like my recent doctor's visit (which went well), house work (unfortunately I have yet to find a self cleaning house, let alone clothes and dishes that will wash themselves) and other stuff (with winter upon us, somebody has to start and run the wood stove) take time away from writing.
I know there isn't enough hours in the average day.
There certainly isn't enough me.
Especially since I've lost a good 30 pounds since the start of this year! 😎

None of the above can be taken as an excuse, but it is an explanation for what's been going on.
After all, I'm only human. 👽😉

In any event, I better get back to writing now.
Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
2 December, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 24, 2018

Really not all that much to say at the moment.

Had a great Thanksgiving, and what writing time I did manage to obtain was devoted to my "Zephyr Lily" story for Jim Beard.
Still waiting to hear from my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader as to when we'll be trading files so I can go over her latest fantasy novel while she reviews HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.

But other than an impending physical this week, there should definitely be more writing time available to me than there was this past week.
Better get to it.

Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
25 November, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 17, 2018

First and foremost everybody:

Now then, my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader has decided that between the impending holiday and needing to finish going over what will be the fifth novel in her Jezebel Johnston series before submitting it to Airship 27, that the two of us will not be trading files until after the first of December at the earliest.

I will still be going over her latest fantasy novel while she reviews HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE, just not when I originally thought.

So what have I been doing?
WRITING.
Duh!

At the moment, I am backtracking to finish my Zephyr Lily story for Jim Beard's 1970s comics homage anthology, because that has been green lighted again! 😁

Then I will be racking up the frequent time traveling miles between a few other projects I want to get underway, including another Sherlock Holmes adventure.
So while all of this might be a whole lot easier if I had my own TARDIS😉, I certainly won't be idle, despite the fact that I will be taking Thursday off.

In any event, take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
18 November, 2018

All links were active at the time this Progress Report was posted.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 10, 2018

You can't see it from your side of the Internet, but I'm doing my "happy dance" right now because I have finished the manuscript for HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE!

Tuesday, my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader and I will trade files.
I will review her latest fantasy novel while she reads Hugh.
When done, we will trade back and go over each other's respective notes, making corrections where needed before going over the manuscript one last time from start to finish.
Then, when everything is as perfect as humanly possible, I will submit FEMME FATALE to the publisher and go on to my next project.

"But what is that?" you ask.
Stay tuned!

HAPPY VETERANS' DAY!
Lee Houston, Junior
11 November, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 3, 2018

I AM on the very last chapter of HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE!
However, I'm not sure if it will conclude with Chapter 25 or 26.
It's just a question of how long I decide to make 25.
Regardless of the chapter number, I am currently 134 manuscript pages and 63,000+ words into the novel, so I do have to conclude everything before reaching 70,000 words.

With the false starts, dead ends, restarts, and having to pause everything because of my mother's passing last October, I will be the first to admit this one has been really tough to write.
Yet the end IS in sight!

When FEMME FATALE is done, I will be going over my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader's manuscript for what will be her next fantasy novel while she reviews Hugh.

After that...?

So I better get back to writing.
Take care and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
4 November, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 27, 2018

I am certainly glad that this past week is over and done with.😣
The eye exam went well. Mine are as healthy as a 56 year old man's can be. 😎
Still need the reading glasses, but at least the prescription hasn't changed.
Eye health is as important as anything else concerning your well being, and I do the best I can to stay well, living a post congestive heart failure and aortic aneurysm life.
But because of the eye exam and some other stuff, I didn't get much writing done this past week. 😢

Hopefully things will be back to what passes for "normal" soon.

Still on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE, so I better get back to writing now.

Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
28 October, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 20, 2018

WELL...

I did write when I could, and work is going great on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.
Still feel that I'm within a chapter or two of completing the manuscript!

BUT...
I didn't get as much writing time as I would of loved to have this past week because other things kept coming up.
Not really sure how this coming week is going to go either, especially since I have an eye doctor's appointment and I will be getting dilated during it, so that day I'm not really counting on.

OTHERWISE...
I'll just keep doing the best I can with what I've got, so I better get back to writing now.

Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
21 October, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 13, 2018

Hugh Monn, Private Detective

Current writing project is still HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.
Am on Chapter 24 (of a possible 25 or 26) and have just broken 60,000 words.
Should (and note the stress on that first word) have the manuscript finished by the end of the month.
Then it goes to my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader for review, while I tackle a few short story projects until I receive the results of her review.

Until then, going back to writing now.
Lee Houston, Junior
14 October, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 6, 2018

Other than the fact that I'm still on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE, there really isn't much to report.

I did go back and re-read everything I had so far before picking up where I left off.
Have a list of plot points and unanswered questions that I need to address before I type those last words "The End".

24 chapters and almost 59,000 words at the moment. For those who keep track of such statistics, the longest individual chapter is 7 pages, but you also have to remember that the manuscript format is different from the final print/e-book version, because Pro Se prefers authors to skip a line between paragraphs.

When HUGH is done and being reviewed by my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader, I will be working on a couple of short stories until FEMME FATALE is completely finished and I turn my attention to whatever becomes PROJECT ALPHA BOOK 3.

With that in mind, I better get back to writing now.
Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
7 October, 2018

SOAPBOX TIME (SEPTEMBER 30, 2018)

Normally at this point on my writing blog, I post some commentary about how my writing progress is going on whatever project(s) I'm involved with at the moment.
To honor that tradition, things are going well with HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.

HOWEVER...
I need to dedicate the majority of this post today to talk about something more personal, so just let me dig out my old soapbox to stand on and...

It will be one year ago tomorrow that the Houstons lost my mother/dad's wife.

There have been many comments and observations throughout time about a parent outliving a child which, with all the violence and other ills of the world, is becoming more common place than it should be!

Yet, depending upon the specific circumstances in each individual case, there isn't much said about the child outliving the parent, since that is supposed to be the natural order of life.

Barbara Houston passed away the afternoon of October 1, 2017; less than a day shy of her 79th birthday and a little over a month short of her 60th wedding anniversary!

To say that my father was devastated would be a serious understatement.
I certainly wasn't expecting the phone call that he made to give me the news. Besides, any time someone starts a phone call with "Are you sitting down?" is definitely an ill omen.

Long time readers of both this blog and/or The Free Choice E-zine know that I suspended all work on both sites until after I returned from the funeral.
Even then, it took me a while to get back into what passes for a "regular" routine.

Time might heal all wounds, but no one has ever stated just how much time must elapse to overcome a specific injury.
There is much I could add to the above, but doing so would betray a lot of private confidences between myself and Barbara Houston's surviving kin.
Suffice to say, my dad is getting better, yet there isn't a day that goes by that some thought of his late wife doesn't cross his mind.

We, as human beings, deal with grief in a multitude of ways.
I AM A WRITER, and I will continue to write.

But probably not tomorrow.

Lee Houston, Junior
30 September, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

Well, between the remnants of Hurricane Florence coming to my neck of the woods (which thankfully brought only a whole bunch of rain⛆)along with a couple of doctor appointments (and I still haven't found the one with the TARDIS yet!😉) I decided not to split my writing time between projects and concentrated solely upon HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE this past week.

23 chapters; 58,000+ words and rushing towards the climax.
But to quote Jimmy Buffett: ♫Where it all ends I can't fathom my friends♫

I know what I want to accomplish, but how exactly to achieve this is my unanswered question at the moment.

For those just joining this blog, although mysteries require more detail work in advance, I don't like to set every plot point in stone before I start writing.
After all, what if a great idea comes along while you're working and you can't use it because you're too rigid in your plot?

So, do I go with a gun fight? Cut to the "car" chase?
Hugh is definitely a man of action and not the kind of private detective who would call all the suspects together and reveal the guilty party amongst them.

Plus, his cases do happen in "the far flung future", so they have to be exciting as well.
Don't worry, I'll figure it out, but to do so I better get back to writing now.
See you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior
23 September, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

I DID work on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE last week, and things are going great with that novel.

BUT—I just could not ignore one of the other ideas that have been floating in my head any more and have ALSO started work on what will eventually be my next SHERLOCK HOLMES, CONSULTING DETECTIVE story for Airship 27 too!

When I get stuck on one, I just switch over to the other for awhile.

But HUGH always starts each writing day.

I've tried balancing two different projects at once before and sometimes (depending upon what the projects are) it works in my favor and other times, after awhile, I have to focus entirely on just 1 or lose my concentration entirely.

I guess that's just part of being human.

In any event, I better get back to writing now or nothing's going to be accomplished.

See you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

16 September, 2018

FOR FANTASY FANS: THE DARK GLASS BY NANCY HANSEN

My friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader has reason to celebrate!

Nancy A. Hansen's latest fantasy/adventure novel has just been released by Pro Se Productions.

After the battle for the portal (in MASTER'S ENDGAME), Greenwood begins to prosper again. Between the Light World races of Elf, Dwarf, and Fairy there are tentative peace treaties and trade agreements. Yet Humans remain stubbornly determined in their isolationist mindset of antagonism and contempt for what they perceive as inferior beings.

In the midst of this new era, two infants of disparate backgrounds are growing up. Red haired Callie's half-Elven daughter Roshanna lives in the Woodsgate Inn with her barmaid mother, neither of them comprehending the little girl's vital importance to the frontier world around them. Yet downriver, another child has been born; a boy with a demonic sire and a prescient knowledge of his future potential for conquest and subjugation.

Callie herself is caught up in a web of intrigue when a young man comes back into her life at a time when she is already unhappy with her circumstances. That he wants to take her away from her humdrum existence is tempting, but something about his sudden reappearance hints at a more sinister agenda. He's offering her a very expensive gift—one that no one should ever possess—an enchanted looking glass worth a king's ransom. What part does this Dark Glass play in Callie's own future, let alone that of little Roshanna?

THE DARK GLASS by Nancy A. Hansen. From Pro Se Productions

With a cover  by Cathy Crow, THE DARK GLASS is available now at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1726465411/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536015590&sr=8-2&keywords=the+dark+glass+hansen and Pro Se’s own store at www.prose-press.com for 14.99.

This epic fantasy novel is also available as a Kindle E-book for only $2.99 at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H2P198Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536015590&sr=8-1&keywords=the+dark+glass+hansen. This book is also available on Kindle Unlimited, which means Kindle Unlimited Members can read for free.

THE DARK GLASS is also available in hardback at http://www.lulu.com/content/hardcover-book/the-dark-glass/23201278 for only 25.99.

HAPPY READING!

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 8, 2018

Okay, let's see how I did this past week...

Worked on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE. ✔

Have other ideas waiting in the wings to start work on once HUGH is finished, because my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader wants to wait until the entire manuscript is finished before she goes over it to give Nancy more time to work on her own writing. ✔✔

Going to keep working on HUGH until it's done so I can get on to those other ideas, like PROJECT ALPHA, BOOK 3. ✔✔✔

Then I better get back to writing now!
Have a great week everybody, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
9 September, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

Well folks, if I could find that Murphy guy, I'd make him repeal his law.
Anything that could go wrong, did this past week.
My doctor's appointment on Monday got rescheduled for later in the week.
Don't worry, everything's fine health wise.
But having to make two separate trips to the same place to accomplish the same objective did cut into my writing time, so I lost more than I originally thought I would.
Add in chores, errands, and other things that I wasn't expecting and won't bore you with, and the whole thing comes up to a big chunk of the week, so I barely accomplished anything on the writing front. 😒

But, a new week is in front of me, so here's hoping.
See you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
2 September, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 25, 2018

♫Second verse, same as the first.♫—Herman's Hermits (Henry the 8th)

Still working on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.

Have reached "Point A" in Chapter 21 and am right now trying to decide the best way to reach "Point B".

Or, in other words: I know what I want to do, just not sure how to do it.

Have a doctor's appointment and a few other things to do this coming week, but any available writing time will be dedicated to HUGH.

In any event, I better get back to writing now.
Have a great week and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
26 August, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 18, 2018

WELL... better late than never.

"Like sands through the hourglass..."

A few things and other matters kept me busy over the weekend, so I'm just now getting to my weekly progress report.
Don't worry. Everything's about as right as it can be in my life at the moment.
In any event, once again I spent all my available writing time this past week on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.
The story is beginning to shape up wonderfully.
I'm on Chapter 21 and 51,000+ words into it.
Minimum word count is 60,000; yet there's still a ways to go and a few twists and turns yet to be explored before Hugh can declare the case closed.

Yeah, I'll be the first to admit that this has taken awhile.
Far longer than I originally planned or hoped.
Various short stories and PROJECT ALPHA, BOOK 2: PROVING GROUND had to be completed before I even began work on HUGH 3.
The fact that my publisher suggested delaying what I originally had planned for Book 3 until the next one left me with a big empty hole to fill, plot wise.

Then a couple of false starts, along with having to go back to Square 1 (a lonely, barren place if there ever was one) more times than I wanted to before I even came up with what I'm now calling FEMME FATALE, and all of this was long before losing most of October 2017 because of losing my mother.

None of the above should be taken as an excuse, but it is an explanation as to where the time has gone.
In any event, I'm definitely on the right track now.
Just need to put in the time and effort to finish the first draft of the manuscript before sending it to my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader for her editing and input.
With that in mind, I better get back to writing now.

Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
20 August, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 11, 2018

I'll keep it simple.
Worked on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE every available writing moment I had this past week.
Didn't have as many moments as I would have liked, but then again, I think every writer can say that to some extent.
Anyway, I now have 20 complete chapters and roughly 50,000 words.
Starting to approach the grand finale, but not quite in range of it yet.

Better get back to writing now.
See you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
12 August, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 4, 2018

Well, I've been all over the place this past week.

Most of the time I did work on HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.

But I spent one day in Victorian England kicking around ideas for a new Sherlock Holmes tale (or two), and had to put everything aside for a while Friday to create and review back cover copy for KIRI'S QUEST, the Companion Dragons novella I co-wrote with my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader Nancy Hansen, before the manuscript was submitted.

Hmm...
Between HUGH'S far flung future, Sherlock's vintage setting, and my writing desk being in the present, I wonder if I can get frequent flyer miles for all the time travelling I did??? 😕

In any event, I better get back to writing now.
Have a great week and I'll see you around the Internet, whatever century I'm in. 😉

Lee Houston, Junior
5 August, 2018

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JULY 28, 2018

SHORT BUT SWEET...

Books 1 & 2, available at Amazon.com!

Every writing moment I had this past week was devoted to HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE,
BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE.

I know where the novel is going, but have yet to type the grand finale at the end of all my books, "THE END...for now."

Twenty chapters and almost 50,000 words is nothing to sneeze at though.

In any event, I better get back to writing now.

Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
29 July, 2018