Lee Hutch's Blog, page 5

Journal of a Pandemic Year: Part Twenty-Nine

Dear Readers,

I did not have Alaskan weather on my 2021 Bingo Card. We knew it was going to get cold this week. The weather guessers on TV had been saying as much for several days, and for once, they were right on the money. We got some snow mixed with ice and several nights well below freezing, but the real issues involved infrastructure. We had rolling blackouts throughout the state that turned into long term blackouts. My area was lucky. We never lost power, but pretty much everywhere ...

Journal of a Pandemic Year: Part Twenty-Eight

Dear Readers,

I hope this missive finds you well. I’ve spend the past week working with my publisher on edits to Molly’s Song. I got to see it in print layout format which is kind of cool because it makes it all seem real. If you haven’t already, head over to Molly’s website where you can read an interview with her and get some more behind the scenes information on the book and its creation. With the publisher’s permission, I am trying to track down the rights holder of the photo that ins...

A Different Kind of Welcome

Dear Readers,

I previously wrote about my own rather unceremonious welcome to the fire service here. Years went by and eventually I found myself in the position of a company officer who occasionally had the opportunity to welcome probationary firefighters to my company. I did things a little differently though. Before I delve into how I did it, I need to share some background info on the way things worked. First of all, the 90s were still very much a part of the Wild West of firefighting....

Welcome to hell, kid!

Somewhere along the Gulf Coast. Twenty-four years ago.

In the academy, the department spent six months filling our heads with all sorts of information. Fire behavior. Hazmat. Ropes and knots. Radio procedures. Fireground Operations. Rescue operations. An EMT course. You can only pack so much inside the human brain, but all of it seemed to ooze out through my ears as I stood in front of my new home, Fire Station One, for the first time. I had been assigned to A Platoon. This was not my fir...

Journal of a Pandemic Year: Part Twenty-Seven

Dear Readers,

I got lucky, truly. Thought I am in the 1-B group here in Texas due to a chronic disease and thus qualify to be vaccinated, there weren’t any vaccines available in my area, and whenever they’d get them in, they would run out of appointment slots almost immediately. Mid-morning on Sunday, January 17th, I was hanging out in my usual haunt (the front porch). On a whim, I checked the county health page and they had just opened up for registrations! I was able to book an appointm...

Journal of a Pandemic Year: Part Twenty-Six

Dear Readers,

I came to a sudden realization this morning. For the past ten months, I’ve been dealing with crippling writer’s block which is somewhat new to me as it is not anything that I’ve struggled with in the past. Sure, I managed to get all the edits done to Molly’s Song and place it with a publisher, but by my own calendar, I should have had two other books written by now. (One being the sequel to MS and the other being a stand alone) Whereas in other, better, times, I can stand in...

Molly’s Song Update

Dear Readers,

My forthcoming novel, Molly’s Song (Fireship Press, Release Date: TBD), is the first in a projected series. And Molly O’ is a character that commands a separate place. I have made a new website that is about her and the world in which she inhabits. Please consider click here and giving her site a follow. As the website grows, it’ll include more information about her, the book(s), the writing process, and her various adventures. She will be making some of the posts herself to...

A Long December: My 2020 Year in Review

Dear Readers,

It’s that time of year again! Time for me to write my personal year in review. Obviously, I’ve had an ongoing series on here called “Journal of a Pandemic Year” which stretches back to March. I think there are twenty-four or twenty-five entries in that series, some of which will make its way here. 2020 has been one for the books, that’s for sure. And soon, the year will be history and we can move onto 2021. In last year’s post, I mentioned my first novel came out in 2019 and...

Journal of a Pandemic Year: Part Twenty-Five

Dear Readers,

I just wanted to give you a quick update rather than a full blown post. As I referenced at the end of the last post, I had gotten sick on Friday. Saturday morning, I had a COVID test but they said that it would be five days or so until I had the results back. On Sunday, I woke up with chest pain and tightness in my lungs. I went ahead and went into the ER. They ran a whole bunch of tests, including another COVID test. Everything came back normal and the COVID test was negati...

Journal of a Pandemic Year: Part Twenty-Four

Dear Readers,

I have not posted an update in a month because I wanted to wait until I had something worthwhile to say. Today, I do. However, it is of the good news and bad news variety. I guess I will start with the good news.

Yesterday I signed a contract to publish Mollys Song. It has been a long and winding road, and I am grateful for all of you for walking it with me. Of course, youll have to stay tuned for more info (cover reveal, release date, etc) and I will keep you posted as I get...