Archive - May, 2008

OBSIDIAN: Episode 1

May 31, 2008 in All Posts, Fiction with 14 Comments

7th Son: OBSIDIAN logoWelcome to the debut episode of J.C. Hutchins’ 7th Son: OBSIDIAN, the world’s first podcast short story anthology based in an existing fictional universe. The universe is, of course, Hutchins’ 7th Son Podcast Novel Trilogy.

Nearly 100 people have contributed to the OBSIDIAN experience. Tales from bestselling novelists, A-List podcast storytellers and 7th Son fans from around the globe will be featured in this anthology over the next 10 weeks. At least three episodes of content will be released each week, so prepare for full immersion into the OBSIDIAN blackout experience.

In the weeks ahead, you’ll hear stories from these podcast entertainers: Michael A. Stackpole, Scott Sigler, Mur Lafferty, Matt Wallace, Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff, Christiana Ellis, Evo Terra, Dan Klass, Wichita Rutherford, TD-0013, George Hrab, Soccergirl, and the cast of The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd.

Today’s episode features the first half of the short story Miles To Go Before I Sleep, written and narrated by Tee Morris. Learn more about Tee’s work — and send him an appreciative email! — at TeeMorris.com.

There’s huge news in J.C.’s “talky talk” intro and outro segments, including:

  • The big reveal about J.C.’s next novel, affectionately nicknamed CODE PHANTOM
  • The world premiere of Celldweller’s instrumental version of “Birthright”
  • How you can download a full album of Celldweller songs — including the full version of “Birthright” — for free at FixtOnline.com/FreeDownloads
  • J.C.’s appearance on producer Shawn Bishop’s podcast, Behind The Lines #14
  • The debut of J.C.’s text story, 7th Son: Runner, available as a mobile phone exclusive

Feedback about OBSIDIAN is welcome and appreciated! Send J.C. an email, leave a comment below, or call the Clone Line at 206-984-2566 (CLONE).

OBSIDIAN: Episode 1 [ 1:01:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

VIDEO/PDF: Down The Rabbit Hole

May 21, 2008 in All Posts, Announcements with 134 Comments

7th Son Vidcast logoJ.C. Hutchins discovered an unusual envelope in his mail today … and inside was an item so mysterious and perplexing, he had to document its contents for you. It appears to be a “rabbit hole” — an intriguing gateway into a viral promotion or Alternate Reality Game.

J.C. has no idea who sent this envelope, and is stymied by its encrypted contents. Watch the video and examine the PDF in this post (found below; look for the “EBOOK PDF” icon) and see if YOU can decode its secrets. You can also find hi-res photos of the envelope’s contents on J.C.’s Flickr page: http://flickr.com/photos/jchutchins/

Please spread the word about this mystery (J.C. recommends the “Share This” feature at the end of this post). And feel free to post your thoughts (or decryption progress) here in the comments. He may have been the “first to find” this rabbit hole … but when it comes to its secrets, J.C. doesn’t want to be the last to know!

UPDATE: Thanks to you amazing people, we’ve tracked down several other recipients of the letter, and determined that those letters are similar — but not identical — to the one J.C. received. Find out more here:

VIDEO: Down The Rabbit Hole [ 8:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
PDF: Down The Rabbit Hole Download

COLLECTIBLE POSTER: 7th Son: OBSIDIAN

May 20, 2008 in All Posts, Announcements with 11 Comments

OBSIDIAN propaganda posterBy Executive Order 12919: Martial Law is in effect for the United States and its territories… Stay in your homes… Your government is in control…

Behold, the first of fourteen collectible 7th Son: OBSIDIAN propaganda posters!

Now you can bring a piece of the nationwide OBSIDIAN blackout into YOUR world with these propaganda posters! These high-resolution printable posters — which would appear in the 7th Son Universe during the blackout — reveal the horrifying circumstances in the U.S. during OBSIDIAN. Martial law has been declared. Looting is rampant. Chaos reigns.

OBSIDIAN poster thumbnails

Only one of these posters is available here at JCHutchins.net. The rest roll out exclusively on thirteen other websites today, May 20. Each site will feature one poster design only. To collect them all, you must visit all thirteen other sites.

These thirteen participating sites feature world-class fiction, sci-fi and gaming news, reviews and music. They’re the very best sources of online entertainment for 7th Son fans, and J.C. Hutchins endorses them as “must subscribe” content:

Which posters appear on what website? Ahh, that’s a secret … as is what time they’re released today. J.C. Hutchins recommends that you subscribe to these sites’ RSS/podcast feeds NOW. That way, and you can immediately enjoy the free killer content these sites provide, and know that their posters will automatically appear in your RSS reader or podcatcher when released.

It’s part scavenger hunt, part “collect them all” trading card concept, part cross-promotion. So download all fourteen posters, expose yourself to some of the best entertainment on the web … and of course, print the posters and display them proudly for all your friends and coworkers to see!

Spread the word. OBSIDIAN drops May 31st. When the power fails … chaos reigns.

COLLECTIBLE POSTER: 7th Son: OBSIDIAN Download

PROMO: 7th Son: OBSIDIAN

May 14, 2008 in All Posts, Announcements with 19 Comments

7th Son: OBSIDIAN logoWhen the power fails … chaos reigns.

Author J.C. Hutchins has recruited the biggest names in podcast storytelling for 7th Son: OBSIDIAN, a fiction anthology “first-ever” in podcasting, including:

Each storyteller will spin a unique tale that takes place during the nationwide blackout seen in the 7th Son trilogy, featuring brand new characters and stories.

Spread the OBSIDIAN meme! Please distribute this promo in your podcast, blog, MySpace and Facebook pages!

Post a comment of compliance below, to show your support for the cause!

PROMO: 7th Son: OBSIDIAN [ 2:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

UltraCreatives Interview #12: Cory Doctorow

May 4, 2008 in All Posts, Other with 1 Comment

UltraCreatives logoAfter a week hiatus, the UltraCreatives Interview Series is back! This week, J.C. Hutchins chats with Cory Doctorow, co-editor of BoingBoing.net, activist and author of the new novel, Little Brother.

Cory is best-known as a pioneer in the Open Media movement and the “giving it away is okay” philosophy — releasing free versions of his fiction to evangelize and enhance the exposure of his printed work. He’s a trendsetter and visionary in this field. In addition, Cory is an activist, consumer advocate, and a co-editor for the culture blog, BoingBoing.net.

In this interview, Cory chats about his career as a writer, his activism, and Little Brother, which debuted in bookstores last week. Stick around after the interview: you’ll hear an excerpt from the novel, which is also available as a DRM-free audiobook from Random House Audio.

Find Cory Doctorow on the World-Wide-Everywhere:

Also mentioned in this episode:

  • J.C. Hutchins has completed rewrites on his new novel (nicknamed “Code Phantom”)!
  • The novel debuts next March
  • Expect a full announcement regarding Code Phantom in the weeks ahead
  • Later this week in a “Beta Clone Army Update” podcast, J.C. will explain why he’s been mum about the project so far

Spiffy reminder: The groundbreaking 7th Son: OBSIDIAN short story anthology debuts later this month! Catch up by listening to J.C.’s sci-fi thriller 7th Son podcast novel trilogy, found here.

UltraCreatives Interview #12: Cory Doctorow [ 59:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Gallery: “Playing for Keeps” covers

May 1, 2008 in All Posts, Announcements with 1 Comment

While writing is my first passion (and the only thing I feel I’m truly good at), I do have a handful of other talents, one of them being graphic design. I’m no Photoshop ninja, but I can bang out a decent logo, provided it’s typography-based. I also like to help my pals.

So in late 2007, when Mur Lafferty invited me to design title and headline logos for her “Playing for Keeps” podiobook, I jumped at the chance. It was flattering and fun to help create the cover of her novel — and contribute to the awesome artwork in her weekly “comic book”-style PDFs.

Now, since I’ve completed the cover for the final PDF issue, I thought I’d post this gallery of images showcasing my work. I learned a lot during this 16-image adventure, and it was a hoot collaborating with Mur, photographer J.R. Blackwell and artists Jared Axelrod and Natalie Metzger on these covers. I hope you enjoy them.

–J.C.