2009: The Year Of The Fan
January 2, 2009
It’s a new year, and in this little corner of the world, it’s the most important year of my life. On June 9th, my supernatural thriller, Personal Effects: Dark Art, debuts in bookstores. In the fall, Descent, the first novel in my 7th Son trilogy, will be released. My lifelong dream of being a published novelist will come true. That’s truly spiffy.
I’ve had a long time to think about 2009 — after all, the publishing contracts for both books were signed in 2007 — and how I could celebrate these novel releases. A sliver of myself wanted to reboot my worldview and pretend to be a STAR, a success story, a rock-n-roller ready to kick the world in the balls. Fear me, world. Buy me. Read me. Shamelessly adore me.
What balderdash. I can’t be someone I’m not … and I certainly can’t be what I’ve yet to achieve. And as someone who finds it gravely unwise to forget his roots, I can’t ignore the real reasons why I’ve been given the honor and opportunity to realize this lifelong dream.
2009 can’t about me. 2009 must be about you.
Don’t pretend to be surprised by this. You, and the tens of thousands of others who’ve supported my creative work for the past three years, are the reason why this often-shy wordherder is doing a year-long Snoopy dance. Your support, voice mails, emails and evangelism made 7th Son (and last year’s experimental OBSIDIAN anthology) more successful than I could’ve ever imagined. You were legion, you were vociferous, you became far more than an audience. You became friends.
Your screams at the end of those cliffhangering episodes (man, that feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?) convinced me the story I was telling was solid. Your encouragement pushed me to give another go at finding a literary agent. Your buzz helped convince St. Martin’s Press to give this green author a shot. And here we are, on the cusp of 2009.
2009, The Year Of The Fan.
And so, with a new year comes resolutions. I will keep creating and delivering entertainment for you, during 2009. I’m committed to thrilling and surprising you, and giving you more updates on my work and works-in-progress. There’s lots to talk about. Pre-release fiction for Personal Effects: Dark Art. Pre-release fiction for 7th Son. Something ambitious called The 33. And a hearty dollop of author updates, audio essays and more.
We all understand that I’ll depend on you and your support more than ever this year, and that I have something to gain from that. This is no secret — I’d dare not ignore mentioning it — and I pray you’ll bring your A-game to the field when I utter the battle cry for support. In the meantime, I’m going to do everything I can to dazzle you with more entertainment, more cliffhangers, and new narrative worlds and characters. I hope you’ll join me for the ride.
In the end, a storyteller is nothing without an audience. A tale is vapor when told to an empty room. That’s why this year, more than ever, you’re the STAR … you’re the success story … you’re the rock-n-roller ready to kick the world in the balls. The world will fear you. And if you’re cool with it, I’ll shamelessly adore you.
As a tiny token of my appreciation, and as a way to remind you of your awesomeness, I’ve created a computer wallpaper to celebrate 2009, and you. Download it here, and kindly post it on your monitor with pride, just for a bit. Enter this year knowing that you’re the reason why at least one man can say he achieved his dream … and know that he’ll never, ever forget who delivered him there.
I owe you so much. I’m honored to call you my friend. And I’ll remain ever-humbled by your encouragement, evangelism and support.
Here’s to 2009. The Year Of The Fan. Your year.
–J.C.
The Invitation: A Silver Case update
December 30, 2008
For those following my Silver Case adventures, here’s an update that’ll tickle you. As many of you know, I’ve been warned by a mysterious fellow named “Case Man,” aka Richard Findes, about the allegedly nefarious deeds of the Armacham corporation.
Armacham has targeted me to apparently participate in a marketing event for the release of the new video game F.E.A.R. 2, the Case Man said. But the company shouldn’t be trusted, he insisted — Armacham is using the event as a ruse to possibly perform genetic testing on me and other Silver Case recipients.
I’ve remained fairly neutral about Case Man’s accusations; after all, he could be spreading misinformation about Armacham. At the same time, I’ve been skeptical about Armacham’s supposed “targeting” of me; why in the the heck would a major conglomerate reach out to me? There’s nothing special about J.C. Hutchins.
But yesterday, I received this letter from A.T. Harman, an employee at Armacham Technology Corporation. (A scan of the letter is beneath my transcript.) Things are getting … interesting.
I’m going to personally pursue this mystery later today, and get back to you with some video and opinions. In the meantime, enjoy this very intriguing letter.
If this is real, should I go? My personal safety might be at risk. Sound off in the comments…
–J.C.
From the Office of A.T. Harman
C.O.O. of Gaming and Simulation Division
Armacham Corporation
www.armacham.com
Dear J.C.:
Congratulations. I am pleased to inform you that Armacham Technologies would like to include you in our upcoming *FEAR LAB trials in New York City.
Armacham will fly you to New York City to be one of the first to experience F.E.A.R. 2 during the weekend of January 17th and 18th. As part of the **Level III test, you will be granted access to our mobile FEAR LAB, allowing extensive interaction with the game prior to its public release.
The F.E.A.R. 2 module represents a major leap forward in FPS game-play and as part of Armacham’s outreach, we will provide live blogging & live streaming stations at the event for you to share with your audience.
Please contact our travel coordinator … to make arrangements.
Best Regards,
A.T. Harman
*Measurable PK attunement and Neuro-inductive Cognition is amplified by up to 22% by subjects utilizing the chair, although prolonged use is still being restricted to those displaying an initial Zener rating of 9+.
**Level III is designed for bloggers/gamers identified to possess exceptional latent Ganzfield reactions; these players will be among the first test subjects of the new module outside of Armacham’s secret research facility.
Review: “Contagious” by Scott Sigler
December 30, 2008
For the past three years, horror/sci-fi thriller novelist Scott Sigler and I have remained at DEFCON 1, publicly nuking each other with insults, doing everything we can to ruin the other’s credibility. He blames me for everything wrong in his life; I proudly retort that I’m the sole Junkie (the nickname for Sigler’s fans) who won’t bow to his megalomania. The word “hate” is thrown around. A lot.
Are the venom-filled barbs truly heartfelt? I dare not say. But I will say this: After reading an advance reader’s copy of the author’s latest novel Contagious, I can utter, with truth coursing through my capillaries, that I hate Scott Sigler.
I hate him the way a garage band guitarist might hate Jimi Hendrix, or the way a film school student might hate Steven Spielberg. I hate Scott because he’s damned good at what he does, and he makes it look effortless. The dude’s practically at the starting line of his professional novel-writing career, and he’s already a master storyteller. Contagious is a superb tale — more on this in a bit — and this novel, better than any other work Scott has written to date, showcases the man’s samurai skills as a writer.
As a fellow novelist, I know that what Scott Sigler has accomplished with this new book wasn’t easy to create. It couldn‘t have been. But damn, he makes it look like it was. My envy burns green, and bright.
Contagious, the sequel to Sigler’s Infected (released in April), resumes the tale of “Scary” Perry Dawsey, a former college football superstar-turned-murderous maniac. In Infected, Perry fell victim to several parasitic lifeforms — alien invaders of the (at first) microscopic variety. As the creatures grew inside his body, so did their influence: the sentient “triangles” super-charged the man’s short temper, and communicated with him via his nervous system.
Perry was driven to madness, murder most bloody, and self-mutilation. He barely survived the events in Infected, and the planet itself barely survived an alien invasion.
In Contagious, Perry (and other Infected supporting characters such as CDC doctor Margaret Montoya and government spook Dew Philips) are back … and so are the parasitic aliens. Perry has reluctantly joined forces with the U.S. government to track down — and, if Perry can keep his rage in check, study — the latest victims of this alien onslaught.
It ain’t easy. Perry can telepathically “sense” these creatures, making him an indispensable member of the team. But broken and haunted by the events in Infected, Perry is a booze-swilling asshole, intent on slaying the beasts that destroyed his life. Here is a man who’s hit rock bottom, a shadow of the unlikely hero we saw in Infected … and the collegiate superstar he once was is now a beyond-distant memory.
It’s up to Margaret and Dew to keep Perry in line … and more important, convince him that their mission to study (and not eradicate) the alien creatures is worthwhile. Perry, whose respect for authority was thoroughly derailed in Infected, isn’t playing ball.
Now here’s where Sigler shines as a tale-teller. Throughout this drama unfolds larger storylines, each upping the emotional tension and narrative stakes … and each expertly executed. The White House reels in disbelief at the news of these parasites, particulary at the horrorific realization that “the infected” are growing in number. A special military unit has been dispatched to exterminate these threats. Everyman supporting characters, brilliantly realized by Sigler (his King-esque characterizations are a hoot and a treat to read), fall victim to the quiet invasion.
And we finally learn the source of the vile alien spores that are infecting the populace. Better still, we do more than learn about this source. We meet it. And see it. And hear it. And it’s creepy as hell, because it’s learning to adapt.
And then the shit hits the fan.
Sigler, taking a cue from the best of Tom Clancy’s multi-plot masterworks, weaves unlikely storylines into a culminating, resonant, narrative force of nature. Emotions flare, bullets (and missiles) fly, and the story marches relentlessly toward the Michigan countryside where a family receives the worst infection of all. It’s here — in the introduction of the book’s unsuspecting earth-bound villain — where Sigler’s prose becomes white-knuckled, disturbing, terror.
The third act of Contagious is an action-packed spectacle, a “widescreen” novel in scope and depth. To spoil its world-rending finale would be criminal, so I won’t. I won’t even give a hint. But as I read the final 10 pages of Contagious, I had to literally remind myself to breathe … and to close my gaping piehole. Remarkable ending.
You owe it to yourself to buy a copy tomorrow, when it’s released in bookstores across the United States. Hell, buy more than one. Buy three. That’s what I did.
Regardless of your quantity, know that Contagious is quality — quality storytelling, quality horror, quality action-adventure. I read the novel in a kind of awe, waiting for this intricate and fast-paced plot to fly off the rails.
It never did. It stayed on target, accelerated, and exceeded my expectations.
And that’s why I hate Scott Sigler. He makes it look so damned effortless.
–J.C.
On Podango’s apparent demise, and why I stay indie
December 28, 2008
As I write this, unconfirmed reports are circulating that Podango, a podcasting network, will soon turn out its lights, lock its doors and shut down. If true, this is certainly bad news for Lee, Doug, and other members of the company — and it’s particularly grim for entertainers who relied on Podango’s services. These creators will soon scramble to find new online homes for the content they’ve hosted at Podango. This is a painful process.
It’s also a shame. I’m convinced New Media entertainment and distribution via social media is the way to economically and viably build a body of work that can help propel creators toward more mainstream (or at the very least, more profitable) opportunities. It’s also a helluva way to build an audience, make a crapload of awesome friends, and network with like-minded artists and businessfolk.
Now, I’m just one guy doing this podcasting thing — and while I’ve been in the game for about three years, my opinions of podcast networks haven’t changed much since I started. Which is why I’ve never joined one.
Nearly all podcast networks use the collective clout of their shows (and those shows’ audiences) to attract advertisers. Advertisers, in turn, help fund these companies’ operations. Lucky podcasters can benefit by receiving some of that revenue. Based on anecdotal and personal experience, you have to be a pretty lucky podcaster indeed to make decent cash from advert deals.
Thankfully, we’re well past the “quit your day job” crapmeme that was buzzing in the ’sphere back in 2005. I highly doubt folks entering the podcast space these days believe they’ll make a living wage from their passion project. This is a good thing: eyes are wide open, expectations are managed. (Sadly, this lack-o-living-wage standard can be said for artistic endeavors well beyond New Media. Just ask a novelist.)
Still, podcast networks need high audience numbers to attract advertisers. To do that, networks provide podcasters with incentives such as free file hosting — Podango and other networks do this — and the chance at scoring some revshare. Shows also become available through the network’s portal site, which might generate trickle traffic to the podcast itself.
There can be trade-offs in such arrangements, in which the creator may not control the ultimate fate of his property. I won’t dive into those trade-offs here; that dead horse has been flogged into Elmer’s Glue. But the timeliest issue is the one that Podango’s podcasters may soon be facing. They’re now migrating their media files (and perhaps more) because they’ve been let down by the network. This is because the monetization scheme for podcast networks doesn’t work.
Perhaps it’s just not working now. Perhaps it never will. But one thing the graves of many a dead podcast network indicate is that pooling disparate entertainers with little-to-no common audiences doesn’t seem to appeal to mainstream advertisers. Headlining podcasters carry the lion’s share of audience ears (and eyes) at these networks, and are the ones most likely to benefit from advertising revshare. That’s fine and fair, but the dozens or hundreds of other programs continue to add expense for the network (via hosting, bandwidth and possibly promotion costs). And speaking personally as a now self-employed victim of the current shithole economy, let me assure you: There’s only so much money in the VC coffers. The ad-supported model takes a lonnng time to take off, particularly in the New Media and mobile spaces.
To be clear: I’m not critiquing the hard work of Lee, Doug and the Podango crew specifically here. The ad-supported network model may need more time to bloom, as more advertisers “get” New Media. But in the meantime, it appears that the only viable monetization and/or promotion option for podcasters is to join a network. And if the current network model doesn’t work, then these entertainers’ careers are trapped in a zero-profit scenario.
Or are they?
I’ve been an indie since February 2006 because I see a lot of “giving” going on in these networks, and not a lot of “getting.” Free hosting? Bah. Reliable hosting costs are preposterously low-priced; I host my media files at Libsyn, receive unmetered bandwidth and a robust stats engine for $10/month — a steal. Trickle traffic from a network-branded portal site? I’ve always wondered how effective this is, particularly when said portal may have hundreds (or more likely, thousands) of other shows in its stable. That’s a lot of noise for my signal to cut through.
Further, a driven indie creator can birddog and acquire advertisers on his own if he wishes. (The profits for these ad deals would likely be larger, since no network exists to take a cut.) And even the densest podcaster understands the wisdom of networking within the community. You create and release promos, you craft cameo opportunities in your programming, etc.
And if you’re in this for the money (or would like to see some cash for your efforts), and advertisers still aren’t interested? Don’t pack up your shit, and don’t go network. Go freemium. Merchandise your property. I’ll likely do both next year, and gun for advertisers, too.
Freemium and merchandising represent the greatest untapped potential of podcasting and New Media, and very few entertainers — including myself — are taking advantage of it. But the ones who are doing it, and doing it well, are podcasters you’ve heard of: Ask A Ninja, Keith and the Girl, Scott Sigler, Gary Vaynerchuk, etc.
Social media maven Chris Brogan recently blogged about this topic, stating, “Podcasting as we all thought it might be in 2006 is gone.” Brogan, a co-founder of Podcamp, is right about that. The space is evolving, and the most-successful podcasters are evolving right along with it. “In the end, want to make money with podcasting?” he asks in the post. “Figure out how to make money not on the media itself, but on what the media represents. Simple, and yet elusive.”
This is why freemium, merchandising and — if you’re really lucky — licensing models are the very best way to earn money in this space. Podcasting is an extremely resonant way to create a connection with an audience. (Is it the power of the human voice? A nigh-mystical bond between author and audience, much like the kind radio DJs have with their listeners? That’s a topic for another post.) It’s a fluid, remarkable way to communicate to — and receive communication from — people. It resonates. It engages. It’s powerful and personal. If you’re creating killer content, your audience will want to reward you for your hard work.
By creating merchandise (behold the diverse, creative and cool products offered by Ask A Ninja and Keith and the Girl), podcasters can provide a “tangible” way for fans to support (and evangelize!) their work. By offering a freemium model — in which free content is available to all, but superfans can pay for premium content, and are exposed to exclusive offers/contests/etc. — podcasters can monetarily benefit, and fans get the royal treatment.
And if you can snag an advertiser’s interest? So much the better.
And if you can snag the interest of a mainstream content distributor (such as a publisher or a production company)? Fuckin’-A, brother … you’re living the dream. Pimp those products in your podcast. Your people helped get you those deals; they’ll be happy to support your mainstream endeavors.
I believe the future of successful New Media monetization hinges not on the macro, but the micro. By remaining in absolute control of your content (and where/how it’s hosted online), making your listeners the stars, and offering them interesting and fun ways to opt-in and support your creative efforts, you’ll likely make more money — and deliver more delight to your fans and yourself in the process — than if you mindlessly shake your ass for Audible or GoToMyPC or WhatTheHellEver.com in a dozen-dozen of your podcast recordings.
Cater to your people. Feed them the best entertainment you can create. They’ll reward you.
You don’t need a network to do that.
–J.C.
Review: “Kronos” by Jeremy Robinson
December 27, 2008
Let me tell you something about author Jeremy Robinson. He’s dangerously good at what he does.
The man is also a generous and kind-hearted soul — he recently read my manuscript for Personal Effects: Dark Art and called it “creepy as hell,” which is a big win for a little guy like me — but mostly, I think he was put on this planet to scare the hell out of you.
I had the great privilege to read Robinson’s soon-to-be released seabound thriller, Kronos. The book, which will be released next January by Variance Publishing (and is available for pre-order now, hint-hint), is an adrenaline-pumping descent into the dangerous waters of the Gulf of Maine. Here, Jeremy spins a blood-soaked story that’s packed with more wily hand-to-hand combat, testosterone and gunplay than a Bruckheimer flick. Oh, and there’s a sea monster, too.
Yep, an honest-to-goodness sea monster.
This is the kind of sea-dweller that makes Jaws look like a tadpole. The kind that might even make Meg
The story: Former Navy SEAL Atticus Young and his teenage daughter Giona have been in an emotional rough patch since Atticus’ wife died two years ago. He’s been drifting; she’s been rebelling. A new chapter awaits them across the country; they’ll soon leave Maine. Father and daughter decide to take one last scuba diving trip in the Gulf … and that’s where things go horribly wrong.
Giona is swallowed whole by an unspeakably large, ancient and dangerous animal; the beast is the size of a jumbo jet. And as Atticus is consumed by revenge — and quickly recruited by morally bankrupt billionaire Trevor Manfred to hunt the monster at sea — he learns that the creature may be more intelligent than he’d ever imagined.
What is the beast Kronos? What does it want? And where did it come from?
The pursuit for those answers leads Atticus and his allies (and more than a few enemies) on a high-stakes adventure filled with betrayal, more than a few “gasp” plot twist moments, and an intriguing origin for Kronos that hints that it might not have been born … it may have been made.
It’s killer fiction, and well worth a read — especially if you dig tales in the vein of Jaws, and Meg – and it’s a helluva follow-up to Robinson’s thriller Antarktos Rising, which I also highly recommend. Book trailer is below.
What is Kronos? On Jan. 20, 2009, discover its secret …
–J.C.
Review: “Metamediocrity” by Jay Lynn
December 27, 2008
I’m a sucker for a great superhero tale — and therein lies the rub.
I love the comic book medium with a passion, and am consistently amazed by the adventures found there … tales that simply cannot be told in other media, because of the unique strengths of the graphic novel format. And I love superhero stories because I wish I could run really really fast, and because heroes, of course, represent the very best of what we humans can be, given the right circumstances.
But I mentioned I’m a sucker for a great superhero tale — emphasis on the word great. Yarns about capes are a dime-a-dozen these days, which is why my standards are exacting and high. My favorite superhero stories must be engaging, deliver on some familiar tropes, and — in the end — give me something new and interesting to chew on.
I’ve found my next favorite superhero story. It can’t be found in a comic book, and it might not even be about a hero. It’s too early to tell where the story’s going … but I have a feeling it’s going to be a fun ride.
Meet Cliff, a vanilla guy in a vanilla white-collar gig. He’s the unlikely star in Jay Lynn’s new “audio comic book” Metamediocrity. The podcast fiction project was recently updated with episode two; I’ve listened to episode one and enjoyed the hell out of it. Why? Because vanilla character Cliff doesn’t stay vanilla for very long.
By the third paragraph in episode one of Metamediocrity, we learn that hapless Cliff recently scored some superpowers in the most unlikely of ways:
“Essentially, I was blanket rolled by a couple of punk kids, out for a joy ride in a stolen space ship. They had managed to strong-arm their way through several star systems, thieving whatever thy could get their hands on. Unfortunately for me, they had also managed to put their hands on a piece of equipment called a biomutagenic reactor. As you can guess, the words mutagenic and reactor do not imply safe and happy technology. Not only are these things highly illegal, but also highly unstable. They’re capable of rewriting your DNA from the ground up…”
The side-effects of Cliff’s close encounter are masterfully delivered in episode one, and I dare not spoil it for you here. In addition to Cliff’s appearance in the episode, the character’s childhood buddy Adam — a present-day IT guru and stoner — plays heavily in the ep, and is a scene-stealer.
This is fun, imaginative, outside-the-longbox superhero storytelling … and I can’t wait to see what Jay Lynn is cooking up in future installments.
In the meantime, I suggest checking out Metamediocrity. If your standards for great superhero stories are like mine, you’ll likely agree: if hapless Cliff can transcend his own mediocrity, he might be the next big thing.
–J.C.
Conversation with Case Man: A Silver Case update
December 24, 2008
Today, I received an email from Jeff Watson, a young fellow who’s been following my videos and updates about the recent F.E.A.R. 2 “Silver Case” mystery.
Here’s the full text of the email:
Hi JC,
Ever since those weird cases started showing up my friend and I have been following the whole Armacham/F.E.A.R. 2 drama and we know you have been too. We think we actually tracked the Caseman down! Here is a clip of our “interview” with him, he was super freaked out. To be honest I’m getting a little jumpy myself when I think about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dok2qRrNELE
If Quan and I come up with anything more I’ll forward it to ya.
Jeff
I don’t know Jeff, and — according to my email archives — I’ve never corresponded with him until today. However, I’ve reviewed Jeff and Quan’s video (seen below), and it is indeed possible that the duo discovered the mysterious “Case Man” — aka R., aka Richard Findes.
The voice of the man in this video sounds similar to the voice we heard in past personal videos to me. (In those older videos, Case Man’s voice has been modulated to protect his identity … but there are some tonal and enunication similarities between those vids and this one.) It appears Richard Findes is close to a “breakthrough” in his attempts to expose Armacham’s secrets.
This likely means we’ll learn more from him soon. In the meantime, here’s the video Jeff sent me:
Is it legit? A fan-created hoax? Something else? It’s hard to say. Jeff Watson’s YouTube account indicates that he has only two videos uploaded there. Both are related to the F.E.A.R. 2/Armacham mystery, uploaded mere days ago. His YouTube account was created in October. Interestingly, his profile says he’s 35 years old.
This is a head-scratcher, since the video’s off-screen Jeff sounds far younger than that.
Either Jeff is shooting straight, and he’s discovered Richard Findes’ location … or something else is afoot here. A misinformation scheme, perhaps? We’ll only know when more info becomes available. I’ll keep you posted.
My video take on Jeff’s email and video (created for my podcast audience; it contains much of the information found in this post) is below.
–J.C.
PS: I’ve replied to Jeff’s email, providing him a link to this blog post and asking him about his age, and geographic location. Where was this filmed? If I learn more, I’ll let you know…
The Dossier: A Silver Case update
December 16, 2008
Yesterday, I concluded my Silver Case video series. Today, I received an email from the mystery man “R.” The plot thickens…
Silver Casers will recall that “R” is the man who sent me the silver briefcase, and appeared in two videos — one on a DVD I received in the mail; the other, on the case’s USB drive. “R” has provided information about Armacham’s alleged genetic testing, and its supposed nefarious plot to recruit people (including me) to participate in its research.
Now, “R” has contacted me via email:
JC,
Please help me.
As you know Armacham has corrupted the FEAR 2 game module but it seems they are still determined to unveil LEVEL 3 of their testing whatever the consequences. Despite disastrous results in the initial testing they are currently looking for 13 candidates to test the module in a device called the FEAR LAB in New York City.
I fear for the safety of anyone who becomes involved in this test and I’m determined to stop it all costs.
I’ve hidden additional evidence at http://www.armacham.com/rf3437 which I’ve had to encode for my safety. Once you unlock the files you will see what I’m talking about.
I’ll be in touch
R
I visited the URL “R” provided, and sure enough, there was content to behold. You’ll note that the directory in which this content is stored is labeled “RF” (which I bolded above), further implying that this data is hailing from Richard Findes, the disillusioned Armacham employee whose email we hacked in a past Silver Case episode. (Is there significance to the numeral 3437, as well?)
Two PDF documents were available via the link: “Dossier.pdf” and “Armacham Form 25C_supplemental.pdf”. I’ve extracted the pages from the PDFs and posted them below. You can also download a PDF with both assets combined by clicking here.
Silver Casers will note that most of these pages appeared in the dossier I personally received from Armacham, with one exception: the final image. This must be the encoded data to which “R” refers in his email.
What does it mean? Can the cipher — and R’s message — be found using these materials? I bet it can … and I bet you can help decrypt it. So let’s get crackin’! Sound off in the comments if you make any progress.
Finally, I should note that the envelope I received from Armacham in late November was marked with a “LEVEL 2 CLASSIFICATION” stamp. But in this recent email, “R” refers to an apparent upgrade of the testing: Level 3.
Astute visitors to Armacham.com will note that Richard Findes’ email draft features three Armacham Technology Corporation employee profiles. Of the three, only Dutch employee Joris N. Ulbricht appears to have a Level III security clearance. Is he part of Armacham’s inner circle?
So. Help me crack the code to determine if Armacham is indeed conspiring to perform unsafe genetic tests on people (including me) … or if the mysterious Case Man — aka “R” — is simply on a mission to spread misinformation.
–J.C.
PS: I’ve replied to R’s email, saying his “message was received,” and providing him the URL to this page. If he responds, I’ll let you know…
POSTER: Scott Sigler’s CONTAGIOUS — The Spanky Spoon
December 16, 2008
Can an ordinary wooden spoon become an instrument of terror? If it’s in the hands of horror/thriller novelist Scott Sigler, bet the farm on it.
Behold THE SPANKY SPOON, one of 12 collectible online-exclusive posters celebrating the Dec. 30 release of Sigler’s latest hardcover horror thriller, CONTAGIOUS. (Click the image to download the high-resolution PDF.)
Today, all 12 PDF posters will be released, each on a different blog — and like THE SPANKY SPOON, each foreshadows a key plot element of Scott’s novel. The author is raising the cool factor, too: If you find all 12, print them out and assemble them in the right pattern, you’ll score a final clue about the book’s big finish.
I’ve read CONTAGIOUS. I loved it. It’s an awesome, unholy genre-blur — equal parts horror, hard science, action, thriller and psychological terror. Booklist’s starred review says, “Many veteran horror writers will be grinding their teeth in envy. A definite must-read.”
To give you a further free taste of the book’s brilliance, Scott is giving away the entire novel as a serialized, unabridged podcast and a serialized PDF. This content posts every Sunday. The first two episodes are available at ScottSigler.com. The book is also available for pre-order.
The other 11 collectible CONTAGIOUS posters are available at these fine online purveyors:
- Blog of all things cool, BoingBoing
- Science-fiction news blog io9.com
- The death-dealing vidcast Ask a Ninja
- Ringtone and cell-phone content site Myxer
- Indie rock showcase podcast Accident Hash
- Science fiction/fantasy publisher Tor
- Astronomy/science blog and podcast Bad Astronomy
- Social media guru Chris Brogan
- Comedy podcast Keith and the Girl
- Tech and online culture vidcast Epic-Fu
- Scott Sigler’s site, home of multiple, free podcast novels
ABOUT THE NOVEL: Across America, a mysterious pathogen transforms ordinary people into raging killers, psychopaths driven by a terrifying, alien agenda. The human race fights back, yet after every battle the disease responds, adapts, using sophisticated strategies and brilliant ruses to fool its pursuers. The only possible explanation: the epidemic is driven not by evolution but by some malevolent intelligence….
Even more brainmeltingly cool (and free!) Scott Sigler content awaits the brave:
- Subscribe to the free CONTAGIOUS audiobook podcast: Click here.
- Subscribe to the free CONTAGIOUS serialized PDF series: Click here.
- View the eerie-as-hell CONTAGIOUS book trailer: Click here.
- Even more free audiobooks and short fiction by Scott Sigler: Click here.
So. Your mission: Download all 12 posters … buy CONTAGIOUS … and sleep with the lights on for the next month …
–J.C.
VIDEO: The Silver Case, Part Five
December 15, 2008
It’s the final episode in the Silver Case video series. Here, I share some parting thoughts about the mysterious case and its contents, and encourage viewers to further explore the Armacham.com website, and visit the sites of other Silver Case recipients.
Newcomers: Here are links to Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four of this video series.
I also suggest you learn more about the Armacham mystery by reading ARGNet’s coverage of the Armacham.com site debut, and the comprehensive (and very cool!) thread cooking over at Unfiction.com.
From the Unfiction forums, here is the list of other Silver Case recipients (and links to their posts about their involvement):
- M. Fahey — Mike Fahey at Kotaku (post)
- A Birch — Anthony Burch at Destructoid (post)
- J. Ransom-Wiley — James Ransom-Wiley at Joystiq (no post?)
- S Sigler — Scott Sigler (SciFi / Horror Podcaster, former True Blood recipient) — post
- JC Hutchins at jchutchins.net (Personal Effects author, SciFi Podcaster, former True Blood Recipient) — (post)
- P. DeFranco — Philip DeFranco (YouTube phenomenon, worked on “Hooking Up” w/ Jessica Rose from lg15) — post
- Z. Diaz — Zadi Diaz — Epic Fu (post)
- S. Caramouch — unidentified, but if real, his/her parents must have had a quirky sense of humor considering the definition of “scaramouch”.
Enjoy the rest of the mystery, and kindly keep me in the loop if you discover something awesome!
–J.C.
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