PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 29, 2026

 After such a great week writing completing TWO chapters, things are back to "normal".

I'm still on Chapter 26, but at least I've moved into the 46.000+ word neighborhood on the HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE prequel novel PRIVATE BATTLES.

Not sure what lies in the week ahead yet. Errand Day will be sometime within the next 72 hours and there's the never ending battle of housework and other chores like making meals, so we'll just have to see how things go.

And for those of you interested, while I'm somewhere between the halfway and three quarters point in my plot at the moment, I have no idea how long PRIVATE BATTLES will turn out to be.

I can tell you that while there is no actual limit, because my plot looks more like a cross between an outline and a story summary, all the previous HUGH MONN novels wound up in the 30s, chapter wise.

Then again, I'm trying to restart the series from basically scratch to find a new audience with a new publisher (identity to be determined) since the old one folded and delisted all their offerings (including my works) from Amazon.

Yet to achieve that fresh start I better get back to writing now, so take care.

STAY SAFE!

Have a great week and I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

30 August, 2026

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 22, 2026

 I actually had a good writing week last week despite all the errands and household chores I had to do!

I not only managed to finish Chapter 24, but also completed Chapter 25 and started Chapter 26 of the HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE prequel novel PRIVATE BATTLES!

Which also now leaves me somewhere at the beginning of the 46,000+ word count area!

I hope I have another good writing week within the seven days before me, but we'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

With that in mind I better get back to writing now.

Take care!
STAY SAFE!

Have a great week and I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

23 August, 2026

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 15, 2026

 Really not much to say at the moment.

I'm still on Chapter 24 and within the 42,000+ word neighborhood on the HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE prequel novel: PRIVATE BATTLES.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and errands day later in the week as well as the never ending battle against housework and other chores.

However I do have a couple of photos to share with everybody that I took with my cellphone while dog walking.

Monarch Caterpillar

This first one was taken on a walk with Belle the Dog Friday afternoon.

On the left is an actual Monarch Caterpillar that will hopefully someday become a Monarch Butterfly.

On the right is the lady Belle, expressing her opinion on the winter weather we experienced this past January 2026.

On the left is a baby(?) field bunny Belle and I saw Saturday.

The weather has been wonderful the last couple of days in my neck of the woods, so you have to take the time to enjoy the moment, and let the dog do what the dog needs to do 😉, whenever you can.

Of course, if Belle had her way, we'd be out there all day long when the weather is good and I'd never get any writing done.

Speaking of which, I better get back to it now so take care.

STAY SAFE!

Have a great week and I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

16 August, 2026

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 8, 2026

 There WAS some actual progress this past week!

I have finally made it to Chapter 24 of the HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE prequel novel PRIVATE BATTLES, and entered the 42,000+ word mark doing so!

Hopefully this coming week will be better (famous last words😉) because all I have scheduled is errand day and the never ending battle against housework.

Considering it's just me, myself and I; I think the three of us can handle it.

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

Take care.

STAY SAFE!

Have a good week and I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

9 August, 2026

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 1, 2026

 Well, as I suspected in my last PROGRESS REPORT, this past week was not very productive writing wise. 😒

Between the Cardiologist appointment (and for those interested, everything went fine. I'm as healthy as a 64 year old man with a heart condition can be 😀) along with all the regular ins and outs, ups and downs and every other imaginable directions of life; I just didn't get much writing done.

I'm still on Chapter 23 in the 41,000+ word count neighborhood on the HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE prequel novel manuscript PRIVATE BATTLES.

Plot wise I'm approaching the halfway point of the overall story. HUGH is about to resolve one major portion of his first case in hopes of obtaining his private detective license but the initial mystery that started everything has yet to be taken care of.

Of course, the series title does reveal HUGH gets his license.

After all, there were three existing novels in this series before the original publisher went belly up.

But I never said how that happened, nor answered a lot of other questions concerning his background.

PRIVATE BATTLES will have the answers, once I finish writing it and find a new publisher.

With that in mind I better get back to writing now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!

Have a great week and I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

2 August, 2026

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JULY 25, 2026

MY MUSE, Internet estimate

 Another busy week is behind me.

About all I really had time to do most days was just take notes of whatever my Muse had to say to me.

Hope I can read my own handwriting when the time comes to use them.😉

In any event, I HAVE made it to Chapter 23 and past the 41,000+ word mark on the HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE prequel novel PRIVATE BATTLES.

I've got a long way to go yet considering I'm only about at the halfway point, plot wise, of HUGH earning his private detective license.

If it was the halfway point in the manuscript, then I'd be looking at an estimated 46 chapters and 82,000+ words but the longest HUGH novel from his now defunct publisher was about 35 chapters and close to 68,000+ words.

Not sure how this coming week is going to turn out because I have to see my cardiologist Monday July 27 for my bi-annual (twice a year) physical and that's usually a most of the day event with travel time and I'll still have to have errand day (more hours away from the computer shopping for groceries and other stuff) sometime later this coming week.

But to get any writing done this week I better get back to it so take care.

STAY SAFE!

Have a great week and I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

26 July, 2026

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JULY 18, 2026

 Once again, it wasn't one of my better weeks. 😐

I'm still on Chapter 22 of the HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE prequel novel PRIVATE
BATTLES, but at least I'm closer to the 41,000+ word mark than I was last time.

Haven't gotten into that neighborhood yet, but some progress is better than none.

I will admit to not being a fast writer.

I take my ideas as they come.

Sometimes I'm "in the zone" as they say, trying to get everything down on the computer file as fast as I can, and other times the only "zone" I'm in seems to be the one with Rod Serling.

I will admit to not being a quick typist either.

The last time I was ever officially timed, my typing speed was about 40 words per minute and that was well over a decade ago.

Even if I was in a position to get my typing speed tested again, I'm not sure I want to find out because it's probably slower now than it was back then just because of the passage of time.

I've spent way too many past PROGRESS REPORTS talking about errands, chores, life, the universe and everything versus the fact that the only ones on Team Houston are me, myself and I.

Yet above all else, I AM A WRITER!

Come what may, I will get this and all future projects completed as soon as humanly possible.

With that in mind, I better get back to writing now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!

Have a good week and I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

19 July, 2026