Author featured in NYTimes article
February 28, 2007
J.C. Hutchins was recently interviewed by The New York Times reporter Andrew Adam Newman about podcast fiction — and the story is now live at the paper’s website. (Update: You can find a PDF of the story here.)
For Times readers who are visiting JCHutchins.net for the first time, welcome! If you’d like to download the free audiobooks 7th Son, Book One: Descent or Book Two: Deceit, please visit this page to learn more. Also included is a primer on this newfangled trend called “podcasting.”
Also mentioned in the feature are fellow podnovelists Scott Sigler, Mark Jeffrey and Tee Morris. Evo Terra, founder of Podiobooks.com, is also quoted in the story.
A quick message to the 20,000+ listeners of 7th Son: Thank you. You have been cheering J.C. on for more than a year. He appreciates the support and evangelism more than you’ll ever know. Let’s see if this takes the trilogy one step closer to publication!
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BOOK TWO: Chapter 27
February 27, 2007
J.C. wastes no time getting into this week’s chapter! Afterward, the author announces the winners of the most recent MOP drawing, serves up some reassuring news about the ENDGAME 7S/Rookie crossover contest, shows some love to listeners … and more.
EPISODE INTRO BY: Michael Biehn
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Kevin J. Anderson (also KJA’s MySpace page)
SYNOPSIS: The machinations of villains.
J.C. has appeared/will appear on these great podcasts:
Check out the new 7th Son Fan LJ Community!
PROMO: Random Signal podcast (It’s totally \A/!)
PROMO: Children of the Gods
PROMO: Much to Do About Nothing podcast
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BOOK TWO: Chapter 26
February 22, 2007
It’s another short episode this week … blame J.C.’s recent bout with a cold (and some super-secret developments on the publication front), but the author makes it up to listeners by including the ULTIMATE “The Story So Far” recap!
EPISODE INTRO BY: Lance Henriksen
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Ron Glass and Richard Hatch
SYNOPSIS: John makes his way to the Rookman Oil camp, and eavesdrops on several of its denizens. A good Samaritan does a bad thing.
J.C. shows muchly love to Paul Fischer, who hosts/produces these fine podcasts:
J.C. has appeared/will appear on these great shows:
PROMO: The ADD Cast
PROMO: Shadow Falls: Badlands
PROMO: Heaven: Season Two - HELL
REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT: Heaven, Season One
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BOOK TWO: Chapter 25
February 13, 2007
It’s a short one this week — but J.C. spends quality time bragging about 7th Son listeners after the chapter. There are new photos in the Listener-Created Artwork Gallery, and a brand-new fanfic available at the Download Center! Plus, more listeners report for duty at the Beta Clone Army gallery.
EPISODE INTRO BY: Adam Baldwin
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Robin Furth (Dark Tower comic information here)
SYNOPSIS: Jack, Father Thomas and Kilroy2.0 are reunited in Texas. Jack shares his recent revelations. The clones attempt to hail the other Aurora.
Find a great interview with Robin Furth about the DT comic series here.
J.C. will be appearing on the Sonic Society podcast.
J.C. will be geeking out at MegaCon in Orlando on Saturday.
Don’t forget about the new MOP mission — Operation: Start the Presses! Help 7S score some ink in your local media!
PROMO: Average Joe Radio
PROMO: Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword
PROMO: GeekLabel.com (ding!)
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BOOK TWO: Clone Line Feedback Episode #2
February 11, 2007
Holy Clone Line, Batman! J.C.’s received more than 20 calls on the Clone Line in the past few weeks, and he plays them all in this special feedback episode. Wanna be a part of the fun? Easy peasy! Call 206-984-2566 with your reactions to the story!
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MOP Audio Dispatch: Operation Start The Presses!
February 11, 2007
Another ambitious mission awaits you! Natasha, voice of the 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda, commands you to participate in MOP mission #4, code-named “Operation Start the Presses!”
Complete this mission, and you’ll land your name on the coveted Agents of the Ministry page. Plus, you will be entered in a drawing for a cameo in the forthcoming “Ops Center” room in the 7th Son Virtual Tour, or a cool MOP T-shirt from GeekLabel.com!
Transmission ends.
7th Son Ministry Of Propaganda
~ Domination Through Replication ~
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MOP Mission #4: Operation Start The Presses!
February 10, 2007
Comrades, there are six more weeks until Book Two: Deceit concludes, and it’s time to put the hammer (and sickle) down on our promotion. Your new mission for the Ministry? Mob the media. Infiltrate the press. We’re gunning for mainstream newspaper coverage … and we need your help in a major way.
For this mission, you’re more than Agents of the Ministry — you’re PRESS AGENTS of the Ministry. 7th Son may not be in print form, but there’s no reason it can’t be mentioned your local print media!
YOUR ORDERS
Contact a features reporter or the features editor of your local mainstream newspaper or alternative weekly. Email them the letter found below. Be sure to cc: Natasha ( 7thSonMOP@gmail.com ) in the email. That’s it.
Download the letter!
(simple text file; copy/paste into email)
YOUR GOAL
Maximum exposure for 7th Son — and the “The Story So Far” celebrities appearing in these final Book Two episodes — in traditional media.
THE SPECIFICS
7th Son author J.C. Hutchins was once a journalist, so he knows some DOs and DON’Ts when it comes to contacting newspaper folk. Please follow these guidelines when sending your email:
- DO personalize the email. (Example: “Dear Mr./Ms. Smith…”)
- DO send the email to appropriate contacts. (Features reporters/editors, Books reporters/editors. NOT sports, business, editor-in-chief, etc.)
- DO NOT send mass email, should you choose to contact more than one person at a publication. Please send individually personalized emails to each reporter/editor.
- DO NOT send follow-up email, or pester the contact. (Reporters hate this.) If the reporter is interested in covering 7th Son, he/she will contact J.C. directly.
If you cannot find the email address for a local reporter/editor, take three minutes to call the publication and ask. No need to pitch the story over the phone; just get the info and skedaddle. Email’s the contact method of choice. It’s free, timely and efficient.
Download the letter!
(simple text file; copy/paste into email)
YOUR REWARD
Since the Ministry is asking you to do some hefty footwork on this mission, the 7th Son swag up for grabs is mighty indeed! Complete the mission by Sunday, Feb. 25 and become eligible for these prizes:
Five lucky agents will win a personal cameo in the 7th Son experience! Your portrait will be featured as a 7th Son facility “Employee of the Month” in the forthcoming 7th Son Facility VR Tour “Ops Center” room. Ministry architect Martin Parrott will forever immortalize you in this new VR! You’ll be a part of the story!
Five runner-up agents will win free wicked MOP T-shirts from GeekLabel.com, the official clothier of 7th Son!
Winners will be announced on the Tuesday, Feb. 27 episode of 7th Son.
THE MINISTRY IS YOUR FRIEND
Do you need assistance in finding the website and email addresses for your capitalist local media? The Ministry is here to help! Dig these links for more info:
For U.S. residents
Links to mainstream U.S. newspapers
Links to U.S. alt-weeklies
For Canadian residents
Links to mainstream Canadian newspapers
For U.K. residents
Links to mainstream U.K. publications
More links
For European residents
For all 7th Son fans
FINAL WORDS, COMRADE
Remember: You must CC Natasha at 7thSonMOP@gmail.com in your email to be eligible for Agent status (and the killer swag). Deadline for prize eligibility is Sunday, Feb. 25.
Good luck, agent! Go forth and take your evangelism to the mass media!
Transmission ends.
The 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda
~ Domination Through Replication ~
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Serialized audiobook to conclude with plot twists, celebrity cameos
February 10, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 10, 2007
CONTACT: J.C. Hutchins, 7thSonNovel@gmail.com
Download PDF version of release here.
To celebrate the conclusion of one of the most popular serialized audiobooks on the Internet, celebrities from science-fiction publishing and television will appear as special guest readers in author J.C. Hutchins’ novel, “7th Son: Deceit.”
“Deceit” is the second book in Hutchins’ acclaimed 7th Son “podcast novel” trilogy. Released as free weekly audio downloads to about 20,000 listeners worldwide, 7th Son is a technothriller about human cloning, the recording of human memories, and a conspiracy sparked by the assassination of the U.S. president.
As “Deceit” enters its final episodes, listeners will be treated to celebrity cameos at the beginning of each chapter. The celebrities are recapping the novel’s previous events, bringing the audience up to date on the story.
Special guest readers in January through March include:
Nick Sagan, author of the science fiction novels “Idlewild,” “Edenborn” and “Everfree.” Sagan has also written episodes for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Voyager.” Son of astronomer Carl Sagan, it is Nick’s “Hello from the children of Earth” greeting that was recorded and placed on the Voyager space probes’ golden records. “Everfree” will be available in paperback this April.
Ron Glass, Emmy-nominated actor best known as the charming Detective Ron Harris in the TV series “Barney Miller,” and for his compelling role in the cult sci-fi series “Firefly” as Derrial Book, a preacher with a mysterious past.
Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author renowned for his novels set in the “Star Wars” universe, and co-author of the acclaimed “Dune” prequel series. His works also include the “Saga of the Seven Suns” series, and the Nebula Award-nominated “Assemblers of Infinity.”
Alan Dean Foster, writer of the upcoming “Transformers” movie tie-in novel, and author of more than 40 science-fiction and fantasy novels including “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” tie-ins, and fan-favorite originals such as the “Commonwealth” series and the “Dinotopia” series.
Cory Doctorow, John W. Campbell Award-winning author of the new short story collection “Overclocked;” co-editor for the popular culture blog, BoingBoing.net; author of the novels “Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom,” “Eastern Standard Tribe” and others.
Gigi Edgley, actress acclaimed for her role as Chiana on the Sci Fi Channel series “Farscape.” Edgley was nominated in 2006 for Best Actress in a Motion Picture by the Film Critics Circle of Australia for her performance in “Last Train to Freo.”
Robin Furth, author of “The Dark Tower: A Complete Concordance,” the official encyclopedic resource for Stephen King’s acclaimed epic “Dark Tower” fantasy series. Furth is currently plotting the new “Dark Tower” comic book series from Marvel Entertainment.
Helen Keier, co-author of the “Star Wars New Essential Guide to Alien Species.” She is also a blogger at StarWars.com, and a freelance editorial consultant for Lucasfilm Publishing.
“It is an honor to invite so many talented, creative stars in the science-fiction community to appear on the podcast,” author J.C. Hutchins said. “This is another first in podcasting. The ending of ‘Deceit’ won’t be remembered for just the story’s action and plot twists. The caliber of these entertainers enhances the listening experience.”
Anderson, Foster, Doctorow and the other guests are the latest in a series of 7th Son cameos from veteran science-fiction entertainers. Past celebrity readers have included actor Nathan Fillion (star of the TV series “Firefly” and recent guest star on ABC’s “LOST”), Jeph Loeb (writer/producer of NBC’s “Heroes”) and award-winning sci-fi/fantasy novelists Robert J. Sawyer, Mike Resnick, Tracy R. Hickman and others. Patrick Lussier, editor of film thrillers “Red Eye” and the “Scream” trilogy appeared in the novel, as has director George Romero and sci-fi/horror novelist Scott Sigler.
This event is the author’s most recent innovation in podcast fiction. To mark the debut of “Deceit” in September 2006, Hutchins hosted a launch party for the novel in the popular online community Second Life. This was the first event of its kind for any novel. Hutchins’ website features artwork, music, fiction, videos and “virtual reality” tours based on scenes in the books — all created by fans.
7th Son, a free weekly podcast, is the most popular “podiobook” series in history. 7th Son is the #1 most-popular program at the podcast directory PodcastPickle.com, and is listed as a Top 20 podcast in iTunes’ Literature category. The first novel in the series — titled “Descent” — was nominated for two podcast fiction awards. The novel has been featured on such popular blogs as BoingBoing.net and MissSnark.com.
“7th Son, Book Two: Deceit” and “Book One: Descent” can be found at www.JCHutchins.net and at www.Podiobooks.com.
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About the novel:
7th Son is the story of seven strangers who have been brought together after the recent assassination of the U.S. president. These men quickly discover they all appear to be the same man … with identical childhood memories.
Unwitting participants in a human cloning experiment, these “John Michael Smiths” have been assembled to catch the man who murdered the president. Their target? The man they were cloned from; the original John Michael Smith, code-named “John Alpha.”
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BOOK TWO: Chapter 24
February 6, 2007
J.C. briefs listeners on a great one-shot 7th Son crossover with another podiobook, the spectacular new listener-created AURORA aircraft designs, a new computer wallpaper at the Listener-Created Content Download Center and more!
EPISODE INTRO BY: Ron Glass
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Gigi Edgley
SYNOPSIS: Events escalate at Brownlow Point.
Meet Gigi Edgley at these cool conventions in the near future:
PROMO: Heaven: Season One
TEASER: The Silk Code
PROMO: Computer King’s Arena
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