On that day, the collected audience of more than 1,000 purchased so many copies of Brave Men Run, the book reached number #53 on the Amazon.com bestseller chart, #3 on the action-adventure chart, and #10 on the genre fiction chart. The book was also the #1 “mover and shaker” that day.

As a way of giving back to his fans on that amazing day, Selznick invited seven podcast fiction authors to contribute short stories set in his “Sovereign Era” superhero universe. Selznick performed live readings of these stories. This was an Internet, new media, and publishing first.

J.C. Hutchins was a contributor to this project. This story is the first piece of fiction Hutchins has released beyond his 7th Son trilogy. This video is Selznick’s reading, captured from the event’s live video feed.

For more information about Brave Men Run and Selznick’s work, visit BraveMenRun.com. Enjoy!

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The entire book is here for download, in digital format.

It’s all a part of the ambitious “Double Trouble” campaign promoting the release of both Pip’s novel and Tee Morris’ book, The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery. The mission: to storm Amazon.com on 08-08-08, buy both fantasy novels like crazy, and push their titles up the charts! This free PDF of Digital Magic (and the PDF of Pitcher’s Pendant, which was released yesterday) gives you a delicious taste of the books before you purchase them on August 8.

Pip and Tee are pulling out the stops to tell the world about “Double Trouble,” but they need your help. Show your support by displaying snappy desktop wallpapers, blog banners, or avatars for your Twitter or chat applications! Click here for details!

Enjoy the free PDF … and help make “Double Trouble” history on 08-08-08!

–J.C.

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This the entire book in digital format. According to Tee, you may review it for your blog or book review site, so long as you post the review on the week of August 8.

It’s all a part of the ambitious “Double Trouble” campaign promoting the release of both Tee’s novel and Philippa Ballantine’s sequel to Chasing the Bard, titled Digital Magic. The mission: to storm Amazon.com on 08-08-08, buy both fantasy novels like crazy, and push their titles up the charts! This free PDF of Pitcher’s Pendant (and the PDF of Digital Magic, which will drop in this feed tomorrow) gives you a delicious taste of the books before you purchase them on August 8.

Tee and Pip are pulling out the stops to tell the world about “Double Trouble,” but they need your help. Show your support by displaying snappy desktop wallpapers, blog banners, or avatars for your Twitter or chat applications! Click here for details!

Enjoy the free PDF … and help make “Double Trouble” history on 08-08-08!

–J.C.

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Please do yourself the favor of checking out Mark’s other fiction — the Shadow Falls audio drama series, Number One With A Bullet, Transistor Rodeo and much more — by visiting his website, MarkYoshimotoNemcoff.com.

And please send him an appreciative email for his OBSIDIAN story and stellar performance.

J.C. is mum during this episode’s outro, but the intro is bursting with “talky-talk” pimpage of J.C.’s recent appearances in the podosophere:

• J.C. reads a “The Story So Far” recap for the terrific New World Orders podiobook…
• …and schools One Minute How-To listeners on how to promote a podcast novel
• He also had a terrific interview with Carrie Runnals on her in-depth Words To Mouth podcast (episode 1 is here; episode 2 is here)
• J.C. talks podfiction and comic book movies on The Kid Dogg Show
• HollywoodJesus.com has released an extensive text interview with J.C.
• J.C. is also a recurring character in Mur Lafferty’s audio drama, The Takeover

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: The cast of The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd experience the blackout. You’ll giggle like a kid at this one!

PROMOS:

• “Double Trouble” promo with Tee Morris and Phillipa Ballantine (watch for an UltraCreatives interview with these brilliant folk very soon!)
• Seth Harwood’s new CrimeWAV crime fiction anthology
• Celebrate Soccergirl’s 300th (and final!) episode
• J.F. Lewis’ Staked print novel promo
• 65 Below podiobook by Basil Sands

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We take a slightly different look at the OBSIDIAN blackout in this episode, as we explore the (darkly) humorous side of things, and then wrap up the video with an epic machinima short film. This week’s content is both whimsical and ultra-creative, and J.C. Hutchins is proud to showcase it here.

Contributions by:

• Mur Lafferty
• Beth Case
• Montie Green and The Galactic Watchtower team

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: The conclusion to Nemesis, Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff’s two-part short story!

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This week sees the release of Love Thy Neighbor, written by J.C.’s Myxer.com co-worker and friend Jeffrey Sass. Jeff has written and produced for both film and television, with projects ranging from nationally-syndicated childrens’ programming to classic Troma films such as Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD. Jeff has also collaborated with William Shatner for a PC game based on Shatner’s TekWar novel series.

If you enjoyed this tale, send Jeff Sass and email at jwsass@gmail.com. You can also learn more about him at Sassholes.Blogspot.com and SocialNetworkingRehab.Blogspot.com.

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: The fourth episode in the “Voices From the Darkness” video series!

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So imagine my delight when I found this 40-minute lecture Stephenson recently gave to a roomful of lucky (and likely equally clever) folks back in May at London’s Gresham College. While the presentation’s title implies a snoozer (”Science Fiction as a Literary Genre”), it’s far from it. There’s talk of Aliens’ Ripley in here, as well as a celebration of geeks, sympathy for “mundanes” and a definition of the phrase “idea porn.” It’s a masterful, insightful, fun talk.

If you have 40 minutes to spare, take a gander his presentation. This is what being the smartest guy in the room looks like.

If streaming video ain’t your thing, visit this page to download the 350+MB video file, or audio file. (Links are on the right-hand side of the page.)

–J.C.

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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!

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The terrible “Hutchins Head Cold” — an unspeakable beast that rises and assaults me once every two years or so — struck last Friday, and I’ve been utterly worthless (and borderline voiceless) throughout the weekend. Since I didn’t have the pipes to deliver “talky talk” intro chatter, and didn’t have the mental acuity to do more than moan like a zombie, releasing OBSIDIAN content had to take a back seat.

I think I’m on the mend, so you’ll likely receive a new OBSIDIAN short-short tomorrow, complete with an intro by me. I’ll be a little congested (by dose iz still stubbed ub), but it’s better than nothing. I appreciate your patience, and hope you’ll tolerate a sick Hutch in your earbuds for tomorrow’s episode.

Time to guzzle some Nyquil. Here, watch these two awesome videos of talking cats. They are made of win.

–J.C.

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• Click here to listen to the OBSIDIAN-inspired Night Guy episode!

On to this week’s short story, titled Nemesis, written and narrated by Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff. This is the first part of an epic suspense-filled novellette; its conclusion will debut next week. If you like what you hear, be sure to email Mark and tell him so. You can find Mark’s contact information at MarkYoshimotoNemcoff.com.

In J.C.’s intro “talky talk,” he (doesn’t) pimp:

• John Alpha for President
• Cool deets about his new novel, Personal Effects: Dark Art, which can be heard in J.C.’s UltraCreatives interview with Matthew Wayne Selznick
• The easily-accessible blog post for the first installment in J.C.’s serialized text tale, 7th Son: Runner
• Two incredible must-read thrillers: Deep Storm by Lincoln Child and Hide by Lisa Gardner. He’s currently reading His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novick (good so far), and John Steakley’s Armor and Vampire$ are next in the queue

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: An incredible and poignant contribution from “The Bitterest Pill” creator Dan Klass, more “Voices from the Darkness” episodes, and — if J.C. can get his shit together — an OBSIDIAN Clone Line episode.

PROMOS:

• Guy David’s OBSIDIAN-themed Night Guy episode
• New World Orders podiobook
• Sci-Fi Dimensions podcast
• Interview for a Wizard podiobook

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).

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Listen to this killer promo personalized for 7th Son fans, in which Matt announces his ambitious plans to rush the Amazon charts on July 13 (the book’s release date), and the incredible all-day event he has planned to celebrate the release.

As part of this history-making LIVE event, Matt will read seven short stories set in the Brave Men Run universe, from some of the hottest names in podfiction, including:

• Mur Lafferty (”Playing For Keeps”)
• Nathan Lowell (The “Golden Age of the Solar Clipper” novels)
• Matt Wallace (”The Next Fix”)
• J.R. Blackwell (Voices of Tomorrow)
• Jared Axelrod (The Voice of Free Planet X)
• P.G. Holyfield (”Murder At Avedon Hill”)
• And … me.

As Matt mentions in this promo, this is the first time you’ll ever experience my non 7th Son-related fiction in any medium, so if you dig my stuff, it’s one more reason to attend Matt’s live event and support his hard (and excellent) work by purchasing a copy of Brave Men Run on July 13, at Amazon. Visit Matt’s site for all the details — and if you want to learn more about Matt and Brave Men Run, check out his recent interview on the UltraCreatives Interview Series.

• PURCHASE BRAVE MEN RUN ON JULY 13!

–J.C.

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From IMDBpro. Learn more about the towering horror author at ScottSigler.com.

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If you’re a contributor to this episode and want credit for your work, send J.C. an email using the link below.

FANS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Robert Gasperson

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).

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All contributions seen in this vidcast were created by 7th Son fans from across the globe.

Behold the 7th Son universe during the blackout, as witnessed by its victims … and captured for all the world to see.

Contributions by:

• Robin Hudson
• Kristina
• Michael Unquera
• Nathan Lowell
• Sam Chupp

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: this week’s “Voices From the Darkness” audio episode, quite possibly a Clone Line episode, and then the first part of novelist and screenwriter Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff’s short story.

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7th Son: Runner chronicles the life of Dr. James DeFalco, a supporting (but long-lost) character from 7th Son, Book One: Descent. As you’ll learn in this first text installment, the man has many a secret … and while he doesn’t know it, it’s only a matter of time before he’s hunted for those secrets. It’s a story told in several parts; new installments drop every other week.

Next week will see the debut of the second episode in this serialized tale.

Visit those links above to get in on the action and receive immediate notifications when new 7th Son: Runner episodes are released. Blog announcements such as this one will come long after the most-recent episode has debuted, so if you want to be a part of the unfolding drama and action — and learn how 7th Son: Runner affects the 7th Son universe more than you could ever have imagined — sign up for the free “text blast” announcements (links above, natch), and read the episodes as they go live.

Here’s the link to 7th Son: Runner’s first installment. Link goes to a simple .txt file, which you can read on-screen, print, or save to your computer. Enjoy … and be sure to sign up for the “text blast” list!

–J.C.

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Matt is the author of Brave Men Run: A Novel Of the Sovereign Era, a groundbreaking novel that was released in several forms — including print — in 2005. Now nearly three years later, independent publisher Swarm Press has picked up the novel for mainstream release. In this conversation, Matt chats about Brave Men Run and how he’s promoting it. He also shares his scrappy artistic roots and how they greatly influenced his lifelong “Do It Yourself” philosophy.

Coolest of all, Matt announces some exclusive information about his ambitious plans to rush the Amazon charts on July 13 (the book’s release date), the incredible all-day event he has planned … and something truly special that he hasn’t yet announced in the podosphere. It’s history making stuff, and you’ll hear about it here first in this UltraCreatives interview.

Find Matthew Wayne Selznick on the World Wide Everywhere:

• MattSelznick.com
• BraveMenRun.com (find a sample chapter here)
• Brave Men Run podiobook
• PURCHASE BRAVE MEN RUN ON JULY 13!

In the “talky talk” introduction to this episode, J.C. Hutchins reveals some developments in his own creative world, including:

• An upcoming interview on OnThePod, and a recent interview on Slice of Sci-Fi
• An update on where he stands in the editing process of the new novel he’s co-writing, Personal Effects: Dark Art
• The release date for the new novel, and how that affects the release of 7th Son: Descent
• A not-so-coy reveal on who’s “blurbing” the book

Coming up next in the podcast feed: FINALLY, the two “Voices From the Darkness” episodes J.C. owes listeners, and then more 7th Son: OBSIDIAN goodness as we roll into mid-week!

PROMOS:

• Brazilianisms Podcast
• ScatterPod: Dark
• Backseat Producers

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J.R. is a writer, photographer, singer, podcaster, blogger, contortionist and performer. She’s incredibly gifted at all of these art forms, many of which skew toward the fantastical and horrific. In this interview, J.C. and J.R. Blackwell talk not only talk about her many projects, but also what  informs and unifies her creative style throughout these different media. It’s an incredible conversation, and J.C. was thrilled to have her on the show.

Find J.R. Blackwell on the World Wide Everywhere:

• JRBlackwell.com
• BlackwellVisions.com
• 365 Tomorrows website
• 365 Tomorrows podcast
• J.R. Blackwell’s Flickr site
• J.R. Blackwell’s 365 Days photo project

This is the first of two UltraCreatives interviews for this week. Watch the feed on July 1, when J.C. drops his interview with Matthew Wayne Selznick, author of the novel Brave Men Run.

Coming up in the podcast feed: Two “Voices From the Darkness” fan-created 7th Son: OBSIDIAN episodes, and then the first part of Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff’s epic OBSIDIAN story.

PROMOS:

• The Random Encounter Show
• MacMod podcast
• Lost Falchion podcast novel

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My perceptions of these beachheads have changed throughout the years. My opinion of them has improved, mostly because of the cool tools and applications folks are now creating that transcend the one-dimensional “Bite A Friend” games. I crave something useful in my social media apps, something that can not only help evangelize my work, but organize my thoughts and share some fun personal details with my audience. Of course, being an indie content creator, I want to do all this on my terms.

Imagine my surprise when this scrappy, indie writer learned how uberbrand Coca-Cola could help me do just that.

The folks at Coke have concocted something very clever with their “CokeTag” Facebook Application. (You can see my personal CokeTag at my FB Profile.) Here’s an elegant app that allows you to share information about yourself, spread the word about worthy causes, or promote your friends and the great things (or nonsense) they’re up to. The app is robust and flexible enough for folks like me (who like to control nearly every aspect of the information piping through the thing), yet intuitive enough to get users rolling in seconds.

The app gives you five “categories” with which to fill with content. As I configured my app, I selected a category called “Music That I Like” and simply typed the names of my favorite bands. Here’s the groovy part: the CokeTag app cross-referenced my hand-typed content with Amazon’s Alexa web search engine and automatically inserted the URLs of those bands’ sites into the app. There was zero fuss or management on my end, and nearly all of the auto-results were accurate. Very cool.

I appreciated that I could override those auto-results with better URLs when needed.

You may choose from a list of pre-created content categories, or create your own. I chose to create a “Podcasts I Dig” category to give my audience a peek into what shows I enjoy … and also help promote my podcolleages. (Every link helps.) This homebrew feature has great promise. I can easily create a Cool Stuff category, which I can update with the interesting links I discover as I bebop around the Web. BoingBoing lite.

There is a low-key “viral” element to the app — you can post your friends’ CokeTag apps within your Profile, and there’s some business about tracking clicks to your CokeTag (which calculates how “influential” you are) — but its truly spiffy evangelical element is the ability to share the app in Facebook messages, or on a friend’s Wall. Suddenly, I’m armed with an easily-sharable portal into my personal interests, and a sly way to spread the word about killer content.

The app is fun to use out of the box, and has enough customization features to please scrappy DIYers like myself. Highly recommended.

–J.C.

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New media performance artist, skeptic, atheist, author, musician, (and super-spy, J.C. is convinced of it) and one of the first podcasters ever, Soccergirl has written, starred in and produced nearly 300 episodes of her popular audio and video podcast, “Soccergirl, Incorporated,” reaching an audience of up to 80,000 worldwide.

Soccergirl has also appeared on Sirius satellite radio, television and terrestrial radio, and in various print publications including The New York Times and Wired Magazine. Soccergirl wrote, directed and starred in “The Soccergirl Second,” a theatrical adaptation of her show (performed at The Brick Theater in New York City) and has just completed an absolutely brilliant book of short fiction and essays, forthcoming from Mevio Press.

If you enjoyed this small peek into the genius that is the “Soccergirl, Incorporated” experience, please visit SG’s website at SoccergirlIncorporated.com, send her an appreciative email, and check out her other work. (Photo by Chris Marquant.)

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: J.C. takes us out of the blackout for another UltraCreatives interview with J.R. Blackwell, and then we dive back in with audio and video “Voices From the Darkness” episodes.

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).

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If you enjoy Mur’s tale, please send a few gracious words her way. Her contact information can be found at her website, Murverse.com.

J.C. covers some fun, if familiar, ground in his “talky talk” segments, including:

• The popular John Alpha for President election campaign
• 7th Son: Runner, J.C.’s new serialized mobile phone text story, which is rolling out now. Find details here and here.

Coming up next on 7th Son: OBSIDIAN: A priceless video short-short by Soccergirl. A new UltraCreatives interview with J.R. Blackwell will drop after that, and we’ll close out the week with more audio and video “Voices From the Darkness” OBSIDIAN episodes!

PROMOS:

• The Takeover audio drama
• Short Cummings Audio podcast
• Aurora Hunter podcast novel

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).

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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.

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7th Son: Runner chronicles the story of James DeFalco, assistant director of the 7th Son facility. DeFalco was a small supporting character in 7th Son, Book One: Descent — but here, he takes center stage. Astute 7th Son fans may recall DeFalco, and Book One’s facility-wide evacuation that sent all “nonessential” 7th Son personnel topside until the John Alpha crisis had passed. DeFalco was one such employee, and Runner reveals much more about this nigh-anonymous doctor … and the 7th Son legacy … than you could have ever imagined.

This is the first time anyone, anywhere, can actually read J.C. Hutchins’ fiction.

Runner was written for, and is intended to be read on, cell phone screens. Users must have mobile Web access to download and read the Runner .txt files as they are released. But that doesn’t mean folks who don’t have a data plan (or a cell phone, for that matter) can’t enjoy the story. J.C. has made certain that anyone with Internet access can download this serialized text.

Visit this page to learn how to sign up to receive SMS “text blast” announcements when future Runner installments are released. If you’re just now learning about Runner, you won’t be able to receive the FIRST text blast — that’s already been sent into the wild — but you can receive the next blast by signing up today.

All readers — including those who sign up now, folks who do not have a data plan, or folks who are have a mobile carrier not supported by Myxer (the service J.C. is using to release this story), don’t worry: you can find the URLs linking to Runner’s episodes in the “cell phone” graphic found at J.C.’s Myxer Artist page.

The story’s just started, so sign up — and get ready to run. By the time Runner concludes, the 7th Son universe will never be the same …

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Take this email I received today from Lorin in Pheonixville, Pennsylvania:

After listening to your “Voices from the Darkness” podcast at work, it really freaked me out when the lights suddenly went out in my apartment later that day. … The storm that followed was a mighty one — the wind was blowing, and my husband and I quickly jumped up in search of our flashlights.

After we resettled into seats at our kitchen table, I looked my husband and said I felt like I had steeped into “Voices from the Darkness.R