The iNovel Concept
HOT SPRINGS is perhaps the world’s first iNovel of its kind. The “i” in iNovel stands for “interactive” and Hot Springs integrates traditional fiction publishing with the dynamic platform of the Internet. It is a marriage between book and the WWW that embraces the salient characteristics of each to create a whole new entity.Although Hot Springs is foremost a traditional bound book, this companion website adds meaning, depth and color to the story, characters, and settings. This website is not just about reviews or interviews but is instead a place where readers can find new aspects of the story, locales, and characters – and even add some themselves. Where novels are black and white, the Hot Springs website is about music, color, sounds, sights, and contributions from the reading community.
As you click on Chapter One’s iNovel Link you’ll hear a downloadable song written and recorded by the protagonist, Jason. On another you’ll see full-color paintings (available for purchase) done by the mysterious Japanese painter, Kiriko.
If you're interested in buying the book, please go here.
Bonus Features and Reader Contributions
While Hot Springs can be read as a stand-alone novel, it is also more. Like bonus features on a DVD, its 23 chapters direct you to optional links that include songs, paintings, sketches, a narration (with your choice of background music), an interactive map, a fictional website, a webliography, photographs, and other innovative features that even include contributions from artistically inclined readers. The iNovel is truly a concept for the interactive information age. Click here to go the Contribute page.
Original Music
The HOT SPRINGS website has seven original songs written by Jason Chiron, the singer-songwriter web developer who is the central character of HOT SPRINGS. All of these songs serve as Chapter Links.
Click here to listen and find out more.
Click here to go directly to the Chapter by Chapter iNovel Links.
Chapter 1 – Under the Surface. An acoustic guitar and piano song written while on the ferry traveling from Vancouver to Hot Springs Island.
Chapter 4 - Stars Tonight. We all know these kinds of nights. Looking up and seeing the pinpoint panoply of magical light against the velvet black of the sky. That's what this song is about.
Chapter 8 - Things We Remember. A song about memory and why some things stick in our minds and some don't. Sung by members of the Hot Springs Island Music club.
Chapter 11 – Make You Strong. A soft rock song written in England by Jason as he realizes that distance can either make you weak or make you strong.
Chapter 12 – The Mirror. After Jason arrives in England, he looks into the mirror and is reminded of a Celtic-style song by the same name.
Chapter 16 – Song for New York is written by Jason for his friend, Russell Rose, who uses it in his own music novel.
Chapter 22 – The Problem with Rivers. A piano song written by Jason in Japan.
Original Paintings
Original paintings, which can be purchased on the HOT SPRINGS website, are all done by one of the central characters, the Japanese painter Kiriko. These paintings are all done in the medium of traditional Japanese painting. The Hot Springs cover is one of Kiriko’s paintings. Click here to go to her Art Studio.
More Multimedia
• Photos
• Sketches
• Poetry
• Narration
• Audio Books
• Sound Clips
• Video Clip
• Interactive map
HOT SPRINGS’ chapter links are filled with multimedia elements designed to make the most of the versatile WorldWideWeb. You’ll be able to access photos of scenery, townscapes, sailboats and hot springs. There are sketches of locations and people. On the audio front, you can listen to certain passages narrated (including one where you can choose your own background music) or even hear an authentic audio clip of hot springs water and waterfall from Kurokawa hot springs in Japan.
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