Author featured in NYTimes article

J.C. Hutchins was recently interviewed by The New York Times reporter Andrew Adam Newman about podcast fiction -- and the story is now live at the paper's website. (Update: You can find a PDF of the story here.)

For Times readers who are visiting JCHutchins.net for the first time, welcome! If you'd like to download the free audiobooks 7th Son, Book One: Descent or Book Two: Deceit, please visit this page to learn more. Also included is a primer on this newfangled trend called "podcasting."

Also mentioned in the feature are fellow podnovelists Scott Sigler, Mark Jeffrey and Tee Morris. Evo Terra, founder of Podiobooks.com, is also quoted in the story.

A quick message to the 20,000+ listeners of 7th Son: Thank you. You have been cheering J.C. on for more than a year. He appreciates the support and evangelism more than you'll ever know. Let's see if this takes the trilogy one step closer to publication!

MOP Mission #4: Operation Start The Presses!

Comrades, there are six more weeks until Book Two: Deceit concludes, and it's time to put the hammer (and sickle) down on our promotion. Your new mission for the Ministry? Mob the media. Infiltrate the press. We're gunning for mainstream newspaper coverage ... and we need your help in a major way. For this mission, you're more than Agents of the Ministry -- you're PRESS AGENTS of the Ministry. 7th Son may not be in print form, but there's no reason it can't be mentioned your local print media!

YOUR ORDERS Contact a features reporter or the features editor of your local mainstream newspaper or alternative weekly. Email them the letter found below. Be sure to cc: Natasha ( 7thSonMOP@gmail.com ) in the email. That's it.

Download the letter! (simple text file; copy/paste into email)

YOUR GOAL Maximum exposure for 7th Son -- and the "The Story So Far" celebrities appearing in these final Book Two episodes -- in traditional media.

THE SPECIFICS 7th Son author J.C. Hutchins was once a journalist, so he knows some DOs and DON'Ts when it comes to contacting newspaper folk. Please follow these guidelines when sending your email:

• DO personalize the email. (Example: "Dear Mr./Ms. Smith...")
• DO send the email to appropriate contacts. (Features reporters/editors, Books reporters/editors. NOT sports, business, editor-in-chief, etc.)
• DO NOT send mass email, should you choose to contact more than one person at a publication. Please send individually personalized emails to each reporter/editor.
• DO NOT send follow-up email, or pester the contact. (Reporters hate this.) If the reporter is interested in covering 7th Son, he/she will contact J.C. directly.

If you cannot find the email address for a local reporter/editor, take three minutes to call the publication and ask. No need to pitch the story over the phone; just get the info and skedaddle. Email's the contact method of choice. It's free, timely and efficient.

Download the letter! (simple text file; copy/paste into email)

YOUR REWARD Since the Ministry is asking you to do some hefty footwork on this mission, the 7th Son swag up for grabs is mighty indeed! Complete the mission by Sunday, Feb. 25 and become eligible for these prizes:

Five lucky agents will win a personal cameo in the 7th Son experience! Your portrait will be featured as a 7th Son facility "Employee of the Month" in the forthcoming 7th Son Facility VR Tour "Ops Center" room. Ministry architect Martin Parrott will forever immortalize you in this new VR! You'll be a part of the story!

Five runner-up agents will win free wicked MOP T-shirts from GeekLabel.com, the official clothier of 7th Son! Winners will be announced on the Tuesday, Feb. 27 episode of 7th Son.

THE MINISTRY IS YOUR FRIEND Do you need assistance in finding the website and email addresses for your capitalist local media? The Ministry is here to help! Dig these links for more info:

For U.S. residents
Links to mainstream
U.S. newspapers
Links to U.S. alt-weeklies

For Canadian residents
Links to mainstream Canadian newspapers

For U.K. residents
Links to mainstream U.K. publications
More links

For European residents

For all 7th Son fans

FINAL WORDS, COMRADE Remember: You must CC Natasha at 7thSonMOP@gmail.com in your email to be eligible for Agent status (and the killer swag). Deadline for prize eligibility is Sunday, Feb. 25.

Good luck, agent! Go forth and take your evangelism to the mass media!

Transmission ends.

The 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda ~ Domination Through Replication ~

Serialized audiobook to conclude with plot twists, celebrity cameos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 10, 2007

CONTACT: J.C. Hutchins, 7thSonNovel@gmail.com

Download PDF version of release here.

To celebrate the conclusion of one of the most popular serialized audiobooks on the Internet, celebrities from science-fiction publishing and television will appear as special guest readers in author J.C. Hutchins' novel, "7th Son: Deceit."

"Deceit" is the second book in Hutchins' acclaimed 7th Son "podcast novel" trilogy. Released as free weekly audio downloads to about 20,000 listeners worldwide, 7th Son is a technothriller about human cloning, the recording of human memories, and a conspiracy sparked by the assassination of the U.S. president.

As "Deceit" enters its final episodes, listeners will be treated to celebrity cameos at the beginning of each chapter. The celebrities are recapping the novel's previous events, bringing the audience up to date on the story.

Special guest readers in January through March include:

Nick Sagan, author of the science fiction novels "Idlewild," "Edenborn" and "Everfree." Sagan has also written episodes for "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Voyager." Son of astronomer Carl Sagan, it is Nick's "Hello from the children of Earth" greeting that was recorded and placed on the Voyager space probes' golden records. "Everfree" will be available in paperback this April.

Ron Glass, Emmy-nominated actor best known as the charming Detective Ron Harris in the TV series "Barney Miller," and for his compelling role in the cult sci-fi series "Firefly" as Derrial Book, a preacher with a mysterious past.

Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author renowned for his novels set in the "Star Wars" universe, and co-author of the acclaimed "Dune" prequel series. His works also include the "Saga of the Seven Suns" series, and the Nebula Award-nominated "Assemblers of Infinity."

Alan Dean Foster, writer of the upcoming "Transformers" movie tie-in novel, and author of more than 40 science-fiction and fantasy novels including "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" tie-ins, and fan-favorite originals such as the "Commonwealth" series and the "Dinotopia" series.

Cory Doctorow, John W. Campbell Award-winning author of the new short story collection "Overclocked;" co-editor for the popular culture blog, BoingBoing.net; author of the novels "Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom," "Eastern Standard Tribe" and others.

Gigi Edgley, actress acclaimed for her role as Chiana on the Sci Fi Channel series "Farscape." Edgley was nominated in 2006 for Best Actress in a Motion Picture by the Film Critics Circle of Australia for her performance in "Last Train to Freo."

Robin Furth, author of "The Dark Tower: A Complete Concordance," the official encyclopedic resource for Stephen King's acclaimed epic "Dark Tower" fantasy series. Furth is currently plotting the new "Dark Tower" comic book series from Marvel Entertainment.

Helen Keier, co-author of the "Star Wars New Essential Guide to Alien Species." She is also a blogger at StarWars.com, and a freelance editorial consultant for Lucasfilm Publishing.

"It is an honor to invite so many talented, creative stars in the science-fiction community to appear on the podcast," author J.C. Hutchins said. "This is another first in podcasting. The ending of 'Deceit' won't be remembered for just the story's action and plot twists. The caliber of these entertainers enhances the listening experience."

Anderson, Foster, Doctorow and the other guests are the latest in a series of 7th Son cameos from veteran science-fiction entertainers. Past celebrity readers have included actor Nathan Fillion (star of the TV series "Firefly" and recent guest star on ABC's "LOST"), Jeph Loeb (writer/producer of NBC's "Heroes") and award-winning sci-fi/fantasy novelists Robert J. Sawyer, Mike Resnick, Tracy R. Hickman and others. Patrick Lussier, editor of film thrillers "Red Eye" and the "Scream" trilogy appeared in the novel, as has director George Romero and sci-fi/horror novelist Scott Sigler.

This event is the author's most recent innovation in podcast fiction. To mark the debut of "Deceit" in September 2006, Hutchins hosted a launch party for the novel in the popular online community Second Life. This was the first event of its kind for any novel. Hutchins' website features artwork, music, fiction, videos and "virtual reality" tours based on scenes in the books -- all created by fans.

7th Son, a free weekly podcast, is the most popular "podiobook" series in history. 7th Son is the #1 most-popular program at the podcast directory PodcastPickle.com, and is listed as a Top 20 podcast in iTunes' Literature category. The first novel in the series -- titled "Descent" -- was nominated for two podcast fiction awards. The novel has been featured on such popular blogs as BoingBoing.net and MissSnark.com.

"7th Son, Book Two: Deceit" and "Book One: Descent" can be found at www.JCHutchins.net and at www.Podiobooks.com.

###

About the novel: 7th Son is the story of seven strangers who have been brought together after the recent assassination of the U.S. president. These men quickly discover they all appear to be the same man ... with identical childhood memories.

Unwitting participants in a human cloning experiment, these "John Michael Smiths" have been assembled to catch the man who murdered the president. Their target? The man they were cloned from; the original John Michael Smith, code-named "John Alpha."

MOP Audio Dispatch: Operation Baby Can You Digg It?

It's a new mission from Natasha, voice of the 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda. Natasha commands you to participate in MOP mission #3, code-named "Operation Baby, Can You Digg It?" Complete both parts of this mission, and you'll land your name on the coveted Agents of the Ministry page. Plus, you will be entered in a drawing for more capitalist swag. Transmission ends.

7th Son Ministry Of Propaganda ~Domination Through Replication~

MOP Mission #3: Operation Baby, Can You Digg It?

Once again, it is time to spread the 7th Son message to the masses, comrades. If you're up to date with the episodes in Book Two: Deceit, you've probably heard the announcement about the very cool 7th Son facility "Virtual Tour." Not only is this a pixel-perfect representation of the 7th Son facility, but this VR tour is also the first of its kind in podcast fiction. Never before have listeners of a podiobook been able to pan, zoom and interact with an environment like the one at JCHutchins.net.

Now it's time to tell the world about it. This mission requires you to infiltrate two battlefronts.

Battlefront One: Click the link below. It will send you a story at Digg.com about the Virtual Tour. Digg.com is a popular user-driven site that covers tech and culture.

> Take me to Digg.com!

While at this page, you will "digg" the story by clicking the digg it icon near the headline. Your "digg" will boost this story's ranking at Digg.com, which will increase its visibility to visitors who know nothing about 7th Son. These people will check out the Virtual Tour. They will likely be smitten by its coolness. They, too, will digg the story.

If enough Agents of the Ministry digg it, 7th Son may appear on the homepage of Digg.com -- prime real estate for new listeners. And if the digging continues, the story may be mentioned on DiggNation, one of the most popular podcasts on the planet. Can you say "captive capitalist audience?" Da. Which brings us to...

...Battlefront Two: Your friends. Once you've dugg the story, send an email to as many friends as you can, encouraging them to also digg it. Send them the link above. Tell them to tell their friends, and so on. The goal: 1,000 diggs. Can you do your part? Natasha and the Ministry of Propaganda are counting on you!

Please note that you must register for an account at Digg.com in order to digg the story. If you are not registered at Digg, please click here. It's free and painless, and Digg never sends spam. They're one of the good guys.

You must complete this mission and send Natasha an email (at 7thSonMOP@gmail.com ) with your compliance by Jan. 1, 2007. Five lucky Agents of the Ministry will be selected to win a classy, durable ceramic tile coaster featuring the MOP logo. Now you can brainwash your friends during cocktails! Vodka, anyone?

Good luck, comrade! Now get Digging!

Transmission ends.

The 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda ~ Domination Through Replication ~

SEE the 7th Son facility!

You've heard the descriptions of the 7th Son facility ... but now you can experience the facility in an entirely new way. Thanks to longtime 7th Son fan Martin Parrott, you can now see (and interact) with the facility in the groundbreaking 7th Son Virtual Tour. It's another podcasting first, so be a part of history and see what you've been hearing about for the past 30-ish chapters!

Special thanks to VR samurai Martin Parrott and code shaman Chris Miller for the creation and integration of the tour into this site.

MOP Audio Dispatch: Operation Burn, Baby Burn

Meet Natasha, the voice of the 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda. Natasha briefs you on the latest mission for the Ministry, code-named "Operation Burn, Baby, Burn." Distribute five CDs of 7th Son and get your name on the coveted Agents of the Ministry page. Distribute more, and you'll be eligible to win some killer capitalist swag.

Find instructions for mission #2 here, comrade. Transmission ends.

7th Son Ministry Of Propaganda ~Domination Through Replication~

MOP Mission #2: Operation Burn, Baby, Burn

Your objective: Download the first episode of 7th Son, Book One: Descent. (Link is below.) Burn five CDs. Be sure to write this information on the CDs:

• The name of the book, "7th Son"
• The words "A free audio podcast novel"
• And this website address: 7thSonTrilogy.com

And then get rid of them. Give them to friends. Pass them out at a coffee shop, a record store, or donate them to the local library. Send an email to 7thSonMOP@gmail.com explaining what you did, and boom, you'll be rewarded by having your name posted on the ever-growing Agents of the Ministry page.

But if you burn and distribute more than five CDs, that's where things get interesting. It's time to give away some Ministry of Propaganda swag, and people who go above the call of duty will be eligible to win two prizes: A Ministry of Propaganda coffee mug -- with the Ministry's logo printed on the side -- or any shirt of your choice at the 7th Son store at GeekLabel.com.

Here's how it works: Burn and distribute 10 CDs, report back to the ministry, and your name goes in the hat to win a Ministry of Propaganda coffee mug. Burn and distribute 20 or more CDs, and you'll get a chance at winning a 7th Son shirt of your choice. Remember to send your "mission completed" reports to: 7thSonMOP@gmail.com.

Drawing for the prizes will be on Sunday, Dec. 10 ... so be sure to complete this mission before then.

Right-click here to download the MP3!

To download MP3: Right-click the text above and select “Download Linked File” (or similar option) from the drop-down menu.

Click here to download fan-created CD labels!

To download CD labels: Click the text above. A .zip archive will begin to download automatically. Big thanks to Martin and Big-O for creating these labels to share with other 7th Son fans!

Transmission ends.

The 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda ~ Domination Through Replication ~

MOP Mission #1: Operation Firefly

Agents-to-be, the Ministry of Propaganda demands your attention. We have concocted an easy-breezy "fast track" method for your induction into the Agents of the Ministry.

"Firefly" and "Serenity" star (and recent "LOST" guest star) Nathan Fillion will be reading a The Story So Far... recap for the Nov. 14 episode of 7th Son. The Ministry has deemed this event as noteworthy, and considers its release into the world as a High Priority.

What do you do? Transmit a message via email about 7th Son (and Fillion's appearance) at least one of your comrades who doesn't listen to podcasts. Especially effective targets can be science-fiction fans, "Firefly" or "LOST" fans. Tell them a little about 7th Son and why you like it. CC the Ministry of Propaganda on the email -- 7thSonMOP@gmail.com -- and you will become an Agents of the Ministry. You've just played a big role in furthering the cause of the 7th Son Experience.

Transmission ends.

The 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda ~ Domination Through Replication ~

Welcome to the Ministry of Propaganda

Comrades, the time has come to take our evangelism of the 7th Son experience to the masses. The goals: New listeners. Mentions in the blogosphere. Media coverage. Agents are needed to distribute this message to the battlefield. Agents like you. 7th Son fans who help in the cause cannot be paid, but they will be rewarded for their hard work. If you spread the word about 7th Son, you will become an Agent of the Ministry. Your name (and links to your website, blog, band, etc.) will be posted on the esteemed Agents of the Ministry page, here at this site. You will also be eligible to win exclusive 7th Son swag not available to the masses.

Will you join the revolution, comrades? The Ministry of Propaganda isn't just looking for a few good men and women. It's looking for all of you good men and women.

Postions Available In the Ministry 1) The Ministry is recruiting kind, creative folks who work in media, public relations and marketing. These are savvy 7th Son enthusiasts who can spend an hour or so a week assisting the Ministry in spreading the word about the podcast, and contacting industry professionals who can "make things happen." The Ministry wants to invite more ubercool special guests such as Nathan Fillion to read "The Story So Far..." recaps. It wants to expose 7th Son to mainstream journalists and bloggers via press kits and press releases. Can you use your expertise to further the cause?

These aren't paid positions, but the Ministry will place your name at the top of the Agents of the Ministry page, along with text/logo of your marketing/PR/media company (if you work for one). Links to your company/service will also be posted. Quid pro quo is a good thing.

2) The Ministry is recruiting graphic design visionaries. These are the brilliant folk who can occasionally create cool graphics for this website, or design brilliant flyers for the 7th Ave. Street Team (now a sub-group of the Ministry of Propaganda). You talents are coveted by the Ministry, and are needed. Can you push some pixels for 7th Son?

These also aren't paid positions, but the Ministry will place your name in a special section of the Agents of the Ministry page, along with text/logo of your graphic design (if you work for one). Links to your company/service will also be posted.

3) The Ministry is recruiting YOU. You don't need a degree in marketing to be an Agent of the Ministry. You've got an email account. Or a MySpace page. Or a blog. That means you can help.

The Ministry is compiling a Mailing List for 7th Son fans ... and in those periodical mailings you will receive tiny, five-minutes-or-less "missions" to help spread the word about 7th Son announcements and milestones. Your involvement won't take up much time -- but you'll play the most important role of all. You're the front line, taking the message to the masses.

If you spread the word and can show the Ministry that you've done so, you become an Agent of the Ministry, and will be listed on the Agents of the Ministry page ... with links to your site, blog, band, whatever. Particularly rabid Agents will be eligible for exclusive 7th Son swag not available to the masses. More on this in a few weeks.

So, comrade. Are you ready to help create an army of new 7th Son fans? Fill out the form below to add your name to the 7th Son mailing list ... or to volunteer your creative services to spread the word!

The 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda ~ Domination Through Replication ~

Sci-Fi star to make cameo on hit podcast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov. 1, 2006

CONTACT: J.C. Hutchins, 7thSonNovel@gmail.com

Download PDF version of release here.

Fresh from the first-ever launch party for a novel in the online community Second Life, the 7th Son podcast novel trilogy has achieved another "first" in podcast history: Actor Nathan Fillion, star of the TV sci-fi series "Firefly" and film "Serenity," will appear in the free audionovel 7th Son, Book Two: Deceit on Nov. 14 as a special guest reader.

Fillion, whose future projects include appearances in this season of ABC's hit series "LOST" and the lead role in the supernatural thriller film "White Noise: The Light," will read a segment at the beginning of the Nov. 14 episode. Called "The Story So Far...", this segment recaps events of the novel's previous episode.

This is the first time Fillion has appeared in a podcast novel, and may be the first time the actor has recorded original content for any podcast.

While Fillion is best known for his role as Capt. Malcolm Reynolds in the TV series "Firefly," 7th Son author J.C. Hutchins has admired the actor's work since he appeared in Steven Spielberg's 1998 film, "Saving Private Ryan."

"It's an absolute honor to have Nathan on the podcast," Hutchins said. "Folks best know him as a well-grounded hero in a science-fiction epic. 7th Son -- a reality-driven sci-fi thriller -- is a good fit for his cameo. Current listeners of 7th Son will love his 'previously on' reading ... but this also provides a terrific reason for new listeners to hop aboard."

Fillion's appearance is the latest in a series of "very special" guest readers for Book Two: Deceit. Best-selling science fiction, fantasy and comic book writers have also appeared on the podcast, including: Robert J. Sawyer (Mindscan, the Hugo-award winning Neanderthal Parallax trilogy), Mike Resnick (Santiago, the Starship series), Tracy R. Hickman (Dragonlance series), Jeph Loeb (writer/co-executive producer for NBC's "Heroes," Batman: The Long Halloween) and Mark Waid (Superman: Birthright, Kingdom Come). Patrick Lussier (film editor for the "Scream" horror trilogy, and film director for "Dracula 2000") also recently read a recap for the novel.

7th Son, a free weekly podcast, is the most popular "podiobook" series in history. More than 11,000 listeners currently tune in each week to hear new chapters of the thriller. 7th Son is the #1 most popular program at the podcast directory PodcastPickle.com, and is listed in iTunes as one of the Top 25 podcasts in its Literature category. The first novel in the series -- titled Descent -- was nominated for numerous awards for excellence in podcast fiction. The novel has also been featured on such popular blogs as BoingBoing.net and MissSnark.com.

ABOUT 7th SON: 7th Son is a free weekly podcast novel. The story chronicles the lives of seven strangers who have been brought together after the recent assassination of the U.S. president. These men quickly discover they all appear to be the same man, with identical childhood memories. Unwitting participants in a human cloning experiment, these "John Michael Smiths" have been assembled to catch the man who murdered the president. Their target? The man they were cloned from ... the original John Michael Smith, code-named "John Alpha."

7th Son, Book Two: Deceit and Book One: Descent can be found at www.JCHutchins.net, and at www.Podiobooks.com.

Slowwww downloads

Hey faithful 7th Son listeners ... a lot of you have been contacting me about troubles with the RSS feed, super-slow downloads, etc. I've looked at settings on my end, and all seems well. It appears as if Libsyn, my media hosting company, has been experiencing some issues. From the company's support site:

Media Delivery Wed, 25 October 2006 Slow Downloads

Hello. We received some emails reporting slow downloads. We've noticed some congestion on one of our servers and are looking into the problem as this post is being written. We hope to have it cleared up soon. Thanks for your patience.

So there you have it, guys. Thanks for your concern, and your patience!

Welcome, BoingBoing and In The Grid readers!

Here's a big hiya to anyone who's checking out 7th Son, thanks to the recent 7S-related posts made at the Second Life culture blog In The Grid and at BoingBoing! I’m hope you'll not only attend the Second Life launch party for the forthcoming 7th Son, Book Two: Deceit podiobook, but also take a listen to Book One: Descent.

Please visit my Subscribe page to learn more about how you can receive the entire first novel in audio form for free. The novel is available here, and at the exceptional Podiobooks.com site.

And feel free to explore this site to learn more about the novel, manually download episodes from the archive (found here on the home page), or download exclusive 7th Son fan-created content such as wallpapers, screen savers and more. And don't hesitate to contact me with questions or feedback.

In addition to the cool preview pictures in the In The Grid article, here’s a sneak peek of the 7th Son “Beta clone” avatars that you’ll see (and become!) at the launch party in Second Life!

Welcome to the world of 7th Son! Book Two: Deceit will debut next Tuesday, Sept. 26!

First In the Grid and BoingBoing. Now....?

If you're a new visitor to JCHutchins.net thanks to recent coverage in Second Life Insider and Compatible World, welcome! I hope you’ll make the time to visit the Second Life launch party for part two in the 7th Son podcast novel trilogy, Deceit. The official debut of the novel is next Tuesday, Sept. 26. If you want to partake in the week-by-week release of Book Two (and not feel lost in the story), please download the first 7th Son novel, Descent. It's available for free here at this site and at Podiobooks.com. Visit this page for more information.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you enjoy the plethora of freebies here -- and I hope you enjoy the story!

Big trouble ... averted

Hey kids ... can't blog for long. Just wanted to apologize for being incommunicado for the past week. My computer went the way of the dodo late last week, and I'm just now clawing my way back into the digital age. I'm not sure how this setback will affect the release date of Book Two. I'm going to do my best to stick to the Sept. 26 release schedule. Cross your fingers!

More to come, 7th Son fans....

--J.C.

An update ... and a cool article

Hey guys. I'm still alive ... and I'm working on a brief "hiatus 'cast," which I hope to release into the wild sometime this weekend. In the meantime, dig this story at CNET's News.com:

Headline: Scientists erase rat's memory

"Scientists at MIT have managed to erase the long-term memories of rats, in a first-ever experiment that could lead to medical treatments for humans, according to a report from the New Scientist.

"In the experiment, neuroscientists from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory targeted the hippocampus, an area of the brain that's key to forming and maintaining memory. They manipulated synapses in the rat's hippocampus in order to erase long-term memories..."

Yeesh. NEPTH-charge, anyone?

Join ... THE CLONE ARMY!

Listener Jacob recently rocked my world by generously offering to create a 7th Son fan group at MySpace. I gave the dude my blessing, and voila!, a place now exists for 7th Son fans to discuss the novel, swap plot theories, the works. It's called "The Beta Clone Army," and you can find it here. You can also click the logo that's currently at the top of the homepage at JCHutchins.net. So head over to The Beta Clone Army MySpace group and become a member! Dig the current topics and add replies if you like. Or start all-new forums with your own topics! Who knows? I might swing by and add my two cents, to boot!

As always, it's free. So enjoy -- and be sure to thank Jason while you're over there!

7th Son street team ... any takers?

I've lately been toying with the idea of creating a 7th Son street team, in which 7th Son fans become evangelists by distributing 7S flyers in the "real world" -- on campuses, community bulletin boards, telephone poles, the works. I tapped my talented friend Jo to create a prototype flyer, and I'm thrilled with the end product. The goal of this flyer (and others, if this gets off the ground) is to evoke intrigue, and motivate folks to visit my website for more information. Here's a quick peek at Jo's image, a deliciously diabolical nod to 7th Son's prologue:

Right now, plans for a 7th Son street team are nebulous ... but that can quickly change with your feedback. Would you be interested in participating in a real-world viral marketing campaign such as this? Give me a holler at 7thsonnovel@gmail.com if you're willing to be a solider in the 7S street team.

Finally, if there are graphic designers out there who'd like to contribute to flyer creation, I'd also love to hear from you.

Welcome, Everything2 readers!

Just want to give a quick nod of appreciation to any Everything2 readers who've stopped by, thanks to Robwicks' very flattering review of 7th Son on that extremely cool site. Robwicks had some nice things to say about 7th Son, including: "The story is one of madness, cloning, and government cover-ups. ... I have found the story completely gripping in a manner few books, written or spoken, have been. This is, so far, an impressive debut for a young author, and I look forward to many more hours of rapt listening (and hopefully, eventually, reading) to Hutchins' work."

I've already profusely thanked Robwicks for his kind comments -- but I want to thank you Everything2 readers for stopping by! Check out the episode archive and the site's exclusive special features. Email/IM/Skype me with any questions you may have. Thanks for joining the descent!

Welcome, Josh In Japan listeners!

Hot damn! If you're here because of the transcendentally cool testimonial that Josh from the amazing Josh In Japan podcast gave in his most recent episode, all I can say is welcome ... and I hope 7th Son lives up to your expectations! Now I'm a fan of Josh's show, and I've always thought he was a cool guy. But he just hit "minor deity" status in my book after he said these wonderful things about 7S:

"I cannot stand podiobooks. I've tried listening to a couple, and they've bored me to death. I couldn't get past the first ten minutes. ... I tried out 7th Son. The first chapter just blew my friggin' mind. I've never been able to say that about a podiobook, let alone a podcast. ... This book is just amazing. Every chapter is a cliffhanger, I can't believe it. ... I listened to the first six chapters in one night. ... Some books start out really strong and die out quickly. This book just keeps on going and going. ... I don't vouch for many podcasts, but this is one you gotta check out."

I'm totally stoked by the cool feedback. Thanks a million, Josh! And new listeners: Thanks for stopping by. Poke around the site to check out archived episodes, and info on how to subscribe to the 'cast! And as Josh would say: Mata-ne!