PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 27, 2025

 I hope everyone that got to celebrate had a good Hanukkah, Christmas, Boxing Day and Kwanzaa.

I had a nice time with my family and even texted holiday cheer to a few friends.

Despite the Christmas Chaos trying to get everything done before the celebrating, the problems caused by all the bad Winter weather we've had so far—and unfortunately it's FAR from over😒—and the usual daily messes within my life, I FINALLY finished going over the galley for SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA!😎

I sent it back to Rob Davis at Airship 27, but as I post this I don't have an ETA on when the novel will be released.

I will keep everyone posted on that matter but for now, I'm turning my attention back to the HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE PREQUEL NOVEL: PRIVATE BATTLES.

The Brothers from Room Service

AND FOR THOSE INTERESTED...

Turner Classic Movies is having a Marx Brothers marathon during the morning and afternoon hours of Wednesday, December 31 and I intend to record at least Duck Soup, A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races because I'm planning a nice, quiet evening at home that night with them and whatever other comedies I record between now and then.

Which reminds me.

Don't forget before the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve to raise your left leg so you can start 2026 off on the right foot. 😉

So with that I'm going back to writing now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!

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

Lee Houston, Junior

28 December, 2025

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JANUARY 4, 2025

 LOOKING BACK AND FORWARD

Welcome to the first PROGRESS REPORT of 2025!

Last year was rough.

TWO MAJOR computer crashes, knocking me offline and out of work for a couple of months between them. The loss of a beloved pet was bad enough, but losing my father was another matter. 😢

Looking back over 2024, while I completed the manuscript to SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA, unfortunately the only work that actually got published last year was "Operation Colossus", my short story that appeared within the third volume of the CODE NAME: INTREPID CLASSIFIED anthology series for Robert J. Mendenhall via Blue Planet Press.😊

Even though what you're reading right now covers December 29, 2024 through January 4, 2025; unfortunately nothing got done creatively before New Year's Day and for better or worse, I've only managed to proofread another page of the SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA manuscript since then. 😞

Pending projects for the beginning of this year are:

*Finish proofreading S2 before submitting it to Airship 27.

*Proofread the Science Fiction novel I finished in 2023 before attempting to find it a publisher.

*Get back to work on the ZEPHYR LILY novel at some point, but that is currently delayed because...

*It has been suggested by my friendly neighborhood beta proofreader Nancy Hansen that I write another SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY before Airship 27 goes into semi retirement.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HEARD...

At the end of their 96th podcast on YouTube, Ron Fortier and Rob Davis, the co-founders and main employees of Airship 27, announced that they are going to start scaling back production to enjoy their Golden Years more.

They will NOT be closing the Hangar completely, just that by 2027 at the latest, neither them nor the company will be going full tilt releasing titles on a regular/monthly basis.

Both gentlemen have had long and distinguished careers professionally and personally, so I wish them well in all their current and future endeavors. Yet that also leaves me with the unanswered question of

WHAT NEXT?

Airship 27 will definitely take SOLITAIRE 2 once I finish proofreading it and SHERLOCK HOLMES once I finish writing it.

But ZEPHYR LILY, let alone the Science Fiction novel and any future SOLITAIRE adventures?

And there is still the enigma of trying to figure out the future of HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE and ALPHA the Superhero because I haven't heard a word from Pro Se Press in years, hence my concentrating on SOLITAIRE and other works for Airship 27.

Yet while I don't have all the answers at the moment, the one thing I do know is that: no matter what happens, I WILL KEEP WRITING!

So with that in mind, I better try to get back to it.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

5 January, 2025

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JUNE 24, 2023

 I'm conducting my midpoint review of SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA at the moment.

Just something I do in the middle of every manuscript. Especially the novel size ones.

So far, besides catching either a misspelled word, a missing word or having to change a word outright to something better than what I originally wrote; I've also added about a 1,000 words between three new scenes scattered throughout the story.

I'm on Chapter 12 of the existing 23 at the moment and will resume writing when I reach where I left off.

A friendly reminder that the first SOLITAIRE novel (no subtitle) is available in print and e-book formats from Airship 27 via Amazon. 😀

I'm not usually one to toot my own horn, but I'm very proud of this novel and it opening a brand new series for me.

My personal thanks again to interior artist Chuck Bordell and cover artist Ted Hammond as well as Ron Fortier and Rob Davis of Airship 27 for helping to bring my manuscript into reality.

Seeing this book in print is a dream come true and if I want the dream to continue I better get back to writing now so

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

25 June, 2023

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING JUNE 10, 2023

IT'S GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS TIME.

 The bad news? 😒

Afraid I didn't get much actual writing done this past week.

The good news is why! 😎

Late Monday I received the Galley Draft for SOLITAIRE 1 (no subtitle) from Airship 27 and went over it line by line from start to finish in case there were any corrections that needed to be made.

While I did eventually get it done and sent back to Rob Davis to prepare the publication for print and e-book releases, that obviously took away from actual writing time.

Hopefully I'll make progress on SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA this coming week and I will DEFINITELY let everyone know when Book 1's been released!😁

Until then, take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

11 June, 2023

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING APRIL 22, 2023

 Obviously I'm still working on SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA.

Haven't quite finished Chapter 19 yet, but am writing when I get the chance between Life, The Universe, and Everything Else going on around me.

As I've said before, it can be tough sometimes to find the time to write.

The dog isn't going to feed and take herself out to the bathroom.

Chores and errands are incapable of doing themselves and I've still got to eat and sleep sometime.

For those wondering, Airship 27 is still preparing the first SOLITAIRE novel for publication!😀

Ron Fortier recently let me know that artist Chuck Bordell is working on the remaining interior illustrations and although I unfortunately cannot share it with anyone at this time, I have seen the front cover art and it is GORGEOUS! 😎

Besides the (sorry I can't name drop yet) artist doing a wonderful job, Airship 27's Art Director Rob Davis has designed a fantastic SOLITAIRE logo for the series!

When their work is finished and ready to go, I'll be getting a PDF to review in case there are any last minute corrections that need to be made. Hey, despite everyone bringing their A Games to this project, we're all still human.

Once I go over that and send it back to Rob, then the novel will be released in both Print and E-book formats.

My personal prediction on the subject is sometime after Memorial Day 2023, but whatever happens, I'll keep everyone updated as I can.

In any event, I better get back to writing SOLITAIRE 2 now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

23 April, 2023

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

JEZEBEL JOHNSTON: MASTIFF RELEASED!

Art by Adam Shaw

Just helping out a friend here.

Nancy Hansen, regularly referred to on this blog as My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader, has just had her first publication of 2021 and the latest volume in the JEZEBEL JOHNSTON Pirate series released.

While each novel is self contained, Book 7: MASTIFF picks up where #6: SISTERS OF VENGEANCE ended.

Stranded far from her Caribbean home, pirate Jezebel Johnston struggles to survive the alien waters of the Barbary Coast. Through a strange twist of fate she and two other freed slaves, Zuri and Amaka, come under the protection of the famous Maratha Indian Warlord Shivaji Bhonsle. The soon to be Maharajah has a strong disdain for foreign interference in his country, along with a unique respect for the faith of others and the intelligence of women.

Thus Jezebel and her sisters-in-arms feel a strong obligation to aid the famous warrior by volunteering to participate on one of his seagoing raids against the Mughal overlords. To do so, they will have to become spies, gather information on which ships are carrying what cargo and how best to take them.

It's a dangerous game, one Jezebel and her companions are aptly qualified for. Their bravery, mingled with their natural charms, set into motion a daring seagoing assault that will have serious repercussions throughout the Indian world.

With a painted cover by Adam Shaw and interior illustrations by Rob Davis, MASTIFF is another thrilling adventure you don't want to miss!

Available now in print or e-format via Amazon.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 24, 2020

OKAY, A COUPLE OF PIECES OF IMPORTANT BUSINESS TODAY,

SO LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT.

First and foremost, the first draft to the SOLITAIRE novel is done!

The manuscript came in at 67,000+ words between 34 chapters.

Game plan now is to put on my editor's cap and go back over the manuscript to see where I can tighten and/or polish it up a bit before sending it on to My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader for her review and input.

Second, but by no means least:

SHERLOCK HOLMES, CONSULTING DETECTIVE VOLUME 16 has been released by Airship 27!😀

Featuring the creative talents of

*I. A.—no known relation to Doctor—WATSON's 

"The Adventure of the Anarchist's Apprentice" (Who's raging havoc and destruction on London?)

*GREG HATCHER's two short stories

"The Adventure of the Disappearing Diplomat" (a race against time to save Mycroft and a foreign dignitary) and "The Adventure of the Man Who Died Twice"  (did a widow really lose her husband twice?)

*ROB DAVIS' interior art, cover (based upon an illustration from the Italian adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four), and formatting

*Along with MY NOVELLA "The Adventure of the Unimaginable" (can Watson solve a mystery alone when Sherlock's on holiday?)

Who could ask for anything more between the covers of this amazing volume?

The book is out now via Amazon in PRINT or KINDLE E-BOOK format.

More on Holmes in the coming days.

I've got to get back to writing proof-reading now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

25 October, 2020

JEZEBEL JOHNSTON #5: DANSEUSE IS OUT!

The official press release accompanies this post, but I'm excited to announce that the fifth book in my friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader's lady pirate series is out as Airship 27 proudly releases Jezebel Johnston 5: Danseuse by Nancy Hansen.

With a cover by Ted Hammond, who won an award for the cover to Jezebel Johnston 4: Mourning Star, Jezebel finds herself working for a new crew and Captain with a plan to acquire riches, as Johnston goes undercover as a barmaid to spy upon other sailors to learn when treasure laden ships set sail.
Yet when an old enemy returns with designs of revenge, Jez soon finds herself wondering who, if anybody, she can trust other than herself.

Accompanied by interior illustrations by award winning artist Rob Davis, the book is currently available in print and Kindle version, while Nancy is already working on Johnston # SIX!

Art by Rob Davis

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

JEZEBEL JOHNSTON – Vol 5 – DANSEUSE

Airship 27 Productions is proud to announce the release the fifth book in the Jezebel Johnston – Pirate Queen saga by Nancy Hansen.

Having sailed to the East African coast with French captains Ancel Thibodeaux, Le Tigre of the Mourning Star and One Eyed Jacques Chagall of the Danseuse, Jezebel Johnston sets about her new career as a spy. Dropped off at trading port in Bombay, it is her task to learn which merchant ships are soon to sail for open waters. She will then pass this invaluable information to the pirate captains.

But there are unexpected surprises in store with the reappearance of buccaneer Denis Blanchett. Though a capable seaman, Blanchett has a cruel streak is obsessed with making Jezebel his private property. Meanwhile Chagall doesn’t trust Jez and she begins to worry that his own greed will scuttle their intricate schemes before they can bear fruit.

Writer Nancy Hansen’s pirate saga of Jezebel Johnston is unlike anything on the market today and offers up thrills and spills on every page. This is the pirate life with all its dangers and romance as authentically depicting by a master storyteller.

Airship 27 Productions award winning Art Director Rob Davis both designed the book and provided the nine black and white interior illustrations, while this year’s Pulp Factory Award winning artist for Best Pulp Cover, Ted Hammond returns for his second gorgeous cover featuring the beautiful and deadly Jezebel Johnston.

So sign aboard now and get ready set sail once more for Jezebel Johnston, the queen of high adventure.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERTION!

Available now in paperback from Amazon and soon on Kindle!

(https://www.amazon.com/dp/1946183628?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860)

NOW AVAILABLE: SHERLOCK HOLMES, CONSULTING DETECTIVE VOLUME 11

I'm proud to announce that the eleventh volume in Airship 27's long running Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective series has just been released!
Under a beautiful cover by Laura Givens, I have been privileged to join a trio of talented authors to help Doctor John Watson chronicle the latest cases of the Victorian Era's greatest sleuth.

In "The Scotland Yard Murder" by I. A. Watson, a woman's remains are discovered at the construction site for the Yard's new headquarters.
In "The Adventure of the Manhunting Marshal", Peter Basile teams Holmes and Watson with a lawman from America after a wanted criminal.
Holmes' fabled intellect is challenged by Greg Hatcher's "The Adventure of the Conundrum King" as a sadistic killer leaves baffling clues before committing his crimes.

And in my story (and I'm honored to find it second in the volume), "The Adventure of the Artful Forger" finds Holmes and Watson discovering that the theft of a painting leads to a devious conspiracy.

Each tale is accompanied with beautiful interior illustrations by Rob Davis.

After all the hard work and long hours I put into creating "The Artful Forger", I will be the first to admit that it is difficult to craft an adventure worthy of one–if not the most important–of history's greatest detectives.
Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself took a lengthy sabbatical from the character when everyone believed Holmes to have perished during a final showdown against Professor James Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls in "The Final Problem".
But like Doyle I will return, for working with Holmes and Watson, along with Airship 27 founders Ron Fortier and Rob Davis, is a whole lot of fun too!

Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective Volume 11 is currently available in print, with other formats pending, via Amazon.

NEW RELEASE: TALES FROM THE HANGING MONKEY 2

While I am hard at work on new projects, as detailed in every weekly progress report on this website, a new short story I co-authored has been released!

TALES FROM THE HANGING MONKEY (Airship 27) features the talents of Bill Craig, J. Walt Layne, Don Gates, and my first team up with my good friend, writing buddy and friendly neighborhood beta-proofreader Nancy Hansen!

It's new adventures in the South Seas for Corky O'Brian, the owner of the tropical island bar known as The Hanging Monkey, and his friends.
Within a beautiful cover by Rob Davis, you will find Craig's "Black Diamond, Black Death"; Layne's "Prophecy of the Firelord"; Gates' "The Star of the Sea"; and our tale "The Merciless Mermaid", where island natives are being pressed into slave labor, a twist ending, and a cameo by a historic object. Each story is accompanied by Mike Harris doing interior illustrations.

Nancy and I have known each other for years, and have endlessly kibitzed and gone over each other's creative endeavors to make sure the work has been the best it can be before submitting it to our respective publishers, but this is the first time we have actually written a story together.
I sincerely look forward to more collaborations.

TALES FROM THE HANGING MONKEY, VOLUME 2 is available from Airship 27 in both print and e-book formats via Amazon.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING APRIL 23, 2016

THE GAME'S AFOOT!

Holmes statue in Edinburgh

Given the basic 15,000 word minimum for a short story at Airship 27, I am roughly a third of the way through my Sherlock Holmes tale for Ron Fortier and Rob Davis. Still don't have a title for my work yet, but it will more than likely be "The Adventure of..." something.

I know not how long it took Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to craft a Holmes tale, let alone the length of time writers of more recent adventures featuring the Victorian Era's famous consulting detective required, but I can tell you that I am proceeding apace while being careful to craft a tale worthy of Sherlock Holmes.

It's not just a question of research, although I can assure you there is a lot of that involved along the way. But there is a perception concerning Holmes that any conundrum he faces must be a(n eventually solvable) challenge that both entertains and baffles everyone except Sherlock.

In all the Holmes mysteries I have read, never once did I solve the case before Sherlock. My "batting average" against him is ZERO, as good as it is against another famous detective I love: Ellery Queen. I get bits and pieces along the way, but never the entire solution.

Which is why it's more fun to be in the "driver's seat" so to speak, guiding Holmes and Watson through the mystery since I already know the answers.


In any event, since I'll probably still be working on "The Adventure of...???" by the time I post my next Progress Report, I'll discuss my feelings concerning some of the more famous portrayals of Sherlock Holmes then.

See you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
24 April, 2016

BACK STORY: "THE UNFAIR FARE" FROM LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION

Originally "rally cry" poster

When I first heard the news, I honestly didn't know what to think.

Tommy Hancock of Pro Se Productions was seriously ill (which I would later learn involved his heart), so Jamie Ramos had presented an idea to Ron Fortier and Rob Davis of Airship 27 (yes, the friendly competition!) to do a benefit anthology on Tommy's behalf, with Hancock getting all the proceeds to help his family out with medical expenses and other bills.

Of course, I volunteered to contribute a story immediately.

For those of you who don't know Tommy Hancock, you would be hard pressed to find a nicer or more knowledgeable man in this crazy creative field that we call "New Pulp". There would be less talent out there now if Tommy hadn't given them (and me) their first big break, so it's only natural that when the need arose, we'd rally to return the favor somehow.

Now, this is far from the first time that a group of people in one specific field united in a common cause and "paid it forward", so it didn't surprise me at all that our small little creative community of writers and artists got together to help out one of our own. The fact that we were able to do so in such a spectacular manner is what flabbergasted me!

Cover painting by Doug Klauba

Back cover creator list

The end result of everyone's hard work is LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION!
At first, the projected totals were (as expressed by the black and white "in-house" poster that was circulated) that the anthology would obtain a tad over fifty contributions, but the project wound up with 64 writers (including Tommy) and 37 artists helping to provide an illustration to each tale under a gorgeous cover by Doug Klauba!

At 776 pages, this is the biggest volume Airship 27 has ever published (to date) and Ron and Rob, along with Jamie and associate editor Todd Jones, deserve a hearty round of applause and time off to rest and recuperate from all their hard work.

As you can see by the back cover list, there is a plethora of creators representing a wide variety of pulp genres within this anthology.

As for my humble contribution...
Everyone had a small word count (4,000 minimum/8,000 maximum) and a short deadline. At first, I seriously considered writing a short story featuring one of my "signature" creations, but there was no way I could do an ALPHA the superhero story without tipping my hand in regards to plot points that will be revealed within his forthcoming second novel, and I honestly didn't know the legalities that might be involved if I did a short HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE mystery.
But that left me with the quandary of what to write?

One thing you must know about New Pulp is its definition. We are telling brand new stories in the classic pulp style of the past with modern sensibilities. Being pressed for time, I intentionally set my tale in the present day to avoid any potential research snares that might arise from doing a period piece, and therefore, a couple of days later, the result was "The Unfair Fare", which came in at a modest 4,677 words.

The story, complete with such modern references as GPS and flash drives, was then sent to Airship 27 for consideration.
Now, no writer expects to hit a home run every time they submit a manuscript; but I was truly happy when I got Fortier's e-mail response to my tale about a cab driver who winds up in an even bigger mess when a passenger tries to skip out on paying the fare...

Damn, Lee, that was a fun little gem.  I really liked that a lot. Great story...authentic pulp feel throughout.
Thanks so much,
Ron

THAT certainly made my day!
The stories are presented in order, alphabetically based upon author's last names, so I am in-between "Señor Tijras" by Joe Hillard and "The Gentleman Thief and the Artist" by Emily Janhke, with an illustration by Joe Arnold.

The one thing I could never decide upon was WHO the cab driver should be, so I'll leave it up to your opinion dear reader as to who the driver is.

Otherwise, on behalf of myself and everyone else involved with this anthology, we really hope you like LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION.
It's a great read for a worthy cause and is now available in both print AND Kindle e-book editions at Amazon.com

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT TOO: LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION NOW AVAILABLE!

Cover by Doug Klauba

Well folks, with the holidays approaching, unless Internet posts count, I've been unable to get any writing done, but just look at this news!

Airship 27 just released LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION in hard copy, with the e-format to follow.
Over 100 people pooled their creative talents together, spearheaded by Jamie Ramos, Air Captain Ron Fortier, and his co-pilot Rob Davis; on a benefit anthology for Tommy Hancock to help him meet his medical and other expenses.
Check out the all star line up listed in the back cover image below, and it's all within a beautiful cover by Doug Klauba!
There's a lot of pulse pounding excitement running a whole gamut of pulp genres within these pages, so there's something for everyone.
You can acquire your hard copy at Amazon now, with the e-book to follow.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

Hope everyone in America is enjoying the Labor Day weekend, and if you are reading this blog somewhere else, that your day wasn't too bad.

Cover by Terry Pavlet

Right now, I am waiting for my friendly neighborhood beta/proofreader to review my third revision of Chapter 17 to ALPHA, BOOK 2: WAYWARD SON while Nancy Hansen is busy hitting the self promotion trail for her new novel JEZEBEL JOHNSTON: DEVIL'S HANDMAID.

It's a great book and the first pirate novel for both Nancy AND Airship 27, with interior illustrations by Rob Davis, but far from the last, for Nancy is working on Jezebel 2!

Meanwhile, I am well into Chapter 18 of a projected 19 chapters. Following this blog will give you all the whys and wherefores concerning how I feel about writing in general, and ALPHA 2 specifically, so I won't repeat myself again.

With that in mind, I better get back to writing.
See you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
6 September, 2015