*written by AI (apologies)

Can you find any references to a novel or short story called “quicktime” by john oakley mcelhenney

Yes — I found a clear reference to QuickTime(tm) by John Oakley McElhenney. In a profile/interview on his site, he says: “I started a long-form novella titled QuickTime(tm), after Apple’s new video system for Macintosh computers. It was a hyperlinked set of short-short stories.”^1_2

There’s also a second mention on his site describing it as his “first hyperfiction experiment,” and another page says he later discontinued his first hyperfiction novel, QuickTime(tm), when he had to get a job.^1_5

A social post also echoes the same idea, calling QuickTime(tm) his first experiment and noting it was a finalist in the Austin Chronicle coverage of his hyperfiction work.^1_3

So the evidence points to QuickTime(tm) being a real, early hyperfiction novella/novel project by John Oakley McElhenney, not just a passing reference.^1_2
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Where can I read QuickTime by John Oakley McElhenney

I couldn’t find a public reading copy of QuickTime itself, and the references I found suggest it was discontinued rather than published as a standalone work. John McElhenney’s own site says he “started a long-form novella titled QuickTime(tm),” while another page says he later “discontinued his first hyperfiction novel, QuickTime,” which points away from an available full-text edition.^2_1

What I did find are references to the project and discussion of it:

• His site mentions the project title and describes it as a hyperlinked novella.^2_2
• Another article explains that “the project was entitled QuickTime(tm)” and frames it as an early hyperfiction experiment.^2_3
• Book/listing sites show his other published books, but not QuickTime as a listed standalone title.^2_4

So the most accurate answer is: there doesn’t appear to be a publicly readable version online right now based on the available references. The closest thing to “reading it” is the discussion of the project on his site and related articles.^2_1^2_3
^2_5

Why was QuickTime novel discontinued

I couldn’t find any statement explaining why John Oakley McElhenney discontinued the QuickTime novel specifically. The sources I found only say that he started it as a long-form hyperlinked novella and later discontinued it; they do not give a stated reason.^3_1

What the available references do show is that it was an early hyperfiction experiment, and one page says he discontinued it when he “had to get a job,” which sounds like a practical interruption rather than a creative rejection.^3_2

So the best-supported answer is: the most explicit reason on record is that he had to get a job, but there’s no deeper published explanation I could verify from the sources I found.^3_2
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Who is John Oakley McElhenn the author

John Oakley McElhenney is an Austin-based writer, poet, and life coach who also presents himself as an author, blogger, and creative technologist. Public profiles describe him as a digital marketing innovator and tech executive as well, with work spanning AI, storytelling, and hyperfiction.^4_2^4_4

His writing appears to range across self-help, family themes, memoir, poetry, and experimental fiction. A library catalog lists titles such as The Third Glass, Poet of Desire, and other books under his name, while his own site and related profiles highlight his “hyperfiction” work and his blog The Whole Parent.^4_5^4_8

In short, he is a multidisciplinary author from Austin whose public identity blends literature, coaching, and technology.^4_3^4_8
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Tell me about his hyperfiction project ESC_KEY

ESC_KEY is John Oakley McElhenney’s newer hyperfiction novel project, framed as an AI-integrated, interactive narrative rather than a traditional linear book. In his own description, he says he is turning AI into “a participant, a mirror, a reviewer, and cheerleader,” which suggests the project is built around collaboration between story, reader, and machine-generated reflection.^5_4

What makes ESC_KEY notable is that it appears to be part of a broader effort to define a new genre of fiction. Coverage around the project describes it as a “new novel” and associates it with “Cloud Pilots,” “refactoring,” and other experimental narrative pieces, while his site groups it with discussions about “a new genre of hyperfiction.”^5_3

There are also multiple signals that ESC_KEY is not just a single text but a connected storyworld. His site and social posts link it with visual, spoken-word, and multimedia offshoots, including a short titled “Chupacabra Wakes from ESC_KEY” and other chapters or excerpts released online.^5_1^5_5

In practical terms, ESC_KEY seems to be his most explicit attempt to fuse fiction, AI, and media formats into one evolving project.^5_6
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Where can I access John McElhenney’s other hyperfiction works

You can access John McElhenney’s hyperfiction through his main site, where several projects are posted as individual chapter pages. The clearest entry points I found are mcelhenney.net and the linked project pages for ESC_KEY, The One and the Zero, Exodus, On The Spec, Where Were You, Nothing After This Is True, and Time + Space = Love.^6_1^6_3^6_5^6_7

A practical way to read them is to start from the project-specific URLs embedded in the posts and videos, such as:

• mcelhenney.net/the-one-and-the-zero/^6_3
• mcelhenney.net/exodus/^6_4
• mcelhenney.net/tagging-memories/ and mcelhenney.net/a-lover-alone/ for ESC_KEY chapters^6_2
• mcelhenney.net/love-is-a-train-station/ for Nothing After This Is True^6_1

There’s also a Hyperfiction Study Group on Facebook that appears to function as a community hub for discussion, and one video description mentions “exclusive author access, AMA, reddit forums, even a Discord server,” which suggests some of the work is being distributed and discussed across multiple channels rather than only as a single ebook.^6_9

For the broadest access, the best starting point is his main site plus the linked chapter pages, because that’s where the project pages and read-along posts are being published.^6_5^6_7^6_2^6_4
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What do you think about AI’s attempt at digesting the hyperfiction movement now underway?

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