The Thirteenth Hour Podcast

This week’s episode builds on last week's episode where I talk about a character called Captain Rigg Hassen, of the Aulurwen military, who was tasked to find and either capture or eliminate Logan and his party by the people who captured Aurora and brought her back to the country of Aulurwen.  So I initially intended him to be "the bad guy" and then last week, I was thinking he should...

This week’s episode was inspired by the weather at the time I was recording this episode - kind of cold and wet. In those situations, if you are outside, especially in a larger group, it can grate on people’s nerves. So this episode is about one of the underlying themes in Logan's part in The Thirteenth Hour sequel - group dynamics - and some of the factors that cause a group to coalesce toget...

This week's episode is a follow up to last week's since my brother and I started a new Thirteenth Hour DnD campaign using the rules of the Infinite Stories system Jeremy created (detailed in episode 551 ), and I wanted to also include those adventures in the timeline since they take place in the nebulous time frame between the events of The Thirteenth Hour and the sequel.  That said, as mo...

This week's episode is trying to create a timeline of events in The Thirteenth Hour since the sequel takes place about ten years after the events in the first book.  I wanted to make sure the events were as consistent as possible.  So I went back and tried to reconstruct a timeline based on the dates and seasons that I did include.  Here's what I found: -At the start of The Thirteenth Hour...

On this week’s show, we’re taking a little departure from sculpting, 80s movies, and sequel writing to go back to a topic I’ve talked about on here before (eps 450 , 456 )- exercise, specifically creating a solo training exercise plan that you can do in a few minutes a day.   This episode serves as a summary for folks who attended Whistlekick’s Free Training Day MidAtlantic on 9/19/26.  But even i...

In this week's episode, I'm making the silicone mold for the new Aurora minifigure and then testing to see if it worked by doing the first few resin casts. Here she is, in a paper cup, about to get siliconed.  I added these sticks to parts I was concerned would not fill.  These sticks will serve as airvents, allowing the air to escape and the resin to replace the air.  I glued the sprues t...

In this week's episode, I'm experimenting with two substances to make a mini bow for the new minifigure of Aurora in the Thirteenth Hour sequel - Dare.  I have talked about Instamorph before here and made a bow out of that, and on the episode, I am trying out Green Stuff, an epoxy putty that can be used for molds but also small items, like this bow.  I wanted the bow to look like the one i...

Welcome to the 40th anniversary reunion podcast for the 1986 film, Spacecamp , a film, which arguably, changed my life. There are many more details and visuals to go along with this episode, too many to fit here but all available at https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/08/31/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-577-the-spacecamp-1986-40th-anniversary-reunion-podcast/ For everyone who was involved in this film...

In this week's episode, I'm starting to make a new clay minifigure of what Aurora looks like in The Thirteenth Hour sequel - Dare .  I have made an armature for the figurine and am applying the epoxy clay during the episode.  I have a quick sketch / watercolor I did for a reference position here: https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/08/24/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-576-starting-a-new-aurora-...

This week, game developer and musician, Paul Korman , and my brother, Jeremy, rejoins for another game developer chat (we have not recorded all of these but the last one we put on this show were eps 555 and 556 ).  This was a fun discussion that went on for quite awhile before we started recording, so by the time I hit “record,” we had already covered a fair amount of ground.  A lot of the recorde...

This week's episode is a little about the family of Aurora, the main protagonist of The Thirteenth Hour sequel - Dare .  In many ways, the whole book is about family, but Aurora, who grew up in an orphanage on a different continent, never really knew her family and had no recollection of where she was originally from.   But she gets to know all about it this book, though not by choice.  In The...

I have finally come up with a title for The Thirteenth Hour sequel - Dare .  In many ways, that's what the book is about. There are a number of characters that accompany Logan on his journey to find Aurora after she is spirited away: -Tinder: an full blooded eleven youth from a well- off family who has chosen to distance himself from the family business (and a a life of privilege) by making hi...

This week, wanted to talk about Logan and Aurora's house for The Thirteenth Hour sequel.  I recently finished a painting of an illustration I started a few months ago.  I'm talking about the outside as well as the inside, especially all the personal touches they put in to add some element of convenience to their little sanctuary - a stone hearth, a shower area, a root cellar, and their tat...

This week, I am doing some more show and tell of the illustrations for The Thirteenth Hour sequel I have done so far:See the pictures here: https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/07/20/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-571-thirteenth-hour-sequel-update-20-illustrations-2/ Logan and Aurora flying on Lightning off their island to the mainland for a weekend. The new female Imperial Rangers - King Darian IV'...

This week, I am doing a little show and tell of the illustrations for The Thirteenth Hour sequel I have done so far: https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/07/13/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-570-thirteenth-hour-sequel-update-19-illustrations/ The Wayfarer's last stand.   Alfred asleep in his apartment with a hand-drawn/written copy of "The Thirteenth Hour" he wrote as a kid after witnessin...

This week, I am talking about the morning exercise routines that I have done for years; Logan's "morning exercises" referred to in The Thirteenth Hour sequel (and I think even in the first book a bit) are similar.  But in the sequel, Aurora starts her own version of these exercises that are more tailored to her own needs.  She has less interest in martial arts but does find that due...

This week, I'm continuing work on the ending theme I started in episode 564 and now have some lyrics to go with some of the skeleton chords I came up with before.  I have a better sense, also, what I want to song to be about - with themes touching on coming to terms with the concessions of age, understanding yourself and where you come from better, and being brave / taking chances.  There is a...

This week, I wanted to touch on a piece that ties The Rocketeer (the film version just turned 35 this weekend) with The Thirteenth Hour sequel.  In some previous episodes ( 125 , 126 , and 127 ), my brother created a little interlude with the Wayfarer, a character that I've talked about a bunch recently that features heavily in the sequel.  He gets a magical rocketpack in that standalone campa...

This week, I'm working on an idea for a main theme for one of the main characters of The Thirteenth Hour sequel, the Wayfarer.  Part of this episode was recorded outside (sorry for the environmental sounds) and the rest in front of a keyboard where I was hammering out a skeleton framework for the theme. I think I settled on an illustration style I like for this book - ballpoint pen with waterc...

This week, I wanted to go over some main details of the plot of The Thirteenth Hour sequel, which is really four stories in one - Aurora's tale, Logan's tale, Alfred (from the first book's tale), and the plot that weaves them all together.  It might be too big for one book.  But so far, I'm just writing!  96K words so far and probably only half done.  I know I'll have a lot of...

This week, I'm working on an idea for a new ending(?) song for The Thirteenth Hour sequel.  I don't have the lyrics yet and only a vague idea of what it will be about (acceptance? integration? family trauma? I don't know yet exactly ... I have heard this kind of story is called a "second coming of age" tale since it's more about the shift into middle adulthood), but I hav...

This week, I'm reading from a random section from The Thirteenth Hour sequel draft.  Last week, I talked about the Wayfarer, so this week happens to be a section where Logan and Aurora first meet him.  I've mentioned a bit about the half elf freedom fighter, the Wayfarer , before, but this section gives a bit more characterization, as we get to know him more and more as the story progresse...

This week, I'm reading from a random section from The Thirteenth Hour sequel draft.  Last week, I talked about Aurora, so this week happens to be a section where Logan and Aurora reconnect with the new Imperial Rangers (formerly King Darian IV's all female guard) and invite them back to the island where they live for a visit.  I scrolled to this section randomly but recall it was fun to wr...

This week, I thought I'd discuss a bit about Aurora's backstory and some of the themes I wanted to touch on in the sequel to The Thirteenth Hour.    Not all of the research/backstory always makes its way super explicitly in the actual text, but I usually create a history for the characters in order to help create things consistent.  For Aurora, we already learned she grew up at an orphanag...

This week, I'm playing around with a variation of the archery technique I was working on last week (holding arrows in my bow hand) but also combining it with another technique, holding a few in my drawing hand also.  They each have their pros and cons, but I think Logan and Aurora might have played around with both, and probably others. At the suggestion of former show guest Billy Campbell, I...