Evo Terra

OBSIDIAN: Episode 7 by J.C. Hutchins

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This week's 7th Son: OBSIDIAN short-short is by Evo Terra, an innovator in the podcasting community. While some know him for his former co-host duties on such shows as "Dragon Page Cover to Cover" and "Wingin' It," Evo is best-known for one of the most significant and innovative creations in podcasting, Podiobooks.com. Evo is the man who coined the term "podiobooks," and was instrumental in assembling the team of founders for the Podiobooks.com service. He is also the co-author of Podcasting for Dummies and Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies, and blogs at his site, FunAnymore.com.

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: Another amazing "Voices From the Darkness" audio episode, in which we learn all about the world of the blackout ... from a ham radio operator's perspective.

PROMOS:

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

OBSIDIAN: Episode 6 by J.C. Hutchins

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Week Two of 7th Son: OBSIDIAN content begins in earnest with He Sees In Shadows, a short story written by New York Times bestselling novelist Michael A. Stackpole. The OBSIDIAN blackout is in full swing in this episode, and a special breed of madman is on the loose, out there, in the darkness. But who is more insane: the hunter ... or the man hunting him? If you enjoyed Mike's story, be sure to check out his other work -- and send him an email -- at StormWolf.com.

J.C. covers some important announcements in this episode's "talky talk" intro and outro, including:

  • An update on John Alpha's presidential campaign
  • Information about the OBSIDIAN "Voices From the Darkness" episodes, and how you can contribute. Call 206-222-9158 to leave your audio mark in the 7th Son universe, or record video footage and email it to J.C. Click here for submission guidelines. Deadline for this content is July 7, 2008.
  • Find "sneak peek" video footage from "Voices From the Darkness" contributors at J.C.'s YouTube channel. (More will be released soon!)
  • Information about 7th Son: Runner, J.C.'s serialized "cell phone-centric" text story that will debut next week. Click here to learn how to obtain this OBSIDIAN text-only story!

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: a short-short story by Evo Terra. After that, more "Voices From The Darkness" episodes, quite possibly a brief Clone Line episode, and next week's short story, written by Mur Lafferty...

PROMOS:

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

OBSIDIAN: Episode 1 by J.C. Hutchins

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

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

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

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

There's huge news in J.C.'s "talky talk" intro and outro segments, including:

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

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

Killer Content: "Fun Anymore" and "Unquiet Desperation" by J.C. Hutchins

"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.