PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 25, 2021

HAPPY KWANZAA AND BOXING DAY EVERYBODY!

Between the big visit to the Ear Specialist on December 21 and Christmas itself on the 25th, my prediction from last week came true.

Alas, I didn't get any writing done. 😞

I did have a good Christmas though, surrounded by friends and family virtually and otherwise.

Hopefully this coming week will be much better.

BUT I HAVE GREAT NEWS!😀

The Ear Specialist said there was absolutely nothing wrong with either my hearing or my ears!

He thinks the reason I'm experiencing occasional vertigo-dizziness-imbalance-whatever you want to call it is because my body still hasn't fully adjusted yet to the new/improved artificial heart valve I now have.😕

So now I have an appointment with a Physical Therapy Specialist in late January 2022 to discuss the situation, which further delays official Heart Rehab for at least awhile longer.

Yet thankfully I've also been approved to drive again.

At least short trips, which will give those who have been helping me out some rest.

Nothing long distance or major though.

But hey, I'll take good news whenever I can.

Like the fact that I'M STILL HERE! 😎

In any event, take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

26 December, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 18, 2021

♫CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE…

OH THAT WE COULD ALWAYS SEE

SUCH SPIRIT THROUGH THE YEAR.♫

From A Charlie Brown Christmas’ “Christmas Time Is Here”. Lyrics by Lee Mendelson.

I did manage to get some writing done last week.

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been really setting any speed records at the keyboard since I returned home from my heart operation, but at least I'm trying!

At the moment it's been far easier to blog between here and The Free Choice E-zine and work on my SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT than anything else. 31 complete chapters (not counting the Prologue) to date with over 57,000+ words, although most of the first 29 plus Prolog were done pre-hospital. I do have the concluding chapters and Epilog plotted, but am obviously far from finished yet.

Early projections for this coming week don't look too productive at the moment, but with good/important reason.

I have a major appointment with that Ear Specialist Tuesday to figure out what's causing my vertigo-dizziness-imbalance-whatever the heck it is and resolve the issue(s?).

And of course I still have to wrap gifts because I'm taking December 25th off to be with family, even if I have to do so virtually.

But what do I want for Christmas?

That's a question I have been repeatedly asked since Thanksgiving and while I'm sure those I'm close to will be giving me something, I already have the greatest gift one could ever ask for.

I'M STILL HERE! 😁💖

On that note♫, take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

19 December, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 11, 2021

OF WRITING, COMMON SENSE, AND MONKEES.

Once again I have gotten some writing done.

After all, what else can I do while I convalesce after having heart surgery?

Seriously though, am past the 55,000+ word mark on my SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL although I've found some better story details that will work out great in the long run so am rewriting the current chapter at the moment before I move on to the next one.

Who will see this when I'm done?

Good question.

I do have a publisher in mind for submitting it to once the manuscript is complete, but don't think that will be happening until the beginning of 2022.

Then I will probably start work on what will eventually become SOLITAIRE 2 unless something else comes up between now and then.

I could rant and rave about those who refuse to either get vaccinated and/or won't wear a mask in light of not only COVID in general but this new Omicron variant sweeping the globe.

I mean, it just makes common sense to me to do so.

After all, you wouldn't rush to fight a forest fire with nothing but S'mores fixings, would you?

Got clearance from my cardiologist to do so and, barring anything unforeseen, I WILL be getting my vaccination booster shot later this week.

Jones-Dolenz-Tork-Nesmith, circa 1966

Now then, I hate to close on a sad note♫, but we have recently lost Michael Nesmith of The Monkees.

Granted, he accomplished a lot more within his lifetime than that (like writing ♫Different Drum♫, producing Repo Man, and helping to pioneer what we know today as the music video), but being with The Monkees maybe what people will remember him most for.

I know I don't remember the TV show first run on NBC between 1966-1968, but I can recall watching The Monkees on CBS Saturday mornings in the fall of 1968 after The Archies.

Considering I was only 6 at the time, that was a fantastic musical line up for this member of the target audience of the day.

Both the intellectual and elusive member of the group, Nesmith didn't tour much during the big anniversary circuits until after Davy Jones' passing in 2012 when he reunited with the others first in Jones' memory, and then later with Micky Dolenz after the world lost Peter Tork in 2019.

I got to see the Trio (Dolenz-Jones-Tork) at a few concerts over the years but only caught Nesmith with them in videos of special events.

Some of you out there may not understand what I am getting at here, but it seems to me like the older you get, the more of your past one loses until there's nothing left but nostalgia and the memories.

In the end, I guess that's all any of us have.

At least they're fond ones.

In any event, take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet!

Lee Houston, Junior

12 December, 2021                      ♫Weren't they good, they made me happy.♫

                           "Listen to the Band", Nesmith Monkees tune.
                         

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 4, 2021

I ACTUALLY GOT SOME WRITING DONE THIS PAST WEEK!

More work has been done on the SCI-FI novel!

Still far from finished, but I can see the end off in the distance.

Currently on Chapter 30 (not counting the Prologue) and about to break 55,000+ words.

Have Chapters 31, 32, 33 and the Epilogue plotted; although I'm not sure at this point how many more will be needed between those last two to cover everything in this novel.

Of course since I'm planning this as the opening installment of an ongoing series, not every plot point will be resolved by the end of the debut, but the first book will definitely not end with those dreaded words "To Be Continued".😉

I also have a rough start on what will eventually be SOLITAIRE 2!

It's only a few handwritten pages at the moment, along with sketches of important (fictitious) locales and a possible subtitle for the novel. 😁

Overall, this may not seem like much in the Cosmic Scheme of Things, but considering how my life has been since October, I consider it a major victory! 😎

ESPECIALLY since I still have to wait till the 21st to see that Ear Specialist and hopefully find out what the {cens*red} is going on with the vertigo-dizziness-imbalance-whatever the heck it is issue I've been having.

In any event, just sitting in a chair while using my computer doesn't seem to bother me.

Laying down and trying to get back up again later does, but that's another matter.

So, without further adieu...

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet!

Lee Houston, Junior

5 December, 2021

KIRI'S QUEST: THE EASTER EGGS

Hello Everybody!

Afraid I haven't accomplished much writing over this past week with the Thanksgiving holiday and personal matters to deal with. Hopefully next week will be better.

But when it was first released, I did promise everyone a run down of the Easter Eggs (those little tidbits authors hide to enrich their stories) within KIRI'S QUEST, so without further adieu...

Cover by Larry Nadolsky

Besides the jokes and other bits of nonsense within the tale of a Companion Dragon on an adventure to retrieve a magical item that was stolen from its rightful owner...

IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE...

MR. ROANOKE was a play on Ricardo Montalban's classic character from another island.

Among the ship references at the dock were THE LOVE BOAT (cruise ship guaranteeing love) and the S.S. Minnow from GILLIGAN'S ISLAND (the reference to three hour tours)

While I could not have Barnabas Collins appear in an all ages adventure, I did make a DARK SHADOWS reference in Castle Umbra’s appearance.

The Ghost Guard Warning Theme and Bruce the (Lone) Shark were nods to JAWS.

“This island proudly guarded by the Amalgamated Association of Monsters, Local 678.”

Was a play on a classic Three Stooges routine.

The two monsters on beach patrol were inspired by MONSTERS, INC. and TICKLE ME ELMO, along with RALPH E. WOLF and SAM SHEEPDOG from classic Chuck Jones’ LOONY TUNES shorts, while the SWORDFISH password was my homage to THE MARX BROTHERS’ AT THE CIRCUS.

In the jungle, the group was a conglomeration of musical acts from the 1960's while The Tally Man and the Tarantula were Easter Eggs from DAY-O by Harry Belafonte.

The Tired Lion Trying To Sleep and WIMOWEH are both nods to THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT by The Tokens.

And although most people think I can't carry a tune in a forklift, I not only know all the words to this classic song, but I can sing ALL the vocal parts too! SOLO! 😀

SHELDON’S GREAT GRANDMOTHER was a Kaiju reference to another classic monster, as also portrayed on Larry Nadolsky's cover.

The lion's lost “Movie studio mascot job” was at MGM, naturally.😉

Between Grewsum and Wiggamore, "The Illustrious Potentate" and "Nobel Lumpkin" were nods to THE SHRINERS’ CONVENTION by Ray Stevens.

For those unaware, a MIDDEN is a MEDIEVAL DUMP.

Grewsum calling the stolen magical item “My precious," was him aping Gollum in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. Just goes to show you how full of himself the man is.

I homaged that classic writer Snoopy quoting "IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT."

And Kiri's comment about “I did not have fun storming the castle," was a play on a classic line from that great novel/movie THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

Of course, these are far from the only jokes and other word play within the adventure that awaits you on every page.

COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME SIX: KIRI’S QUEST is available in print and e-book formats at Amazon.com.

Also available to Kindle Unlimited members for free.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 20, 2021

 Okay. Have another double header PROGRESS REPORT for you this week,

so let's get right to it!

WRITING WISE...

Went back and seriously revised Chapter 28 of my SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL, more than doubling the word count in the process!

Chapter 29 is in progress and Chapter 30 is planned.

Counting the Prologue and as yet unwritten Epilogue, how many chapters there will actually be remains to be seen, but I am approaching 53,000 words out of a 60,000 minimum requirement to be considered a novel.

SOLITIAIRE is pending at one publisher and I've gotten a request from another publisher to submit material for consideration!

Am I lucky to be "working" in a profession I love or what?😎

MEDICALLY...

Everything about the same health/heart wise at the moment.

Only around my armpits and slightly below them hurts chest wise post operation now. But while the pain is manageable, it is there and not fun!

The vertigo/dizziness/whatever it actually is issue seems to be confined to just either trying to lay down or getting up again at the moment. Once I'm either fully flat on my back to sleep or sitting/standing and up and about for the day, I'm fine. Otherwise...

Still wish my appointment with the Ear Specialist was sooner than December 21 so I can find out what's going on and get the issue(s) addressed/taken care of, but one step at a time.

In any event, that's how things are for me right now.

Hope you're doing good.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

For those celebrating: HAPPY THANKSGIVING THIS THURSDAY!

I know I've got a lot to be thankful for.

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

21 November, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 13, 2021

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF LIFE'S UPS AND DOWNS.

YES!

This IS an official PROGRESS REPORT because I did manage to get some actual writing done this past week!😀

I worked on what will eventually be the next chapter of my SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL.

Counting the Prologue as 0, Chapter 28 got started (but remains unfinished as I post this) and I'm already well over 50,000+ words into the overall manuscript.

Unfortunately the work is slow for obvious reasons, hence not going back to tackle the more difficult SHERLOCK HOLMES SHORT STORY yet, but the fact that I got any writing done this past week at all is cause to celebrate because the medical news at best is mixed. 😕

Medically, everything is fine heart💓 wise.

However, and you knew there was one coming 😉, the earliest I could get an appointment to see an Ear Specialist to figure out what is going on in regards to my balance/vertigo/dizziness or whatever the actual problem is was DECEMBER 21!

That means that I am still not officially cleared to drive or do anything other than stay home and continue on the road to recovery the best I can.

At the moment it still only bothers me whenever I go to lay down or try to get up again, and thankfully some instances are less noticeable than others, if they pester me at all.

Yet the fact that I'm still having this issue to begin with is cause for concern.

The very first time (October 25) it was like trying to walk across the deck of a ship during a bad storm at sea.

Since then, instances are more like I'm trying to go in one direction while the rest of the world wants to head the opposite way.

I had one brief and totally unexpected episode November 3, but it passed after sitting down for a few minutes.

Every occurrence since then (so far) has just been of the getting in and out of bed variety.

Yet no matter when and of what variety, I have never been nauseous, experienced room spinning, no headache(s), no double or blurry vision, and I haven't fallen and/or lost consciousness either.

Guess I will just have to keep taking this one day at a time until I either get better or get answers.

With that in mind, take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet, because I still have to write Autumn "the Puppy's" Memorial for The Free Choice E-zine.

Lee Houston, Junior

14 November, 2021

UPDATE TIME AGAIN

Hello Everybody.

Can't really call this a PROGRESS REPORT because other than blogging, I haven't really gotten back into the swing of writing again yet.

Not that I haven't wanted to. It's been on my mind a lot lately.

When I do, it will probably be easier to pick up where I left off on the SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT than attempting to resume the SHERLOCK HOLMES mystery I started before heart surgery for the time being because the Victorian Era Consulting Detective requires a lot of forethought and concentration and, for whatever reason(s), the latter I've had in short supply lately.

I know part of my problem(s) at the moment is that I just don't feel like my old self pre-second heart surgery.

I go to bed early enough and fall asleep rather quickly.

The first time.

But then Nature calls sometime during the night and when I try to get back to bed after answering that page...

A whole lot of people are telling me I shouldn't try to push myself too much.

I thought they just meant physically.

After all, other than pushing the keyboard buttons in the right sequences to record what you're thinking, how physical is writing anyway? 😕

Went for my follow up visit with the heart surgeon this past week.

Other than telling me not to eat any foods high in Vitamin K because that is basically an anti Warfarin/Coumadin chemical, I probably won't be seeing him again.

But Vitamin K turns out to be in a WHOLE LOT of stuff! Some I don't like to begin with. Other things I can easily give up, and some that I will have to start exercising more moderation on.

Speaking of which, barring anything unforeseen, I will probably be starting heart rehab sometime after Thanksgiving.

I still have my first follow up appointment with my Cardiologist this week and my (for now) weekly blood test to see where my Warfarin level is because that has yet to be completely achieved and maintained.

Once maintenance has been established, the blood tests can go monthly.

But the heart is a long term issue.

Writing is another matter.

Hopefully I will get "back in the saddle" soon.

Until then...

Lee Houston, Junior

7 November, 2021

UPDATE TIME

Afraid I have no official PROGRESS REPORT to post at this time because I haven't gotten any writing done this past week outside of honoring my responsibilities as Editor-In-Chief of The Free Choice E-zine.

MEDICALLY however...

All things considered, thought I was doing well until last Monday, October 25.

I awoke around 4 that morning to answer Nature's Call and felt light headed. At the time I thought it was just a question of rising too fast out of bed, which has happened to almost everybody at one time or another. I sat on the edge of my bed until the feeling eventually passed, then managed to do what I needed to and went back to sleep without further incident.

Or so I thought.

A couple of hours later I wake up for the day and OH BOY!

I was seriously light headed and could barely keep my balance when I tried to walk!

It was the worse case of vertigo/dizziness it has ever been my displeasure to experience.

Those around me thought I looked very pale, so insisted I have breakfast and my morning medications first in hope that things would get better.

When my condition didn't improve, they called for an ambulance.

Can't blame them. I was very scared too considering at that point I had barely been out of the hospital for a week post heart operation.

Now let me clarify things a bit before I continue.

At NO POINT did I ever feel nauseous, have a headache, lose consciousness or experience blurry and/or double vision. It was always more like I was trying to walk across the deck of a ship during a bad storm at sea.

Anyway, the ambulance came and took me to the Emergency Department of the local hospital where a bad situation became worse.

I understand the purposes of Triage and Prioritizing patients, but I sat on a gurney in the Waiting Room's hallway for OVER ELEVEN HOURS😵 unattended waiting for a CAT Scan!

Worse, because of the impending procedure, I was allowed no food or water, so missed both lunch and dinner as well as suffered a very sore/dry throat by the time they finally wheeled me into the Emergency Room proper and on to the CAT Scan machine.

Then after that they also wanted to do an MRI.

Personally, I can't blame anyone for wanting to run the tests.

I was scared out of my wits from the word "Go" and wanted to find out what the heck was going on.

But this new test took time to book so it wasn't until well after 3 Tuesday morning before I had anything to eat and/or drink! By that time I would have eaten the plastic wrapper to the cheap vending machine ham and cheese sandwich I was served. And considering I don't like ham to begin with... 😕

The end result of all of this was that they THANKFULLY😀 ruled out a Stroke and the possibility of some piece of plaque the original artificial heart valve was collecting breaking away and going somewhere it shouldn't have.

The general consensus is that I probably (no official confirmation) experienced your basic Inner Ear Infection. Whether or not my situation was made worse because of the recent heart surgery to replace the first artificial heart valve with a better model is also unknown, but I'll be totally surprised if it wasn't.

All I can say is that from my perspective, the whole situation stank🦨 17 different ways from Sunday!

After I was discharged and got a ride home, I slept most of what remained of Tuesday and well into Wednesday morning. Besides the fact I never got one decent wink on that stretcher, the only way I can sleep safely is with a C(onstant)P(ostitive)A(ir)P(ressure) machine, which I did mention a couple of times but no one seemed able or willing to scrounge one up for me.

Was still somewhat unsteady on my feet for the next couple of days, but that was due more to nerves and a lack of confidence walking, considering what I had just been through.

Thankfully that part has corrected itself since my second homecoming, yet I can't help feeling that I'm not back to the point where I was on Sunday, October 24 before all of this started.

Not that I don't feel better.

More like I hit a speed bump/set back in my recovery.

Oh well.

One day at a time.

Lee Houston, Junior

31 October, 2021

I'M BACK!

I'm home from the hospital but it obviously will still be quite a while before I'm feeling anywhere back to "normal" again.

My chest hurts from being cut open and my ribs spread so that the cardiac surgeon could perform the operation.

While nowhere near as life threatening as the aortic aneurysm I experienced back in 2007, my recent artificial heart valve replacement surgery was a necessary procedure. Otherwise, the calcium build up on the old valve would have reached life threatening levels.

So where does all this lead?

One should listen to their Muse.

At this point everyone is still saying 4-6 weeks recovery time, and I'm in no position to debate otherwise.

I have follow up appointments with both my regular cardiologist and the heart surgeon in November.

In the meantime, I am sitting at my computer trying to accomplish what I can.

Once I was able to sit down and concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time, it took me a couple of days just to catch up with my e-mails and all the well wishers out there.

Now I am trying to get back to writing, but at the moment am not setting any speed records doing so.

Still have the unfinished SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT and the SHERLOCK HOLMES story I started before current events loomed on the horizon.

But right now the only thing my Muse is saying is "Take your time and heal first."

Good advice.

Lee Houston, Junior

24 October, 2021

ON MEDICAL LEAVE

Dear Readers, Friends and Fans:

Afraid I will be away from my computer and my writing for awhile as I enter the hospital for another heart operation.

Back in early 2007 I was rushed into the Emergency Room and stayed for almost a month because of an aortic aneurysm.

Part of the procedure was receiving a new heart valve. I've gotten 14 good years out of it but for some reason the part is starting to develop calcium deposits and needs to be replaced with a new and better model before the problem becomes a life threatening situation.

I will be gone roughly a week to ten days.

Then I will be back home on personal recovery for at least 4-6 weeks afterwards in between Doctor's appointments.

Once the pain killers are out of my system and I can sit and think coherently again, I WILL be back at my computer writing!

Until then...

Take care and STAY SAFE!😷

Lee Houston, Junior

12 October, 2021

KIRI'S QUEST NOW AVAILABLE

Okay, same old same old on the Writing Front right now concerning the SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT I'm working on, so thought I'd talk about something else today instead.

A DETERMINED DRAGON ON A DANGEROUS QUEST

‘COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME SIX: KIRI’S QUEST’ DEBUTS!

A very powerful magical tool has been stolen. In the wrong hands, it could be used to conquer the Otherworld realms so it must be recovered at all cost. Only one special companion dragon has the experience and skills to take on this covert quest to bring it back.

Young Pulp! and Pro Se Productions proudly announce the release of COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME SIX: KIRI’S QUEST by Nancy A. Hansen and Lee Houston, Junior, now available in print and digital formats.

Under the cover of darkness, ruby scaled Kiri travels to Castle Umbra, the monster guarded and foreboding stronghold of Grewsum–a wicked wizard, wretched writer, and shoddy speller now turned thief. Kiri is determined to retrieve what was stolen before it can be used for evil purposes—providing she survives that long!

The journey to Grewsum’s fortress is fraught with dangerous perils and Kiri has nothing but her wits and unique dragon abilities to aid her. One misstep could not only end her quest, but alert Grewsum to the fact that his opponents on the side of keeping the Otherworlds free have invaded his private island. That would amount to a declaration of war.

Yet even if Kiri safely makes it all the way to where the magical item is hidden, she might still have to face Grewsum himself. How can one small dragon outwit such a power hungry fiend?

Book Six in one of the most imaginative young reader for all ages series ever-COMPANION DRAGONS TALES-KIRI’S QUEST by Nancy A. Hansen and Lee Houston, Junior. From Young Pulp! and Pro Se Productions.

Featuring an exciting cover by Larry Nadolsky and cover design and print formatting by Antonino lo Iacono and Marcia Marina, COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME SIX: KIRI’S QUEST is available in print and e-book formats at Amazon.com.

Also available to Kindle Unlimited members for free.

Truthfully I had a lot of fun writing this adventure, with Nancy mostly serving as My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader and Companion Dragon Universe Continuity Coordinator.

Someday I will definitely have to post a list of all the Easter Eggs I put into the story.

The only thing it lacks is the kitchen sink, and that's only because I couldn't figure out how to squeeze it in!

I can guarantee you that you'll never think of what composes a BLT the same way ever again.😉

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

10 October, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 2, 2021

It's time⌚ once again for my impersonation of a broken record.😉

Still working on my SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL.

In the middle of Chapter 28 (not counting the Prologue) and over 50,000+ words into the manuscript.

I do foresee the end in sight, but that's at least another 10,000 words away and I still have things to accomplish before reaching that point.

Granted, with this being the first installment of what will hopefully be a long running series, not all the questions will be answered. Otherwise, why would you need to read book 2? 😶

On the other hand, there will be a complete story that leaves you wanting more. If there wasn't, then I would have failed as a writer.

With that in mind I better get back to it.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

3 October, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

What can I say?

Sometimes the words come fast and furious. Other times it's more like the drip of a leaky faucet. They're there, but not at the rate/progress you'd prefer.

Basically, what the above boils down to is that while I'm still on the SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL, I'm not as far along as I would like to be.

I am blazing new trails on a new chapter and about to break the 50,000+ word mark though.

Wish I had more to say, but at least I'm writing.

Take care.
STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

26 September, 2021

TWO NEW BOOKS FROM NANCY A. HANSEN!

You read the headline right folks! My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader has had not one but TWO new books released lately.

FIRST...

Nancy teamed up with writer Roger Stegman to present MYSTICAL MAGICAL WAXY.

The mischievous little rainbow striped Companion Dragon is back.

Now that she lives with Roger 'Rusty' Rustman, a part time mage and story idea generator who Waxy calls Bubblehead, her presence in his life presents some interesting problems. Rusty travels often to places that have no name and he would prefer not to have anyone know his secrets. Unfortunately, there's an awful lot of trouble a curious little dragon can get into in a home where magic fills the air and can animate just about anything a young mind can imagine. Having Waxy around makes it that much harder for Rusty to remain an anonymous man minding his own business.

In the first tale, once she figures out how to follow Rusty through the computer-generated portal, Waxy finds herself on her own in the magical resort world of Atlantis, where not everyone is friendly or has her best interests at heart. Can Waxy turn a rival into an ally to fight back against an even worse enemy? In the second story, when Bubblehead brings home some pastries that are past their prime, those Bad Cookies decide they are going to conquer the otherworlds one at a time, and it's up to Waxy to stop them before they get to the portal. And then Waxy gets herself into even more mischief when she encounters a scary closet monster who is holding some innocent creatures hostage, and she winds up getting locked in with all of them in the dark.

How will poor Waxy get herself out of these troublesome and often dangerous situations? Pick up a copy of MYSTICAL, MAGICAL WAXY, the fifth volume in the COMPANION DRAGONS all ages fantasy series and find out.

Featuring a delightful cover by Larry Nadolsky, MYSTICAL MAGICAL WAXY is available via Amazon. It and the first four COMPANION DRAGONS TALES volumes are available in print and digital format.

ALSO...

Nancy solos in THE KEENER EYE! A new mystery series!

Katherine Mary 'Kate' Keener is the newest private investigator in the shoreline town of Rockport, Connecticut. She's opened her own business on the second floor of a building that houses a bakery on the ground floor, and her little apartment on the third. She's up against some tough competition, so Kate has been surviving on the more mundane cases and leaving the hard stuff to her rivals. Brewster and Sons Private Investigators is well established, and the patriarch, Morey Brewster, never much liked Kate. He considered her an interloper who dated his younger son just to get inside information on their business. But now Morey is dead, the Brewster partnership is all but bankrupt, and it seems like Kate Keener will be the sole inheritor of all the hard-boiled investigations they used to handle.

So how does a young woman who refuses to carry a gun handle herself with a tougher variety of sordid characters and a far more dangerous workload?

Better than you would ever believe.

Kate Keener is fast thinking and well prepared, with a variety of skills and knowledge, and she has some very loyal friends and associates. In this day and age of electronic gadgets galore and cell phones everywhere, private investigation work is still a very viable asset to those who have nowhere else left to turn for answers. In these three thrilling stories, watch Kate and her crew succeed in untangling the crimes and mysteries that surround the New England countryside and often spread tentacles of intrigue and culpability into the greater world at large.

THE KEENER EYE, a trio of short stories by Nancy A. Hansen with a haunting cover by Jason Wren is also available on Amazon in either print or E-format.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

WELL...

Technically I'm still stalled on SHERLOCK HOLMES.

I know WHAT I want to do, just not how to get to the next major plot point in the story.

But I'm doing great on the SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL! 😀😎

Finished reviewing all the material I had previously written.

Added some more details here and there before moving on into the unknown both figuratively and literally.

Am now on Chapter 27 (not counting the Prologue) and have broken the 49,000+ word mark on this project.

Not sure what the final Chapter (counting the eventual Epilog) and word count will be but sometimes that's part of the fun of being a writer when even you're surprised how things turn out! 😉

Thankfully there's no deadlines on either but in any event I better get back to it now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet!

Lee Houston, Junior

19 September, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

My muse

For some reason, my muse seems strangely silent on SHERLOCK HOLMES this past week, preferring instead to concentrate her wisdom and advice on the SCI-FI PROJECT.

I'm going back over the last couple of completed chapters to that manuscript now and wondering where I missed the proverbial left turn in Albuquerque, for something seems off about them to me.

When I have them fixed, I'll pick up where I left off on the novel unless she decides to speak to me about the doings in and around 221B Baker Street again.

Either way, at least I'm writing!

In any event, take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

12 September, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

"Elementary?" You try writing one!

Well, I did at least start what will eventually be a new Sherlock Holmes adventure.

I spent roughly a day and a half researching events to correspond with the basic plot and managed almost a full page of manuscript text.

In the end, I have what is now roughly the beginning and know who does what and why in regards to subsequent events, but since then...

BUMPKUS.

My muse, let alone Doctor Watson, have been strangely silent on the matter.

Oh well.

Thankfully there's no deadline on eventually submitting this story to a potential publisher, but I can see why even creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had difficulties at times writing adventures worthy of the great Victorian Era Consulting Detective, even going to the point of having Holmes allegedly die at the end of "The Final Problem" in hopes of going on to other projects.

I have gone back to my SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL.

Still in the reviewing what I've already wrote stage, for I think I totally have to rewrite, or at least heavily edit, the last two completed chapters before I can truly pick up where I left off.

UNFORTUNATELY, not sure how much writing I'm actually going to get done this week because my personal schedule is heavily booked as it is Tuesday through Thursday.

But one day at a time.

Take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

5 September, 2021

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

DON'T WORK TOO HARD.😉

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 28, 2021

I have finished all my editing, for now.

My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader is making her final pass over the manuscript for Team Blue's Mark Halegua's Memorial Project and when done, it will be submitted to the potential publisher for consideration.

That should leave me free to resume my own writing. Right?

The problem I have facing me at the moment is should I resume work on the SCI-FI PROJECT that I was in the middle of when I first had to put on my Editor's hat a couple of weeks ago or should I listen to my muse and see what Doctor John Watson has to say in regards to possibly creating a new Sherlock Holmes adventure together?

Ah, decisions. Decisions. 😉

But at least these are the easy ones I look forward to and can deal with.😎

In any event, I better get back to writing.

Take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

29 August, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 21, 2021

 "OH BOY!"—Doctor Sam Beckett, Quantum Leap

Was more busy on the personal than professional front last week, and now I and a lot of other folks have got Hurricane/Tropical Storm Henri to deal with!

Whenever that's over and I can get back to "normal", I've still got to finish going over the manuscript for Team Blue and the Mark Halegua Memorial Project before I get back to my own stuff.

In any event, take care folks!

STAY SAFE!😷🌌

And I'll hopefully see you around the Internet eventually.

Lee Houston, Junior

22 August, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 14, 2021

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS IS MY 450TH FILLING BLANK SPACES BLOG POST?😮

In any event, I'm still in Editing mode at the moment going over the manuscript for Team Blue and the Mark Halegua Memorial Project.

When done with that I'll be back on my own writing but not sure if I'll be accomplishing that this week with the way my personal agenda looks right now.

So I better get back to it.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

15 August, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 7, 2021

 "IT'S DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN!"

Yogi Berra, not to be confused with the animated bear.

Anyway, the point of the above quote is that I'm still in editing mode at the present time.

Was just about caught up reviewing what I've created so far on the SCI-FI PROJECT, when My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader contacted me and asked if I was ready to start my final pass on the MARK HALEGUA MEMORIAL PROJECT for Team Blue.

Well, there was no way I'd be saying no to that.

Mark was a friend who was taken from us long before his time and I promised to help make his final(?) dream a reality, so...

Unfortunately I can't say much more than I've already written about this, otherwise I'd be spilling the beans.

I can say that I'll probably still be reviewing it by the time I need to post next week's PROGRESS REPORT so until then...

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

8 August, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JULY 31, 2021

Things are going good on the writing front concerning the SCI-FI PROJECT, but will be wearing my Editor's
Cap again most (if not all) of this coming week as I go over the final manuscript on behalf of Team Blue for the Mark Halegua memorial project.

After that and completing the aforementioned novel in progress...?

But for now, I better get back to it.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

1 August, 2021