OBSIDIAN Episode 15

This week's must-listen OBSIDIAN short-short is by Dan Klass. This is a masterpiece of audio fiction, and J.C. considers it one of the crown jewels in the OBSIDIAN anthology.

Dan Klass is the host and creator of "The Bitterest Pill," an award-winning podcast in which he talks about his life on the outskirts of the entertainment industry while raising his kids under the flight path at LAX.  The show has been described by The New York Times as "intelligent," "endearing," and "sublime," and has been featured on NPR, NBC 4, Fox News and in USAToday.com and The Christian Science Monitor.  He is also the co-author of Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Audio and Video Podcasting.

Please subscribe to The Bitterest Pill -- and send Dan Klass a well-deserved appreciative email -- by visiting TheBitterestPill.com.

J.C. also unleashes gobs of timely news in his "talky-talk" intro and outro, including:

• Parts One and Two of J.C.'s fun interview with Joe on the OnThePodcast podcast, featuring some delicious tidbits about J.C.'s next book, Personal Effects: Dark Art
• An opportunity to lend a helping hand to 7th Son superfan Gemini and her family by making a donation at the Time Well Wasted blog
• A mini-geekout update about Personal Effects: Dark Art, and its state of production
• The 7th Son T-shirt store at Geeklabel.com is closing on Aug. 15. If you want to snag a shirt or two (at less than $15 a pop), get crackin'
• The world premiere of a brand-new Celldweller song -- this one is the ultra-intense, incredible "Birthright (Birthwrong Remix by Blue Stahli)". The full song is available here in this episode; download the song for free at FixtOnline.com/FreeDownloads.html

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: A very special "Voices From the Darkness" episode!

OBSIDIAN: Episode 1

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).

UltraCreatives Interview #5: Jason Calacanis

This week on UltraCreatives, J.C. interviews entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com, the world's first human-powered search engine.

During the chat, Jason explains the creative and business philosophies powering Mahalo.com, the creativity an entrepreneur needs to succeed, his personal drive (and the life experiences that defined it), and more. The interview is enlightening for aspiring entrepreneurs, or people pursuing any creative endeavor.

Links mentioned in this interview:

• Mahalo.com
• Calacanis.com

In addition, J.C. mentions the Blogger & Podcaster magazine cover story featuring him and fellow podcast novelists Scott Sigler and Mur Lafferty. Find the online version of the article (written by "The Bitterest Pill" host Dan Klass) at the Blogger & Podcaster website.

For newcomers to JCHutchins.net, welcome! Learn how to subscribe to J.C.'s 7th Son podcast novel thriller trilogy by visiting the Podcasting Primer page. For more info about 7th Son and its awesome fans, view this Summer 2007 media kit PDF.

J.C. Hutchins and Scott Sigler featured on the cover of Blogger & Podcaster magazine

I am honored to report that podcast novelist Scott Sigler and I are the subjects of the February/March cover story for Podcaster & Blogger magazine. The article, titled "Fiction 2.0," was written by Dan Klass of "The Bitterest Pill" fame. Podcast novelist Mur Lafferty was also featured in the story. You can read it at the magazine's website.

I have never read a journalistic article that so brilliantly and eloquently captures the "vision" that podcast novelists share, why we do what we do, and the passion we have for our work, the podcasting medium, and our audiences. Klass' reporting is world-class, and his writing matches -- and in many cases, trumps -- any magazine cover feature you'd find on newsstands today. I am flattered by the coverage, and am honored to be recognized as a vanguard in this blossoming genre of podcasting.

If you've read the article and are visiting JCH.net for the first time, thank you for your interest in my work. Feel free to explore the site, and experience the 100+ images, desktop wallpapers, photographs, music, and more ... all inspired by 7th Son, all created by fans. Please visit my Podcasting Primer page to easily subscribe to the 7th Son audiobook trilogy.

For existing fans of 7S, you'll be delighted to know that the Blogger & Podcaster article reveals the details of my next podfiction project -- titled 7th Son: Obisidan -- which will debut in May. I'll give more details on Obsidian in a future blog post.

My thanks go out to writer Dan Klass, editor Shelly Brisbin and the Blogger & Podcaster team for covering podcast fiction, and for so superbly capturing my love for my craft, and my listeners.