Josh Martin’s new online mystery novel, Run, is full of twists, turns and a whole lot of secrets. In addition to weekly chapters posted on his website, www.PlotHinge.com, Martin is also making bonus content available on password-protected pages.
So where might one find the password to access these pages? For that, Martin has teamed up with more than 100 libraries across Canada, including Fernie and Elkford, who have agreed to post the password on their community bulletin boards.
Readers can use these passwords on the website to access content that will help them unravel some of the story’s secrets, answering questions like: Just who is the Man in Charge? Why is Will being chased? And, can Isabella really be trusted?
Blurring the line between the virtual and physical world like this is another way Martin is trying to make his
suspense thriller stand out.
How the weekly installments unfold is another unique aspect of Martin’s literary experiment. At the end of each chapter the story is left at a cliff hanger with the story able to progress in a couple different directions. Martin then connects the story to an upcoming, real-world event (the weather, election results, winner of a hockey game, etc.). The outcome of that event decides which direction the plot will proceed and the following chapter will be written accordingly.
For example, the chapter leading up to Groundhog Day ended like this:
1) If Wiarton Willie sees his shadow on February 2nd then there will be fresh snow on the ground in which
Will has left his footprints. The Man in Charge will spot his tracks and find him at Tina’s house.
2) If, however, Wiarton Willie does not see his shadow, then the man will not spot Will’s footprints,
allowing Will and Tina to avoid being discovered.”
So while it’s a fictional story, the plot hinges on these real-world events, outside of the author’s control.
New chapters to Run are posted each Thursday and will continue until the end of June 2012. The chapters are geared toward a teenage and adult audience and are quick and action-packed with an emphasis on keeping the suspense alive. Participation is free with readers able to subscribe to receive email notifications whenever a new chapter is posted.
The password available at participating libraries will allow readers to access regularly updated bonus content
including clues, character profiles and background information not publically available. A list of participating
locations can be found online at http://plothinge.com/bonus-content-2/safehouse-secrets/