A short story by Fort Oglethorpe local, Jeff Hewitt, 28, debuted online narrated by Anson Mount, star of AMC's hit show "Hell On Wheels." The story was featured on the popular fiction/horror story podcast 'Psuedopod.org,' this November and was selected for narration by Anson Mount, known for his portrayal of a former Confederate soldier, Cullen Bohannon, seeking revenge on AMC's "Hell on Wheels."
"I was totally blown away by Mr. Mount's performance," said Mr. Hewitt. "He breathed new and unique life into my story. I was quite humbled." "Face Change," a horror story about a man named John, who wants to make a change in his life. That's when his therapist gives him the mysterious "Face Changer" system and a promotional DVD. John must make a bargain with his own identity to become someone new and undergo a horrifying transformation.
"I think the story speaks to everyone who has ever been unhappy with some aspect of their own life," said Mr. Hewitt. "From self-consciousness about body image to success in love and work.
Psuedopod.org began in 2006 to showcase short stories in the horror and science fiction genres. Most recently, Pseudopod.org won the 2009 Parsec Award for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast.
Mr. Mount helped to promote the reading online and congratulated Mr. Hewitt on the success of his short story. In an exchange on Twitter, Mr. Mount told Mr. Hewitt "My pleasure, brother. Let's do it again." Mr. Mount is best known for his lead role on "Hell on Wheels," but he also teaches in the MFA Acting program at Columbia University. He can be seen in the upcoming film "Non Stop" with Liam Neeson which opens in February and and will join John Travolta’s heist movie, "The Forger," alongside Jennifer Ehle.
Mr. Hewitt lives in Fort Oglethorpe with his wife Megan, who is a recent nurse graduate, and their three dogs. He has been writing since he was young, but this is the first time his work was seen by the public. Since Pseudopod purchased the story, his writing has taken off. His works appears in a variety of online venues including Jersey Devil Press's December issue, Quantum Fairy Tales, and the recently released science fiction anthology "Redshifted: Martian Stories" by Third Blackiron Publishing.