sword of blood

Sword of Blood "Grand Design of Nine" PDF /  by J.C. Hutchins

No Personal Effects story is complete without a transmedia experience. Behold, Sword of Blood's -- a PDF featuring the "Grand Design of Nine" quilt designs described in the novella! (Note: Do NOT view this PDF if you haven't listened to Episode 6 of the story, lest you be spoiled.)

SYNOPSIS: This 24-page PDF file reveals real photos of the "Grand Design of Nine" quilt blocks described in Personal Effects: Sword of Blood. This transmedia experience allows you to see the quilt blocks as hero Zach Taylor did, and view the encoded "buttonhole" text -- as well as the hidden designs mentioned in the novella.

This PDF release marks the conclusion of Personal Effects: Sword of Blood. Hutch hopes you enjoyed the story, and will check out its follow-up, the groundbreaking transmedia novel, Personal Effects: Dark Art!

HEY, EVERYBODY #023: Personal Effects swag winners! /  by J.C. Hutchins

Are you okay to go? J.C. is, and drops killer announcements in this episode. Fire up your MP3 players and take a good listen: Hutch announces the winners of the Personal Effects: Dark Art swag giveaway contests ... including the winner of the priceless Sword of Blood!

Winners: Expect an email in day or so. Hutch needs your snail mail address.

If Hutch didn't announce your name (but met the qualifications he mentions in the episode), email him. We'll hook you up with swag.

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is "Chip Away" by Jane's Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

Like what you hear? Please leave a comment, and tell a friend about the show, and about Personal Effects: Dark Art!

HEY, EVERYBODY #022: State of the Book #5 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Rock and roll. J.C. is (finally!) back with a final State of the Book address. In this ep, Hutch talks about his appearance on NPR's Weekend Edition, sales of Personal Effects: Dark Art, serves up some news about Personal Effects: Sword of Blood, declares war on "disbelief" and more.

  • Purchase Personal Effects: Dark Art
  • J.C. on NPR's Weekend Edition
  • J.C. in his hometown paper, the Courier-Journal

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is "Chip Away" by Jane's Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

Like what you hear? Please leave a comment, and tell a friend about the show, and about Personal Effects: Dark Art!

Behold, the SWORD OF BLOOD /  by J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins and award-winning horror/thriller writer Matt Wallace have teamed up to unleash the coolest promotion in the history of the mothereffin' multiverse. By evangelizing J.C.'s new novel Personal Effects: Dark Art, you have a shot at winning a unique, priceless sword ... THE Sword of Blood.

This is a BATTLE READY, real-deal, no-messing-around REAL sword, from Matt Wallace's private collection. It is a replica of the sword wielded by Charles V of Spain. In 1519, Charles V was crowned "Roman Emperor"; at that time, no other leader had ruled such an inmense kingdom in human history. The sword's blade is forged in high carbon stainless steel, and is 40 inches long. It was crafted by Marto, the same company that created swords for the Highlander television series.

But it gets so much cooler. J.C. and Matt will write a flash fiction story, focused on the Sword of Blood ... and that story will be written on the blade of the weapon. This story will not appear anywhere else on the planet; it is written for an audience of one -- the person who wins the Sword of Blood. And to make this a true Sword of Blood, both J.C. and Matt will sign their names upon the sword in their own blood.

This sword originally cost hundreds of dollars, and is now truly priceless. Only one will be worthy to wield it.

How can you win THE Sword of Blood? Simple.

  • You must have a copy of Personal Effects: Dark Art on hand. (Borrow one from a friend. Order a copy here. If you can't obtain a copy, play them the videos at my homepage.)
  • You must conduct a "show and tell" of the novel and its transmedia items (IDs, biz cards, documents, etc.) to several family members or co-workers.
  • Simply show off the book, and tell your pals about the novel and its "out of book" transmedia experience.
  • You must pass out copies of the Order Form PDF (found below) to each person you chat with.
  • You can do this in your home, at a friend's house, or at your workplace.
  • You must document this Show And Tell session with at least one photograph.
  • Email that photo to J.C. at 7thSonNovel.com by July 31.

One worthy participant will be selected at random, and will receive THE Sword of Blood, featuring a flash fiction story written upon its blade and signed by its authors in their blood. This sword ruled the Roman Empire. It is more than worthy of your effort. In fact, the real question is: Are you worthy to possess it?

The contest ends July 31, 2009, so there's no time to waste. Print out the Order Form PDF for your peeps (found below), and get showing and telling. Be sure to document your efforts, and send at least one photo to J.C. at 7thSonNovel@gmail.com.

HEY, EVERYBODY #017: State of the Book #3 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Hot damn! Personal Effects: Dark Art continues to chug along most mightily as J.C. serves up another State of the Book address. Highlights also include: J.C. going off on a 1980s G.I. Joe cartoon tangent, J.C. nearly choking to death on-air, the return of the invisible toasting glass, J.C. chatting about the Sword of Blood giveaway, and the new goal we have as Personal Effects fans -- the 4 for 400 for 4,000 campaign. Download this sonuvagun, like, now.

  • Purchase Personal Effects: Dark Art
  • PHASE TWO: Madness In The Streets
  • The Sword of Motherf***ing Blood Giveaway (Scroll to the bottom of the page for all the details.)
  • Matt Wallace's website

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is "Chip Away" by Jane's Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

Like what you hear? Please leave a comment, and tell a friend about the show, and about Personal Effects: Dark Art!

HEY, EVERYBODY #016 /  by J.C. Hutchins

J.C. interviews writer/podcaster/vidcaster/dark god Matt Wallace in this epically-awesome conversation. You will not only be introduced to the badassery that is Mr. Wallace -- you will bear witness to history in the making as J.C. and Matt announce the most compelling, amazing and jaw-droppingly cool giveaway ever conceived, like, EVER. Get ready to say, "Oh, shit."

  • Purchase Personal Effects: Dark Art
  • PHASE TWO: Madness In The Streets
  • The Sword of Motherf***ing Blood Giveaway (Scroll to the bottom of the page for all the details.)
  • Matt Wallace's website
  • Jonathan Maberry's website

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is "Chip Away" by Jane's Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

Like what you hear? Please leave a comment, and tell a friend about the show, and about Personal Effects: Dark Art!

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood episode 5 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Apologies for the delay in releasing the latest episode of Sword of Blood. J.C. kinda had a big book launch last week, and has been scrambling to catch up ever since. Plus, he's been creating some cool stuff for you, which will be released later this week.

This week's Sword of Blood episode is a short one, but it's packed with some exciting and disturbing sequences. This will be the last Sword of Blood episode for the next two weeks. On Friday, June 26 and Friday, July 3, you will experience audio excerpts from Personal Effects: Dark Art. You'll learn why in J.C.'s chatter after the episode.

SYNOPSIS: Zach takes a call. Hen reveals her knowledge of The Charred.

NEW TO J.C.'s FICTION, OR PODCASTING? I've been releasing free audiobooks since 2006, and am gearing up for the June 9 release of Personal Effects: Dark Art, a novel that combines the traditional novel experience with a multimedia-fueled "out of book" narrative that unfolds via phone, email and websites. Pre-order a copy of Personal Effects: Dark Art today.

Listen to the episode by clicking the "play" button below. Catch up with the story by visiting the Sword of Blood synopsis page. Learn how to subscribe this podcast here.

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood episode 3 /  by J.C. Hutchins

It's another promo-less episode (bad Hutch! no biscuit!), and J.C. seems to be saving all of his Personal Effects: Dark Art news for the next episode of "Hey, Everybody!", which will drop this weekend. This, of course, means less talk ... and more action!

SYNOPSIS: Zach meets up with his "tribe" -- girlfriend Rachael, brother Lucas, longtime friend Ida "Eye" -- and receives a strange phone call.

NEW TO J.C.'s FICTION, OR PODCASTING? I've been releasing free audiobooks since 2006, and am gearing up for the June 9 release of Personal Effects: Dark Art, a novel that combines the traditional novel experience with a multimedia-fueled "out of book" narrative that unfolds via phone, email and websites. Pre-order a copy of Personal Effects: Dark Art today.

Listen to the episode by clicking the "play" button below. Catch up with the story by visiting the Sword of Blood synopsis page. Learn how to subscribe this podcast here.

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood episode 2 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Welcome to Episode 2 of Personal Effects: Sword of Blood. I'm light on the chatter in this ep, and there are no promos -- but expect more of both in future episodes.

SYNOPSIS: Zach encounters a stranger ... and meets Hen, a relative of his patient, Gertrude "Spindle" Spindler.

NEW TO J.C.'s FICTION, OR PODCASTING? I've been releasing free audiobooks since 2006, and am gearing up for the June 9 release of Personal Effects: Dark Art, a novel that combines the traditional novel experience with a multimedia-fueled "out of book" narrative that unfolds via phone, email and websites. Pre-order a copy of Personal Effects: Dark Art today.

Listen to the episode by clicking the "play" button below. Catch up with the story by visiting the Sword of Blood synopsis page. Learn how to subscribe this podcast here.

HEY, EVERYBODY #006 /  by J.C. Hutchins

It's the second of this week's Hey Everybody twofer, featuring a terrific interview with Matthew Wayne Selznick. He dazzled us with his podcast novel Brave Men Run ... and now, he's got something truly inspired in store for readers. Get ready to learn about Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights.

J.C. also reminds listeners about the forthcoming Personal Effects: Sword of Blood (it drops tomorrow, ROCK), and announces another first-ever in publishing -- Personal Effects: Dark Art character Rachael Webster is actually blogging at SuicideGirls.com! This announcement is not to be missed!

Links mentioned in the show:

The anthem for Hey, Everybody! is "Chip Away" by Jane's Addition, distributed freely via BitTorrent and the Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction tour site, Ninja2009.com.

Like what you hear? Please leave a comment, and tell a friend about the show, and about Personal Effects: Dark Art!

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood episode 1 /  by J.C. Hutchins

Hell yes, it's here -- the first podcast novella ever written to celebrate the release of a print novel! It's my latest work, Personal Effects: Sword of Blood ... and it's a FREE podcast-exclusive prequel to my print novel debut, Personal Effects: Dark Art.

Welcome to Brinkvale Psychiatric Hospital, where optimistic art therapist Zach Taylor is confronted with his most intriguing patient to date: a cheerful elderly woman ... who's also a remorseless killer. Her cryptic clues, and the quilts she's creating, propel Zach into a brainbending quest for a treasure that may be more dangerous -- and deadly -- than he ever imagined.

Get more deets at the synopsis page. Obtain this free serialized audiobook by subscribing to the podcast here, or listening to this week's debut episode below.

NEW TO J.C.'s FICTION? If you're new to the site and my work, make yourself at home. I've been releasing free audiobooks and podcasts since 2006, and am gearing up for the June 9 release of Personal Effects: Dark Art, a novel that combines the traditional novel experience with a multimedia-fueled "out of book" narrative that unfolds via phone, email and websites. Pre-order a copy of Personal Effects: Dark Art today.

Enjoy this debut episode of Sword of Blood. Like what you hear? Give a shout in the comments. Tell a friend. No. Tell ALL your friends.

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood promo /  by J.C. Hutchins

Every SECOND of every DAY -- every DECISION you've ever made -- has brought you here, to THIS moment, to realize your destiny. You were BORN to evangelize this promo. Tweet it. Facebook it. Download it. Email it. Share it. Reblog it. Podcast it. This is your birthright. TAKE IT.

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood, a podcast-exclusive prequel novella to Personal Effects: Dark Art ... coming May 15. Learn more (for now) here.

--J.C.

Promo narration by Zeus Legion Promo music by Celldweller

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood cover /  by J.C. Hutchins

While there are no plans to release my debut novel Personal Effects: Dark Art in full podcast novel form (though I do hope to hook you up with a little audio taste of that bad mofo), I am thrilled by the next best thing: the upcoming release of Personal Effects: Sword of Blood, a podcast-exclusive prequel novella to Dark Art. I'll tease the plot in a sec. First thing's first. Here's the nearly-final version of the cover.

I'm about halfway through writing Sword of Blood, and plan to debut the first episode May 15th-ish. Recording is currently underway. We're looking to clock in about 40,000 words on this sucker, or around 14 chapters. The novella takes place during Halloween 2008, mere days before the events seen in Dark Art. (You can read a brief excerpt here.)

Sword of Blood is a terrific introduction to the Personal Effects universe and its characters, including art therapist Zach Taylor and his "tribe" of friends and family, including girlfriend (and video game blogger) Rachael Webster, slang-slinging kid brother Lucas, and Ida "Eye" Jean-Phillipe, an NYPD crime lab assistant. We'll also meet Zach's patient, Gertrude Spindler -- a wily quilt-making elderly woman with a deadly secret.

When Spindler -- or "Spindle," as she's nicknamed by hospital staffers -- completes her latest quilt and informs Zach that a 30-year-old "grand design of nine" has just been completed, Zach's curiosity is piqued ... and soon leads him into a dangerous subculture filled with psychics and secret societies. What is the grand design of nine ... and what is the "great blade of blood" Spindle keeps hinting at?

You'll soon find out. Personal Effects: Sword of Blood will debut here at JCHutchins.net in mid-May. Subscribe to my blog/podcast feed now to experience this groundbreaking prequel project ... and be sure to order Personal Effects: Dark Art to read the continuing story.

--J.C.

Sneak Peak: "Personal Effects: Sword of Blood" prequel /  by J.C. Hutchins

As you know, my print debut -- the supernatural thriller Personal Effects: Dark Art -- will be in bookstores this June. (Be one of the first to own a copy by pre-ordering here.) While there are no current plans to release Dark Art as a podcast novel, I am crafting two novella-length, podcast-exclusive works to celebrate its release.

In a "first-ever in publishing" innovative twist, these complementary stories are prequel tales. The first to see release, Personal Effects: Sword of Blood, will debut in May. Chronologically, this novella takes place in late October 2008, a week before the events seen in Dark Art.

Sword of Blood follows the adventures of Brinkvale Psychiatric art therapist Zach Taylor as he pursues a deadly secret concerning Gertrude "Spindle" Spindler, a relentlessly cheerful elderly woman with a dark past. Confined to Brinkvale for life, Spindle has crafted what she calls "the grand design of nine," and invites young Zach to unwind its meaning. Zach soon descends into a world of mystery, psychics and hidden subcultures...

Below is a sneak peek of Personal Effects: Sword of Blood, an unedited excerpt that describes the horrific setting for the Personal Effects series: the subterranean Brinkvale Psychiatric hospital, strangely known by locals as "The Brink." You'll soon learn why, as you take a tour of one of the facility's most disturbed levels...

Chapter Three

The rest of the afternoon was spent scanning patient artwork, posting it to the “special programs” section at Brinkvale’s website, and making my rounds in the deepest patient level in The Brink. Somewhere along the past century, this eighth sub-floor of Brinkvale acquired the nickname Golgotha, after the place where Jesus Christ was killed. Rumor has it that a priest who once worked here named it so because Golgotha was a place that sparked eventual rebirth.

The priest was also apparently addicted to self-administered electroshock therapy, so I take that interpretation with a proverbial grain of salt.

This level of The Brink was reserved for the violent, mind-shattered lifers that no other New York institution wanted. They rarely had family. They never had visitors. When Freddy Krueger has nightmares, these are the people he dreams of.

My heart breaks when I come here. From a therapist’s perspective, It’s exhausting work. A great many of these people are too sick to understand that they’re sick. Others never unlearned their predatory, destructive proclivities, and never wanted to. A handful had made breakthroughs years ago, and were now trapped here, wracked and wailing with guilt, damned for the rest of their days.

In this criminally underfunded and understaffed facility, Golgotha was the floor that received the fewest resources. If you want to step a century into the past and see what living in a madhouse was like, just hit the “8” button on Brinkvale’s elevator. The screams alone will make your skin crawl right off your bones...

--J.C.

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