First draft is finished

The first draft of The Mukkinese Battle Horn is finished. All the characters and their doings are finished for the time being (2^nd draft awaits their input). Going over the pages of the story is next on the agenda. Some additions and deletions are the usual way of proceeding and, one hopes, the story becomes more readable. At any rate, all the preproduction activities are yet to begin (and end) before the book finds its place on KDP and Amazon.

Close to the end

Passed 55K on the “Horn.” Thought it was nearing completion in the last comm, but as with all stories the characters always have more to do and say. I’m hoping that it doesn’t go too much longer, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Progress

Looked at the page count: 39,000. Getting close to the looming barrier of 40K. The story is taking a final turn before the ending arrives. Ned and his detective friend, Candor, have been frustrated in not being able to find the horn after serving four search warrants. Candor is ready to take his lumps from the brass at the police department and Ned is downcast that the battle horn has eluded their grasp. Ned muses there must be a way to find the horn.  But what that way is he doesn't have a clue. We'll just have to finish the story to find out what Ned's solution is.

Nearly 30K

There are more twists and turns in The Mukkinese Battle Horn than I care to give a spoiler alert for, so I’ll keep it to Ned’s reaction to the complications (or so). There is a part that describes Scotland Yard’s examination of how the battle horn was diverted from its intended destination of the De Young Museum in San Francisco. Ned knows nothing of what is disclosed in the interview of one of the museum’s employees. He goes along thinking that he is very close to retrieving the battle horn, when the Delta cargo facility at Sacramento International Airport sends him in a completely new direction. 

Update

I know you appreciate finding out where the latest book is, so on 6/25 The Mukkinese Battle Horn has just passed 15K words. Ned Martin is pleased that his prediction of the horn's making its way west has been born out. He's found out there are no horn collectors in either Lake Tahoe or Reno, so he has to be patient for its arrival in Sacramento. Patience doesn't mean an end to the P.I. work so he checks out the antique dealers listed as open and lusting for new clients.

A new book

A new book is underway: "The Mukkinese Battle Horn." The plot derives from the theft of the horn while it's being loaned from one museum to another. Ned Martin decides, after receiving a photo of the horn and a description of how it was stolen, to take the case although he had never been involved in a recovery operation. 

Latest Novel

The Mystery of the Hairy Legs Murder is out in both ebook and paperback on amazon. Ned Martin is looking for his next case and it won't be long before he receives a call from the De Young museum in San Francisco to search for a valuable object that was stolen from the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York City.

If you want to check out either digital or print copy, click on the thumbnail to the right. 

Ready for pre-publication

Finished the first draft of The Mystery of the Hairy Legs Murder. The bad guy, Doogan, has received his comeuppance. Ned has finally slipped into a groove with Claire. Portnoy has dodged a bullet. New adventures await Ned, but he will have to wait until his current tale is published. 

End in sight

Today, Hairy Legs passed the 50K mark and it should be getting close to solving the Doogan mystery. Also changed the title to: The Mystery of the Hairy Legs Murder. More complications to run up to the bang-up ending. It's been a fun trip and Ned Martin may go on to another case that takes him from Sacramento to the Bay Area. Stay tuned. 

April 7, 2026

40K words, two-thirds of the way to the end of the first draft of The Hairy Legs Murder. More twists to the story and a general feeling of tension in and around Doogan, the man with an uncanny resemblance to Gavin Newsom, governor of California. Ned Martin's investigations have wound up and he is in the middle of trying to help his friend Portnoy, while at the same time thinking about renewing his relationship with Claire who is definitely interested in restoring what had once been a bond between her and Ned. 

March 19, 2026

Work on The Hairy Legs Murder moves right along. Surpassing 20K words which usually is about 1/3 of the way to the end of the first draft of the story. Most of the characters have been identified and their elements of the sub-plot have been examined and folded into the story. More as the momentum drives toward another 20K. 

February 23, 2026

Can't keep a good writer down or so they say. To bolster their point, I've started a new story, or I should say I've done the cover for a new story: The Hairy Legs Murder. I'll keep you updated as the story progresses if the body is willing and the creeks don't rise.  Ya folla?

February 21, 2026

Rub, Don't Blot is out on Amazon in both paperback and Ebook formats. Click on the thumbnail to check out the book.

February 5, 2026

The initial draft of Rub, Don't Blot is finished. You'll have to wait a while longer while all the editing, proof reading and final preparation for publishing is finished. I'll update its status when all that is finished. 

Is he still writing?

The answer is Yes! The new story is titled: Rub, Don't Blot. Interesting you say. I thought so. too. A father and his son leave Connecticut on their way to Reno, Nevada. It's a long trip in their old Ford sedan and they have exciting thrills along the way. Aunt Emily has a large house and she is waiting to provide shelter and sustenance to the travelers. What happens during the trip and at the end? You'll have to wait until the book is finished and published to find out.