Tuesday, November 1, 2011

HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE DEBUTS

Hugh Monn, Private Detective


Someday, Humanity will finally reach the stars.

Upon that day, mankind will ironically discover that the rest of the universe has much of the same foibles and problems they do. Missing people, greed, theft, bigotry, and other failings are not limited to just Old Earth. Thankfully, there are beings like Hugh Monn, Private Detective to help resolve those issues.

The debut collection from author/creator Lee Houston, Junior is a New Pulp mash up of two classic genres: the hard boiled detective and science fiction! Join Hugh on eight thrilling cases as he walks the glittering, yet dark streets of Galveston 2 and finds as much mayhem and corruption in the future as there's ever been!

Painted cover by David Russell.
Available from Amazon and Create Space (item number 3714798)
ISBN/EAN13: 1466481900 / 9781466481909
184 pages, published by Pro Se Press, “Putting the monthly back in pulp.”


The Free Choice E-zine is proud to announce the premiere of our esteemed Editor-In-Chief's debut novel, and took the opportunity to chat with Lee Houston, Junior about his book.

The Free Choice E-zine: How did this come about?
Lee Houston, Junior: Hugh was an idea I already had floating in the back of my mind when Pro Se Press first expressed an interest in my creative endeavors. With the mystery genre having been in existence for well over a century at this point, there have been many detectives on numerous beats, but few set in the far flung future. This work combines the detective/mystery genre with science fiction before factoring in the New Pulp aspect of fast paced, action packed story telling and my own personal touch on the material.

TFC: And what does set Hugh apart from other detectives?
Lee: Besides the fact that he is operating on another planet in a different part of the universe? I made the decision early on that Hugh would be a man who relied as much on his brains and brawn to solve cases than anything that would be considered high tech by today's standards.

TFC: How does Hugh's world (universe?) differ from ours?
Lee: Superficially, by quite a lot. In Hugh's time, you can travel from one solar system to the next as easily as someone would go from New York to Los Angeles today. Yet within the shadows still lurks all the problems of any time, and some of those situations need to be dealt with a more personal touch than any Lawbot can deliver.

TFC: So it sounds like you took all the classic elements of detectives past and put your own spin on them in a totally different setting.
Lee: Basically. Hugh is a war veteran (in this case, of Universal War 1) who happens to be a fully licensed private detective and carries a gun (a Nuke 653 Rechargeable) with his own moral code of honor, right and wrong; who tries to do his best to help those in need for a hundred credits a day plus expenses.

TFC: Tell us, is Hugh Monn his real name?
Lee: Even he admits in the very first story that Hugh Monn (a play on the word Human) is "just a moniker that's good for business". In an universe where Humanity is only one of many races and species in existence, you have to do something to stand out in a crowd when trying to earn an honest living. Yet enough of Hugh's back story is revealed by the end of the first book to hold the reader's attention and have them interested in his future adventures.

TFC: So will there be a second Hugh Monn book?
Lee: I will be starting work on that after I finish the novel I'm writing at the moment. We can talk more about those in 2012.

Hugh Monn, Private Detective is available from Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/Hugh-Monn-Private-Detective-Houston/dp/1466481900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320158240&sr=1-1
or via Create Space at https://www.createspace.com/3714798

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