Disclaimer: long time JC Hutchins fan here. I may gush a bit.
This is insanely cool. JC is an incredibly talented author and performer who's work I've been following since he first started podcasting years ago. The guy's not only a brilliant author, but he's amazingly savvy when it comes to New Media and connecting to his fans. He's always responding to their calls, immediately available to them on Twitter, and always seeking their involvement and participation in everything he does. This is just one more example of it. While other authors try and shut down or even sue people who create fanfics in the worlds their fans have come to love, here's one who's not only encouraging it.. he's actively creating ways to showcase his fan's work and make them an official part of the world he's written! Brilliant. :) (P.S. - It doesn't hurt that the 7th Son trilogy is absolutely mind-blowingly *awesome*, too.)