Hobson & Choi #100: "Date Night" - WEBSERIAL FINALE

The extra-mega-long final chapter of the Hobson & Choi webserial is up now on JukePop! Read it, making sure to savour each word.

I should stress, this isn't the end of the H&C story, merely the JukePop-based incarnation of it, but it's been a major part of my weekly routine and writing output for nearly two years now and I will miss it.

The characters will keep going in the book editions - the webseries runs up to the end of book #3, which I'm aiming to get out there by the kinda-middle of 2015. Book #4 will then be all-new post-#100 material, which I've already started writing so hopefully shouldn't take an eternity to appear.

I gotta get some food and I do want the main point of interest right now to be the actual story, so I'll cut my thoughts off here. A longer blog about the serialisation experience will probably follow at some point in the next few days.

Bye-bye then, guys. But only for now.

Hobson & Choi #99: "Home Forever"

The most penultimate chapter of the whole webserial is here! Can John Hobson find inner peace? What is the massive cliffhanger leading into the huge #100 finale?

Yes, this is the second-last of these posts I will ever do, and let me tell you, it's tense. I'm a little scared to click publish as it brings the end a little closer. Wow, I'm going to have to start thinking of actual blog posts to make this site look used.

Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with this chapter as a pleasant character interlude before the mighty storm of #100. And seriously, it's one hell of a thing. The current draft is around 7000 words long, and although that will be edited pre-publication, it'll still be in that ballpark. Most likely that'll be divided into two chapters for its appearance in the book edition.

So yeah, big moments are coming. Prepare yourself.

Hobson & Choi #98: "Pre-Game"

The march to H&C #100 begins in earnest! Angelina Choi needs the whole of this new chapter to prepare herself - have you set aside enough time?

Wow, it really is ending soon. Luckily, I'm feeling quite calm about the whole thing today. Maybe I'll shed a tear in a couple of weeks, when it truly is over.

Or perhaps not - after all, I do have a load of book-related stuff, so it won't feel like H&C ever really went away from my end.

Also, I might be starting Book Four (or at least, doing some planning for it) this afternoon, so again, it's not really going anywhere. But first, I gotta get some lunch, I'm starving.

Hobson & Choi #97: "Exit Strategy"

With only three serial chapters left after this one, time for Hobson & Choi to have a nice chat about where it's all going!

Yeah, the end is getting pretty nigh and I've coming close to changing my mind and continuing the serial a few times, but no. Let's stick to my guns. The end is coming at the end of the month. prepare your emotions.

I'll just have to distract myself with final approvals on the cover for the second book edition, which I'm in the middle of doing right now. Poor me.

Hobson & Choi #96: "Hail Me"

As the Final End grows ever closer, a major hero/villain showdown in the 96th Hobson & Choi webserial chapter.

Well, it's getting harder and harder to pretend the end isn't nigh, both because we're now on chapter 96 and because, as soon as I've typed this blurb and had some lunch, I'm off to try and write the bulk of the 100th and last chapter. Bloody hell.

But I'll still try and save the tearful eulogies until I publish the finale. May attempt some kind of NaNoWriMo themed blog in the coming days, if I can think of anything to say that hasn't already been said extensively by either myself or others. We'll see.

If I don't manage it, then good luck for anyone trying NaNo. It's a big challenge, and it's definitely good to know what you want to get out of it, but can be very rewarding. Hooray.

Hobson & Choi #95: "Pulling The Strings"

Hobson & Choi pick up the pieces of this whole messy supermarket adventure! Only five serial chapters left after this one!

If this is the first you're hearing of the upcoming end of the H&C serial then, um, sorry to bring a belated downer upon you. The news emerged in this big Hobson & Choi update post last week.

Don't worry, the books will continue

Speaking of which, I've now finished reading all but the bonus story of the second book out-loud in a final pass, so that's going well. If you'd like even more relevant reading material from me, here a blog piece I posted yesterday about the practice of reading my writing to myself.

And with that, I am gone. Have a good Thursday!

Hobson & Choi #94: "Enforced"

The ninety-fourth episode of H&C is now up, and they're digging right into the aftermath of recent events! Whatever next?

Well, you'll have to read H&C #95 for that. However, there will be some out-of-story H&C news in the near future, regarding both the webserial and the books. Hopefully some time in the next few days, schedule depending and so on.

But for now, I am editing hard on the second H&C book and considering whether to do NaNoWriMo. There may be some kind of "To NaNo Or Not To NaNo?" blog, although I am painfully aware that is a post I must have written before, possibly more than once. We'll see.

Hobson & Choi #93: "Yellow Tent"

Time for a close-up chat with the baddies in "Yellow Tent". More like this to come, too...

The end of the story arc is nigh, and it's time for some final accounting. Big showdown with elderly woman time. Who will emerge okay? Is the answer "no-one"? Find out now!

And meanwhile, I'm deep into edits for the book edition of the second story arc, which is 100% my excuse for perhaps being slightly quieter than usual on Twitter. Think they're going okay, though, which is nice.

If you want to buy the first book, of course, you can totally do that. Many links up on the official Hobson & Choi homepage thing. It'll provide you with something to read while I edit. May try and do a blog post next week too.

Hobson & Choi #92: "Cutting Edge"

Hobson & Choi #92 - it exists and features a dramatic knife-fight! We're coming up to the end of a storyline!

So that's exciting. Less exciting, I admit, is this blog as I really haven't had time to do anything. On the plus side, I'm considering doing the one-video-blog-a-day Vlogtober challenge, so if I do that, I'll have some free content to embed here.

Yes, I'm already a day behind, but I can catch up with that.

More relevantly to the H&C saga - thanks so much to everyone who voted for us on Jukepop last month! We won the monthly chart, and we may have also won the biannual prize. We wait.

And as well as possible daily vlogs, I also gotta edit H&C Book 2 soon. Life probably not getting less busy.

Hobson & Choi #90: "Machete"

Choi goes hunting for a big knife, as the landmark 100th episode begins to loom into our mutual eyeline!

Yeah, that's definitely happening. Although not quite as soon as you might think, because we're dropping back to one update a week as of now. Nothing drastically wrong, we've just burnt through the huge backlog I built up and I don't want to have to panic-write the end of the storyline. That'd be sad.

So there we go. I gotta work on the novel, but if anyone has any questions for this podcast Q&A I'm still planning on doing, feel free to comment below or stick them in my Ask box on Tumblr. Yes, you can ask anonymously for now. I'll turn it off if I feel it isn't being used responsibly.

Hobson & Choi #88 - "Victimhood"

Choi's deadly mission gets underway. Can she recover the special object? (I'm never sure how much detail to put here, as I don't want to spoil stuff for people waiting for the novels.)

Anyway, yes, hi! Hobson & Choi is getting dangerously close to #90 now - as in, it'll go up this time next week. We're really old now. Might have to stem that flow somehow.

In outside-the-serial H&C news, I did an interview on This Fleeting Dream about the first book, I linked it here the other week but am pretty pleased with it. And so I say again: give it a look, it is fun. And then buy my book, if you haven't already.

Otherwise, I'm off back to a cafe to work on my novel. Progress continues apace.

Hobson & Choi #86: "Who?"

Who is behind the whole mess? Hobson and Choi do some serious mastermind-confronting in this latest chapter. Obviously, something is about to go wrong.

Yes, the chapter is out about an hour earlier than usual, due to it just being more convenient to get it done now. I won't be plugging it on social media until the usual 1-2PM type time, so those of you who happen to check the blog or RSS feed a bit early get a little treat. Well done, guys.

You can think of it as a reward for voting us to #1 on Jukepop if you like, or just a complete coincidence. Which it is.

Almost finished the bonus story for the second Hobson & Choi book, it's going to be another slightly grim noir tale, I think. Might attempt something cheerier for Book Three, I already have an idea in mind. Yes, it's scary how far in advance I plan this stuff.

Hobson & Choi #85: "Knifepoint"

Hobson & Choi have an edgy knifepoint chat with The Yellow Man, and stuff is revealed. All happening in #85.

But, much as I generally want people to care about my story - I will admit, the big news today is external as I was #1 on the Jukepop charts for August! Victory!

Thanks to all who responded to my social-media calls for votes, I'm pretty happy we finally made it there after nineteen months. Lots of other stuff happening in H&C-land too - this may call for a blog post, in fact. Might try and get that up in the next couple of days, but for now, just got time to notify you of the new chapter. Read it and think of victory.

Hobson & Choi #84: "Truth Merchants"

The dark truth behind the underworld car park thingy starts to emerge in our landmark eighty-forth episode!

And yes, as attentive readers will note, I even managed to throw up an unrelated book-blog post in the last few days. Well done me.

More importantly, though, the end of the month is nigh, we're doing rather well in the charts, so if you have time to slip over to the Jukepop Hobson & Choi serial, catch up and vote for a few chapters, it'd be rather lovely. Cheers.

Oh, and in related work updates, I sent an edited draft of the second H&C book off to the editor last night, so that's coming soon too.

Hobson & Choi #83 - "Underground Shopping"

Hobson & Choi explore a whole new world in our untopical Bank Holiday Special!

Yeah, we'd definitely have updated today anyway, but you know. It's a public holiday in the UK, you might have some time to kill, why not read some H&C? Especially because we are within real reach of the #1 spot for August, so if you've got time to vote for some chapters, that'd be massively helpful to us. Ta.

And in wider blog admin - yes, I'm aware this is the third consecutive post which is just a link to a H&C chapter, I do feel kinda bad about that. I will try to return to my previous bare minimum of at least one proper blog a week soon. Fingers crossed.

But in the meantime, as I say, any H&C votes on Jukepop appreciated. Ta very much.

Hobson & Choi #82: "Gateway Products"

Next chapter already! Our heroes venture into a mysterious underworld and discover some weird shit. Which will get weirder.

Yeah, I was intending to get a blog post up yesterday so this blog isn't wall-to-wall H&C chapters, but didn't quite succeed. Maybe tomorrow, though - I do have an idea.

But regardless, hope you enjoy the new accelerated schedule. More to follow. Plus am furiously editing Book Two as well...

Hobson & Choi #81 - "Going Down"

And now, for (I think) the first time ever on a Monday, it's new Hobson & Choi! Yes, we're twice weekly for the foreseeable future. Try to contain your excitement.

Sadly, I don't have time to wax lyrical about this right now, but at least I got the story up, eh? Don't forget to tell your friends and such.

Next chapter on Thursday!

Hobson & Choi #80: "Redemption"

The landmark 80th chapter of Hobson & Choi! Includes news on a minor format change! And also some shouting and chasing!

Actually, what the hell, as a reward for those who actually read this blog, I'll spoil the format change update: it's now twice weekly. Yes, we're going out twice a week for a bit, as this storyline moves into its big actiony part.

Hopefully this will be fun. It's been hard graft getting fair enough ahead, but I'm enjoying the story. And, you know, do vote for us on Jukepop, if you enjoy stuff.

Hobson & Choi #79: "Try Again"

Detectives vs authority in Hobson & Choi #79! Yes, we're nearly at #80. Wow.

And there's news next week about the very format of the serial. Yes, after weeks of the same, we're making a slight change. Exciting.

Oh, there's also a H&C book out, I don't know if you've heard. If you're on this website, you probably have. Still, details here if the purchasing mood suddenly strikes you.

Nine Worlds tomorrow. Yikes.

Hobson & Choi #78: "Playing Chicken"

After last week's knife fight, time to stop and have some chicken in the new chapter. Don't worry, there is also intrigue.

Also: it's the end of the month, I've been mostly ignoring the webserial in favour of the snazzy ebook edition, so if you fancy voting for a few chapters, it'd be pretty handy.

But if you really do only care about the books, there's the expected news about print copies coming up too. Blog post probably tomorrow morning.