I might redesign the covers before they hit the marketplace, but I think these are final.

–J.C.

Jan Libby on Twitter
Snow Town’s Kickstarter Page
Lonely Girl 15
Sameees

Tell us what you think of the show by giving co-host Steve Peters and I a shout at info at storyworldpodcast dot com!

Now, on to the episode’s show notes!

On this show, singer/songwriter Thomas Dolby joins hosts Steve Peters and JC Hutchins, as they discuss Science, pushing creativity forward through technology, and the unique game project he co-created for his latest album, The Map of the Floating City.

Links from this show:

• Metacortechs
• Thomas Dolby
• A Map of the Floating City (game and website)
• A Map of the Floating City (iTunes album link)
• Thomas Dolby Time Capsule Press Release
• Thomas Dolby Tour Page
• Storycode
• Transmedia LA
• StoryWorld Conference
• ARGFest
• Mouth Taped Shut
• Robot Heart Stories
• Zombies, Run!
• Phonopath
• ARGNet
• StoryForward Podcast

Maberry’s horror fiction always bets big, the stakes are always high, and the payoffs always rock your socks. This dude can write.

When Maberry recently gave me a shout, eager to tell me (and you!) about his latest novel Dead of Night, I leaned in and listened good. I’ve never been much of a zombie fiction guy, but Maberry’s zombie fiction is smarter, meatier — and sometimes, just plain meaner — than most zombie stories out there.  Maberry delivered the goods in his 2009 novel Patient Zero … and he’s done it again with Dead of Night.

This is a helluva good read — so good, in fact, that I asked Maberry if I might share an excerpt of it here via my blog. Maberry did me one better: He not only hooked us up with an excerpt; he agreed to an author Q&A, and tossed in access to seven Dead of Night bonus scenes.  Hot damn, it’s Christmas all over again!

Maberry has been one of my favorite storytellers for years now, and Dead of Night didn’t disappoint. Let’s dig into my Q&A with Maberry, and afterward, I’ll provide links to that PDF excerpt of Dead of Night and a link to bonus material!

~ ~ ~

J.C. HUTCHINS: We all have a scary memory from our youth. What’s one of the scariest things you recall from your childhood? Has it directly influenced your work?

JONATHAN MABERRY: I grew up in a fairly violent and abusive household, so just waking up was scary and coming home from school was scary.  Two things happened as a result. First, I began studying martial arts with a friend and his dad –and later in one of Philadelphia’s major dojos — which made me tough enough to survive and ultimately escape that environment.  And second, I escaped into my imagination — and in that world the ‘monsters’ could be defeated.  Both of those informed my whole life, my outlook, and certainly what I write.

People often ask me why I write about monsters, and I tell them that I don’t.  I write about people who overcome monsters. Big difference.

HUTCH: I’m head over heels for your Joe Ledger novels and Dead of Night. One reason is because you infuse elements of other genres into your horror fiction. What are some of those genres, and why do you enjoy bringing them into the mix?

MABERRY: I’m a total science geek.  I love cool science and freaky science and totally weird science.  So, pretty much anything I write is going to have some kind of science back-story.  That’s actually how I came to write both the Joe Ledger series and my my latest novel, Dead of Night.

Back in 2008 I was approached by a publisher to write a nonfiction book on zombies.  This was a couple of years after Max Brooks lit the world on fire with the Zombie Survival Guide.  There weren’t too make nonfic zombie books out there apart from either books on zombie movies or attempts to rip-off Max.  I had no interest in doing either, so I told the publisher that I’d like to write a zombie book with some hard-core science in it.  Since one of my other loves is forensic science, I pitched Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead. I interviewed over 250 experts in a variety of fields (police, science, medicine, the clergy, the press, psychologists, etc.) on how the real world would genuinely react if something like Night of the Living Dead actually happened. Not one person turned me down for an interview, and I’m talking Homeland Security, SWAT teams, award-winning journalists, celebrities and even priest, pastors and rabbis.  Every single one of them already had some sort of opinion about zombies.  Crazy, right?

So I wrote the book and it’s been a big seller for me all over the world.

Now, while researching and writing the science chapters, I cooked up a pretty reasonable — if scary — scenario for a zombie plague. That sparked the thought: “What would happen if this science was 100% real?  Who would be likely to misuse it?”  That fast I had the idea of terrorists using a weaponized zombie plague.  The 2009 novel Patient Zero was the result, which kicked off the Joe Ledger series.  Granted, only the first book in that series deals with zombies, but the book has a big audience.  It gave me a real taste for zombie fiction.

After Patient Zero hit it big, that publisher (St. Martin’s) asked me if I had any ideas for a standalone zombie novel.  I did, because I kept researching the science (being the geek I am) and I cooked up an entirely different and even MORE plausible scientific explanation for zombies. That book became Dead of Night, and everyone’s been telling me that it’s my best novel so far.

HUTCH: Way back in 2010, you wrote the novelization of the movie The Wolfman. I’ve got a lot of love for that movie. I’ve also been curious about the adaptation process. What writing challenges did you experience adapting The Wolfman to novel format? Was there anything that was unexpectedly easy about the process?

MABERRY:  I was contacted directly by a vice president at Universal Pictures and offered the gig.  I did not get to see the movie, however, until a week after the book came out.  I worked from the original script by David Self.  I was asked to turn in the completed novel in eight weeks, which is pretty fast.  It was the fastest I’d written a book.  Of course, it was also a shorter novel than my previous books.  Ghost Road Blues was my shortest previous novel, but at 140,000 words it was fifty-five thousand words longer than The Wolfman.

To write the book, I first read the script through end to end without making notes.  I read it to appreciate the story, the characters, the writing, the dialogue and the pace. Then I re-read and made notes on things I needed to research and things I wanted to include.  Ideas occurred to me during the first two read-throughs and made a bunch of notes on themes, character traits and motifs.

After that I pulled out a scene and did a draft to get a feel of the voice.  Understand, I never got to see the film.  I was working entirely off of the script, a movie trailer and a handful of early production sketches.  So, I had no idea how the actors would interpret the lines or how the director would be crafting mood through camera angles, lighting, etc.

When I asked Universal how they wanted me to approach the writing, they said to make it my own.   I took them at their word, and when I sat down to write I was determined to write the best novel I could.  Understand, I wasn’t trying to novelize a movie script, I was writing a novel.  I wrote it so that people would enjoy reading it.

One of the challenges to adapting a novel is the fact that a line of script might translate to pages and pages of story.  For example, in the first draft of the script I read there was a scene of the moon rising above some ancient standing stones.  The script describes a visual and that’s it.  I took that and built a motif of the moon as a predatory goddess of the hunt, and echoed that through the story.

HUTCH: You’ve written for Marvel Comics titles such as Black Panther. Totally frickin’ awesome. Were you a fan of the genre before you started working with Marvel? It’s a highly collaborative medium; as a prose author who often flies solo, was that a challenging adjustment?

MABERRY: I grew up with Marvel Comics.  I remember going into a store to but my first comic book … Fantastic Four #66.  Brand spanking new.  I was hooked from the jump, and I collected comics up until around 1990.  Then I stopped for a while; but when Marvel’s editor-in-chief Axel Alonso reached out and asked me if I wanted to write for them, I started right back up again.  Now I sink a bunch of bucks every week at the comic book store.

The process of adjustment was interesting.  Writing novels is a very solitary process. It’s just you.  Comics are different, and the process is faster.  With comics it starts with a pitch to an editor, which comes with some discussion and idea-swapping.  Then the writer does the script and dribbles it back to the editor, who often has notes.  That’s a process.  Then the artist gets the script and roughs it out.  The editor gives him notes and lets the writer see the pencil sketches. After more edits, the artist does the finished pencils, then an inker steps in.  And then the letterer.  It’s complicated and there are a million emails firing back and forth.  So, to make it work you have to learn how to play with the whole team, and to allow each member of the team to have an equal voice.

The biggest challenge for me was to write less and allow the art to say more.  Novels are all about words, and even though writers do the comic book script first, at the end of the day the comic is a visual medium.  Visuals tell the story.

HUTCH: I’m always interested in learning what entertainment my favorite creators consume. What creative content — be it music, TV, books, film, games, etc. — is really ringing your bell these days, and why?

MABERRY: I have pretty eclectic tastes.  I’m a huge fan of Dexter.  I’ve spoken with Jeff Lindsay, the author of the books, and I’ve been a fan of both the print and TV versions of Dexter.  This season ended with a mind-blowing finale that actually had me screaming at the TV.  I also fell in love with Homeland.  What a first season!  But I dig a bunch of other shows, like Modern Family, Parenthood, Doctor Who, Being Human, Primeval, Luther, Torchwood, Sherlock, and a very small group of reality shows – Cake Boss, No Reservations, America’s Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance.

As for games … I’m in awe of anyone who can negotiate today’s modern video games. I apparently lack the gene. Snood taxes my upper range of skill.

I’m digging this season’s crop of movies.  Loved Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes, War Horse, The Descendants and We Bought a Zoo. And I have really high hopes for upcoming flicks like Prometheus, The Hobbit, Dark Knight Rises, Spider-Man, Superman and The Avengers.

My relationship with books is obscene.  I buy so many — in print and for my e-reader. All genres, too.  Crime novels, thrillers, horror, westerns, literary, mainstream, fantasy, Steampunk … I’m all over the place.  Because of being on the road so much with book tours and convention appearances, I’ve mostly been listening to audiobooks.  And … yes … I’ve listened to all of my own books on disk. It’s weird, because I don’t always remember writing some of what I hear.  That’s fun.

~ ~ ~

What an incredible Q&A, eh? Maberry’s the MAN. Now, on to these free reads.

• Download the FREE Dead of Night except
• Download seven bonus scenes from Dead of Night via Jonathan Maberry’s website

If you like what you read — and I’m certain you will — take the plunge and purchase a copy of Dead of Night via Amazon or another terrific retailer. Enjoy!

–J.C.

Bill has some terrific news to share about his book Singularity, and I’ve given him the stage to tell you all about it. I hope you’re as delighted by this news as I am. Take it away, Bill!

–J.C.

~ ~ ~

Thanks very much, Hutch, for the virtual soapbox. And thanks as well to all you Beta-clones for lending a virtual ear to what I hope is some exciting news.

But first, perhaps an introduction is in order — an introduction not to me, but to my book. Some of you who first encountered Hutch’s 7th Son on the Podiobooks website may have lingered to give a listen to the podcast of Singularity by yours truly. But in case you missed it there, Singularity is an award-winning science thriller that kicks off with the most violent cosmic collision in recorded history — and keeps right on building suspense with what Kevin J. Anderson calls “convincing research and locomotive pacing.”

The collision in question was the Tunguska Event of 1908 — a multi-megaton explosion that flash-incinerated a swath of Siberian forest twice the size of Greater New York in a blast felt a thousand miles away, yet left behind no crater, no fragments, not a shred of hard evidence as to what might have caused it.

Of all the explanations offered in the century or so since the Event, surely one of the weirdest is that the culprit was a submicroscopic primordial black hole — smaller than an atom, heavier than a mountain, older than the stars.

Cool, no? But there’s just one little hitch: A black hole that small and that dense should have cut through the solid body of the earth like the sun through morning mist and rocketed out the other side of the globe, wreaking as much devastation on leaving as it did on arrival. The failure to find any sign of such an “exit event” tolled a death knell for the black hole impact theory…

…or did it? What if the damned thing went in — and never came out? What if that fantastic object is still down there, hurtling round and round through the Earth’s mantle, slowly consuming the planet itself? What if you could capture it, and harness its awesome continuum-warping power to transform the world — or end it?

That’s how Singularity starts out. As to finding out where it all ends up, that’s where the good news I mentioned at the outset comes in.

Because as of today Singularity is available as an ebook, right here.

I hope you’ll take a moment to check out what Larry Niven has called “a wonderful, intricate story, wonderfully well told.”

–Bill

Get really comfy, at least for a few paragraphs. Enjoy it while you can. Because the mind-wracking anxiety and discomfort will come soon enough … and trust me: that’s a good thing.

I want you to meet somebody I appreciate and admire. Dude’s name is Julien Smith. I’ve followed his work for years. He updates his blog in hurricane bursts of creativity, intensity and razor-sharp insight — often writing about how this titanic Internet thing affects how we perceive and interact with the world. He’s co-host (with other whip-smart folk) on a podcast that, at its core, explores the topic of how we communicate online. Well beyond the social media nerdsphere, he’s best known as the New York Times bestselling co-author of Trust Agents, the most resonant book about online relationship-building I’ve ever read.

But Julien’s no Social Media Douchebag™. He’s always been smarter, and always soared higher, than those buzzword-squawking parrots. Julien seems to strive for authenticity in nearly everything he does. This is a man who has no patience for excuses, and even less for bullshit. He’s not an angry man. He’s honest — honest in a way that slices through the blubbery, blubbering excuses so many of us use to rationalize the fundamental dissatisfaction in our lives.

Which brings me to mind-wracking anxiety and discomfort … and The Flinch.

The Flinch is Julien’s new ebook. It was released today over at Amazon. The Flinch is a brisk read; you’ll tear through it in an hour or so. And it’s FREE, and always will be. Go to Amazon and get your copy right now.

I know you didn’t click that link. You’re still here. That’s cool. But know that what I say next, I say with absolute certainty:

You need to read this book.

I have absolute confidence making that proclamation because I needed to read this book. See, I am haunted and held captive by something Julien calls “the flinch” — the self-preserving flight instinct in the famous fight or flight equation. Here’s the rub: You’re haunted by the flinch, too. Julien explains:

The flinch is your real opponent, and information won’t help you fight it. It’s behind every unhappy marriage, every hidden vice, and every unfulfilled life. Behind the flinch is pain avoidance, and dealing with pain demands strength you may not think you have. … Behind every act you’re unable to do, fear of the flinch is there, like a puppet master, steering you off course.

Everyone is haunted by the flinch. “It’s a reaction that brings up old memories and haunts you with them,” Julien writes. “It tightens your chest and makes you want to run. It does whatever it must do to prevent you from moving forward. … Whatever form it takes, the flinch is there to support the status quo.”

Can you accurately count the times in your life when that chest-tightening fear overpowered your desire to change — to surge beyond the doldrums of Status Quo? I can’t. Hell, I can’t accurately count those instances in my current daily life. Oh, all the things I pine to do! Oh, all the things I postpone because I know exactly what to tell myself to rationalize my fear-soaked cowardice. When I stop squinting and honestly examine my life, I see that I’m surrounded by the flinch.

I bet when you stop squinting, you’ll see the flinch everywhere too.

Julien’s thoughtful, zero-bullshit, examination of this fear is well worth the download and read. The very fact he was able to give such a powerful force an instantly-recognizable name is worthy of your peepers, too. But let’s not kid ourselves: Naming a fear makes it easier to identify and discuss … but calling something “the flinch” doesn’t provide much backbone in overcoming it.

Thankfully, that’s what the rest of Julien’s ebook is about.

I dare not reveal the steps Julien suggests to address and rise above the primal fear of the flinch … or the simple yet revelatory “homework” assignments he gives readers. That stuff, you can easily discover on your own. However, I will promise that by reading The Flinch, you’ll learn something about yourself … and you might see that you have far more gumption than you ever imagined.

The Flinch isn’t a brutal book, but it does challenge you to toughen up, glare at the opponent inside you, and step into a boxing ring to take care of some serious fucking business. As Julien writes:

In a fight, there is a fundamental difference between boxers and everyone else. The guys who have trained are different. If you hit them, they don’t flinch. It takes practice to get there, but if you want to fight, you have no choice. It’s the only way to win.

Which is why you must get brave, and acknowledge the mind-wracking anxiety and discomfort — the flinch. It’s why you need to read this book.

–J.C.

The terrific music was composed by University of Rhode Island student Brandon Winrich, a talented young man who’s set his eyes on someday creating musical scores for films, TV shows and video games. If his 7th Son music is any indication, Brandon won’t have a problem finding work after graduation.

In addition to providing a recording of that evening’s performance, Brandon gave me some incredible liner notes, packed with comments and artistic insights about the creation of 7th Son: The Soundtrack, all written by him. He was keen to share his creative commentary with my audience. I was happy to oblige, and designed a downloadable PDF for you.

A link to these liner notes is below. If you’ve ever wanted a behind-the-scenes peek at a composer’s creative process, you should check it out.

–J.C.

In 2008, Brandon contacted me, asking for permission to compose orchestral music inspired by my 7th Son sci-fi thriller novel trilogy. As a lifelong fan of classical music, I was humbled and delighted … and I gave Brandon the green light without reservation.

The following year, Brandon composed and helped perform Movement 1: Descent, a 6:45 song inspired by the events in the first 7th Son novel. This was part of a project for his musical studies. In 2010, he paid similar homage to Deceit with another public performance. But this year, for his third and final 7th Son-inspired composition (and senior recital), Brandon emailed and asked if I might personally attend the live performance of movements 1 and 2 … and a first-ever performance of Movement 3: Destruction. The trilogy of songs would be played by 10 musicians, and conducted by a URI graduate.

I booked the flight that night.

The audio file at the end of this post is a recording of that live performance. Click play, and you’ll hear the work of a talented young man embarking on what can only be an incredibly successful artistic career. I am deeply touched and honored that anyone would be so inspired by my work to create something so compelling. I’m grateful Brandon allowed me to freely share this recording with you.

Here is a guide of the 7th Son Trilogy scenes Brandon re-created in this 25-minute performance. Note that movements — each named after 7th Son novels — are introduced by a long note played by horns … the very hmmmmm ”scene change” sound heard in the 7th Son podcast novels.

7th Son, Movement 1: Descent is comprised of 8 sections:

1. “The president of the United States is dead.  He was murdered in the morning sunlight by a four-year-old boy.”
2. A Former Life
3. Send in the Clones
4. Descent / The Womb
5. Contacting the Outside
6. Following Alpha’s Trail / “I Comply” / Hacking the CDC
7. Showdown at Folie à Deux
8. “It’s Never Over”

7th Son, Movement 2: Deceit is comprised of 8 sections:

1. John Alpha(s) and Special(k)
2. Homecoming / To the Fallen
3. Alert Status 1: Lockdown
4. The Proto Womb
5. Hack Back
6. Prime Time
7. Escape from Prophecy, Texas
8. Wild Card / Tanker Chase / The Fifth Wheel

7th Son, Movement 3: Destruction is comprised of 12 sections:

1. Killjoy
2. 760 United Nations Plaza
3. The Cavalry Arrives
4. Catalyst
5. A Fateful Ride
6. Obsidian
7. The Life and Times of Kilroy 2.0
8. Return to the 7th Son Facility
9. Commotion in the Common Room / The Madman’s March
10. The Final Battle
11. Aftermath
12. Epilogue – 6 months later

Tomorrow, I’ll post a PDF of incredible liner notes, packed with comments and artistic insights written by Brandon himself. He was keen to share his creative commentary with you, and I am delighted to oblige.

Before I present the recording, I want to introduce you to the 10 musical performers of 7th Son: The Soundtrack. The musicians are URI students. The conductor is a URI alum. All are supremely talented.

• Geri Muller — Flute, Piccolo
• Theresa Procopio — Oboe, English Horn
• Brandon Winrich — Clarinet
• Charles Larson — Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
• Chelsea Anderson — Trumpet
• Erin Dawson & Michael Rayner — Trombone
• Benjamin Boisclair, Zachary Friedland & Christopher Vinciguerra — Percussion
• Stephen Grueb — Conductor

I hope you are as dazzled by this three-movement performance as I was. It’s further proof that 7th Son fans remain the greatest fans in the world.

–J.C.

Yo, I need YOUR help! I’m sniffing around for new things to listen to. What are your THREE FAVORITE podcasts? Hit me!

Here’s what you said. Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!

On Twitter…

Jeremy wants to introduce himself to you fine peeps — and I thought be best-possible way to do that was to let him choose any three topics he wanted, and share his thoughts about them with you. Along the way, he’ll share some cool news about his latest novel The Sentinel and tell you about an opportunity to win a free Amazon Kindle e-reader. Two Kindles are up for grabs, so it’s worth your while to learn about Jeremy’s work … and how you might become a lucky winner.

So long from me — the rest of this post is all Jeremy!

Welcome to Jeremy Robinson’s Great Kindle Giveaway and Blog Tour…

“Hurray for free Kindles!” you say, but who the hell is Jeremy Robinson? Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the author of 11 mixed genre novels, published in 10 languages, including the popular fantasy YA series The Last Hunter, and the fast-paced Jack Sigler series (also known as Chess Team — not nearly as nerdy as it sounds), Pulse, Instinct and Threshold from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. I’m the co-author of an expanding series of novellas deemed the Chesspocalypse, which take place in the Chess Team universe. If that doesn’t wet your whistle, I’m also known as Jeremy Bishop, the #1 Amazon.com horror author of The Sentinel and the controversial novel, Torment. For more about me, or my books, visit my website.

J.C. told me I could tackle any three topics I wanted in my guest post — so I did just that. My three topics are below. I hope you enjoy them.

Also know that there are rewards for sloughing through the questions and answers. I’ll be giving away two Kindles to two randomly selected readers who sign up for my newsletter. Details on the giveaway can be found below. On to the Q&A!

You published two novels, Beneath and Kronos as free podcasts novels a few years back. What was your podcast experience like, and why haven’t you released another podcast novel since?

In general, my experience with releasing the two podcast novels was great. Kronos has been listened to, in full, 19,500 times. Beneath has been listened to 16,600 times. From what I understand, those are very good stats. Maybe not Sigler or Hutchins stats, but respectable. But have that podcast fanbase translated to sales of my other, non-free books (which is the goal when giving something away)? It’s impossible to say for sure, but my guess would be no. In fact, when the podcasts were new and being downloaded in large numbers, there was no noticeable uptick in sales of my non-free books. I suspect this is because there is a glut of free books available now, so why bother paying for something when there are other free options?

That said, there are some hardcore podcast novel fans who are dedicated to supporting the authors they listen to. And I’ve heard from many who have bought my books, but it’s a microscopic percentage of total listeners. And that’s why I haven’t put out any more free books. I’m a crappy narrator, so I actually spent thousands of dollars creating each book. I’m glad I did it, but I can’t justify doing it for the rest of my novels. I am, however, using ACX and partnering with Jeff Kafer, the narrator of my podcast novels, to get the rest of my books selling as audiobooks via iTunes and Audible.

You’ve written more than a dozen books, but your interests seem to expand into other forms of media: screenplays, an iPhone app, and game, and are always putting out video trailers and viral videos for your books. Do you plan to expand your career, officially, into other forms of media?

I’m going to say something that might be surprising. I am not a writer. Sure, I string together words in a way that other people call writing. But unlike most writers, I am not in love with the English language. I can’t quote rules of grammar. I’m not a living thesaurus. I loathe most classic novels. These things don’t even interest me.

So what am I then? I’m a storyteller, and I’m not married to any particular format. I started in comic books (writing and illustrating), shifted to screenwriting, and then to novels. I not only want to see my books turned into movies, I would like to write the screenplays for them. I would like to direct them. I have big aspirations, and may never get that far, but I’m going to try. I will probably always write novels. Turns out I’m pretty good at it and they pay the bills. But I’m going to try every form of storytelling I can. Making money isn’t the point. I’m planning to direct a low/no budget movie, hopefully next summer, titled The Devil is in the Details. I’m going to write it. Direct it. Edit it. And release it. Will it be in theaters? I doubt it. Direct to DVD? If I’m lucky, but the odds are against it. I don’t create for the money, I create for myself. For the first thirty years of my life, I drew, painted, wrote and made movies for fun. For free. Just because I now make a living writing novels doesn’t mean I’m finished experimenting with storytelling. If I manage to make a kick-ass movie and some studio picks it up, that might make it official, but money or no money, I’ll continue to branch into whatever form of story-telling that fancies me.

Which of your books is your favorite, and why?

I think I’m supposed to say this is a hard decision, but it’s not. The Last Hunter — Descent and the other books in the Antarktos Saga, are by far my top picks. They’re written in the first person and the main character, Solomon, is a combination of my son, the real Solomon, and my childhood experiences. So the story is deeply personal for me, but that carries across to the reader as well. The stories feel real, despite being my most fantastic in terms of settings, creatures and scope. They’re technically YA/teen books, but that’s only because the main character is a teenager in the first few books. The books are as action-packed, violent and frightening as all my other books, but are balanced by more heart and deeper characters. As for what the story is about, I’ll let Solomon tell you in his own words:

I’ve been told that the entire continent of Antarctica groaned at the moment of my birth. The howl tore across glaciers, over mountains and deep into the ice. Everyone says so. Except for my father; all he heard was Mother’s sobs. Not of pain, but of joy, so he says. Other than that, the only verifiable fact about the day I was born is that an iceberg the size of Los Angeles broke free from the ice shelf a few miles off the coast. Again, some would have me believe the fracture took place as I entered the world. But all that really matters, according to my parents, is that I, Solomon Ull Vincent, the first child born on Antarctica — the first and only Antarctican — was born on September 2nd, 1974.

If only someone could have warned me that, upon my return to the continent of my birth thirteen years later, I would be kidnapped, subjected to tortures beyond comprehension and forced to fight  … and kill. If only someone had hinted that I’d wind up struggling to survive in a subterranean world full of ancient warriors, strange creatures and supernatural powers. 

Had I been warned I might have lived a normal life. The human race might have remained safe. And the fate of the world might not rest on my shoulders. Had I been warned…. 

 This is my story–the tale of Solomon Ull Vincent — The Last Hunter.

Hope that was as good for you as it was for me. Now how about that kindle giveaway?

Here’s the deal: To be entered to win one of two free Kindles all you have to do is visit my website and sign up for the newsletter. That’s it. The first Kindle will go to a randomly chosen newsletter signup on October 31. For the second Kindle, there’s a catch. The second giveaway will only be triggered if one of my Kindle books hits the Amazon.com bestseller list (top 100). So pick up some books (most are just $2.99 a pop) and spread the word! If one of the books squeaks up to #100 for just a single hour, the second kindle will be given away to another randomly chosen newsletter sign up on October 31.

 *When you sign up for the newsletter, be sure to include the name of the blog that referred you in the field provided. I’ll be giving away two $50 Amazon.com gift certificates to the blog that refers the most sign-ups and another to the blog who referred the first kindle winner.

** I will announce winners via Twitter, Facebook, my blog, and newsletter (which you will be signed up for!) but I’ll also e-mail the winners directly—I’ll need to know where to ship those kindles!

Thanks for spending some time with me today. Hope you enjoyed the Q&A, and good luck with the Kindle giveaway!

–Jeremy Robinson

I had the great honor of presenting the keynote speech at ARGfest 2011 (Aug. 18-21), a convention that celebrates transmedia storytelling and gaming. I was humbled by the transmedia community’s kindness and support.

During my presentation, I shared the important creative and business lessons I’ve learned during my 15 years a professional storyteller, and discussed a critical ingredient in becoming a creative professional — something I call “getting to good.”

Many thanks to Brandie Minchew (@OctoberDreaming on Twitter) and ARGN.com for providing the audio recording from the event. I hope you enjoy it.

–J.C.

In this chat, Jim shares how he was first exposed to unconventional storytelling, and how it influenced his life and career … and how it directly impacted the development of Socks Inc. Along the way, we’ll learn how Jim incorporated filmmaking, games, play and — most important — audience interaction into his projects. It’s a delightful conversation about a very fun (and funny!) online-meets-real-world narrative.

• Visit and experience Socks Inc.
• Check out Jim Babb’s website
• Follow Jim on Twitter
• Learn about Awkward Hug
• Learn about Must Love Robots

I’m J.C. Hutchins. I’m a freelance storyteller. I’d like to work with you.

I write transmedia experiences, novels, screenplays and more, all for hire. My trilogy of technothriller novels, 7th Son, was optioned by Warner Bros in 2009.  A book I co-wrote, Personal Effects: Dark Art, is now in development as a Starz TV series.

My original stories have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of people in more than a dozen countries. My for-hire work has connected with hundreds of thousands. I continue to develop original IP, work with creators to expand new IP, and collaborate with agencies to enhance existing IP.

I also help craft multimedia marketing campaigns that create memorable connections between people and products. Most of these products were my own. Others were more high profile, such as toys (Nanovor) and television series (Discovery Channel’s The Colony).

I’ve worked with pioneers in the transmedia storytelling space such as Jordan Weisman, and agencies that innovate branded storytelling experiences such as Campfire. I live to collaborate, rev it to the creative red-line when needed, and consider deadlines immovable objects.

Do you need a fleet-footed creator to help your company or client achieve its business goals? I might be able to help. Download my creative resume to see what I’ve been up to recently. If my skills and accomplishments ring your bell, toss my name in your Rolodex.

And please, introduce yourself. I’d love to learn more about you, and answer any questions you might have about me or my work.

Thanks again for your curiosity and consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.

I love reading prose fiction — but in my heart of hearts, I’m a movie junkie. It’s a brilliant way to economically tell stories, and I enjoy the creative constraints the medium has: running time, MPAA ratings, budget. The mission? To cram as much narrative — both spoken and unspoken — into the frame as possible.

Notice that I said “unspoken.” That’s key. I believe prose fiction writers can easily learn about voice by watching and studying movies — especially when they pay attention to those unspoken bits.

Writing great books and short stories hinges greatly on your authorial voice — but always remember that your voice requires tonal flexibility. This can be defined by a character’s point of view, the pacing of a scene, or what’s happening in that scene. Thoughtful characters and slower-paced scenes can permit a more lyrical authorial voice; peppy characters and action sequences often demand something else.

Now I can’t tell you how to craft your voice; I believe your personal world view defines most of that. I also believe that the best authorial voices don’t attract attention to themselves. But if you’re looking for ways to appropriately use your voice for characters and scenes, I suggest popping in a DVD, muting the volume, and watching what unfolds.

Don’t watch the actors. Try to ignore the blitz-cut editing. Forget trying to decipher what’s being said. Instead, look for what’s happening in the frame overall — mostly the use of colors, color saturation and lighting. In the hands of filmmaking masters, these techniques represent the invisible art of cinema: the ability to wordlessly evoke emotion. To me, they represent the “voice” of the overall film, or a particular scene.

I think there’s wisdom there … and if you look for patterns, you’ll find them. For instance, most films these days depict workplace interiors — no matter how much sunshine is streaming through the locale’s windows — as cold, emotionless, antiseptic places. Filmmakers achieve this by clever lighting, or by processing the film (or digital footage) in such a way to suck the color from the moving images. The result is often a gray- or blue-tinged scene, with its characters looking as happy as a herd of zombies.

This is an immediate, visually tonal manipulation of the story. A word of dialogue may never be uttered, and yet we’re emotionally steered in a particular direction. Our brains “get it,” even if we as viewers never consciously get it.

Contrast that with movie scenes that take place in a happy home. There’s often lots of lush, warm-colored wood, and amber, creamy tones in the frame. Subconsciously, our brains do the math: our society associates this palate of colors with warmth and comfort. Again, the “voice” of the unfolding narrative invisibly connects the overall setting with how the audience should be feeling.

We’ve all seen the original Star Wars movie. Contrast the earthy, oil-stained interior of heroic Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon spaceship with the spartan hallways of the villains’ Death Star battle station. This visual information alone conveys everything we need to know: the good guys are scrappy, underfunded ragamuffins … and the bad guys are (literally) as imperious as it gets.

If you can make the esoteric leap from the visual voice of cinema to the narrative voice of prose fiction, you’ll notice ways to appropriately use your authorial voice when handling specific characters, scenes or events within a scene. Just as oil stains would be forbidden in the halls of the Death Star, certain words and writerly observations would appear incongruous in particular scenes.

Is a violence-packed action sequence best served by lyrical, multisyllabic flowery prose? Probably not. Does a contemplative scene work best with clipped, one- or two-word paragraphs? Probably not. Using creative flexibility in your narrative’s tone, vocabulary and sentence structure is absolutely critical to capturing the emotional core of your story. You may have a distinctive authorial voice, but be sure to tweak it as needed, depending on what’s happening in your tale.

If you can do that, you’ll control the invisible — yet critical — art of emotionally moving people.

So pop in a few DVDs, and dial down the volume. See what filmmaking maestros do with color, set design and other visual cues, and try applying those tonal techniques to your own writing voice.

–J.C.

There comes a point in the life of your Work In Progress when — hot dog! — it’s no longer a Work In Progress. The sucker’s done, you did it … heck, you frickin’ nailed it, and the time has come to query agents, or present it to your agent or editor, or self-publish. The rest of this essay assumes that your work will resonate with the appropriate gatekeepers, and soon soar beyond your grasp, off into the world, to be consumed by an audience.

This distribution could come in the form of a big-name publisher, an indie press, DIY-fueled print on demand, self-recorded audio podcast, home-brewed blog serialization … whatever. Point is, it’ll be out there. But unless you’re blessed with an existing audience (fancy-pants publishers call this a “platform,” though I prefer the term “wicked awesome fans”), few people are going to know about it. Your brilliant tale is bobbing in a sea of other brilliant tales. Your signal is lost in all that noise.

To leave the success of your work completely in the hands of a publisher publicist is foolish; that professional may be talented, but he’s pimping at least 20 other books this month, and is spread so thin, he gives Silly Putty a run for its money. To believe that random word of mouth alone will differentiate your stuff from other novelists’ is equally wrongheaded; how can people gab about something they don’t know exists? You’re a writer, which means you’re probably broke, so self-funded ads are out of the question. And doggone it, Oprah isn’t returning your calls.

There’s a dozen-dozen ways to combat the great enemy Obscurity — but I recommend making friends. It’s good for business.

Cranking out that novel (or other creative work) was a solitary act: It was just you and the words. Now that it’s in the wild, you’re personally, ethically obligated to give it every chance to succeed. Reaching out to published peers and influencers can help. By contacting fellow players in the industry, you can earn the attention of colleagues, share your content across multiple fan-bases, and increase awareness for your work.

Now remember, making friends is good for business. And business is what you should be most concerned about, now that you’re staring down the howitzer barrel of earning out that advance. Make-believe time is over. You’re no longer a wordsmith; you’re a businessperson. It’s time to strategize. You gotta move books, man.

So make friends. Do some research. Find online-savvy authors in your genre — or compatible genres — who like to blog, are on Facebook or Twitter, or release content in other interesting ways (like podcasting). Examine what they’re talking about in these spaces, especially if they’re talking about other authors. This is a good thing, particularly if you’re already a fan of their work. This is an opportunity to make friends.

Reach out to these authors with a respectful email that gently flatters and then gets down to business: You’d like to engage their audiences in a creative way that helps boost awareness for your work … and in exchange, you’ll promote the authors’ works via your online outlets. It’s a mutually-beneficial opportunity for you, the person you’re pitching, and both audiences.

I’m all about making such offers, often with creators who’ve never heard of my work. Despite the seemingly impossible odds, I have found it to be particularly effective in not only forming win-win alliances with fellow creators, but making true friendships. Those are also good for business.

For instance: I’m a writer who released his novels online as free serialized audiobooks. Each week, new chapters of my novel (which I record myself) were released on my site and on iTunes as a podcast. I was part of a small-but-growing subculture of authors who use this content-powered “loss leader” strategy to build an audience for our stuff.

Scott Sigler is another popular podcast novelist. A few years ago, Scott and I got to talking. We’re both thriller writers. (Scott writes brilliant sci-fi horror; I roll with technothrillers.) We were releasing our then-unpublished podcast novels at the same time, and we both craved larger audiences. What if we combined our efforts and promoted each other’s work in an innovative way? Since our manuscripts weren’t yet published anywhere in “ink,” we could alter the manuscripts, and make references to each other’s novels within our own work. Better still, we’d host a contest for our listeners: They’d have to listen to both books to catch these “crossover” references. Those who spotted all six crossovers could win a prize.

The cross-promotion worked. Our audiences grew exponentially, and we still share a great many fans. We consistently promoted each other’s work on our podcasts and websites. We found common ground, discovered an untapped opportunity to cross-promote, and ran with it.

Your cross-promotional pitches need not be so ambitious. You could scheme on something as simple as a series of mutually beneficial Twitter tweets, a blog post, mentions on your Facebook pages, an ad swap, a one-minute audio commercial to play on a podcast … the low-impact list goes on and on.

Want to upgrade that cross-promotion? Consider a short fiction collaboration, serialized at your websites. (Part 1 would be at your site, Part 2 at your collaborator’s site, and so on.) Team up for appearances at conventions, and promote this “twofer” appearance to your audiences. (This increases the number of attendees, and widens your net for new customers.) Same goes for book signings, if geography and budget permits. You’re limited only by your imagination, and the interest level of your cross-promotional partners.

Of course, the more successful the creator you’re pitching, the more likely they are to either ignore your request, or reject it. That’s cool. But don’t let the fear of rejection stop you from pursuing an alliance. Heck, it didn’t stop you from writing your book or querying agents, so why should the possibility of “no” stop you now?

In fact, my mantra is “All they can say is no.” I’ve pitched popular podcasters, bestselling novelists, film actors and directors on my fiction, often asking them to lend a hand (or credibility) to my projects. This crazy-ass breed of chutzpah has scored endorsements from the creators of Friday the 13th, The Blair Witch Project, Final Destination, several movie stars, cameo podcast appearances by cast members of Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and more. Their assistance either dazzled my fans — which is also good for business — or helped move the needle with the promotion of my work.

I share these successes not to brag, but to prove that this strategy is extremely viable, and that it gets people talking about your work … which is the whole point, right?

By approaching influential creators — and equally important, creators on the same influential “level” as you — and asking them to help evangelize your work, you’re offering them an opportunity to provide something of value to their audiences. They’ll be talking about something cool and interesting. People love to read or hear about cool and interesting things. Plus, these creators benefit by your cross-promotional love via your online outlets. Every fan counts, and new fans are precious indeed, whether you’re a noob or a veteran.

By making friends, you’ll also form meaningful bonds with fellow authors. Cross-promotional potential will become more evident, the more you correspond. These professional alliances become personal ones — and even more opportunities can spring from these relationships. I’ve referred colleagues for freelance fiction writing work, and they’ve opened doors for me. It’s not a magic bullet to a love-in, but goodness, does it make book promotion easier and fun.

So make friends, whenever you can. Target colleagues in your genre and reach out. They’ll likely be flattered to know that you want to help tell the world about their work … and may very well respond in kind.

–J.C.

Oh, and a cover. Because the stock photo was free at iStockphoto.com, and I had two hours to kill.

On May 1, I’ll start working on THUNDERTAKER, the first story set in the universe I’ve created for The 33. The 33 is a cross-media project that I’d originally intended to release as a free fiction podcast last year. The world of The 33 will now likely be first seen in a series of ebooks. That’s what THUNDERTAKER will probably become.

Truth is, I don’t fully know what THUNDERTAKER will be by May’s end, save for the fact that it’ll be gruff, gritty and as nasty as razor wire. And for me, there’s something delightful in not knowing what unholy mayhem will soon unfold.

I’ll probably keep you in the loop as the story develops. Stay tuned … and watch the horizon.

–J.C.

Since every other windbag author has blown a few thousand words on this topic, I reckon I oughta chime in about ebooks, pricing and value.

To be clear: Right now, I don’t have much skin in the ebook game. My thriller, 7th Son: Descent, was released in e-formats by St. Martin’s Griffin back in 2009. I’m a couple thousand bucks away from earning out my low five-figure advance. Ebook sales have made a positive and meaningful impact on 7th Son’s bottom line.

Thanks mostly to the Kindle’s debut back in 2007, the ebook marketplace has exploded in popularity, and swelled with content. Particularly empowering is the unfolding revolution in which creators can now become entrepreneurs by self-publishing their works in e-formats. They can even set the price for these ebooks.

I absolutely support this empowerment. My five-year history as an independent / freelance creator, and my consistent vociferous and monetary support of my indie colleagues should eliminate any doubt of this.

That said, I’ve become increasingly concerned about authors selling their ebooks at rock-bottom prices. I’m not concerned about the widely-discussed (and, according to critics, destructive and unsustainable) “race to the bottom” pricing trend; ebooks for a buck set bad precedents, pundits say. I’m also unconcerned about indies moving aggressively into marketplaces once traditionally dominated by mega-corps. Stick it to the The Man, I say. Hell, stick it in and break it off. The Man has it comin’.

No, my concern is philosophical. Authors who sell their novels at ultra-low prices (such as 99 cents) use this pricing as a differentiator to attract new customers with a nigh-zero-risk proposition. 99 cents is practically free, after all. I spent years offering similar nigh-zero-risk propositions to consumers by releasing my content as Free online audiobooks.

I admire the at-a-glance savvy of the 99-cent strategy, but fear these creators wildly undervalue the worth of their work — and the ultra-low price undervalues the work’s worth in the eyes of the consumer.

Put another way: The only 99 cent ebooks I buy are from creator friends, because I know them personally and want to see them succeed. Beyond that caveat, I don’t buy 99 cent books because I reckon they’re probably shit. I don’t buy $3 books for the same reason. Their (very often) inarguably shitty covers, and (very often) inarguably shittily-written product descriptions and synopses provide further reasons not to buy. Very few novelists are accomplished graphic designers and marketeers, yet most playing in the self-publishing ebook space seem to think they are. Regrettably.

But I digress.

The point: I associate price with quality. I unashamedly judge books by their covers. You’d be a fool to think I’m the only one, or that this mindset is abnormal. It isn’t.

I have no doubt these bargain basement authors — let’s call them the 99 Centsers — sell plenty of ebooks. But I wonder how many sales they’ve lost from customers like me: normal folk who rationally associate price with quality, and who would’ve happily spent $10 for the same product. (Provided it was packaged with the panache worthy of a monetary transaction.)

99 Centsers also often insist it’s the consumer hive-mind that should define pricing, not the entrepreneur: The marketplace decides pricing. I get the fleeting wisdom of that, despite the inconvertible fact that consumers presently support thousands of authors/publishers who sell books for $10 or more. Shoppers can’t pass up deals, the 99 Centsers probably say. Ten dollars is simply too much to pay for an ebook.

What self-defeating, prideless bullshit. Shame on creators who believe this insulting myth. And if there are ebook shoppers who actually believe $10 is too rich for their Kindle-and-PC-owning, very likely broadband-Internet-and-premium-cable-subscribing blood, shame on them too.

For your consideration: The federal minimum wage is presently $7.25 an hour. Yet with this anemic pay, it requires less than two hours of effort, at today’s minimum wage, to earn enough cash to buy a $10 ebook … a product that will provide many more hours of engagement to read and complete. That is, in fact, a great value. If the book makes an emotional impact, hell, ten clams is a frickin’ steal.

Since it’s fair to assume the average ebook consumer earns at least the federal hourly minimum wage (and likely more), $10 is a more-than-fair ebook price for both consumer and creator.

Your work is worth far more than a buck, 99 Centsers. You may never believe it — and I truthfully don’t care if I convince you; it’s not my career — but I believe in my bones that it’s true. Indeed, 99 Centsers don’t, in fact, make a solid buck off their sales. The online retailer through which they distribute takes a cut before authors get their cash.

Finally, I want to briefly return to the topic of consumer and author expectations, and the exchange of currency for goods. At its simplest, if you’re selling your ebook, you must be doing so because you have the nerve — the wonderful, absolutely awesome, flipping-the-bird-at-the-odds nerve — that your work is worthy of a stranger’s time and money.

By god, it had better be. Because the very act of offering your work for purchase proclaims that you believe your work is worthy to compete against the likes of Dan Brown, Anne Rice, Brad Meltzer and anyone else’s book coming out of New York City. And that means you’ve busted a heroic amount of ass to write, edit, polish (and repeatedly rewrite, re-edit and re-polish) that novel until it shines bold and bright. Hell, you’ve worked harder than those mainstream novelists because you wrote the thing, edited it, packaged it and promoted it, all out of pocket … for no advance pay. You’ve assumed a shit-ton of risk.

And you’re going to sell that book — a book you soulfully believe stands up against the work of fellow pros, and worthy of a stranger’s money (for why else would you sell it?) — for a pitiful 99 cents a pop? Or an equally woeful three bucks a pop? My heart aches that so many creative people willfully sell themselves so short.

Folks who disagree with my perspective will delight in learning that I have no statistical data to support my claims about ebooks, pricing and value. I happily admit that I didn’t birddog those numbers at all. For me, this isn’t a debate or a discussion — it’s a declaration. I am genuinely unconcerned about crunching numbers and being numerically “right” about this. I am, however, deeply concerned about being philosophically and ethically right for me, and for my own creative and entrepreneurial path.

I am especially concerned because I’ll publish ebooks of my own fiction later this year. I’ll ship two novels — 7th Son: Deceit and 7th Son: Destruction — and at least one short story anthology — 7th Son: 7 Days — and at least one novella. I’ll price novels at $9.99, anthologies and novellas between $4.99 and $2.99, and short stories at 99 cents. Why? Because I’m confident in my abilities, and believe any content I have the nerve to sell will deliver entertainment value that transcends these low prices.

And just as the 99 Centsers have a true believer’s zeal for their pricing strategies, I’ll very likely be equally unwavering in my own. I’ll sleep soundly knowing I’m charging a fair price for my work. I won’t bat an eye at whining shoppers who claim they can’t afford a $10 ebook, for I’ll know they are very likely lying, and probably don’t value creative effort. If I can dictate my price, I can also dictate the quality of my customer. There is immeasurable value in that; ask any entrepreneur.

Call me creaky and slow-witted, but I simply wouldn’t be proud to sell my stories for less than they’re worth. From where I sit, that’s an unnecessary compromise that would degrade the perceived quality of my work, and my reputation as an author.

I’ve worked too hard building both to sell them for a buck.

–J.C.

In this epic 90-minute conversation, Andrea discusses her lifelong love of writing, how she was exposed to transmedia 10 years ago, and some of the lessons and unique challenges she’s experienced while telling transmedia stories. J.C. chimes in with perspectives gleaned from his own transmedia creation experiences.

Andrea writes about games, storytelling, digital culture, and gender issues on her blog, Deus Ex Machinatio.

• Visit Andrea’s  website
• Follow Andrea on Twitter
• Learn about Perplex City
• Learn about The Maester’s Path
• Learn about America 2049
• Learn about The Beast
• Learn about The Cloudmakers
• J.C.’s Maester’s Path unboxing videos
• Personal Effects: Dark Art
• #StillHere, aka TheColony.Discovery.com

Enhanced ebooks are an emerging storytelling form. I’ve yet to see an enhanced ebook that captures my vision for the platform’s incredible narrative potential. I hope this post, which was originally written for authors and publishers, gets readers and creators thinking about the platform’s potential.

Here’s some enhanced e-book wisdom for my author colleagues: It all starts with you.

I’m approaching this from a fiction writer’s perspective, though non-fiction writers can benefit from this advice. Prepare your work’s enhanced ebook experience from the very beginning, as you conceive your book. As you plot and write, always remember that you’re now armed with countless opportunities to push your narrative beyond words. Take advantage of that, and the many emotionally-resonant strengths other media have over text.

Presently, enhanced content is often an afterthought, tacked on at the end of a production process as a blingy differentiator. We are now in an age of storytelling where that model is practically insulting to a reader. These days, there are few good reasons for creators to ignore the potential of integrating resonant multimedia elements into their stories.

From my perspective as an online- and transmedia-savvy creator, “enhanced” content should make a meaningful narrative contribution to the main story.  Consider the narrative impact of experiencing fictional family photo albums, sci-fi computer dossiers, fake newspaper clippings, video blogs from your characters, etc.  Every genre can benefit from this story-centric approach, and can move readers in new ways.

Make this content mission-critical to the narrative experience. Cleverly devise ways to structure your story so that photographs you choose to fleetingly describe in text (for instance) are visible via the enhanced ebook. Inject visual clues/foreshadowing into those photos that will pay off later in the story; savvy readers will be delighted. If you’re an indie creator rolling your own enhanced ebooks, take advantage of the cheap and free online tools at your disposal. Get free phone numbers via Google Voice and use them in your stories — readers can leave voicemails to their favorite characters. Is there a crime scene video that’s heating up your cop thriller? Include it in your enhanced experience.

Tightly integrate these transmedia opportunities into your stories. Don’t do what publishers are doing now. Don’t create a so-called enhanced experience that plays merely like a novel with some multimedia elements wedged into the narrative for the sake of spiffiness. Readers are smart, and they’ll smell that rat a mile away. They’ll probably feel like they’ve wasted their money. That’s bad storytelling, and bad for business.

Avoid self-congratulatory behind the scenes content such as author bios, old drafts of your manuscripts and the like. Only longtime/hardcore fans are into that stuff … and most authors don’t have longtime/hardcode fans. There’s very little value in this content; certainly not enough to charge the premium most enhanced ebooks command. Give people what they want: world-enhancing, emotionally-resonant fiction in various media.

Speaking from experience: If your funds and production capabilities are limited and you fear your enhanced elements appear amateurish, slyly manage audience expectations in your text by referring to it as feeling home-brewed. The Blair Witch Project did this to great effect. This way, the videos you shoot with an affordable Flip cam or cell phone don’t feel cheap — they feel authentic. Same goes for photos, and audio recordings.

If you self-publish an enhanced ebook and it becomes a viral or sales hit, know that a mainstream publisher will come a-callin’. An editor will wave a check under your nose, and you’ll probably be appropriately wooed. Awesome. But as part of your negotiations, make certain to insist that the publisher create “more professional” versions of that enhanced content, if you have concerns about its quality. Make it a deal-breaker if you have to. Remember, you’re doing the publisher a favor by signing on the dotted line, not vice-versa.

We’ve yet to see a truly resonant enhanced e-novel experience, but this is probably mostly due to ever-conservative publishers being unwilling to pony up cash to get experimental — and authors embracing the self-defeating notion that they “can only write books.” The former is short-sighted. The latter is preposterous, and insulting to one’s creative abilities.

Embracing multiple narrative media ensures that you’re not just building “enhanced” content — you’re learning new creative and artistic skills, which will improve your life and work.

I believe a killing can be made in this space, but it requires resources — measured either in publisher dollars or indie creator sweat equity — a lot of beyond-the-page creative thinking, and a willingness to embrace risk.

Are publishers willing to pull the trigger? They’ve been pretty gun-shy so far. As with most evolutions in storytelling and entertainment, it’ll probably require an indie creator to prove the model works … or a publisher identifying a qualified creator or two, paying them, and making a business leap of faith.

–J.C.

I submit this for your consideration: Expand and improve your media vocabulary. It might positively impact your career now, and certainly will in the future.

I define “media vocabulary” as the various media one uses to tell resonant stories. Since most readers of this blog are authors, I reckon we’re fluent in the vocabulary of text-based storytelling. But how many of us have more than a pedestrian consumer’s knowledge of other media such as video, audio, photography, or graphic design? How many of us use those media in our stories?

Based on anecdotal and professional experience, I believe in my marrow that now is the time for talespinners to get savvy with several storytelling media. Within years, I expect we’ll see an explosive rise of enhanced ebooks, app-based fiction and transmedia narratives that will leverage technologies and trends that have already become mainstream.

Fret not, hand-wringing wordherding purists: These multimedia, aka “transmedia” — or as I sometimes call them, “mergemedia” — stories will never replace a printed book or text-only ebook. But publishers will soon get into the enhanced narrative business in a big way, and will keenly quest for stories that organically incorporate disparate media into cohesive, resonant narratives.

And who better than you to deliver that very thing? You’ll be a hot tamale, on the front lines of a business trend that’ll reinvent the way audiences experience stories.

Few authors are prepared for this dramatic storytelling shift. I’m blessed to say I’m one of them. I recently co-wrote a novel that included tangible artifacts that came with the book — real-life, convincing items such as IDs, business cards, family photos and more. These artifacts had clues hidden within them. When readers combined clues in the novel’s text with clues in the artifacts, they could experience more of the story in other media: audio phone messages, fake character blogs, websites of locales mentioned in the book, and more. They learned aspects of the story my novel’s hero never discovered — including a beyond-the-book twist ending.

I’ve dabbled in video storytelling. I’ve written screenplays for an animated web series. I was Head Writer for an immersive transmedia online narrative that promoted a Discovery Channel show. I’ve recorded my own audio fiction, been a voice actor for more than a dozen other audio fiction projects, incorporated photography and graphic design into my stories … and even crafted book promotions that invited my fans to become “patients” in my fictional insane asylum.

Am I exceptionally gifted in all of these media? Of course not. But I’m clever, creative and curious enough to know it’s in the best interest of my career to bust beyond any self-inflicted Perception Prison and just be a “writer” or “novelist.” I’m a multifaceted Storyteller. If I can’t stellarly execute a particular multimedia storytelling element, I’ll ask around until I find someone who can help realize it for me. That’s what the Internet is for.

I understand, as you should, that different media convey different narrative information and evoke different emotional reactions. We, as storytellers, should absolutely leverage that to our advantage. Consider this:

• A smartly-crafted paragraph about an elderly woman’s house burning down
• A photograph of her porcelain doll collection by the window, ablaze
• Video of those doll’s faces shattering from the intense heat
• An audio recording of the woman wailing at her loss, with the roar of the inferno and sirens in the background

Now consider these related — yet unique and equally emotionally resonant — elements presented together in a cohesive, organically-constructed narrative, experienced on a hand-held device. An iPad. An iPhone. The next generation Kindle. A laptop. Doesn’t matter.

What matters is this isn’t a gimmick. This is, very likely, the future of storytelling.

By dipping your toes into media other than text — be it writing for the screen or comic book, envisioning cool opportunities to take your story “beyond words” and into a medium that appeals to an entirely different sense (and evoke unique emotional reactions), or developing and deploying story-enhancing online destinations (such as a fictional company’s website) — you’re expanding and improving your media vocabulary. This will expand and improve your storytelling skills, and will differentiate you from the thousands of other writers who merely put one word in front of the other.

Differentiation is good for business. As I wrote this post, I received an email from an independent game developer who wanted to hire me for some voice acting work. That opportunity never would’ve occurred had I not expanded my media vocabulary to include audio storytelling years ago. (I said yes to the offer. That’s paid work, homes.)

Same goes for my transmedia novel work and the Discovery Channel gig. I created narratives using several media, became well-known for them, and was hired to participate in those projects. I can’t guarantee that you’ll experience similar opportunities, but your chances are hella better when you get experimental and go beyond your creative comfort zone.

How do you start down this path? I won’t waste precious words, or your time, with a technical how-to. We’re nowhere near ready for that. Instead, let me offer some thoughts on how to get your creative mind into the philosophy fueling my perspective. You’ve spent years crafting tales with words. You need to think beyond words.

Noodle on your work in progress, and then ask yourself questions such as:

• Are there ways to incorporate narrative portals to, say, a website where more narrative information can be delivered in an unconventional way? (Such as a character’s video blog.)
• Can you leverage real-life everyday objects and conventional behavior in new and interesting ways? (Such as including a phone number in your story –which is actually a free Google Voice number you’ve registered — for people to call and hear a message from the antagonist.)
• Are there familiar items that can enhance your narrative by adding an element of “real world” credibility to your story? (Such as fake classified blueprints, viewable at a password-protected website — a site mentioned in your story.)
• Can you deliver a kind of real world interaction between your audience and characters? (Such as a blog written by your character, who responds to fans who comment on her posts.)

I’m scratching the surface here — only your personal knowledge of your story and creative curiosity can determine if what you’re presently writing can benefit from these “beyond the page” experience-based narrative tools. But my point should be clear: these narrative opportunities exist, and can be downright cheap (or free) to execute.

We storytellers now stand at the convergence of several world-changing trends: cheap tools to help us create multimedia story elements … increasingly available (and affordable) Internet access for consumers … portable digital devices that can talk to the Web and play that multimedia … and an always-on 24/7 resource (the Web) that can put us in touch with creators who can assist us, should we not have the skills to execute our projects on our own.

There’s never been a better time in history to be a storyteller — and there will likely never be a better time for you to become a first mover in what will soon become a prosperous storytelling space. If you’re reading the same writing on the wall that I am, you’ll want to start expanding and improving your media vocabulary.

You don’t need to be an expert. You just need to be creative, and ask for help if you can’t execute on your own.

Don’t let the future of storytelling pass you by. It’s already here.

–J.C.

When I see aspiring writer, I don’t think it’s shorthand for meanings such as:

• “Aspiring professional writer” — meaning, the person is writing, but aims to someday be paid for her creative investment and output.
• Or “aspring full-time pro writer” — meaning, the person is writing, but aims to someday make a living wage from her wordherding.
• Or “aspiring to complete a writing project” — meaning, the person is writing, and aims to someday type The End or Fade To Black on her short story, novel or screenplay.

In my more literal view, the phrase means, “I am not writing, but am talking and dreaming about writing.” Which might as well be, “I am masturbating.” I am qualified to characterize this in such harsh terms because in my own life, I talked about writing fiction long before I actually wrote a word of it. These years of windbaggery added precisely zero words to my novel manuscripts or screenplays. I wasn’t aspiring. I was wanking.

You’re either writing, or you aren’t. Unspoken qualifiers such as “being a writer means making money from one’s words” or “being a writer means your entire income hails from writing” feel like strange constrictions to me, mental obstacles that young writers place before themselves to … to … I don’t know what, precisely. Perhaps it’s to:

• Perpetuate some form of artistic self-loathing? (Oh, how writers love to hate their work.)
• Ensure years of handwringing and self-doubt? (Writers are unhealthily preoccupied with the notion that they’ll someday be discovered as no-talent hacks. They don’t yet realize that the only writers who don’t have that fear are, in fact, the no-talent hacks.)
• Permit and maintain a level of mediocrity in the quality of their work? (Qualifiers such as “aspiring” permit such stagnation.)
• Assign a tangible, rational goal to an intangible, downright spooky act? (Thereby justifying one’s creative investment.)

Could be any, all, or none of these things. The only truth that I know is this: In my world, there are no aspiring writers. There are writers, and everyone else.

If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Own that fact. Be proud of it. Your pen is moving (or your fingers are typing), and that’s a thousand times cooler and more committed than the douchebags who endlessly drone on about the books, poems, plays and movies they’ll never write. You’re not aspiring, because you’re already doing the hard part.

Other aspects of the creative life — such as making money from your words — do indeed represent aspirational goals. Call yourself an “aspiring professional writer” if that is indeed your aim. But if you’re writing, don’t dare label yourself as an “aspiring writer.” To do so undervalues what you’re doing to you and others, and creates a disconnect between the challenging act you’re already performing — the very thing that makes writers writers — and other aspects of the life.

I assure you: perform enough of the former (the act of writing) and you’ll achieve the latter (the goal of getting paid or published, for instance). Your success may be wildly different than you ever imagined, as may your path to achieving it. But it will happen if you continue to put words on the page, and remain committed to improving your craft.

You don’t need permission to write … and you mustn’t make money to call yourself a writer.

Writers write. That’s it.

Those who don’t, merely aspire.

–J.C.

Dear JC,

Thank you so much for sharing the Game of Thrones scent experience with your audience. We wanted to let you know that fans can now take the next step in this unique sensory journey by visiting TheMaestersPath.com.

The Maester’s Path is an interactive journey into the world of Game of Thrones, where players can vie to become “maesters,” the healers, teachers and advisers of this world.  Maesters wear chains as a symbol of their learning, each link representing one discipline. Players at TheMaestersPath.com earn “links” in their chains by completing a series of online challenges. In fact, the clues to answering the first of those challenges were hidden within the scent recipes you received.

The experience begins at TheMaestersPath.com — we hope you and your readers may find it interesting.

Thanks,

The HBO Marketing Team

I visited the site — it’s incredible — and savvily conquered the first online challenge. You can too, by checking out the photos at my original post about the GoT box, and then heading over to TheMaestersPath.com. Your keen eyes and curiosity will be rewarded!

I wish HBO the best of luck with its GoT campaign and series!

–J.C.

Ride shotgun with me as you get an unfiltered, as-it-happens look at this amazing HBO package as I experience it … and learn a little about the world of HBO’s upcoming fantasy series Game Of Thrones (based on the terrific novel series by George R.R. Martin) along the way.

For viewers who want a closer look at the images seen briefly in the videos, check the gallery below for larger versions.

And do be careful out there. Winter is coming.

–J.C.

Click the image thumbnails below to view detail shots of the HBO package. (Click your browser’s “back” button to return to this page, and the gallery.)

Scott and Zachary chat at length about their company’s business model and philosophy, the entrepreneurial spirit, and how they distribute anthology-style fiction magazines in formats for the Kindle, the iPad and iPhone, and other electronic readers — and in audio format.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Flying Island Press
• Learn how to subscribe to Flying Island Press content
• Scott Roche’s creative work: the Archangel series, his self-published stories
• Zachary Ricks’ creative work: The Geek Survival Guide, MadPoet Files

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is “Chip Away” by Jane’s Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

(Probably not the ultimate revenge movie.)

I’ve spent the past few months chipping away at a few screenplays. One script — a supernatural balls-to-the-wall actioner with a magma-hot hook — is presently getting a polish by me and a co-writer (whose name I cannot yet divulge). Another screenplay started with a very strong concept, but competing obligations prevented another co-writer from dedicating appropriate creative bandwidth to the project. It’s on ice for the time being.

Which happily frees my queue to pursue a third story, which I’ve been noodling on for nearly a year. The hook of this script prominently features themes with which 7th Son and Personal Effects fans are familiar: identity, sanity, and sanctity (both of the human body and mind). It also levels both barrels at many consumption- and brand-obsessed First World cultures.

I dare not share more about the concept, other than to say that this “near future” world I’ve created is one you’ve never seen, and the culture specifically will make your head spin like a top. Spin in a That’s some cool shit kind of way.

I believe the very best sci-fi stories resonate because they successfully incorporate subgenres into their tales. Blade Runner’s noir elements help make that unfamiliar world more accessible to a viewer. Consider Serenity’s Western elements; they help deliver similar results. I contend that using mainstream-friendly subgenres helps make sci-fi feel palatable to wider audiences. It helps the story feel less sci-fi-ish, which I believe is a good thing.

I’ve been thinking hard about which subgenre to inject into my latest story … and today, I turned my wicked eye toward the revenge movie. I love revenge flicks, as a third act filled with whup-ass is guaranteed. In addition, the subgenre plays nice with the loose outline I created for this story.

Unforgiven is my personal favorite revenge flick, but I knew I needed more reference material for creative inspiration. So I turned to YOU on Twitter and Facebook and asked:

What’s the *very best* revenge movie you’ve seen? You can only pick one. Go!

And you sure as hell did. Here are your recommendations. There are some hella great flicks here. Fill up that Netflix queue, peeps.

• Wes Platt recommends: El Mariachi
• Tanya N. Kutasz: The Italian Job (the remake)
• DC Perry, Brand Gamblin, Tony Southcotte, Jessika Oxford: Oldboy
• Jared Axelrod: The Limey
• Ted Wade, Adam Lefever, Ted Wade, Michelle Ristuccia: The Count of Monte Cristo
• Tony Mast: Braveheart
• Kevin Smokler: 9 to 5
• Zach Ricks: Man on Fire
• Scott Roche, Vivid Muse: Leon – The Professional
• Johnny Ho, Jane Doh, Eliza Sea: Lady Vengeance
• Tee Morris, Amber: The Sting
• Neil Colquhoun: Jaws
• C.C. Chapman: Hard Candy
• Mary Rajotte: Heathers
• Allen Sale: Theater of Blood
• Seth, Karl Schild: Payback
• Christiana Ellis, Duncan, Michael Falkner, Matthew Wayne Selznick, Tim Adamec: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn
• Martyn Casserly, Edward G. Talbot, Leandro Pezzente: The Princess Bride
• Trisha Leigh: Lucky Number Slevin
• Richard Green, Avery Tingle, Aaron Baldwin, Void Munashii: Kill Bill
• Stuart Robertson, Billy Flynn: The Crow
• Clinton: Aliens
• Thomas Janci: Revenger’s Tragedy
• Douglas Hagler: Ransom
• Josh Rosenfield: The Prestige
• Adam Loyal: Dirty Work
• J.R. Blackwell: Titus
• James Auger: Memento
• Gary Giovanetti: Death Race (the remake)
• Robert Smith: Mad Max
• Howard Dinatale: Get Carter (the original)
• Dave Minkus: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Gregory Gunther: Taken
• Carlene Worthington: Repo

I’ve seen a lot of these … and there’s a lot I haven’t seen, or even heard of. The Count of Monte Cristo is absolutely the quintessential revenge story (I loved reading it way back in high school, and should revisit it), and the countless recommendations for Oldboy have my curiosity majorly piqued. Thanks to everyone who recommended their favorites.

I hope you’ll check out some of these cool revenge flicks too. And if you’d like to recommend your ULTIMATE revenge flick pick, sound off in the comments!

–J.C.

The rules:

• Your comment must be 50 words or less.
• Your comment must be rated PG-13.
• Your product, service or work must be rated R or younger.

All clear? Good. Promote away.

–J.C.

Longtime 7th Son trilogy fans may recall Book Three: Destruction’s elaborate action sequence aboard EvacSys, an underground bullet train designed to whisk United Nations leaders away from the Secretariat building during a terrorist attack.

The notebook page I discovered tonight chronicles the first brainstorm session I had about EvacSys. Unlike most of my fiction ideas, the concept for EvacSys changed very little from these proto-notes to the finished story. I can remember exactly where I was when I jotted these notes.

I was so delighted by this, I simply had to share it. I hope you enjoy it. Give the image a click to see a larger version of the scan.

–J.C.

Click For Larger Version

This convergence right here — me writing this hours (or days!) ago, and you reading it at this very moment — represents absolute perfection, at least to me. The craziest and most unlikely of events brought us here, to this itty-bitty place, together … a place that doesn’t even exist in any tangible, traditionally meaningful way. What remarkable lives we tiny needles have led, to meet here, in this strange little haystack.

Open your mind to the billion-trillion ways our lives might not have intersected, and you just might weep from the humbling awe of it all. I have. Because instead of being in those theres, you’re here. It could’ve happened countless different ways — and perhaps should’ve — but didn’t. Our respective tempests intersected in this teapot, and make no mistake: it was a perfect storm that delivered us here. We’re right where we’re supposed to be.

I refer not to God or fate — though you’re welcome to imprint that meaning upon my words if you wish — but to cause and effect. Decisions made by you, me, our families and friends and lovers and 6 billion others. Butterflies in China, hurricanes in Florida, that sort of thing.

By my reckoning, there is perfection in these impossible odds … even when these convergences present heartbreak or other challenges. Earlier today, I reminded myself of this, as life-changing news was re-confirmed to me by a doctor on the other side of a telephone.

I can count on two hands the number of people who, until this little miraculous moment that’s brought us together, knew this secret about me.

I am a diabetic.

I’ve known this since 2006, though I did nothing to treat this incurable disease — and in fact actively engaged in unhealthy activity that likely worsened my condition since my initial diagnosis. The deeply-rooted, irrational, cowardly and misguided reasons for this self-destructive avoidance are mine to examine and rectify. I respectfully contend that there’s not much value in sharing them here.

However, I also respectfully contend that you might find value in what brought me to this re-diagnosis, and how I’m dealing with it.

A few months back, I went to the dentist for the first time in 20 years, and explained the incapacitating pain I experienced on the left side of my face when I chewed food. X-rays revealed an impacted lower wisdom tooth. The only way to eliminate the pain was to yank that sucker out of my head. The doctor suggested I have my other wisdom teeth also removed.

I smiled, saluted, promised to take care of it, and learned to chew food on the right side of my mouth, because…

…three weeks later, I moved from Fort Lauderdale to my new home near Denver. The financial, and health insurance, dust settled mere weeks ago. I visited a local oral surgeon, presented my situation, and when he asked if I was a diabetic, I paused.

Lying would’ve been easy. I’d been lying to myself for nearly a half-decade. But lying to others is a lousy thing to do.

I’m glad I fessed up. The surgeon explained that blood sugar levels (which diabetes affects, among a frickin’ Who’s Who of other bodily things) are in fact required to be within certain limits during and after the surgery, due mostly to the anesthesia and other drug cocktail-y stuff used in the procedure. The health of someone with abnormally high blood sugar like me would be at risk.

I’m a heavy cigarette smoker. And so, I was also told that after this surgery, I couldn’t smoke for several days — lest I risk “sucking” special (and necessary) blood clots out of the fresh holes in my head. Dry socket, it’s called. I was told it’s excruciating. That’s all I needed to know.

And did I mention I live a sedentary life? I’ve recently lost some weight by eating less fast food, but this First World wordherding homebody hates breaking a sweat.

For want of a nail. Or in this case, a tooth.

To eat like a normal person again, I realized I’d have to:

• Get my blood sugar to a surgery-appropriate level, which meant I had to…
• …re-diagnose my diabetes, and diligently treat it with medication…
• …and change my diet to lower my blood sugar levels…
• …and exercise, which also reduces blood sugar levels…
• …and quit smoking, for a great many reasons, including a “dry socket” deterrent.

Much like the circumstances that brought you and I together here, that bullet list represents a truly perfect storm. A storm filled with disruptive Change. A storm designed to frighten the laziness, ignorance and avoidance right out of my marrow, and shove me on a life path I should’ve been on all along.

And that’s exactly what I’m doing. Easy, it ain’t gonna be. But believe me when I earnestly say that I’ve survived far worse.

I wish I was motivated purely by desire and not a hearty dose of desperation … but so often, so many of us require crises to rediscover our mettle.

You’re a creative and intelligent person, so you know just as well as I that this will make me a better, stronger, smarter person. A healthier person. A person who’ll live longer, and who won’t live with the silent — and occasionally paralyzing — guilt of willful self-delusion and -destruction.

And now, on to the reason why I’m sharing this sliver of my life with you. Would you be surprised to know that it has nigh-nothing to do with me — and nearly everything to do with you? Tis true.

Because we know — you and me, we two needles in this strange little haystack — we know that you’re sitting on something that is impacting your life in a similarly-spirited way. It may not be a disease, or smoking, or gobbling Smartfood when you should be doing cardio. It may have absolutely nothing to do with the body. But it’s there, and it’s a thing that’s been lurking, and occupying far too much of your mind and emotions, for far too long.

It needs to be acknowledged. It needs to be thoughtfully examined. And it needs to be treated, in the most positive and appropriate way possible.

You don’t need a crisis flashpoint like mine to motivate you. You merely require a moment of clarity and courage to look into the mirror of Self, be more honest with your heart than you’ve been in years, and love yourself enough to make those meaningful changes in your life. Easy, it ain’t gonna be. But you’ve survived far worse.

This moment of clarity and courage need not be epic. Nor must the steps you take to improve your life. They must simply be a series of perfect storms.

Thankfully, those are everywhere. Like the one we just shared.

–J.C.

In March 2010, my friend Lorelle VanFossen contacted me about a new project she and  Kym Huynh (of WordCast) were creating: Stories of Our Journeys, an interview series dedicated to sharing a meaningful moment in a lifetime — or a journey through that lifetime. Lorelle asked me if Kym could interview me for the program.

I was torn. Mere weeks prior, I’d learned that 7th Son’s sequels would not be published by St. Martin’s Press. I had announced I was leaving the Free podcast fiction space to pursue other creative opportunities. Was this the best time to chat about my writing career, and the professional decisions I’d made? I almost said no…

…and then remembered the deep respect I had for Lorelle, and that I absolutely trusted her. I agreed to the interview. It is now live, and included here in my podcast feed.

Now, months later, I remain delighted by this interview. Kym’s questions were thoughtful and thorough, and so were my answers. It was a perfectly-timed convergence of his curiosity, and my willingness to honestly share my experiences, both good and bad.

If there’s one interview of me you should hear — to get the full story of my creative drive, my love of storytelling, my decision to join and leave the Free podcast fiction community, the promise and pitfalls of mainstream publishing and more — this is it. I have never given such a forthright interview before this one, and doubt I ever will again.

I hope you find value and enjoyment in this recording, and earnestly encourage you to subscribe to Stories of Our Journeys.

–J.C.

Now, Christof and Leviathan is back with two special edition episodes, which are for sale. J.C. and Christof speak frankly about monetizing podcast fiction, the real-world challenges of creating such an ambitious project, and the creative philosophies fueling the series.

Plus, J.C. and Christof reveal exclusive clips from the two special edition stories!

Update: Please forgive J.C. for the abrupt ending of the episode; the last 10 seconds of the conversation are cut off. The only thing missing from the conversation is J.C. and Christof saying goodbye.

Sites mentioned in this episode:

• The Leviathan Chronicles
• LC special edition episodes Internal Affairs and The Dramatist
• Follow LC on Twitter
• Follow Christof on Twitter
• The works of Scott Sigler and Mur Lafferty, which inspired Christof
• Podcast author P.G. Holyfield, with whom Christof chatted at the Parsec Awards

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is “Chip Away” by Jane’s Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

Alex is not only a writer; he’s a music composer, and has created soundtracks for his audio fiction. J.C., a superfan of film scores, deep geeks with Alex on orchestral composition, the similarities of crafting stories in prose and music formats, and more.

Support Alex and future releases of his free audiofiction by purchasing a copy of the soundtrack to The Gearheart: Maiden Flight of the Avenger!

Sites mentioned in the conversation:

• Buy The Gearheart: Maiden Flight of the Avenger soundtrack at CDBaby!
• Alex White’s The Gearheart
• A sneak peek of the soundtrack to The Gearheart: Maiden Flight of the Avenger
• J.C.’s short fiction/music experiment, Ursa Minor

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is “Chip Away” by Jane’s Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

Much like C.C. himself, the conversation is lively and fun — and because J.C. is driving, goes into unexpected and (hopefully) interesting places. At every turn, C.C. delivers incredible insights not just about Content Rules, but also intriguing marketing advice for independent creators.

J.C.’s review of Content Rules is here.

Sites mentioned in the conversation:

• C.C.’s personal website
• Content Rules’ official website
• Digital Dads
• Managing the Gray
• Accident Hash
• Ann Handley’s personal website

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is “Chip Away” by Jane’s Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

I’ll share more about my role in Continuity — and reveal another familiar podfic talent involved with the project — in a moment. First, some spiffy information about the Eclipse Phase RPG ‘verse. If you like my fiction, this righteously spooky shit is right up your alley. From the Eclipse Phase site:

Eclipse Phase is a pen & paper roleplaying game of post-apocalyptic transhuman conspiracy and horror. Players take part in a cross-faction secret network dubbed Firewall that is dedicated to counteracting “existential risks” — threats to the existence of transhumanity, whether they be biowar plagues, self-replicating nanoswarms, nuclear proliferation, terrorists with WMDs, net-breaking computer attacks, rogue AIs, alien encounters, or anything else that could drive an already decimated transhumanity to extinction.

That sounds like the coolest thing since the invention of the D20, if you ask me. Continuity is a one-shot scenario set in the ‘verse. What happens in Continuity?

Your characters, who are researchers on the remote space outpost Kepler, check in for a backup — and awaken in new bodies to discover two weeks of their lives are missing. They have limited time to find out what happened to their previous selves, and deal with a looming threat.

I’ve read the adventure, and know what’s in store for players. “Looming threat” doesn’t begin to describe the madness that unfolds. The campaign, masterfully written by Marc Huete (and produced by a team of brilliant game designers and graphic artists, including Adam Jury — with whom I’ve worked in the past) promises to be a suspense-packed mindfuck.

One supremely cool element about Continuity is that the adventure features multimedia elements embedded in the PDF which GMs purchase. With the click of a GM’s mouse button, players can actually hear scene-setting narration and reports from the Kepler’s A.I. network named “Hans” … which is played by me.

Indeed, I play a more-than-panicked A.I., and channel my trembling-voiced inner Kilroy2.0 to deliver the goods. More important, fellow novelist and podcast fiction veteran Mur Lafferty also lends her voice to the project, providing (as always) stellarly-delivered narration for the players.

The universe is compelling, as is the Continuity PDF product. Incredibly, this multimedia-enhanced adventure is available for a mere $5 (!!!) over at DriveThruRPG.com. Check it out here, and consider snagging the 5,000-word short story An Infinite Horizon, which is also set in the Eclipse Phase universe, for a criminally-low 99 cents. (Disclosure: Those are affiliate links.)

If you’d rather learn more about Eclipse Phase before pulling the trigger, visit EclipsePhase.com. I hope you do support this independent, creator-owned RPG property, and snag a copy of Continuity. You score a smidgen of Hutchins and Lafferty audio goodness, and more than a heaping teaspoon of slick, suspense-filled sci-fi adventure. Below are a few images to further whet your appetite.

–J.C.

In this episode, J.C. chats with Florida-based independent filmmaker Michael Bekemeyer. We learn about Michael’s filmmaking experience, J.C.’s current screenwriting ambitions, and Michael’s current project, the short film Gush — and how creators and fans are helping him raise funds to make it a reality.

Sites mentioned in the interview:

• Michael Bekemeyer
• Jennifer Hudock
• Farrago at Smashwords
• Farrago at Amazon
• Aisling Weaver’s Nexus

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is “Chip Away” by Jane’s Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction tour site,Ninja2009.com.

–J.C.

THIS BLOG NOW HIJACKED BY YOUR BOY…

What’s up, everybody, it’s your favorite crime caper commentator Seth Harwood aka Your Boy here to take over J.C.’s feed and give out some audio Young Junius lovin’!

This recording comes from an event I did recently at Borderlands Books here in San Francisco with Scott Sigler. That’s right, the FDO himself showed up and read a few lines. I know you’ll enjoy this section!

Click here to download or listen now.

If you’d like to order your own copy of Young Junius the print novel from Tyrus Books, listen to the complete podcast or read it as a free PDF, come on over to my site now. I hope you’ll spread the word about it if you do.

Enjoy and have a happy holiday!

–Seth

Whether it’s bite-sized tweets that allow you to forge relationships on Twitter, blog posts that give your readers must-have advice, ebooks or white papers that engage (and don’t bore), videos that share the human side of your company, interactive webinars that deliver a valuable learning experience, or podcasts that can be downloaded and listened to on the fly (and more!) . . . now more than ever, content rules!

Today, you have an unprecedented opportunity to create a treasury of free, easy-to-use, almost infinitely customizable content that tells the story of your product and your business, and positions you as an expert people will want to do business with.

Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman, business writers, speakers, and marketing thought leaders for clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, HBO, and Verizon Fios, show you how to leverage all of today’s tools to create content that truly speaks to your audience.

My review:

Packed with verve, zero-B.S. insights, tangible examples and success stories, Content Rules absolutely delivers on its promise of providing a practical and achievable road map for businesses to embrace — and celebrate! — content-fueled marketing. Especially heartening is its applicability far beyond the affluent walls of big business; independent businesses and creators will especially benefit from this book.

There’s wisdom in Ann Handley’s and C.C. Chapman’s words, mostly because they hail from the gumption-soaked world of content creation themselves. These authors do far more than pay lip service to the value of content — they breathe it and create it every day.

I rarely endorse books without reservation, but Content Rules is one of those works that is truly a Must Read for businesses, indies, salty creative veterans and curious newcomers. The book is brimming with incalculably valuable anecdotes, how-tos, and hard-earned advice. A steal, at any price.

As a seasoned creator who uses content as a marketing tool to promote his work, I cannot recommend Content Rules more highly. Pick up a copy at Amazon. You won’t regret it.

–J.C.

I recently moved from South Florida to the Denver area, and have spent the past month working hard to make my home office (which I use for my creative writing and the day gig) a warm and welcoming place for me to herd words for hours on end. I’m becoming increasingly proud of the office, and — partly to finally answer the question What does it look like? and partly to selfishly, proudly preen at how it’s shaping up — I reckoned it was time to post some photographs. I pray you’ll indulge me.

Here’s a shot from the far corner of my new digs: my sole bookshelf is on the left (I’m ditching hard copy in a big way, forsaking the fetishization of printed books and buying ebooks almost exclusively now), and my main desk is on the right. The darkened monitor resting on the filing cabinet is for my Mac mini, which I use as the house’s wireless streaming media server.

For curious tech-heads: On the main desk, I’ve got a vertically-mounted MacBook Pro running the show, a 27″ LED Cinema Display, some Bose speakers for audio, and a ScanSnap document scanner.

Another shot of the desk, before I added the speakers and a statue of Thoth, the Egyptian god who invented writing (whose photo follows this one):

Some spiffy bling on the bookcase shelves include my collection of fan-made, hand-crafted “Beta Clone” figurines and my small Transformers collection. (You can take the boy out of the 1980s, but…)

Being surrounded by inspiring artwork always revs my creative engine. Here’s a rundown of some of what’s now on the walls.

First up, a priceless hand-painted portrait of The Spirit by the late Will Eisner, one of history’s most influential comics creators. I wrote a profile about him for The Palm Beach Post in 2000, and he sent me this magnificent piece as a thank you. Eisner was the best.

Next up: a delightful propaganda-style poster supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund — a worthy cause. I bought this guy about 10 years ago, I think. Finally had it framed when I moved to Colorado.

Here’s a exceptionally dramatic and cool print of a Soviet-era propaganda poster. It reads, “We will smite the lazy worker.” It’s placed behind me, and looms like a thundercloud. Whenever I get whiny, I think of the mantra behind my head and keep typing.

More art, on the far walls, include this awesome print of the cover from the June 1957 issue of Amazing Stories. Humans rising up against their robot oppressors? Can’t beat that with a stick, folks. The magazine also has a great story from Harlan Ellison in  it. How would I know?

Some more geeky goodness, including a print of artwork from the uncut edition of The Stand, signed by artist Bernie Wrightson, the original page 22 from Superman: Metropolis, painted and signed by Ted McKeever, and a sublime signed limited edition print of a girl wearing a jetpack. Because girls with jetpacks are, and will always be, awesome.

I still need to acquire a futon for this far side of the office (sleeping accommodations for guests, and a soft place for me to sit), and perhaps an area rug to make some colors “pop” throughout the room, but aside from that, I think I’m all done decorating.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. If you have any questions about my setup, give a shout in the comments. I’ll see if I can answer them!

–J.C.

I credit two things that saved me back then — and even at the time, I knew they were saving me:

• My best friend, Aaron
• Storytelling

Aaron and I were thick as thieves back in the day. We were very mischievous, but rarely unlawful — while we were both dealing with serious shit at home, our parents had raised us right enough, and had armed us with mostly-functioning moral compasses. We did, however, fuck off in school, were far smarter than we ever let on, coasted (and slept) through classes, and very likely exasperated every teacher we had.

We weren’t bad kids, but we were remarkably bad students.

I spent much of those years feeling psychically bruised, due to my personal misfortunes. I had few friends, and fewer still with whom I hung out after school. I worked a lot after school, sometimes helping keep the lights on at home, and didn’t have a car. It was a lonesome, lonesome time, and I’m glad much of it is gone from my mind.

But I can easily recall my adventures with my friend Aaron, and my love for storytelling. To escape from my lousy circumstances, I sank nearly everything I was into writing, drawing and coloring comic books. My heroes weren’t Superman or Wolverine. They were Aaron and me.

Inside those poorly-drawn panels, we could be anyone we wanted to be … and we were. Aaron and I slayed school bullies, traveled to the Amazon, got laid, were wrongfully arrested (but we busted out of jail!), traveled to the past and the future, died, came back to life, and — in the “final issue” of the series, which I never completed — led a cadre of student warriors in defeating an alien invasion.

This was absolute escapism, my therapeutic way of coping with what I rightly perceived to be a fundamentally rotten and unreliable world. I had enough sense at the time to know this, and took quiet comfort in it, penciling page after page, probably hoping that things would get better someday — maybe as good as they were in the stories I was writing and drawing. They always had happy endings.

I unearthed these comics after my recent cross-country move from South Florida to Denver. I thumbed through them, smiling at memories of making these things in World Civilization, Biology and many other classes. I can’t remember a single lesson from those cinderblock classrooms, yet I reckon I was learning anyway. I was teaching myself how to tell stories, and showing my affection for my best friend the best way I knew how.

Aaron and I keep in touch, though it’s far too long since we spoke last. Things are great for both of us. We can’t complain, and yet we do, because that’s what being friends for 20 years is all about.

Here are the covers of those comics — I’m the blondie named “Chris,” Aaron’s the better-looking longhair. (Not that any of my characters were much in the looks department … I was, and remain, a lackluster artist.) There’s nods to my favorite stories here: Back to the Future, the Bill and Ted and Indiana Jones movies , even V (represented by the spray-paint graffiti). They were a helluva lot of fun to create, and a hoot to read many years later.

You’re looking at what saved me back then. I, more than anyone, am grateful this story has a happy ending.

–J.C.

EC made big waves in the 1950s, thanks to its daring approach to storytelling … but its trailblazing stories and art garnered the attention of censors, and the company eventually folded. McLauchlin and his collaborators want to interview EC creators — and big-name creators of present day such as Stan Lee — and he needs your help to make it happen!

Learn more about McLauchlin’s EC Comics documentary project, and help fund it, at IndieGoGo.com/EC-Comics-Documentary!

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is “Chip Away” by Jane’s Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

Here’s the jacket copy for Young Junius:

In 1987, fourteen-year-old Junius Posey sets out on the cold Cambridge (Mass.) streets to find his brother’s killer in a cluster of low-income housing towers—prime drug-dealing territory. After committing a murder to protect his friend, he finds himself without protection from retribution. His mother gives him fifty dollars and instructions to run, but Junius refuses to live a life in hiding. Instead, shocked by the violence he’s created and determined to see its consequences, he returns to the towers to complete his original mission.

“Harwood’s cutaway view of a single bloody day in a housing project is an impressive feat . . . Harwood’s empathy runs deeply indeed.” — Booklist (review: Young Junius)

“Searing … a vicious black comedy of murderous errors. Harwood pulls no punches.” — Publishers Weekly (review: Young Junius)

“I loved the way he drew a canvas and filled it with characters. I’m still afraid of some of them.” — Seth Godin on Seth Harwood’s Jack Wakes Up

The class is ENGL 376MM: World Building, and is taught by Zach Whalen, an assistant professor in the department of English, Linguistics and Communication. More on Whalen in a moment — first, get a taste of what this class is all about:

Our goal will be to [explore] world building within the expressive practices supported by New Media technologies, and we will proceed by examining texts that imagine Virtual Reality technology or Alternate Worlds. The culmination of this will be to collaboratively design and deploy an Alternate Reality Game of our own.

Students are also required to become active bloggers during the course, build and describe a virtual world, and research — and make a class presentation about — a specific ARG campaign.

Dude, I so want to be in college again, just to take this class.

Dr. Whalen definitely has the chops to rock his students’ socks: He teaches in the area of New Media Studies, and his research focuses on videogames. According to his website, he earned his Ph.D. “by completing a dissertation on the textuality of videogame typography. Also, in 2008, Vanderbilt University Press published Playing the Past: History and Nostalgia in Video Games, the collection of essays I co-edited with Laurie N. Taylor.”

His book looks awesome. I just bought it on Amazon.

Especially flattering is that Personal Effects is required alongside Neal Stephenson’s classic, Snow Crash. (SC is one of my favorite novels.) Also on the reading list is the very insightful This is Not a Game: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming by Dave Szulborski.

I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that my novel will be read in a college classroom — but I’m absolutely jazzed by the news. I’m very proud of Personal Effects and the “out of book” experience we created for it, and am humbled Dr. Whalen felt it was worthy to include in his curriculum.

Most important, I’m delighted that teachers like Whalen understand the cultural significance of this emerging form of storytelling, are embracing it, and are sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with their students.

Pardon me. I must do the Snoopy dance now.

–J.C.

(A grateful shout goes to ARGNet’s Michael Andersen for tipping me to this on Twitter!)

I arrive in town on Thursday and am presently planning on staying until Sunday morning. (The late-night Sunday concert Celldweller is hosting may very well force my hand. We’ll see.)

What’s my schedule? It’s nearly impossible to say. I’m attending this con as a fan, not as an author/podcasting Guest — which means zero professional obligations, zero panels to speak on, zero projects to pimp, zero responsibilities. I’m a leaf on the wind … though let’s hope I fare better than Wash did.

My lone commitment is attending (and presenting two awards with Scott Sigler) at the 2010 Parsec Awards. I hear that event is on Saturday afternoon, but I could also be completely misinformed. A few of my works are Finalists in the Novel-Length and Novella fiction categories, and I wouldn’t dare skip an opportunity to lose for the fourth consecutive year in person.

Aside from the Parsecs, I’ll be wandering aimlessly with my sister (aka @alphasis), attending panels and probably hanging with podcaster types and listeners. If you’re attending the con and want to connect, shoot me an email using the contact form here and we’ll work something out. I absolutely want to see you, and make time to chat!

–J.C.

There’s plenty of tweaks to make — that’s what happens when you move into a new home; you lose some stuff in transit — but I’m pretty happy with how things look. If you’re reading this post on my website, you’ll notice that the right sidebar has been stripped down to nigh-wordless simplicity, but still features lots of content to explore. (My new mantra: “Less talk. More action.”) There are also some easy ways to find posts, pages and the like.

On individual posts like this one, there’s plenty of ways to share my content, too. Just click those fancy icons on the left to share the love. And take a look-see: up in the navbar, there’s several ways to connect with me via other social sites.

And hey, since you’re here: If you like what I do, click that RSS logo to subscribe to my blog feed. You can read my stuff as soon as I post it.

Now that I’ve built the sucker, it’s time to give it a test drive. Let the tweaking begin!

–J.C.

While the current podfic space is obviously vibrant and thriving, there is little doubt for those of us who personally experienced that explosion of creativity in 2006 (and in 2005, from several brilliantly prescient authors) that there was a palatable newness in the air, a collective Go Out And Create Awesome Things vibe in the creator community. This was way before anyone snagged a major print deal. All we creators had was you — our listeners — and each other.

During 2006, during what I recall to be the height of this initial go-get-’em collaborative spirit, Mur Lafferty released her supernatural fantasy novella Heaven. It was, deservedly, a hit. In a brilliant plot twist halfway in the story, the world ends. Boom. Done. (Since the novella has been out for about four years, the statute of limitations on spoilers has passed, amigo.) And this incredible development set off an epic brainstorm in my noggin.

What follows is a document I wrote and pitched to Mur Lafferty — and informally pitched to several podfic authors at the time. There was a lot of enthusiasm for the project. For a few weeks, many IMs were sent from author to author — “A Crisis On Infinite Earths for podiobooks? Cool!” — and the groundbreaking idea code-named The End Is Nigh, conceived before Mur wrote the Heaven sequels, looked like it might actually happen.

Alas, we were all so damned busy. The End Is Nigh died on the vine. But does it have to be truly dead? I present that 2006 document here for you, below, for two reasons. The first is to provide a time capsule of a neat (if complex) collaborative creative idea that simmered for a few weeks back in the day. The second is to suggest that projects like The End Is Nigh remain entirely possible in the current podfic space.

While I’m not promoting the idea that creators should craft a project identical to The End Is Nigh (though you’re certainly welcome to run with it if you wish), it’s obvious that the spirit of creator collaboration is alive and well in the present podfic space. As a continual fan and supporter of podcast fiction, I’d personally love to see something like this — a universes-hopping, creator-driven meta story — happen.

Anyways. Here we go. Hop in the flying DeLorean, hit 88, and head back four years. Back when the end was nigh…

And so we go back to 2006…

In Mur Lafferty’s podiobook Heaven, the machinations of gods send two dead youngsters on an ethereal trek that — in the end — causes an apocalypse.

The endtimes actually happen on Earth, and the world as we know it is destroyed.

While the story in Heaven goes on, a question remains: What if that apocalypse affected not only the world in Heaven, but all worlds? A simultaneous wiping of the corporeal slate that affected all universes — spanning space, time, dimension, etc.?

What if you could hear those stories, those fights for survival, on all of those worlds?

What if … we could do all that at Podiobooks.com?

The Goal:

To ceate a first-time, history-making event at Podiobooks.com. By creating a multi-novel “crossover” series that hinges on the events in Heaven, we can generate interest not only in Heaven, but all of the novels that participate in the event.

The concept of crossover stories isn’t new; comic books and television series do this often, and with great effect. Global crises often affect more than one title in a comic company’s catalog, with characters of each title dealing with the problems in their own way. Sometimes these heroic acts affect the outcome of the “meta-plot” — the story arc of the global crisis. Other times, the stories in these individual titles merely showcase the crisis, and how the characters handle the problems in a personal way.

The goal of this project is to create a new title at Podiobooks.com called The End Is Nigh. This title will feature the contributions of participating authors — and the characters/stories of their respective podiobooks. Like the crossover events seen in comics and TV, some of these tales could affect the outcome of The End Is Nigh meta-plot. Others can simply be stand-alone stories in which the characters of an author’s podiobook deal with the menace/events in their own way.

The Payoff:

What’s in it for podiobook authors? By creating an anthology of tales that, in the end, are a kind of “advertisement” for each podiobook that participates, The End Is Nigh will expose listeners to titles at PB.com that they aren’t listening to — and may otherwise never have listened to.

Of course, nothing like this has ever been done in podcast fiction (there have been small crossover events in the works of J.C. and Scott), so this major event will create a cool “news peg” with which to promote Podiobooks.com. In addition, it may prove to be a fun creative exercise for the authors involved, and it may be a hit with the listeners.

By promoting the event in the podo- and blogospheres — and in traditional media, if possible — The End Is Nigh will bring brand-new listeners to PB.com. It will also bring current PB.com visitors to other titles at the site. The goal is maximum exposure for PB.com and its authors.

The Small Challenges (and Solutions)

#1: Events in relation to a podiobook’s feed
Due to the “personalized” nature of the feeds at PB.com — ten listeners of any given title can be listening to ten different episodes in that podiobook — we simply cannot incorporate The End Is Nigh content into the feeds of our novels. And considering that these are “what if” stories that should never be considered canon by authors or listeners, we shouldn’t want to do that anyway.

Instead, we’ll create a new feed at PB.com that features this anthology of tales. To make things clear for the listeners, there can be an announcement in the opening of every episode that states while the tale features characters/plotlines from a particular podiobook, this specific story is part of The End Is Nigh, and should be considered a fun “what if?” exploration. The End Is Night should not — and will not — affect the “true” plot of any title at PB.com.

However, The End Is Nigh story should take place during the plot/events of participating podiobooks (or in the universes of those titles, at the very least).

This means that at some point in the events of a podiobook’s story, events can deviate into The End Is Nigh event. Authors can choose at what point in their story this deviation occurs. This creates a continuity challenge, illustrated in the next paragraph:

Scenario: A podiobooks author chooses to participate in The End Is End. He decides to have the Heaven apocalypse occur after Chapter 10 of his book. He also chooses to incorporate plot elements from his book into his The End Is Nigh contribution. (This is a very reasonable thing to do.) How will listeners who haven’t listened to his novel understand those plot elements? Further, how will listeners who are listening to his book — but haven’t yet listened to Chapter 10 in the story — understand those elements?

The issue can be remedied in two ways. The author can announce at the beginning of his The End Is Nigh contribution that listeners should probably check out his podiobook and listen up to Chapter 10 so any plot references made in his The End Is Nigh contribution make sense. Alternatively, he can choose to write a contribution that doesn’t depend so heavily on plot elements in his podiobook. Neither solution is perfect — the former can be an inconvenience for the listeners, and the latter can be creatively restrictive for the author. But by clever plotting or announcing the “must listen to chapter X” disclaimer, most The End Is Nigh contributions can play well to a new listener.

#2: Continuity strangeness
The core concept of The End Is Nigh hinges on the description of the world’s end as seen in Heaven. But The End Is Nigh takes the concept a step further by insisting that the world’s end affects all worlds, all universes, and all eras.

This makes no rational sense. It’s not explainable. But this conceit must be in place so that any podiobook title can participate in the crossover event. By extrapolating the “end of the world” to mean “the end of all worlds,” any podiobook genre can participate — present-day thrillers, historical fiction, fantasy, far-future sci-fi, etc. This also plays favorably with the gods/goddess/magical themes found in Heaven. As with most magical realism tales, it’s just the way it is.

This “end of all worlds” solution can — with the willing suspension of disbelief on the part of the listener — clean up any continuity strangeness.

#3: Making the stories accessible
A final challenge for authors participating in The End Is Nigh is to understand that some listeners will be hearing the author’s work (not to mention plot, characters, etc.) for the first time.  Listeners will not know the personality traits of the author’s characters, or the era/universe in which their stories take place. Ultimately, The End Is Nigh should be viewed as a “gateway” opportunity, a chance to introduce the author’s podiobook to the listener in a way that is easy to digest, and intrigues the listener to subscribe to the author’s podiobook.

Stories in The End Is Nigh event can be as long as the author likes. Ten minutes, a half-hour or longer — it’s completely up to the author.

#4: Stand-alone stories, or “meta-plot”?
One question remains. Should The End Is Nigh be a series of stand-alone stories describing the “end of the world” (or events leading up to that event) as seen through several podiobooks characters? Or should there be an over-arching meta-plot to the series in which the actions of some (or all) of the contributing characters can affect change?

Should The End Is Nigh be a series of short stories — or a bona fide micro-novel?

META-Plot Possibilities:
If The End Is Nigh is to be powered by a meta-plot, the authors’ characters should be able to — if the author chooses — affect the storyline of the event. While the ultimate conclusion of The End Is Nigh will likely be total annihilation (we are talking about the end of the world, after all), the creative avenues to explore in the meta-plot are nearly limitless.

But how limitless? While authors will have plenty of creative freedom with their respective stories, the meta-plot requires a foundation of “rules” with which all authors should adhere. An editor would help oversee the creation of the meta-plot, and assist contributing authors.

Required is the involvement of Heaven creator Mur Lafferty. At the very least, Mur should provide a manuscript excerpt of relevant events in Heaven. In addition, Mur should provide any backstory or details that could prove useful for authors contributing to The End Is Nigh. Ultimately, a mini “bible” would be essential. The editor and authors participating in the event could use this document as a foundation upon which to create a The End Is Nigh meta-plot.

Make no mistake: The editor of The End Is Nigh would not the sole creator of the event storyline. Far, far from it. Contributing authors can — if they choose to — assist the editor in the creation of the meta-plot, and determine “key episodes” in which the storyline can shift.

This would require a collaborative effort by Podiobooks.com authors. It would be very challenging. But with the intelligence and creativity currently found at Podiobooks.com, a meta-plot could be created, and its narrative impact could be considerable. It’s hard to say if all involved authors will be completely satisfied with the final meta-plot (every collaborative effort requires compromise), but it’s an intriguing creative exercise. In addition, a bond within the Podiobooks.com authors can be created. Community and collaboration are good things.

Finally, Mur Lafferty would have final approval over the meta-plot, and its conclusion. It’s only fair, seeing as how The End Is Nigh hinges on her creation.

In Conclusion…

Ultimately, a major crossover event such as The End Is Nigh will require time, dedication and creative investment by contributing authors.

The level of commitment for each author will vary greatly. Some authors will want to write a story for the event and not want to be involved in the creation of the meta-plot. This is completely understandable. Other authors will want to have a more active role in the meta-plot, and assisting in the overall arc of the event.

Regardless, The End Is Nigh project can have tangible benefits to Podiobooks.com and its authors. From crossover listeners (current users at PB.com who will check out other titles showcased in The End Is Nigh) to a brand-new audience, the gains can be great. Since this will be a truly groundbreaking project, it is likely to be covered in blogs and podcasts. With the promotional assistance of all authors involved, mainstream media may also cover the event.

This could be the biggest promotional event Podiobooks.com has ever released to date. No conventional publisher has ever done something this ambitious. The flexibility of the podcasting medium — and the creative power of podiobooks authors — works to the project’s advantage.

This is an excellent opportunity to bring podiobooks authors together, promote our work and do something that will be remembered for years to come.

Who knew the end of the world could be so cool?

–J.C.

While you need not hail from the Bluegrass State to receive this supercool distinction (and true honor), I suspect most Kentuckians grow up hearing about the Colonels and maybe — in their secret hearts — quietly hope they might someday become a Colonel themselves. I certainly know I did. The title is an honorary one (it’s the best deal ever — it requires no duties, and carries no pay or compensation other than membership in the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels), but is absolutely awesome.

How did this come to pass? Thank Jack Staples (left), a fan of my fiction. Jack secretly nominated me for this honor, which apparently survived the vetting process and was presented to Governor Steve Beshear for consideration. (Only Colonels can nominate others for commission; Jack himself is a Colonel.) Today, I received a package containing an 11″x17″ certificate signed by Beshear and Secretary of State Trey Grayson. Also included was a hand-written note from Jack:

While no one can speak for the Governor as to why he writes a commission, I can tell you why I nominated you. It was for your selfless dedication to the people around you as you rose in the ranks of podcasting, as well as your contributions to the field of podcasting.

As I told Jack, I’m absolutely humbled that he believed anything I’ve done in the New Media space warranted such attention. The fact that this potboiler-writing (and pot-bellied!) wordherder was approved further stupefies me.

According to a document that accompanied the certificate, Kentucky Colonels are “Kentucky’s ambassadors of goodwill and fellowship around the world.” This is very cool, but it’s got me wondering: Does this mean I have to behave myself?

Unbelievably, I’m now in the company of Colonels such as Johnny Depp, Muhammed Ali, Elvis Presley, Winston Churchill, Whoopi Goldberg, Tiger Woods, Betty White, Babe Ruth and Pope John Paul II. I take greatest pleasure in knowing I have the same honorary Colonel-dom bestowed to Harland Sanders (the KFC colonel) and Tom Parker (“The Colonel,” Elvis Presley’s manager).

Personally, I’m hoping someone cooks up a fan-created “Novelist Version” of the Clue board game, if only so someone out there can someday say: “Colonel Hutchins in the Library with the Revolver!”

In all sincerity, I’m absolutely honored to be a Kentucky Colonel, and am especially grateful to Jack Staples for finding me worthy of nomination.

Call me Colonel,

–J.C.

“I found out about TheColony.Discovery.com from an unexpected package that I received, and I made the short video below to document my own experiences with this clever promotion.  If you are reading this, then you can assume I survived and am #STILLHERE.  Enjoy!”

Check out Jeff’s brilliant video below … and then read his post at Dad-O-Matic. He gives the #StillHere experience a big thumb’s up, and also poses an intriguing question about kids and new forms of entertainment. Give him an appreciative shout in the comments at Dad-O-Matic!

Also, be sure to check out additional unboxing videos from two of my personal #geekcrushes: the stellarly-talented blogger/author Violet Blue and ever-awesome author Christiana Ellis (who was also an Obsidian contributor).

As someone who’s received special packages like this in the past, I’m thrilled that they’ve all enjoyed their experiences so far.

#StillHere,

–J.C.

Of course, it’s exponentially cooler when that celebrity is actress Denise Crosby, perhaps best-known for her role as Lt. Tasha Yar on Star Trek: The Next Generation. (TNG geeks like me also know her as “Sela.”) This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever worked on. Check it. Tweet and FB it. Embed it at your blog.

Join The Colony from Campfire on Vimeo.

This PSA — and more than 300 other updates, comments, newscasts, blog posts, breaking news stories, photos and videos — await you at TheColony.Discovery.com. It’s an online prequel experience simulation for Discovery Channel’s show The Colony. The Colony’s second season debuts on July 27.

Mainline this free content at TheColony.Discovery.com. Sign in via Facebook Connect to behold how the incurable virus Denise describes — the Nuclear Flu — might affect you, and those closes to you: your family and friends. (A Facebook login isn’t required, but boy, does it make it so much cooler…)

#StillHere,

–J.C.

My latest fiction project — a groundbreaking online narrative that gives you and your friends ringside seats to the end of the world — is now live. I’ve worked with dozens of talented creators and developers on this story for months now, and hope you’ll find it as fun and resonant as we do.

We’ve nicknamed this story #StillHere. It’s a transmedia experience designed to introduce you the devastated world of the Discovery Channel’s TV program The Colony. It’s an interesting place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live here: this world has been wrecked by an ultra-contagious virus called “Nuclear Flu.” The second season of The Colony debuts in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 27.

The Colony show features seven non-actor volunteers participating in an immersive social experiment, exploring what life might be like after this biological catastrophe. They’re tasked with surviving without creature comforts, facing physical and emotional challenges — including danger from rival survivors. I’ve seen The Colony’s first season, and thought it was pretty amazing.

My involvement with The Colony and Discovery begins and ends with #StillHere, an exclusive online prequel experience that simulates how this pandemic could spread and affect those closest to you. Using the familiar setting of your favorite social network, you’ll bear witness to the unhinging of the world, told from many unique perspectives: those of your family and friends.

Literally, your family and friends. Your Facebook-connected buddies are already posting at the site, riding shotgun toward the apocalypse. Your loved ones are writing status updates about hope and coping in this damaged world … sharing newscast videos about the virus … commenting on blog posts, photo galleries, home-made videos, breaking news stories and more. They’re scraping by, desperately trying to outrun the Nuclear Flu, and need you to join them.

Which you should do. Right now. At TheColony.Discovery.com.

More than 300 updates and comments — and dozens of videos, photos, articles and more — await you, all set in an America ravaged by this unstoppable virus. As part of a creative team that included artists, filmmakers, animators and programmers, I acted as Lead Writer, playing a large role in creating the world of #StillHere. But this narrative machine had many moving parts, and the people who envisioned and executed this project are as numerous as they are talented.

I’ll soon tell you more about #StillHere, the experience of crafting its content, and the astoundingly brilliant folks at Campfire, the company that conceived this project and invited me to collaborate with them.

In the meantime, give the #StillHere simulation a spin. Visit TheColony.Discovery.com, log in using Facebook Connect, and behold a unique narrative experience customized solely for you. If you enjoy it, share its content on Twitter and Facebook with your friends and family. Spread the word.

Oh. One thing. Don’t bother getting a preventative flu shot or buying a surgical face mask before embarking on your #StillHere experience. Nuclear Flu is already in the air, right now. You’ve probably already contracted it.

Your friends certainly have. As you’ll soon discover, not all of them will make it.

TheColony.Discovery.com. Have fun.

#StillHere,

–J.C.

What is this new story? I’ve been working under a non-disclosure agreement for months now, and can’t reveal much until it’s in the wild. But I convinced my keepers to let me leak a few deets before then. I’ll first tell you what it isn’t … and then follow up with what it is.

This new fiction experience, which I’ve nicknamed #NewHutchFiction on Twitter and Facebook (since I can’t yet reveal its title), is NOT:

• A novel, novella or short story
• A podcast in any shape or form
• A “paid” experience — it’ll be Free
• Available in any conventional format such as a printed book or e-book, and will never be

Egad! No book? No podcast? Nope. It’s something new, a breed of fiction that — to the best of my knowledge — has never been seen before. It will unfold exclusively online, using familiar web technologies in unfamiliar, but very cool, ways.

So what can I reveal? This fiction experience IS:

• Designed to be a realistic, authentic experience
• Text, video, photos and other multimedia stories, nearly all of which were written by me
• Dozens of other talented creators — from producers to model makers to art directors and filmmakers — contributed to this experience, making it an amazing and unique collaboration (an environment in which I thrive)
• In a surreal twist, YOU will be the star of this story (though it’s not a Choose Your Own Adventure-like tale)
• The project is a spin-off of a television series from a major cable network
• You know this network
• Being a geek like me, you watch and love this network

By my reckoning, this experience is red-hot. It’s something I would enjoy experiencing as an audience member, which is the primary reason I signed up to help create it. I, and the company that hired me to realize this project, have pulled out all the creative stops to create an authentic and emotionally resonant experience for you.

The money invested into this project is sick. We’ve hired professional actors, some from screen and stage. We’ve got slick production values. We’ve even got a celebrity cameo up our sleeve that’ll knock you out of your shoes.

Watch my site for more announcements. In the meantime, below are a few teaser images from the experience.

Oh wait. I forgot to tell you what the story’s actually about, didn’t I?

It’s about the end of the world.

–J.C.

Enjoy Your Sci-fi and Fantasy How and Where You Want

Beginning July 4th, science fiction and fantasy fans will be given a new place where they can discover authors and stories they’ll be able to enjoy wherever they go.  Flagship, the new e-zine by publisher Flying Island Press, will soon be releasing these stories in formats for the Kindle, the iPad and iPhone, and other electronic readers.

Flying Island Press also recognizes the increasing popularity of podcasts and other forms of audio fiction.  So, in addition to the e-zine, an audio version will be available to listen to on any MP3 player.  Stories they release will be available both in text and in audio, allowing the consumer to choose their preferred version.

Zach Ricks, managing editor for Flagship, had this to say.  “I wanted to hearken back to what some have called the Golden Age of Science Fiction.”  It’s his hope that “FlagShip will be a place for optimistic, entertaining fiction.”

Each issue will cost $1.99 for the text version or the audio version or get both for just $2.99.

Issues are now available at FlyingIslandPress.com!