The Thirteenth Hour Podcast

In this week's episode, I talk about a bit of lore I came up with years ago for the section of The Thirteenth Hour sequel I'm only now just writing.   It concerns a children's fairy tale called "The Tale of the Rainbow Rider and the Midnight Phoenix," about how two mysterious creatures (birds, maybe?) end up joining forces.  The midnight phoenix comes out at night and is surrounded by fire; the rainbow rider lives in the day and leaves a rainbow trail behind it, and together, they bring hope and safety to a land ravaged by war...

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 go from bad guy to samurai-like warrior about to commit hara kiri to, this week, someone who not only lives and is able to make a l...

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 together.  Logan becomes the leader of the small party that goes in search of Aurora, a role he probably would not have chosen if he ha...

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 more events start to fill that period, it starts to get less nebulous!

-After the events of The Thirteenth Hour, when Logan and Aurora leave the Capital City of t...

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, in January, there is military recruitment sign calling for males over 18.  Logan is 17 then, but in the spring he'll be 18.

-Mid to late...

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 if you weren’t at the event and/or don’t do martial arts, this topic may still be of interest, as many people want to exercise but are not sure how o...

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 that serve as the vents at the points on the figure that are protruding the most.

 To the...

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 in this sketch / watercolor:

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/09/07/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-578-working-on-a-bow-the-new-aurora-minifigure-for-dare/

Here is Green Stuff on a template I made:

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 - from the smallest part to the most comprehensive - this is for you.  It's a testament to your work that the film is still beloved 40 years later.  Featured in this episode are:

-Harry Winer: director of the...

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-minifigure-for-dare/

The bow and arrow will be too thin/delicate to be worth casting.   I have learned that lesson the hard way!  I'll make those later and attach them to each figurine.

Here's the armat...

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 recorded discussion centered on the appeal of old school analog forms of social gaming like Dungeons and Dragons and similar games in an age of hyper connectivity and th...

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 Thirteenth Hour, there are hints that Aurora comes from a family of powerful magic users, but I left that plot thread intentionally hanging to explore one day...

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 his living as a nomadic minstrel.  Well educated and an experienced competitive fencer ...

-Haylee: a middle aged researcher and professor of...

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 tatami-like sleeping area.  This is a picture did a few years ago:

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/07/27/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-572-thirteenth-hour-sequel-update-21-logan-and-auroras-house-illustrations/

And her...

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's former personal guard.

A squirrely messenger character called Nerril from the part of the world Aurora is from - sent to bring Aurora back...

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 witnessing the events of the first book.

Logan and Aurora in dream form in Alfred's kitchen.

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 to the pressures and lack of physical activity she encounters in the part of the world that she finds herself in, her version of her morning routine is focused on...

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 little poem I recall from a calligraphy book I had as a kid.  It remains the only poem I have ever really committed to memory, and...

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 campaign and so I talk about it during this episode.  Some preliminary sketches:

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/06/22/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-567-and-like-a-hood-ornament-95-thirteenth-hour-sequel-update-16-the-wayfarers-rocketpack/

More next week!

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Once Upon a Dream, the second...

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 watercolors.  Here's a picture of the Wayfarer from the first part of the story:

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/06/15/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-566-thirteenth-hour-sequel-update-15-musical-interlude-starting-the-wayfarers-theme/

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 editing to do!

More next week!

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Once Upon a Dream, the second Thirteenth Hour soundtrack, is...

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 have the chords for the verse and chorus and some riffs that I started playing around with this episode.

The parts of the song so f...

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 progresses.

More next week!

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Once Upon a Dream, the second Thirteenth Hour soundtrack, is now out in digital form!  

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 write; I enjoyed being able to flesh out some of the side characters whose storylines interweave with the bigger plot.  I've mentioned a bit abo...

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 orphanage and knew nothing about the family of her origin.  For this book, I have been filling in parts of her past we got only hints about befo...

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 have been reading the fantasy book, A Wizard of Earthsea.  This is actually my third time trying to get into it - once as a child, on...

This week, I'm playing around with something I saw in a Franco-Belgian comic book from the late 70s/80s called Thorgal, written by Jean Van Hamme and illustrated by Grzegorz Rosiński, about the child of a race of people from elsewhere in the universe who crash land on Earth.  The child (Thorgal) is raised by Vikings and grows up to be a very skilled archer. 

I just discovered this comic on a trip to visit my brother across the pond.  We ended up taking the Chunnel from London to Paris, and there is this one section of t...

This week, I'm reading from a draft of The Thirteenth Hour sequel that gets at the life that Logan and Aurora have created for themselves.  This section is told from Aurora's perceptive:

Satisfied that I had the gear I needed, I said goodbye to Logan and walked away from our house towards the ocean.  Whereas Logan preferred hunting in the forest, I liked hunting in the grassy plain overlooking the tall cliff leading down to the ocean below.  There was a stream, fed by melting snow from the purple mountains, that flowed through the grassy fields, off the...

This week, after some time away (visiting my brother and his wife), I had a couple of reflections.  Not only are our kids getting older and can do things like pull their own bags and navigate subway systems and sit through restaurant meals but they're also old enough to more fully appreciate differences in culture, language, and society much more so than when they were younger.  It's cool to see!  I mention that since in The Thirteenth Hour sequel books that I've been working on, one of the main characters from the first book, Aurora, ends up going to a d...

This week, we are continuing the talk started last time when game developer and musician, Paul Korman, came on the show; this week, my brother Jeremy joins us for further discussion on Paul, his game The Phantom Fellows, oneshorteye's mini documentary, "The Ghost Game That Isn't About Death" about Paul and the game, as well as game development in general.  The last time I talked to Paul, I was not actively making the Rocketeer game I've been working on, so we have a whole discussion (therapy session?) about solo game development and the frustration that sometimes comes with it.  

This week, we are starting a two part episode with solo game developer and musician, Paul Korman, who was last on the show on episode 493.  Paul and his game The Phantom Fellows are the subject of the oneshorteye's mini documentary, "The Ghost Game That Isn't About Death" about Paul, where he lives, the things that went into the making of the game, and the process of its creation and release.  If you're into game development, classic video games, or adventure games in general, you'll find something to love, so check it out!   Part 2, coming next week, also features my brot...

This week, I recorded outside, the first nice spring day so far,  I wanted to take advantage of the weather so do some shooting outdoors. Unlike the static, more deliberate archery style | learned when I was younger, I have been experimenting with more dynamic ways of moving while shooting - different draw techniques (thumb draw, Slavic release) as well as shooting while walking and after rolling. For the past 15 yrs or so, I have been playing around with purely instinctive ways of shooting (no sights) - just aiming through intention alone, which fits many of the martial arts l’ve...

This week, on the show, I thought I'd explore a little more about how the Thirteenth Hour sequel is going, especially in one small area.  Logan and Aurora, the main characters from the original Thirteenth Hour are last seen on a small island off the coast of the mainland.  (I talked a little about the island in episode 522.)  They learn to be pretty self sufficient there, but I also imagined that they exchanged ideas, customs, clothes, food, and other parts of life with some other groups of people nearby - the half elf community located on the other side of...

In today's episode, I'm making two little riffs that I think will be background music for the pixelart Rocketeer game I've been working on.  One is a little somber piece to accompany the "RIP" scene when Cliff kicks the bucket.  I've made a serious one here, but I thought I might vary what is written on the gravestone to reflect what you did, if I can figure out how to do that.  Like, for example, if you blew yourself up with a grenade, the gravestone might read, "Cliff Secord, 1911 - 1936, chowderhead."

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/03/09/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-552-and-like-a-hood-ornament-94-up...

This week, on the show, my brother and I are discussing a RPG system he created based on the world of The Thirteenth Hour.   This is a work in progress based on a number of RPGs set in that world that we have already done but also with an eye toward creating your own world.  In other words, it's meant to be light on rules and structure, heavy on customizability and individuality.  So although you could create games based on the fantasy world in the Thirteenth Hour books, you could also use the engine to create games for your own...

In today's episode, I'm wrapping up the music that I started in episode 536, what I'm calling the "outdoor" Rocketeer theme for the parts of the Rocketeer vs the Third Reich pixelart game I've been making that takes place outdoors.  Since those are sections where Cliff will have his rocketpack and can fly, I wanted to give the music a kind of WW1 flying ace kind of feel.  Most of the track was done from last fall, but I ended up adding a few other instruments to round it out.

Pictures: https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/02/23/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-550-and-like-a-hood-ornament-93-updates-on-the-rocketeer-vs-the-third-reich-video-game-6/

In today's episode, I'm wrapping up the music for the indoors castle sections of the Rocketeer vs the Third Reich pixelart game I've been making.  Last week, I based the melody on the Jenny Theme from the Rocketeer soundtrack by James Horner and made a short segment (about 30 sec long), trying to make it sound both regal and ominous.  I think the theme in the film plays when Jenny is captured by Neville Sinclair, who is both Hollywood royalty and a secret Nazi spy, so that seems appropriate.  I think in that segment, she is taken to...

In today's episode, I'm discussing some updates I've made in this past week on the pixelart Rocketeer game that I started a number of years ago.  I took a break from the programming part to do some work on the art and music for the game.  The game starts with a short intro cut scene told in 1-2 pictures + text, like old NES games, so I made a intro montage picture showing Cliff's life after the events of the movie, implying he's still a pilot, the rocketpack was rebuilt, and his friends - Jenny and Peevy - are still hi...

In today's episode, I'm discussing some progress I've made on the Rocketeer game that I started a number of years ago.  This week, I've been working on starting and ending screens, higher contrast backgrounds, as well as more on powerups, including the ability to throw the grenades you pick up - that took a lot of fiddling!  

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-547-and-like-a-hood-ornament-90-updates-on-the-rocketeer-vs-the-third-reich-video-game-3/

More to come next week!

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Once Upon a Dream, the second Thirteenth Hour soundtrack, is now out in digital form and on CD!  

It is out...

In today's episode, I'm discussing some progress I've made on the Rocketeer game that I started a number of years ago.  This week, I've been working on the background, powerups, being able to search enemies, and tutorial elements needed to orient players to the game.  More details can be found in this youtube video:  https://youtu.be/LSaEPHvzkJ8

More to come next week!

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Once Upon a Dream, the second Thirteenth Hour soundtrack, is now out in digital form and on CD!  

It is out on most major streaming services such as Bandcamp, Sp...