PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 22, 2025

TURKEYS AWAY!

 The start of another week is upon us, and it will be a busy one for me with all the Thanksgiving
preparations I have to do so I can celebrate the holiday with my friends and family later this week.

Depending upon how you look at it, today—November 23—is either the anniversary of the world still reeling over then US President John F. Kennedy being assassinated November 22 or the debut episode of Doctor Who being transmitted by the BBC.

In any event, I have made an editorial decision concerning HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE: PRIVATE BATTLES.

The original version of Chapter 6 was only two manuscript pages long, so I've folded it into Chapter 5, which consequently lowers my Chapter count by one at the moment.

That puts me on Chapter 7 instead of 8 right now, but I'm still well over 11,000+ words into the novel and starting to hit my stride despite outside world interruptions and the fact that I've never actually written a prequel novel before.

NEXT SUNDAY A.D.?

Like I said, with Thanksgiving, not sure how this week is actually going to turn out writing wise, but the family comes first.

Yet there are a couple of things past that I miss concerning Thanksgiving.

Like the annual showing of WKRP In Cincinnati's "Turkeys Away" episode and the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Turkey Day Marathon.

And of course my mom's turkey stuffing and watching football 🏈 on TV with my father, even though I'm more of a baseball⚾ fan.

So I hope that despite all the hassles and other problems in the world right now, you and yours have a good week regardless of how or if you decide to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Got to get back to writing now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

23 November, 2025

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JULY 6, 2019

Today is July 7, 2019.
7-7.
Now, if this year was either '07 or '77, then that would be REALLY lucky!

AHA! A new idea!

Anyway...

As I suspected, last week didn't yield a whole lot of writing time.
Yet what time I did get was dedicated to the new idea.
Not that I have given up on my Sherlock Holmes story.
It's just that, after working on one project for so long, you need a break, regardless of what you're specifically discussing.
In any event, I will be back on Holmes this coming week, although I do have a couple of doctor appointments ahead.
And still none of them with a TARDIS!
Oh well...

Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
7 July, 2019

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JULY 15, 2017

ON WRITING AND DOCTOR WHO

Wish the subtitle of this Progress Report meant I was asked to write a Doctor Who story but alas, one cannot have everything in life.

Anyway, I spent the past week working on my 1970s story for Jim Beard's upcoming anthology project, since that assignment has an actual deadline. The end of September.
Broke the 5,000 word mark, which is the half way point for submissions.
Whether or not I'll have it finished before the end of the month remains to be seen, but definitely going back to HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE soon.

The Internet is abuzz today (July 16th) with the British Broadcasting Company's announcement that ACTRESS Jodie Whitaker will be the next person to portray the title role in their long running series Doctor Who.
In all honestly, I was totally flabbergasted when I first heard this.
I have absolutely nothing against women.
I have nothing against the idea of female Time Lords. After all, we've had at least 2 Romanas and the Rani in prominent roles during the course of the series. Granted, The Mistress has been an interesting character, but I'm still having some difficulty believing that the Master and the Mistress are two different (re)generation sides of the same person.
Yet to cast an actress in the title role goes against 50+ years of established continuity in my humble opinion.
I know ♫the times they are a changin',♫ to quote Bob Dylan.
And I'm all for women in more prominent, heroic roles whenever possible.
But this...???
I honestly don't know.
How would the public react if an until now well established female character was suddenly recast as a man?
I sincerely hope you see the point I am trying to make here, dear reader.
Doing this could be the greatest thing to come along since oxygen, or by the end of Whitaker's first season, the BBC could find themselves in a real mess.
Only time will tell, and all we can do for now is wait and see.

In any event, I'm going back to writing now.
Lee Houston, Junior
16 July, 2017

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 5, 2016

For better or worse, the only thing I accomplished last week was catching a cold.
Not that I wanted one to begin with.
After all, who willingly wants to get sick?
Besides, with my cardiac situation after having survived both congestive heart failure AND an aortic aneurysm, about 99.9% of what's medically available to treat a cold I can't take anymore.
Which left me with just chicken soup, orange juice, and LOTS of tissues when not trying to rest and recover!
About the only thing I accomplished creatively last week was thinking about writing.
I seriously doubt the caper I'm working on right now will wind up being the entire contents of HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE VOLUME 3.
Just how long this tale turns out to be, let alone how many more will be required to fill out the book, remains to be seen.
Have 3 different doctor appointments scheduled for this week and sadly, none of them involve a TARDIS.
Hopefully I will get some writing done, but for now...

Take care, and I'll see you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
6 November, 2016

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 23, 2013

Lots of exciting stuff going on creatively this past week!

Revisions are continuing apace in regards to the short stories I have to go over. The corrections I'm making are more in regards to keeping in line with the continuity between the rest of the tales in their respective anthologies and what has already been established between their series more than anything else.

Posted a lot of articles on The Free Choice E-zine too. Besides the weekly features The Puzzle Corner (games), The Week In Review (news), and the Sunday Funnies (comedy); there is also the first half of an interview with author I. A. (Ian) Watson, and remembrances on the 50 anniversaries of the world losing United States President John F. Kennedy and gaining the BBC series Doctor Who.

In all honesty, not sure how much work will get done this week between Thanksgiving and preparing for the upcoming holiday season, for there are still Christmas presents to buy, let alone wrap and ship.
However I can tell you that the only place I will be on "Black Friday" is safe and sound asleep in bed!

See you around the Internet, and for those celebrating: HAPPY THANKSGIVING and/or HAPPY HANUKKAH!