Fiction

On the Horizon: THUNDERTAKER /  by J.C. Hutchins

I can't rightly say if it'll be a full-on novel, novella, straight read or transmedia experience (like Personal Effects: Dark Art). Hell, it could jump over into screenplay territory by the time it's said and done. All I know is that I've wanted to write a Western for years, I've got a title, and I can hear the low-frequency rumble of a spiffy idea growling in my gut. 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.

The "7th Son" Book Trailer That Almost Happened /  by J.C. Hutchins

Back in 2009, I schemed relentlessly on creating a video trailer to promote the October release of my thriller novel, 7th Son: Descent. I scoured stock footage sites such as iStockphoto for killer shots, and edited them into a very rough cut, intending to enlist a professional video editor to craft a final version once I'd purchased the footage.

Sadly, I did the math and discovered that my Hollywood-style book trailer would cost at least $1,300 to produce; this price didn't include time and effort. I regretfully abandoned the project to focus my increasingly-dwindling funds and creative resources on other promotional efforts.

I recently rediscovered the rough cut of that trailer on my hard drive, and thought I'd share it here. While this cut is far from the final version I'd hoped to realize, I think it presents a clear, if incomplete, blueprint of where I was going with the project.

Music for the video was created by Celldweller and remixed by Blue Stahli, with whom I have long and positive creative and promotional relationships. Learn more about Klayton and his brilliant music at Celldweller.com, and bret's work at BlueStahli.com.

I hope you enjoy this peek at a project that Never Came To Be, but was my labor of love for several weeks last year.

--J.C.

Note: All of the footage in this rough cut is clearly watermarked and low resolution (and visible for free on sites such as iStockphoto), so I don't believe there's a rights conflict here. I'm not monetarily profitting from the video's release in any way. If a copyright holder has an issue with this video's release, I'll dutifully remove it.

Podcast Audio Promo For #StillHere /  by J.C. Hutchins

If you're a podcaster looking to fill about 50 seconds of your show for a cool creative project, give this audio promo for #StillHere a spin. It promotes the transmedia prequel experience for Discovery Channel's The Colony, which can by found at TheColony.Discovery.com. I collaborated with dozens of brilliant creators and programmers at Campfire on this groundbreaking narrative as #StillHere's Lead Writer.

--J.C.

Denise Crosby Video Now Live At JoinTheColony.com /  by J.C. Hutchins

The only thing cooler than helping Campfire create a celebrity Public Service Announcement set in the fictional post-apocalyptic world of #StillHere is watching it after it's been assembled and published.

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.

[VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED]

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.

#StillHere, A Fiction Experience For Discovery Channel’s “The Colony,” Is Online /  by J.C. Hutchins

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.

New Fiction Project Coming Next Week /  by J.C. Hutchins

In mere days, a groundbreaking fiction experience I've been working on since mid-May will debut online. I'm very proud of it, and hope you'll check it out when it's live. 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.

7th Son: Descent - Episode 10 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Welcome to the final episode of the free audiobook, 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Catch up with the story by downloading past episodes. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

7th Son: Descent's anthem is "Descent" by Celldweller. Learn more about the band at Celldweller.com.

Like what you hear? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 10 PDF /  by J.C. Hutchins

7SDescent_cover.jpg

Welcome to the final serialized PDF episode of the novel 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

Like what you've read? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

"In the Nick of Time" - Free 300+ Page Holiday Sampler of Bestselling Books! /  by J.C. Hutchins

Books make terrific holiday gifts, but finding those perfect books for friends and family is always a challenge. If only we could flip through those books’ pages on our schedule. If only if the bookstore could come to us.
That’s the idea behind this In the Nick of Time! holiday sampler PDF. Inside are excerpts from a dozen new novels and nonfiction books by New York Times bestselling authors, successful entrepreneurs, and wickedly talented storytellers, including:
Laurell K. Hamilton -- Divine Misdemeanors
Seth Godin -- Tribes and an exclusive excerpt of Linchpin, out next year
Joseph Finder -- Vanished
Cory Doctorow -- Makers
Chris Brogan & Julien Smith -- Trust Agents
Robert J. Sawyer -- Wake
Mitch Joel - Six Pixels of Separation
Cherie Priest -- Boneshaker
Tara Hunt -- The Whuffie Factor
Scott Sigler -- The Rookie
Seth Harwood -- Jack Wakes Up
J.C. Hutchins -- 7th Son: Descent
If you spot a great gift opportunity, you can order from online retailers directly from the PDF. You can also print the order form at the end of the document, and present it to your local bookseller. Helpful staff will find what you’re looking for.
From high adventure to savvy business advice, you’ll find something special for the special someones on your holiday list -- including you. You're also welcome to share this free sampler with friends and family. Refer them to this web page to download In the Nick of Time! -- http://JCHutchins.net/hoy .

I'm delighted by this project, which I coordinated -- and am honored to have worked with the amazing authors who participated...

Books make terrific holiday gifts, but finding perfect books for friends and family can be a time-consuming challenge. If only if the bookstore could come to us.

That’s the idea behind this In the Nick of Time! holiday sampler PDF. Inside are excerpts from a dozen new novels and nonfiction books by these New York Times bestselling authors, successful entrepreneurs, and wickedly talented storytellers:

DOWNLOAD THE IN THE NICK OF TIME! HOLIDAY SAMPLER

Spot a great gift opportunity? Order from online retailers directly from the PDF, or print the order form at the end of the document and present it to your local bookseller. Helpful staff will find what you’re looking for.

From high adventure to savvy business advice, you’ll find something special for the special someones on your holiday list -- including you. You're also welcome to share this free sampler with friends and family.

Click here to download the In The Nick of Time! holiday sampler -- and have the happiest of holidays!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 9 PDF /  by J.C. Hutchins

7SDescent_cover.jpg

Welcome to the ninth (of ten) serialized PDF episodes of the novel 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

Like what you've read? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 9 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Welcome to the ninth (of ten) serialized episodes of the free audiobook, 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Catch up with the story by downloading past episodes. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

7th Son: Descent's anthem is "Descent" by Celldweller. Learn more about the band at Celldweller.com.

Like what you hear? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 8 PDF /  by J.C. Hutchins

7SDescent_cover.jpg

Welcome to the eighth (of ten) serialized PDF episodes of the novel 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

Like what you've read? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 8 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Welcome to the eighth (of ten) serialized episodes of the free audiobook, 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Catch up with the story by downloading past episodes. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

7th Son: Descent's anthem is "Descent" by Celldweller. Learn more about the band at Celldweller.com.

Like what you hear? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 7 PDF /  by J.C. Hutchins

After a week off for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, 7th Son: Descent is back! Welcome to the sixth (of ten) serialized PDF episodes of the novel 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

Synopsis: The story shifts to Houston, where billionaire oil tycoon A.U. Rookman conducts a videoconference with a business associate. Michael, John, Dr. Mike and the 7th Son soldiers reach Los Angeles. After a tense ride through the streets of West Hollywood, the team arrives at Folie a Deux. The mission to stop John Alpha -- and save Dania Sheridan -- begins. At the 7th Son facility, Father Thomas, Jack and Jay learn more about Kilroy2.0's world. A powerful benefactor lends a hand.

Like what you've read? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 7 /  by J.C. Hutchins

After a week off for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, 7th Son: Descent is back!

Welcome to the seventh (of ten) serialized episodes of the free audiobook, 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Catch up with the story by downloading past episodes. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

Synopsis: The story shifts to Houston, where billionaire oil tycoon A.U. Rookman conducts a videoconference with a business associate. Michael, John, Dr. Mike and the 7th Son soldiers reach Los Angeles. After a tense ride through the streets of West Hollywood, the team arrives at Folie a Deux. The mission to stop John Alpha -- and save Dania Sheridan -- begins. At the 7th Son facility, Father Thomas, Jack and Jay learn more about Kilroy2.0's world. A powerful benefactor lends a hand.

Chatter: J.C. teases a fun 5-minute fan-powered presentation that appears after the chapters. 7th Son: Descent needs your support now more than ever.

7th Son: Descent's anthem is "Descent" by Celldweller. Learn more about the band at Celldweller.com.

Like what you hear? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 6 PDF /  by J.C. Hutchins

Welcome to the sixth (of ten) serialized PDF episodes of the novel 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

Synopsis: Coming soon; J.C. apologizes for the inconvenience. He's currently speaking in NYC.

The Descent podcast will take a brief break next week for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, and will resume the following week.

Like what you've read? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

7th Son: Descent - Episode 6 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Welcome to the sixth (of ten) serialized episodes of the free audiobook, 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

Synopsis: Coming soon; J.C. apologizes for the inconvenience.

Chatter: J.C. is short on time in this episode -- he's about to hop on a plane for NYC. (This is explains the current lack-o-synopsis.) The Descent podcast will take a brief break next week for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, and will resume the following week.

7th Son: Descent's anthem is "Descent" by Celldweller. Learn more about the band at Celldweller.com.

Like what you hear? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!

Anyman EP Track 6: "Do This For Me (Bonus Percussion Version)" /  by J.C. Hutchins

"Do This For Me (Bonus Percussion Version)" is the sixth of six free folk songs from Anyman, written and performed by John Smith, which were released on a weekly schedule here at JCHutchins.net.

While a link to more songs was mentioned in John's 7th Son: 7 Days prequel story, J.C. wanted to provide all five songs to all 7th Son fans. This is the bonus track, a version of "Do This For Me" with a light percussion background.

Miami resident John Smith, a character in J.C.'s upcoming thriller 7th Son: Descent, is a man who dreams big ... but lives a small life. Determined to change his life's course, he recorded a five-song EP titled Anyman, and posted it to the Web. This occurred two weeks before the events seen in 7th Son: Descent.

Lyrics for this song appear beneath the audio player. Learn more about 7th Son: Descent’s print novel release here. Order your copy today.

"Do This For Me" Lyrics

Lemme lay out the situation
The house I'm living in
Is made of blame and condemnation
I'm lookin' to move out
When the goin's tough
That's what I'm all about

Now you could be
A big help to me
Lemme slip on in
So I can start all over again

Let's explore the opportunity
I'm in your hands
Get a grip and think what you could make of me
You're on top in this scenario
But when the time is right
I'll be your impresario

Do this for me
It's a simple thing
For a complex girl
Do this for me
And I'll make sure
That I do right by you

Take your time on this decision
I got nowhere to be
And the sun is barely risen
All while you're thinkin'
I'll be down here
Persuadin' and convincin'

7th Son: Descent - Episode 5 PDF /  by J.C. Hutchins

Welcome to the fourth (of ten) serialized episodes of the free audiobook, 7th Son: Descent. 7th Son is now available in bookstores and for immediate purchase online. Learn how you can support the novel's print release at this page.

Synopsis: The clones continue to decipher the Morse Code clue. Dr. Mike takes charge. John Alpha's intentions become more clear. The second half of the clue is decoded. Meanwhile at a military base in the Russian wilderness, a former CIA agent named Doug Devlin reminisces about his past -- and his current alliance with a man the clones know very well. A much larger conspiracy is unveiled. The implications of John Alpha's plans become clearer.

Like what you've read? Tell a friend, and give a shout in the comments!