Carol Stream, Ill.—In July 2011 Tyndale House Publishers announced its new Digital First program, which provides consumers original direct-to-e-book titles. In May 2012, Tyndale will take a revolutionary new step with its 7 Hours project. A digital-only venture, this collection of seven full-length novellas will be released simultaneously on May 15 but sold individually ($2.99 each).

Each story, from seven up-and-coming voices in Christian publishing, is approximately 25,000 words on the following topic: Death comes for everyone, but what would you do if you were given seven more hours? Would you go back and relive a previous time in your life? Or would you live seven additional hours, starting now? Viewers of suspense and supernatural programs such as LOST, It’s a Wonderful Life, Dr. Who, and Fringe will be drawn to 7 Hours.

Much as iTunes has allowed music lovers to buy “singles” rather than entire albums, the 7 Hours concept will afford busy readers the ability to read a compelling story quickly, without a big commitment of time or money. If they are compelled by one of the stories, they will be driven to purchase the accompanying stories. In addition to the $2.99 retail price for each story, a $1.99 Amazon.com promotion will commence on the May 15, 2012, launch date.

“We were hooked from the start by this fabulous concept,” said Karen Watson, Associate Publisher. “It wrestles with the great human equalizer—how we respond to our own mortality. The creativity that these new voices bring to the project offers something from every genre.”

7 Hours will explore the reality of brevity and value of life through the lens of seven stories told by seven different authors: James Andrew Wilson, Travis Thrasher, Rene Gutteridge, Tom Pawlik, Mike Dellosso, Ronnie Kendig, and Robin Parrish.   Every author writes in a different genre such as military, romance, suspense, humor, and thriller and will provide a unique take on the concept. The stories are tied together through the same character, Thomas Constant, who appears in all seven stories. The enigmatic Constant makes a heart-stopping statement in each story: “You are about to die. But you may choose from one of three options: Live seven more hours, travel back in time and relive seven hours, or accept the inevitable and die now.”

7 Hours will include a comprehensive marketing, social-media, and public-relations campaign, including a 7 Hours Facebook page, blog tour, e-blasts, banner advertising, trade advertising, and an Amazon.com promotion.

Below are mini-bios of the 7 Hours authors:

Mike Dellosso (7 Hours: The Final Chapter) is the author of five novels of suspense: The Hunted, Scream, Darlington Woods, Frantic and Darkness Follows. Mike is also a newspaper columnist and feature writer for the ACFW’s e-zine Afictionado.

Rene Gutteridge (7 Hours: Escapement) is the author of seventeen novels, including Possession, Listen, the Storm series, the Boo series, the Occupational Hazards series, and the novelization of the movie The Ultimate Gift.

Veronica Kendig (7 Hours: Whole Pieces) is the author of seven novels, including Dead Reckoning, The Discarded Heroes, Nightshade, Digitalis, Wolfsbane, and Firehorn.

Robin Parrish (7 Hours, The Last Night of Alton Webber) is the author of six novels including Relentless, Merciless, Offworld, Nightmare, Vigilante, and YA novel Corridor. As a journalist, Robin has worked for About.com, INFUZEmag.com, PopCultureGeek.com, b5media, SplashPress Media, and many others.

Tom Pawlik (7 Hours: Recollection) is the Christy Award–winning author of Vanish, which also won first place in the 2006 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel Contest. The sequel, Valley of the Shadow, was a Christy Award finalist.

Travis Thrasher (7 Hours: Teardrop) is the author of eighteen critically acclaimed novels in a variety of genres, including Isolation, Ghostwriter, and the Solitary Tales series. He has also collaborated on two novels: Letters from War with Mark Schultz and Paper Angels with Jimmy Wayne.

James Andrew Wilson (7 Hours: All of Our Dreams)  has written four novels. He has directed and edited a handful of short films, one of which was published at the online magazine INFUZEmag.com.

To learn more about Tyndale House Publishers, visit www.tyndale.com.

Tyndale House Publishers was founded in 1962 by Dr. Kenneth N. Taylor as a means of publishing The Living Bible. It is now the largest independent Christian publishing house in the industry. Tyndale products include numerous New York Times best sellers, including the popular Left Behind series. Tyndale also publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, and many other resources for church and family. Tyndale House Publishers is located in Carol Stream, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.

####

Todd Starowitz
Senior Public Relations Manager
Tyndale House Publishers
(630) 784-5397 – work
toddstarowitz@tyndale.com

Members of the media: visit the Tyndale Media Center for info on our products!
Bloggers: Join the Tyndale Blog Network to review new products!
Follow us on Twitter: @TyndaleHouse