2023 HOLIDAY SUGGESTIONS

 It's that time of year folks! Christmas is next week's Monday as I post this and thankfully, all I have to do at this point is wrap and deliver the presents to those receiving them.

Unfortunately others are not as well prepared.

So if you folks do not mind a few suggestions...

The first installment in my new SOLITAIRE series came out earlier this year from Airship 27 with a beautiful cover by Ted Hammond and interior illustrations by Chuck Bordell.

The murder of an innocent man sends the Secret Samaritan on a globe spanning adventure to stop a potential International but highly illegal surveillance operation while bringing the killers to justice.

I am hard at work on Book 2: The Agenda and have been piecing together possible plot points for Book 3 in what I laughingly call my "spare" time.

ALSO RELEASED THIS YEAR...

GOLGOTHA: WOLFE HUNT

A story based in Jaime Ramos' fictional Wisconsin city where almost anything can happen, and usually does.

No longer a ward of the court, Joseph Wolfe now has to make it on his own the best he can, but finding his parents killer(s) is still the first priority.

AND LET'S NOT FORGET MY PAST WORKS...

There's HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, a Universal War 1 veteran now working as an investigator on the planet Frontera with three books to date.

HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE

HM,PD: CATCH A RISING STAR

HM,PD: FEMME FATALES

My own super-hero ALPHA in two novels to date.

PROJECT ALPHA

PA: PROVING GROUND

There's also KIRI'S QUEST and a host of short stories in various publications that you can find in greater detail on my Amazon Author's page; as well as helping Nancy Hansen finish our friend Mark Halegua's novel THE BLUE LIGHT.

Everything is available in both print and e-format on Amazon, and makes wonderful reading not only during the Christmas season, but the rest of the year as well.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING MARCH 19, 2022

Hello Everybody.

Thanks for being here.

As you know, I didn't post an official PROGRESS REPORT last week because I had some MAJOR NEWS to share concerning the results of Team Blue's hard work as MARK HALEGUA'S THE BLUE LIGHT was released by Airship 27 on Amazon.com.

You can find either the PRINT or EBOOK versions at the other end of their respective links.

But as to what I've been up to since then...

*The ANTHOLOGY STORY I've been working on is finished and submitted to its potential publisher for consideration.

As usual, afraid I can't say any more at this time since I'm an invited guest to this project but when I'm cleared to do so...

*Am currently working on finishing my SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL. In the middle of the penultimate chapter and then only lack the EPILOGUE.

*After that, writing begins on what will eventually become SOLITAIRE 2 unless something else comes up between now and then.

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

20 March, 2022

MARK HALEGUA'S THE BLUE LIGHT

As reported off and on throughout previous PROGRESS REPORTS in this blog, all the hard work and dedication of Team Blue has finally reached its goal as Airship 27 proudly releases

MARK HALEGUA'S THE BLUE LIGHT.

Cover by Rob Davis

A very special book in memory of one of pulpdom’s most enthusiastic fans and historians, the late Mark Halegua of New York City who passed away in 2021.😞

In the midst of the Great Depression, Robert Ackers is an average guy trying to earn his living as a writer living in New York City. When a strange alien medallion comes into his possession and introduces him to an alien entity with incredible powers, his life is altered forever. 

The being “in” the medallion has the ability to turn mild mannered Ackers into a bonafide super hero, one encased in a seven foot shell of pure blue light. With super strength, invisibility, speed and even telepathy, the Blue Light arrives on the scene with a bang and becomes the dreaded foe of the local mobs and a hero to the people. 

But all isn’t fun and games as Ackers new career puts not only him in danger, but also those around him who he cherishes, especially his new girlfriend Sarah Baker. Inspired by the notes and existing rough draft of the late Mark Halegua, writers Nancy Hansen and Lee Houston Jr. spin a wild and crazy story that is thrilling, humorous and always fun from the first page to the last.  Art Director Rob Davis provides the cover and artist Sam Salas the interior illustrations.

The Blue Light is here to stay.

“Mark was one of the first people I met when entering the world of pulp fandom,” related Airship 27 Managing Editor Ron Fortier. “He was also one of the biggest New York Yankees fans in the world and when he learned I was a Red Sox fan well, there was no stopping his amusing jabs whenever we would hook up at pulp cons.” Over time Halegua embraced the birth of the New Pulp movement and became one of its strongest supporters, never failing to promote it whenever he could. 

“It was Mark’s dream to become a pulp writer,” Fortier concludes. “Nancy and Lee and the entire Airship 27 team are proud to have made that dream a reality. Mark was a kind and loving soul and will live forever in our hearts.”

Nancy Hansen remembers, "Though sadly we never met in person, I became friends with Mark online through The Pulp Factory, and he would always joke around about my alleged dark chocolate 'habit' and how I protected my 'stash' better than the US Government guarded Fort Knox with traps worthy of Jack Benny's legendary vault. He started private messaging me on Twitter first about the book he was writing, then in the Fall of 2019 about his health issues. As  time went on he needed help with the book, but it reached the point where I was busy with the western I was working on, which had a short deadline they had extended once on my behalf. So I asked Mark would it be okay if fellow writer Lee Houston Junior went over it with him."

Which is where I come in. While also only being an online friend I did what I could, even going over the existing manuscript of the time once more. Unfortunately I got busy too, then Mark suddenly went radio silent. Ron eventually learned that Mark had passed away alone in his apartment.😢

So in late March 2020, Team Blue was formed.

Between Nancy and I with Ron's support, we went over the manuscript while compiling Mark's notes and comments from past Twitter and email posts.

Mark lit the way and with about 2/3 of a completed rough draft—around what is now Chapter 18 of the novel—we polished and finished the manuscript.

"Mark was a good friend to all, so this was something we could do to honor his memory and give him the chance to have his name on a cover and his work read by many. Finishing it took up a chunk of last year, but it was a labor of love," adds Nancy.

Mark Halegua's The Blue Light is now available in print paperback and Kindle E-Book from Amazon.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING MARCH 5, 2022

Work on my contribution to that ANTHOLOGY PROJECT I was invited to write for got delayed by a couple of days because TEAM BLUE (Nancy Hansen and myself) got the PDF GALLEY from Airship 27 on the book we had previously worked on for Mark Halegua.

As soon as Rob Davis goes over all the suggested corrections and finalizes what will be the finished product, the novel will soon be released and the subject of Airship 27's upcoming 83rd monthly podcast!

More on that within the next couple of weeks! 😀

I celebrated my 60th birthday yesterday! 😎

Considering I have SURVIVED 2 bouts of pneumonia, congestive heart failure AND an aortic aneurysm, which resulted in a MAJOR heart operation in January 2008 which I thankfully did not know until AFTER the fact that I had less than a 50/50 chance of surviving, PLUS my more recent heart operation of October 2022 because the 2008 artificial heart valve I received was starting to go bad, I'm genuinely surprised I made it to my 50th birthday, let alone the Big 6-0!

Hmm... I wonder if I can make it to triple digits? My 100th birthday will be March 5, 2062. 😉

In any event, now that Rob is working to get the TEAM BLUE book ready for public release, I can go back to finishing the ANTHOLOGY STORY before finishing my SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT before starting work on what will eventually become SOLITAIRE 2.

March 8, 2022

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

Take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

6 March, 2022

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

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JULY 17, 2021

SHORT BUT SWEET THIS TIME.

I'm done with SOLITAIRE, at least until I get the manuscript back from My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader.

Have returned to working on the SCI-FI PROJECT until then, although I do know I have more impending work on the horizon for Mark Halegua's Team Blue Memorial Project.

Exactly when that will happen remains to be seen, but 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

18 July, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDNG JUNE 12, 2021

OKAY...

YES, I am still wearing my Editor's Hat.

NO, I am done with SOLITAIRE and have sent that manuscript on to My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader for her final review.

The final word count is in the 63,000+ range, depending upon her thoughts.

I AM going back over the SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT now.

This will (hopefully) not take as long as SOLITAIRE.

For one thing, the manuscript is only a little over 48,000+ words at the moment and besides, I'm only going back over it to make sure I didn't miss any plot points and to punch it up where I can before writing the final chapters.

Then, depending upon when I get SOLITAIRE back, I'll send this on to MFNBP and will still have more work waiting for me concerning Mark Halegua's Team Blue Tribute on the horizon too.

So it's going to be a "busy" Summer for me.

Who needs a vacation when I enjoy my "job"?

In any event, I better get back to "work" now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

13 June, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING MAY 8, 2021

 A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER THIS WEEK, SO LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT!

I received a nice acknowledgement e-mail from the publisher I recently sent a writing contest entry to that they got my short story.

Still a long way off at this point from the submission deadline expiring, let alone a winner being announced, but considering past contests for other publishers I've competed in never paid entrants this courtesy...

If you're wondering why I still enter such contests to begin with, as a writer I'm always looking for new venues and creative opportunities so if I win, or at least "WOW" the judges enough for them to wonder what else I might have; it will be interesting to see what develops.

Still working on my SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL.

On Chapter 24 (not counting the Prologue) and have passed the 43,000 word mark.

Considering I'm hoping this will be the first book in an ongoing series, I won't have every plot point resolved by the last page, but the story certainly won't end with those dreaded words TO BE CONTINUED.

Got the SOLITAIRE manuscript back from My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader, who once again found some more "bugs" in the Tokyo section of the adventure.

Man, I'm having more problems with that area than Japan does with Kaiju!😉 But this is why writers have beta-proofreaders, to catch such problems so they can be resolved long before the manuscript is submitted to and possibly rejected by a publisher because the errors weren't caught and corrected before sending it in.

When I finish making the corrections, Nancy will pick up where she left off and hopefully will have smooth sailing/reading from there.

Had a long story conference with Nancy Hansen this past week concerning the Mark Halegua Memorial Project.

As members of Team Blue, we have been working on finishing what would have been Mark's debut novel had he not been taken from the world prematurely last year. 😢

Mark was a friendly guy and very knowledgeable in regards to pulps past and present, which shows in the project he was working on.

It's set during the "Great" (quotation marks are mine because I've never been able to figure out what was so great about it) Depression and one man trying to make an honest living when...

In any event, I've obviously got to get back to writing now.

So take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

I'll see you around the Internet and—>

Lee Houston, Junior

9 May, 2021

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING APRIL 3, 2021

The Easter Bunny

Okay, just a quick shout out to all my peeps readers and fans that I hope you and yours are having a safe😷 and otherwise fun Easter weekend.

Have gotten back to where I left off on the SCI-FI PROJECT and while I am taking today off for obvious reasons, will resume work tomorrow (April 5) to finish that novel.

Consulted a few times with My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader Nancy Hansen, who's also a member of Team Blue, as we strive to get that memorial project for Mark Halegua together.

All of this, PLUS I've been informed of an open submission call coming up for a major publisher that I plan to submit a short story to.

So, other than taking care of the Sunday Funnies on The Free Choice E-zine today, I'm going to be one busy writer the rest of this week.

In any event, take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

HOPPY EASTER!

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

4 April, 2021

 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: SUPER SWINGIN' HERO 1968 SPECIAL NOW AVAILABLE!

From Mechanoid Press, cover by Scott McCullar

Okay folks, I didn't find out about this until earlier, but here's a ray of sunshine to brighten your day!
The Super Swingin' Hero 1968 Special has just been released for the Kindle by Mechanoid Press, with the print version soon to follow.

This anthology was a labor of love over most of the Spring as I helped Jazzy Jim Beard assemble an all star cast of authors to create some of the most outlandish send-ups in all of comicdom in one kooky collection of heroes straight from the flip side.

Thrill to the afterlife adventures of Ghostman by comics legend David Michelinie!
Hang out with Beauty and the Beetle as they solve a mystery of Lovecraftian proportions by Sam Gafford!
Witness The Coming of Changeor by Erwin K. Roberts!
Discover how The Crawler Creeps with Chuck Miller.
Do you dare go adventuring with Fate's Four and Thomas Deja?
Soar with The Peregrine and the Pigeon with Bonnie J. Sterling as your co-pilot.
What enigmatic mystery has Mark Halegua created for the robot detectives of Automation Investigations, Inc.?
Will Hathor's Gift be of any H.E.L.P.? Only Lisa Collins knows.

And finally, your kooky co-editors get into the act!
Jim presents the latest adventure of The Go-Go Gears and I reveal the outrageous origin of The Substandard Quintet!

The sky’s the limit for these Swingin’ Heroes in a pulse pounding collection of superhero prose fiction unlike anything you’ve ever seen before!

The wait is over Mechanoid Mavens!
You can get you Kindle copy now at AMAZON, and the print copy soon!