Holy Clone Line, Batman! J.C.'s received more than 20 calls on the Clone Line in the past few weeks, and he plays them all in this special feedback episode. Wanna be a part of the fun? Easy peasy! Call 206-984-2566 with your reactions to the story!
MOP Audio Dispatch: Operation Start The Presses! /
Another ambitious mission awaits you! Natasha, voice of the 7th Son Ministry of Propaganda, commands you to participate in MOP mission #4, code-named "Operation Start the Presses!"
Complete 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 a cameo in the forthcoming “Ops Center” room in the 7th Son Virtual Tour, or a cool MOP T-shirt from GeekLabel.com!
Transmission ends.
7th Son Ministry Of Propaganda ~ Domination Through Replication ~
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
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."
BOOK TWO: Chapter 24 /
J.C. briefs listeners on a great one-shot 7th Son crossover with another podiobook, the spectacular new listener-created AURORA aircraft designs, a new computer wallpaper at the Listener-Created Content Download Center and more!
EPISODE INTRO BY: Ron Glass
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Gigi Edgley
SYNOPSIS: Events escalate at Brownlow Point.
Meet Gigi Edgley at these cool conventions in the near future:
PROMO: Heaven: Season One
TEASER: The Silk Code
PROMO: Computer King's Arena
BOOK TWO: Chapter 23 /
Last week's episode was the calm before the storm. After the chapter, J.C. makes some announcements, including: More additions to the 7th Son/GeekLabel Beta Clone Army page; new 2007 designs at the 7th Son GeekLabel store, and even more content at the Listener-Created Content Download Center!
EPISODE INTRO BY: Rich Sigrfit
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Alan Dean Foster
SYNOPSIS: In Prophecy, Special(k) makes an ultimatum. Jack plots his escape.
Check out Wired Pig's web banners page for J.C. and Scott Sigler!
J.C. has appeared/will appear on these podcasts:
PROMO: Jonathan Sherwood's Under the Graying Sea
PROMO: The Gigcast
PROMO: The Failed Cities Monologues
7th Son, Book One: Delirious /
In my world, parody is the sincerest form of flattery, so I was honored when the brilliantly-funny Clinton told me that he was going to poke fun of 7S in his podcast, Comedy4Cast. I'm tickled beyond words by how his parody turned out. Not only has Clinton nailed my writing style -- he also does a pitch-perfect mimic of my voice and cadence!
I simply had to share this with 7S listeners. Enjoy! And for the love of all that is good in this world, subscribe to Clinton's amazing podcast. He’s the funniest fellow in the podosphere.
BOOK TWO: Chapter 22 /
It's a short chapter this week, but J.C. announces some new listener-created content at his website, a noteworthy development for 7th Son-listening Linux users, and a two convention appearances in the upcoming weeks.
EPISODE INTRO BY: Lynne and Cat from the Lipstick Aliens podcast
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Cory Doctorow
SYNOPSIS: At Arctic Village, Josephine explains the significance of Brownlow Point and the DEWline. The clones say goodbye ... and learn a secret moments later.
UK listeners, check out: White Noise: The Light
Promo: The Scott Fuller Show Promo: The Plitone Revisionist
Promo: The Fun-Filled Podcast
Kilroy2.0 Syndrome /
Listener (and talented writer!) P.G. Holyfield recently created this remarkable audio skit, and enlisted the assistance of some remarkable podcasters, including:
Not all of these brilliant, generous folk made the final cut of this version of the skit. You can visit the Audio section of the Fan-Created Content Download Center to download the original extended version of the performance.
This contribution is too funny! Thanks to P.G. & Co. for creating such a memorable and fun skit!
BOOK TWO: Chapter 21 /
J.C. wastes no time getting into the new chapter! A few words about ENDGAME and more listener-created goodies come after the story.
EPISODE INTRO BY: Lee from the Digital Media Center For The Arts, Yale University
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Helen Keir
SYNOPSIS: Jack, Father Thomas and Kilroy2.0 solve a riddle ... which sends them to an unexpected locale. A new villain says hello. An ultimatum is made.
Promo: GeekLabel Podcast
BOOK TWO: Clone Line Feedback Episode #1 /
BOOK TWO: Chapter 20 /
It's the first chapter of 2007 -- and the beginning of the end! The third act of the novel begins. Big announcements at episode's end, including the new contest by J.C. and Scott Sigler, more listener-created content available for download, and a sneak peak at some of the amazing "The Story So Far..." recap readers to come!
EPISODE INTRO BY: Denise Crosby
THE STORY SO FAR BY: SHARE THE PAIN winner Chris Hvidsten
SYNOPSIS: John and Dr. Mike land at Arctic Village, Alaska. The clones meet an unlikely ally, learn about a villain's past -- and take one step closer to finding John Alpha.
Promo: One Among the Sleepless
Promo: Five-Minute Memoir
BOOK TWO: 7th Son: Interlude Episode #1 /
There's no new chapter this week -- J.C. Hutchins has poor post-holiday time management skills -- but there's tons of great info in this special "Interlude" episode about: listener-created content, new features at JCHutchins.net, an update on the MOP, capitalist swag, and more! Plus, J.C. proclaims 2007 "Year of the Clone," and outlines plans for the new year.
- New section at the website: Listener-Created Content Download Center!
- New photos at the 7th Son/GeekLabel Beta Clone Army Gallery!
- More than 130 Agents of the Ministry! See them at the MOP's Agents page!
J.C. has appeared/will appear on these great podcasts:
J.C. shows muchly love to:
John Alpha's New Year's Resolutions /
It's the end of 2006, and even super-criminals like John Alpha need to plan for the new year. Thankfully, longtime 7th Son fan Manata found this video of Alpha making his new year's resolutions ... and sent it to J.C. to share with you. This movie's overflowing with 7S in-jokes, and I'm thrilled that Manata made the time to share this. Have a happy new year, everybody!
Direct link to the original high-res WMV can be found here.
The Twelve Days of Clonemas /
Have a great holiday, everybody!
BOOK TWO: Chapters 18 & 19 /
J.C. chats about the new Beta Clone Army Gallery, gives an update about the new MOP Mission, plays more Clone Line (206-984-2566) calls, and gets a little sentimental about the year's end.
EPISODE INTRO BY: Summer Glau
THE STORY SO FAR BY: C.C. Chapman
SYNOPSIS: The Beta clones leave the 7th Son facility to pursue Alpha. Gen. Hill's "very special" aircraft are revealed. A mystery greets Kilroy, Father Thomas and Jack in Texas.
Meet Beta Clone #10 (P.G. Holyfield), Beta Clone #20 (Mur Lafferty) and Beta Clone #23 (Leann Mabry) at the new 7S/GeekLabel Beta Clone Army Gallery!
Promo: Cool contest at The Signal podcast
Promo: Number One With A Bullet
Promo: Starship Sofa
Promo: Planet Retcon Radio
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.
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 ~
Scott Sigler vs. Scott Sigler! /
Behold, the first VIDEO posted here at JCHutchins.net! This video was sent to J.C. by a 7th Son listener who insists he's the "real" Scott Sigler (and not the novelist Scott Sigler, author of The Rookie). This man is a professional clown -- he goes by the name "Mookie" -- and has been in the business for many years.
It appears that Real Sigler has had enough of the novelist's twisted stories, which are damaging Real Sigler's cheerful, clownly reputation. Real Sigler is about to get his revenge. This video details Mookie's wrath ... with a nice surprise twist that 7th Son fans will enjoy.
BOOK TWO: Chapter 17 /
Winners of the Ministry of Propaganda "Capitalist Swag" drawing are announced, more Clone Line (206-984-2566) calls, amazing listener-created goodies at the website, and more!
EPISODE INTRO BY: Peter David
THE STORY SO FAR BY: Adam from the MacCast
SYNOPSIS: The repercussions of Alpha's coup in the 7th Son facility become more clear. The Betas talk strategy, and unlock another clue.
Promo: Fanboy Smackdown podcast
Promo: JoshMeister’s LOST podcast
Promo: Riding A Wheelie podcast
Promo: Pickle News service
Link to Yvette’s online jewelry shop