Killer Content: Free PDF of Scott Sigler’s “INFECTED”
March 27, 2008
It’s SCOTT SIGLER DAY here at JCHutchins.net! In addition to posting my UltraCreatives interview with The Cadaverous Antichrist, I am also proudly presenting the full PDF edition of INFECTED, which will debut in bookstores everywhere on April 1.
Want an excerpt of this brilliant horror/sci-fi tale? You got it:
Perry awoke with a scream. His collarbone raged with pain, like he’d dragged a razor blade across the thin skin atop the bone, peeling back flesh like a cheese grater rubbed across some Cheddar. The fingers of his right hand felt cold, wet and sticky. A sunrise beam of light pierced his half-drawn curtains, lighting up the window frost crystallized on the pane. His room filled with the hazy glow of a winter morning.
In the dim light, Perry stared at his hands; they looked to be covered with chocolate syrup, thick and tacky-brown. He fumbled with the lamp on his night-stand. The bulb’s glow lit up the room and his hands. It wasn’t chocolate syrup.
It was blood.
Eyes widening in horror, Perry looked at his bed. Thin streaks of blood dotted the white sheets. Still blinking sleep-crust from his eyes, he ran to the bathroom and stared in the mirror….
Download the PDF below, or (if you’re subscribed to this feed) enjoy it as it screams through the interwebtubes to your podcatcher. This is truly Killer Content, folks.
Pre-order Scott Sigler’s INFECTED at Amazon.com today.
Learn more about Scott Sigler, INFECTED and his other works at ScottSigler.com.
Killer Content: “Fun Anymore” and “Unquiet Desperation”
March 23, 2008
“Killer Content” is J.C. Hutchins’ unpredictably scheduled, ongoing series about cool creators in the online space.
This post is partly prompted by a friendly online challenge by writer Chris Brogan, in which he asked his readers to suggest “hidden gems” in the blogosphere. Two men of many talents immediately sprang to mind, and they more than qualify as “Killer Content” creators.
Evo Terra and Chris Miller are gifted writers and communicators. They’re also collaborators: Terra and Miller are largely responsible for keeping the site Podiobooks.com up and running smoothly. Podiobooks.com in itself is a hidden gem on the ‘Net — it provides free serialized audiobook hosting and distribution for DIY-spirited authors (such as myself) and their work. Podiobooks.com is a daring, disruptive service, and I’m confident that mainstream publishers will soon examine its model as — like the recording industry — it turns to digital distribution as the only true sustainable means of profit and survival.
But beyond Podiobooks.com, Evo Terra and Chris Miller are accomplished bloggers in their own right.
Evo Terra, a former podcaster and co-author of two “For Dummies” books about podcasting, is known for his intelligence, wit and snark. His blog, Fun Anymore, showcases an expert’s perspective of social media far from the blogosphere’s feel-good echo chamber. He chimes in on social media services, marketing and advertising. Shorter posts are often rabbit punches on well-known topics, while longer writings illustrate his practical views on new media and content quality.
To the uninitiated, Terra’s tone may come off as curmudgeonly … and that’s probably fine by him … but look beyond the barbed sarcasm, and you’ll find many thought-provoking opinions. Recommended for social media types, especially those who appreciate a spike of zero-BS snark.
Chris Miller, in addition to being a podcaster and self-proclaimed “codeshaman” (and as someone who’s worked with him on technical issues, the title ain’t no lie), crafts a blog called Unquiet Desperation. Miller’s interests are far-flung, as is his writing: he may blog about Cleveland weather one day, and coding the next. Topics also include science-fiction, religion/spirituality, podcasting and more.
What makes this personal potpourri so interesting and entertaining is Miller’s writing itself. Thoughtful and carefully crafted, there is always a nugget of “bigger picture” truth to his posts. While I may not be able to fully understand his writing about coding, for instance, I always take away a personal insight into the man’s life, or something that applies to my own. Recommended for codemonkeys of all stripes, fans of new media (mostly podcasting), and those craving glimmers of personal truth in each post.
Find Evo Terra’s Fun Anymore here. Find Chris Miller’s Unquiet Desperation here.
Killer Content: “Morning Call Time” podcast
February 1, 2008
(Full disclosure: J.C. and the creators of the “Morning Call Time” podcast are cross-promoting each other’s work; this post is one way J.C. is helping spread the word.)
The thing I miss most about being a journalist is knowing “the news” before anyone else. Working at a news outlet is like riding shotgun in the DeLorean from Back to the Future — in a way, you can see a few days into the future, and know what’s happening in the world before anyone else.
That’s one of the main reasons why I dig the “Morning Call Time” entertainment news podcast. This show, hosted by industry vet Chad Gervich, is all about delivering entertainment news from leading trade publications (read: Daily Variety and others) before the mainstream press does.
Chad and his team cull the trades for the best stories, post them on mediabistro’s “Fishbowl LA” blog, and create the Morning Call Time ‘cast for people who work in the industry — producers, execs, agents, writers, etc. The goal: to deliver each day’s headlines in a portable audio format before they get to the office. These pros have a huge leg up on the day ahead, since they’ve already “read” their industry’s headlines.
What does this mean to folks who aren’t in the biz? You’re getting the news that’s most important to the actual insiders of Hollywood … and that’s as cool as having your own time machine, I think. So if you love being ahead of the curve when it comes to entertainment news, Morning Call Time is killer content for your ears.
Check out the Fishbowl LA blog here, or subscribe to the Morning Call Time podcast here. Great stuff.
–J.C.
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