interview

Podcast: "Stories Of Our Journeys" Interviews J.C. /  by J.C. Hutchins

In March 2010, my friend Lorelle VanFossen contacted me about a new project she and  Kym Huynh (of ) were creating: , 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 Mere weeks prior, I'd learned that 7th Son's sequels would not be published by St. Martin's Press.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 .

--J.C.

Wichita Rutherford interviews Ricky Skaggs! /  by J.C. Hutchins

I hail from Kentucky, the Bluegrass State, and am proud to say that my fine commonwealth is the birthplace of bluegrass music. I love the stuff (whenever I'm in a bad mood, I put on my Bill Monroe: Live From Mountain Stage album and things turn around right quick), and also love listening to interviews. That's why I was absolutely dazzled by this interview recorded by the brilliant Wichita Rutherford. Wichita came up in podcasting -- he remains one of my favorite podcasters of all time; he's so precious -- and now hosts "The Grand Old Time Machine" Sirius/XM show. He recently spent some quality time with bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs ... and the interview is nothing short of awesome.

You've gotta check out this interview, even if you don't know much about bluegrass music. You'll hear an intimate take on Ricky's life story and family, and his journey into the musical life -- and learn a lot about bluegrass along the way. You won't regret it.

But you gotta move fast; Wichita says the MP3 will be available for a few days.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW

--J.C.

VIDEO: J.C. unveils Dark Art on "I Should Be Writing" podcast /  by J.C. Hutchins

Mur Lafferty for her excellent I Should Be Writing podcast. During our chat about Personal Effects: Dark Art, I showcased some of the incredible "out of book" transmedia items that accompany the novel. If you're interested in Dark Art, this is a must-watch.

From Mur's site: I got to get an exclusive sneak peek at the awesomeness that is Personal Effects: Dark Art this past weekend at Balticon! I talk to author JC Hutchins about his ground-breaking book, and we try not to get distracted by passers-by. Camera work by John Cmar, Additional Direction by David Moldawer

The book is available for pre-order now. Please considering pre-ordering a copy today, and learn why your pre-release purchases provide critcal support to Personal Effects: Dark Art by clicking here.

J.C. interviewed for Asimov's Science Fiction magazine /  by J.C. Hutchins

ASF_interiorcover.jpg

In May, I had the great fortune to meet James Patrick Kelly at Balticon 42. Jim is one of the finest science-fiction writers living today. He is a master narrative craftsman; his work transcends the noisy, predictable trappings of most SF, and is fueled by excellent characterizations -- something I pine for in my own writing. His tales also sport a literary vibe that's not usually seen in sci-fi today, which makes them a delight to read.

Perhaps the only Balticon 42 moment more memorable that speaking on a panel with the man (and later chatting with him at the con's hotel bar) was being interviewed by him. Jim writes a monthly column for Asimov's Science Fiction magazine called "On the Net." A podcaster himself, Jim spent more than a half-hour chatting with me and other podcast novelists about this crazy newfangled "New Media" thing we do, and how it's positively impacting our careers.

The most recent issue of Asimov's features the first of Jim's two-part series on podcast fiction, and I'm honored to have been quoted in the column. This month's article does an elegant job of explaining the appeal of New Media for creators like me, and shares some insights from myself, Mur Lafferty and Tee Morris regarding its potential.

During our interview, we discussed what businessfolk like to call "first mover status" -- specifically, early podfiction adopters such as Mur, Tee, I and a few others, and our prominence in the community. Is it possible for newcomers to make a splash and compete with us podcasting oldtimers?

"When I hear the word 'competition,' I immediately think of buying things," I told Jim. "But podcasting isn't a bookstore. I think of it as a library. It's all free; you're just competing for time. That book will always be there on the (digital) shelf, so you can always come back to it. Is this space saturated? Well, it is. Is this space saturated with killer content? No."

Translation: If you produce excellent work -- and there indeed is excellent new work to be found in the podfic space -- you'll rise to the top. According to Jim's column, the second part of his series will explore this, as well as short-form podcast fiction, and other topics.

I can't wait to read it, and I'm honored to have contributed to his story.

--J.C.

It's official: Scott Sigler is an "Internet Superstar"... /  by J.C. Hutchins

...and God help us all, as his recent appearance on the awesome Revision3 show will likely inflate his (already swelled) ego to Godzilla-sized proportions. :)

In all seriousness, Scott's work is excellent, and he's a trailblazer in the podcasting and publishing spaces. The Internet Superstar interview with Martin Sargent is an excellent one -- Martin asks all the right questions about the podiobook phenomenon, building a community, and how those critical phenoms helped Scott him a major book deal with Crown Publishing.

It's another shining example of an author (and interviewer) who "gets it," and is using the Internet to rock the socks off the traditional publishing model. A must-watch.

--J.C.

BONUS: Second Life Podcaster Meetup interview with J.C. Hutchins /  by J.C. Hutchins

My apologies to you amazing Beta Clones for not delivering a 7th Son: OBSIDIAN episode in nearly two weeks. Things have been ultra-hectic in these parts. What have I been up to? I put the final final edit of Personal Effects: Dark Art to bed, performed some "first reader" duties, wrote a short story for Mur Lafferty's Stories of the Third Wave podcast (watch for its release next week, narrated by me), and have been putting a treeemendous amount of time and sweat into my new pop culture blog project, MINE. That's in addition to concocting promotional plans for Dark Art, wooing authors for blurb quotes, sniffing for a film agent, doing a few more UltraCreatives interviews before the series concludes ... it goes on and on ...

But I'm still alive -- that counts for something, I hope -- and I wanted to deliver something cool (and hopefully) interesting in the podcast feed as I gear up for releasing the second half of 7th Son: OBSIDIAN.

I'm proud to present this, a recent interview I did with several podcasters and fans at Podcast Island in Second Life. Podcast Island is the awesome creation of Gary Leland, "Itazura," "Radar" and others at PodcastPickle.com. (Podcast Pickle is the very best place on the 'Net to learn about podcasting, and become part of an amazing community of 'casters and listeners.) Here, I was welcomed into an awesome "round table" style discussion, where anyone could ask me questions. The conversation started with us (appropriately enough) chatting about Second Life, but quickly veered into some fun, funny and deep territory.

The interview will soon be added to the Podcast Island Podcast feed.

This interview captures a lot of my perspectives on new media and podcasting, and reveals some details about my personal philosophies and life that I've never publicly shared before. It was a trememdous honor to chat with podcaster colleagues, and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Expect the second half of 7th Son: OBSIDIAN to debut next week.

--J.C.

BONUS: "Tea and Chat" interview with J.C. Hutchins /  by J.C. Hutchins

I rarely post interviews of myself in my own podcast feed -- I always fear that the act is a little smug and self-congratulatory -- but I simply could not not showcase this recent conversation with brilliant interviewer Stephen Kilbride from the "Tea and Chat" podcast.

What makes Stephen's interview so special? While it is perhaps the longest interview I've ever done in podcasting ... and I've done well over 100 in the past two years ... it's also one of the most exhaustive and authoritative in its scope and depth. While longtime 7th Son fans will know the trilogy's plot "elevator pitch" all too well -- and several other anecdotes found here -- this conversation explores my perspectives on podcasting, publishing and writing ... and how I think projects like 7th Son: OBSIDIAN can permanently (and positively) change the landscape of storytelling.

I believe no other interview I've done to date better encapsulates my thoughts on new media, free content, and where I think fiction can go, when authors empower their audiences to participate in the creative process. The lines between creator and spectator are blurring, and I think that's an exciting thing indeed.

You'll also hear me chat about topics other than 7th Son and OBSIDIAN. We touch on the UltraCreatives Interview Series (and why it may not return after OBSIDIAN's conclusion), my advice for new writers, creative inspirations for my characters, the roots of my undying gratitude for 7th Son fans, and a lot more.

I hope you enjoy this very long interview, and -- more important -- I hope you check out Stephen's incredible "Tea and Chat" podcast, in which he interviews other authors in the podcasting space. It's must-listen content, and I'm grateful to Stephen for making so much time to chat with me for his show.

--J.C.

Recent interviews in the podosphere /  by J.C. Hutchins

While I've been fortunate to interview many amazing personalities in the social media scene for my UltraCreatives Interview Series, I also enjoy appearing as the interviewee on other podcasts. This week, two excellent podcasters released episodes featuring me on their programs.

I had a great discussion with Chris Moody for the season opener of his PodioMedia Chat podcast. The interview is filled with 7th Son spoilers (be careful, 7th Son newcomers!), and lots of hints of things I have planned for 2008. Find the episode here.

I also had a great interview with Tee Morris on his Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy podcast. Tee and I discussed the creative challenges a writer faces after concluding a large project like 7th Son, and a lot more. Find the episode here.

Both shows feature high-quality content in every episode. Be sure to check them out!

--J.C.

Spreading the White Noise 2 word /  by J.C. Hutchins

Hey everybody -- just wanted to update you on the WHITE NOISE 2 grassroots "new media" push that's currently sweeping the podosphere. As you know, I recently interviewed director Patrick Lussier and screenwriter Matt Venne about their involvement with the film. (For newcomers to the site, you can find the interview here.) What you don't know is that Patrick and Matt are currently on a whirlwind podcasting press junket, chatting with other high-profile podcasters.

The creative duo sat down and had an awesome face-to-face interview with podcasting powerhouse Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff about writing, the entertainment business and more. The conversation (and coffee!) flowed freely, resulting in an amazing interview.

Check out the interview at Mark's Word Sushi podcast, and -- as always -- spread the word about Patrick and Matt's hard work. (Update: Mark's interview is now available the Pacific Coast Hellway and Podshow Press sites, too.)

Your involvement is already making WN2 a rising star in sales: On Monday, WN2 was ranked #1,800 on Amazon.com's sales charts. As of this writing, the film is now ranked as #983. Better still, the movie currently occupies the #18 and #21 slots for DVD sales in the Mystery and Suspense categories, respectively. Not bad for less than a week's worth of pod-promotion, eh? You are making an impact.

Thanks to all of you who have spread the word or purchased a copy of the film. Find WN2 here at Amazon.

--J.C.

UltraCreatives Interview #1: Patrick Lussier and Matt Venne /  by J.C. Hutchins

UltraCreatives.png

The new year brings a facelift to JCHutchins.net, a brand-new Community section for 7th Son fans, and the debut of the UltraCreative Interview Series. In this interview, J.C. chats with film director Patrick Lussier and writer Matt Venne about the release of White Noise 2, a taut supernatural thriller starring Nathan Fillion ("Firefly") and Katee Sackhoff ("Battlestar Galactica"). The film was released on DVD recently.

In the interview, Patrick and Matt tell J.C. how they came to the film industry, the collaborative nature of movie-making, working with Fillion and Sackhoff, and much more. These guys embody J.C.'s "UltraCreatives" concept to the core, and it was an honor to have them on the podcast.

How can you help spread the word about White Noise 2?

  • Podcasters: Toss the link to this interview in your podcast feed; J.C. will happily take the bandwidth hit. Direct link can be found here. (Standard MP3; interview duration: 1:36:23; file size: 88.3 MB -- 92596195 bytes)
  • Bloggers: Promote the interview on your site, and include a link to the audio interview. Link is here.
  • Listeners: Contact friends and family about the film, and include a link to this blog page, or a direct link to the audio interview. Interview link is here.

Other links mentioned in the interview:

PLEASE support the hard work of Patrick, Matt and the rest of the White Noise 2 cast and crew by spreading the word and purchasing a copy of the film. Thanks!

[display_podcast]