#amazon

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #59: The Thirteenth Hour Soundtrack Preview

Episode #59: Long Ago Not So Far Away: Music from The Thirteenth Hour (Preview)

https://ia601502.us.archive.org/3/items/Podcast59_201609/Podcast%2059.mp3

This week, it’s all about retro 80s, starting with a preview of the upcoming official soundtrack release for The Thirteenth Hour, entitled Long Ago Not So Far Away.

It ended up being about 47 minutes long with a combination of synth instrumental tracks and songs with lyrics played on the guitar, piano, or a both.  Some were songs that I came up with originally when I wrote the book, others were ones that I wrote a few years later but had not fully completed (i.e. had the lyrics and chords for the guitar, making for a skeleton of a song … but all the little riffs and fills that make a song a song, especially a retro style 80s song, weren’t there).  There were two I kept more bare bones (mostly just acoustic guitar with a minimum of electric effects or synthesizers) because I wanted them to sound like folk songs out of the pseud0-medieval world the novel is set in.

It really ended up being a lot of fun.  In contrast to the tortuous process I had creating the cover for the book version of The Thirteenth Hour, making the cover for Long Ago Not So Far Away felt like a breeze, since I decided that the best course of action was to make it look like something out of the 80s.  I have a healthy collection of 80s CDs, tapes, and movies that helped provide entertaining inspiration.  There were also tons of synthwave (neo 80s synth music) covers on the internet (some of which looked more 80s than actual 80s album covers!). I also found this great Instagram page by @synthenebrism which links to a Spotify page with hours upon hours of synthwave music for your listening enjoyment.

In terms of making the cover itself, I found this great step by step tutorial that captured the look I was going for almost perfectly.  It walks you through using Photoshop to create your own retro synth cover.  I wanted an aurora for the cover to fit with the content of the book, so after a bit of searching, found this free stock image (click on the image to go to the page):

scotland-1564096_1280.jpg

Thanks to Blackmoons32 on deviantart for making a great free lightning bolt stock image already with an alpha channel (meaning the background is already transparent), making it easy to paste into your picture.  I thought about adding a rainbow or a unicorn to really round out the 80s fantasy images but thought that might be laying it on a little thick.  Instead, I just added the pixelart Logan on Lightning I made for the vaporware Thirteenth Hour game I started years ago.  In the end, it ended up looking like this:

cover 80s style_edited-33.jpg

It should be out later this fall.  But if you’d like a free advance preview, there are a few ways to do it.  Check out the bandcamp page, which has many of the tracks already uploaded, though not the fully remastered ones.  You can also look for former entries of this podcast or the Instagram page for some live versions or early drafts of songs.  Lastly, if you haven’t already, sign up for the mailing list if you’d like a free digital copy of the album to download with album artwork and all.  Stay tuned!

As always, thanks for listening!

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  • QR code email signup Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast and a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour!
  • Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s instagram pages: @the13thhr and@the13thhr.ost for your daily weekday dose of ninjas, martial arts bits, archery, flips, breakdancing action figures, fantasy art, 80s music, movies, and occasional pictures or songs from The Thirteenth Hour books.
  • Free online streaming of the growing Thirteenth Hour soundtrack: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/  Stay tuned to a full 45+ min album coming in the next few weeks!
  • Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
  • Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
  • Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at writejoshuablum@gmail.com for more details!

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #58: George Sirois Redux – The Making of the Excelsior Audiobook

Episode #58: Author George Sirois Returns to Discuss the Creation of His Audiobook

https://archive.org/download/Podcast58_201609/Podcast%2058.mp3

Back in episode #36, fellow author George Sirois came on the show for a great conversation, and today, he’s back!

As you’ll see in the show, George decided that the way he wanted to get his young adult scifi tale, Excelsior, out there as a audiobook was to record it himself.  Way back when I was learning about making covers for The Thirteenth Hour, I came to the realization that when it comes to things like this, it all comes down to money or time.

If you decide to go the professional route and outsource parts of the creative process, you might get a professional product but you give up some autonomy and generally pay quite a bit (that you justify to yourself as an investment in quality and peace of mind).  But if you opt to do it yourself, you have to deal with the sometimes exponentially steep learning curve of cramming years of knowledge into the bare minimum needed to shoehorn yourself into getting the job done.  There may still be significant expense (sometimes due to trial and error), and there’s the significant time sink that comes with what a professional might be able to do more efficiently.

However, one thing debates such this sometimes forget when focusing on practical talking points such as these is simply the enjoyment to be had in simply doing.  As sole proprietors of businesses (as independent authors essential are these days), it pays to understand as many different aspects of the business as possible.  There’s no better way to understand those details than by doing them yourself (at least once).

And that’s what George did to make his ideas into a reality.  There’s a lot there in his story, so like minded souls, take note.  What’s the harm in going for something you want, George says in the interview.  And why not?  At the end of the day, who else is there to give the necessary permission?

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Click on the link to check out the audiobook version of Excelsior on Amazon.

And audiobooks seem to be getting their due after years of being the red-headed stepchild of the literature.  Here’s the full text of the Wall Street Journal on the rise of audiobooks.

George will be making appearances (if you’re local to St. Louis, MO USA) at the following places in the next few wks:

-https://www.facebook.com/WritePackRadio/

-http://www.stlwritersguild.org/writersinthepark.html (now since past, though more good info if you’re a writer hoping to connect with others in and around St. Louis, near where George lives)

Connect with George online at:

blog: http://www.georgesirois.com/

GR profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4103079.George_Sirois

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+GeorgeSirois/posts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/georgesirois

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgesirois/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/excelsiorbooks/

References George discusses on the show:

No Plot? No Problem by Chris Baty, on writing a novel in 30 days

The Stressed-Out Writer’s Guide to Recording Your Own Audiobook by Kirk Hanley

On that note, as always, thanks for listening!

P.S. If you have any interest in getting into audio like George did or wanted to start your own podcast, check out this free guide here.  It’s a guest post I did for fellow author Kelly St. Clare on podcasting as cheaply as possible and has a wealth of info on audio production in general, most of which I learned by trial and error!  Check it out, and start podcasting as more than an amateur!  WIN!

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  • QR code email signup Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast and a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour!
  • Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s instagram pages: @the13thhr and @the13thhr.ost for your daily weekday dose of ninjas, martial arts bits, archery, flips, breakdancing action figures, fantasy art, 80s music, movies, and occasional pictures or songs from The Thirteenth Hour books.
  • Free online streaming of the growing Thirteenth Hour soundtrack: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/  Stay tuned to a full 45+ min album coming in the next few weeks!
  • Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
  • Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
  • Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at writejoshuablum@gmail.com for more details!

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #57: Reading Chapter 1 of Mark Salzman’s Lost in Place

Episode #57: Reading an Excerpt from Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia by Mark Salzman

https://archive.org/download/Podcast57_201609/Podcast%2057.mp3

This week, I’m reading the first chapter of perhaps my favorite book of all time, Lost in Place, by Mark Salzman.  I first read the book as a teenager and still find it hugely entertaining two decades later.  It’s probably not surprising that aspects of Mark’s writing style have influenced how I portray characters in books like The Thirteenth Hour.

He writes about his coming of age with an honest, Wonder Years-style of sardonic narration infused with just enough boyish innocence to capture both the magic and despair of adolescence and young adulthood.  That’s not everyone’s up of tea, of course, but when I first opened up the book, I immediately felt at home.  I imagine if John Huges (screenwriter and director of 80s teen movies like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club), had written a memoir, it would probably be something like this book.

On a personal level, I suppose it’s extra special since he writes about his experiences in the martial arts and early desires to be an astronaut (a lifelong hobby and short-lived career aspiration that my mother and father, like Mark’s decidedly earthbound parents, humored for years, for which I’ve always been grateful).

Image result for lost in place mark salzman

I found out a short movie clip of Mark talking about aspects of his writing and some of the themes that crop up in his books as well as this clip discussing his first kung fu teacher in action.

As an aside, you can watch a movie Mark wrote and starred in based on his first book teaching English in China while training in Chinese wushu.  Watch Iron and Silk here.

And, if in the unlikely event that this page makes its way across your computer screen, Mark, PLEASE COME ON THE SHOW!

Ok.

I’ve gotten control of myself and will tone down the rampant fanboyism.  Can’t help it.  =)

As a side note, if you hear a sound in the background that sounds like Darth Vader, it’s because I was reading this episode while holding my daughter, who was sleeping.  Just so you know.

On that note, as always, thanks for listening!

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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #54: Falling Leaves Don’t Weep

Episode #54: Reading of The Thirteenth Hour Epilogue Short Story, “Falling leaves Don’t Weep”

https://archive.org/download/Podcast54_201608/Podcast%2054.mp3

This week, I’m reading the short story “Falling Leaves Don’t Weep,” the stand-alone short story epilogue to The Thirteenth Hour.  It’s a short tale about how one night of insomnia leads to a surprising amount of insight for an elderly monarch (actually King Darian IV from the novel as a much older and wiser man who is looking back on his younger days with a mixture of regret and embarrassment).  I figured Darian needed an epilogue since we never really found out what happened to him in the story.

I can’t say for sure, but when I rereading this story, I was reminded of the story The Fall of Freddie the Leaf, a book my mother used to read to me as a child, and am guessing it was an influencing factor in the creation of this story.

As an aside, I’m in the process of trying to transition old episodes of this podcast (episode #53 and prior) to a new host.  This is the first one on the new host.  There should be no change for you, the listener, either accessing new episodes directly here or via iTunes.  But after 8/31, there may be some issues accessing old episodes of I’m not done updating the old links.  But in that case, it should be resolved in a few weeks.

As always, thanks for listening!

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New Fantasy Release – Fire and Lies

Angela B. Chrysler, who has been featured on this blog a number of times before, has a new book coming out today, just in time for Indie Pride Day and the Fourth of July (if you’re in the USA).  It’s the second in her Norse-inspired dark fantasy series, entitled Fire and Lies:

fire

Click on the picture above to go the the Amazon page

Summary:

Blood waters the fields of Alfheim. War rips across the land of usurped kings and elves. The Fae gods draw near, and Queen Kallan’s strength is tested as she follows King Rune into Alfheim. But the Shadow Beast caged within Rune’s body writhes in hunger, and Kallan’s newest companion, Bergen the legendary Berserk, is determined to end the conflict with her life.

As the witch, the king, and the berserk come together, the truth buried within the past resurfaces. Now, Kallan must master a dormant power or watch her kingdom fall to the Fae who will stop at nothing to keep their lies.

Fire and Lies (Tales of the Drui Book #2) picks up right where Dolor and Shadow left off, concluding one chapter of Kallan’s life as the next chapter begins.

Trailer

She gave us excerpts of the first novel in the series, Dolor and Shadow, in this guest post she did about the psychology behind creating fictional characters and aspects of the backstory behind the creation of the series when she came on the podcast.  You can listen to that show in its entirety here or by simply going to iTunes and looking under “The Thirteenth Hour Podcast, Ep #35).

Check out her site here,  and help celebrate Indie Pride Day by giving one her books a read!

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  • QR code email signup Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast and a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour!
  • Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s instagram pages: @the13thhr and @the13thhr.ost for your daily weekday dose of ninjas, martial arts bits, archery, flips, breakdancing action figures, fantasy art, 80s music, movies, and occasional pictures or songs from The Thirteenth Hour books.
  • Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
  • Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
  • Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at writejoshuablum@gmail.com for more details!

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #35: Interview with Author Angela B. Chrysler

Episode #35: Swords, Flux Capacitors, Norse Myths … Interview with Angela B. Chrysler

https://archive.org/download/13thHrEps16On/13th%20hr%2035.mp3

Angela, the creator of the Brain to Books cyber blog tour, took time out of her busy schedule to talk for an hour.  We covered a vast amount of info: Back to the Future Delorean shirts, why having a flux capacitor is a good life decision, the Moon Patrol soundtrack, how her personal collection of weaponry influences her writing, why all the fuss about book reviews from the point of view of a reader and author, how persistence factors into writing, publishing, and life, and much, much more.

 

 

Email Address: angelabchrysler@yahoo.com

Website:  http://www.angelabchrysler.com/

Author Bio:

 Angela B. Chrysler is a writer, logician, philosopher, and die-hard nerd who studies theology, historical linguistics, music composition, and medieval European history in New York with a dry sense of humor and an unusual sense of sarcasm. She lives in a garden with her family and cats. Read More

Social Media Links

Official Site
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads Profile Page

Twitter
Pinterest
Facebook
Google+
Story Time on YouTube – if you ever have have had a desire to create a podcast, consider doing what Angela is currently doing, as referenced on the how to create a podcast post done for Kelly St. Clare’s blog.

Dolor and Shadow (Tales of the Drui Book #1) Official Page
Fire and Lies (Tales of the Drui Book #2) Official Page
Broken Official Page

Books Discussed on the Show

DOLOR AND SHADOW (TALES OF THE DRUI BOOK #1 … BOOK #2 TO BE RELEASED 7/1/16).

 Dolor and Shadow Large

Genre: High/Epic Fantasy

YouTube Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovHqM9cHGDE

Summary:

 

As the elven city burns, Princess Kallan is taken to Alfheim while a great power begins to awaken within her. Desperate to keep the child hidden, her abilities are suppressed and her memory erased. But the gods have powers as well, and it is only a matter of time before they find the child again.

When Kallan, the elven witch, Queen of Lorlenalin, fails to save her dying father, she inherits her father’s war and vows revenge on the one man she believes is responsible: Rune, King of Gunir. But the gods are relentless, and when a twist of fate puts Kallan into the protection of the man she has sworn to kill, Rune obtains a power he does not understand.

From Alfheim, to Jotunheim, and then lost in the world of Men, these two must form an alliance to make their way home, and try to solve the lies of the past and of the Shadow that hunts them all.

BROKEN

 Broken by Angela B Chrysler 1600x2500

Genre: Memoir/Psychological Thriller/Non-Fiction

Awards: Finalist of the 2015 Wishing Shelf Awards

YouTube Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqfR928fpWE

Summary:

And Death it calls as the stone crow breaks. Streaks of blood malform its face. Death becomes its withered eyes and the shadows whisper, “Lies.”

When a young journalist, William D. Shaw, seeks out Elizabeth, an acclaimed author, in hopes to write her biography, the recluse grants him twenty-four hours to hear her story. What unfolds are events that teeter on the edge of macabre and a psychological thriller.

While toggling the lines of insanity, Elizabeth examines her past filled with neglect, rape, abuse, torture, and pedophilia. The more Elizabeth delves into her psyche, the more William witnesses the multiple mental conditions Elizabeth developed to cope with a life without love, comfort, protection, trust, physical human contact, affection, therapy, or medication.

With the use of existentialism, I wrote Broken in an attempt to philosophical determine what I had become and why. Instead, I found the awareness I needed to seek help. Broken is the road map I took to arrive at “Awareness” and seek medical attention.

Angela B Chrysler BUSINESS CARD back

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Starving Artist Section: where I talk about making a few bucks on the internets!  This week’s app is Nextrack, which pays you (via gift cards, albeit slowly) to work out.  It works via mpoints/mplus points, which is a point system used by a number of other games and apps.  You can only redeem so many per day, but you can also earn free coupons and such.  Nice little bit of positive reinforcement for maintaining an exercise habit.  Available for Android and iOS.

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Schedule for the next few weeks:

4/18/16: Episode #36: a conversation with author George Sirois

4/25/16: Episode #37: fantasy author Kelly St. Clare

5/2/16: Episode #38: knife throwing

Thanks for listening!

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  • QR code email signup Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast and a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour!
  • Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s instagram pages: @the13thhr and @the13thhr.ost for your daily weekday dose of ninjas, martial arts bits, archery, flips, breakdancing action figures, fantasy art, 80s music, movies, and occasional pictures or songs from The Thirteenth Hour books.
  • Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
  • Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
  • Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at writejoshuablum@gmail.com for more details!

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #26: 80s Movies Part 1

Episode #26: 80s Movies Part 1

https://archive.org/download/13thHrEps16On/13th%20hr%2026.mp3

-News: Upcoming radio show appearance on 2/16: Email the host, Wayne, with questions or comments for a chance to win a copy of The Thirteenth Hour.

–http://waynebarbersauthorshour.blogspot.com/2016/01/brand-new-radio-show-authors-hour.html

–Event Details (Live at 1380 AM WNRI or livestream, 9 AM EST 2/16/16)

-More News: brand new audio page for songs on Bandcamp – two new songs in the works!  Stay tuned for more info.

-Even More News: Read most of The Thirteenth Hour ebooks for free!  The standalone prequel, A Shadow in the Moonlight, is free on Amazon and Smashwords.  The standalone epilogue, “Falling Leaves Don’t Weep,” is now free on both Amazon and Smashwords.  And, you can get about 25% of The Thirteenth Hour free when you join the reader’s group.  WIN!

-Film influences for The Thirteenth Hour – this is a big topic that will probably take at least two episodes.  This post I did about a year ago is an outline of some of what I talk about on the show.  About the same time, I wrote an Amazon listmania about some classic 80s fantasy movies.  Amazon doesn’t use these anymore, but the post is still up on the internets:

–http://www.amazon.com/So-You-Want-to-Watch-an-80s-Fantasy-Movie/lm/R1H34IQ5YOD1PV/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full 

-Check out this podcast preview on Bandcamp that talks about 80s fantasy films and the nostalgia coming from rewatching these films, flawed as they often are.

-Featured Author Section: Epic Fantasy Author Malinda Andrews

-Read an excerpt from Through the Mountains

coverTtMtns

-Starving Artist Section:

–Bing Rewards – get gift cards for searching the internet!

-Referral link: https://www.bing.com/explore/rewards?PUBL=REFERAFRIEND&CREA=RAW&rrid=_0ff6bda3-4386-4da3-b4f8-61f9628e1bc6

-As always, thanks for listening!

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New Year, New Books 2016 Blog Tour – Featured Author: Joe Jackson

The first stop on the #NYNB2016 Blog Tour stars Rhode Island based epic fantasy writer, Joe Jackson.  All pictures below link to Joe’s Goodreads pages for the books.

joej1

Now here’s a fight you don’t want to be stuck in the middle of!  Unless, of course, you have a howitzer or something …

Synopsis:

The War was over, the Devil Queen cast down.

In the wake of the Apocalypse, veteran demonhunter Karian Vanador understands that the vigilance of her Order means there is rarely any time to rest. Even with a paragon of evil cast down, it isn’t long before another rears its head, and for Kari, the War never ends.

She will head into danger again, for it is the life she’s chosen and the only path she really knows. Along the way she will face the tests of friendship, the fires of love, the heat of battle, and the limits of her faith, and in those trials, she will seek the answer to her most pressing question:

“Why was I resurrected?”

Here’s an excerpt of what Joe has to say about the story: “The end result is a story of courage, love, and trust, with a strong female protagonist that both men and women should be able to identify with to some degree.  Whether it’s the sword fighting, the magic, the alien races, or the depth of the characters, I believe Salvation’s Dawn has something for almost everyone, and I hope you join me on Karian’s adventures.  Right now, the Eve of Redemption series is planned for thirteen or fourteen books, with many spinoff possibilities as the series unfold.”

Salvation’s Dawn on Amazon

Joe recently (1/5/16) added the second volume in the series, White Serpent, Black Dragon, that brings back Karian, the main character from the first volume.  At 180k words, you’re really getting your money’s worth with this one!

joej2

Ouch.  Don’t think a trip to the dentist is going to fix that …

Synopsis:

Things have been quiet since the incident on Tsalbrin, but veteran demonhunter Karian Vanador recognizes the calm before the storm all too well.

When one of the Order’s most prominent mortal enemies arrives on campus demanding help with an underworld threat, Kari knows there has to be a connection to the incident on Tsalbrin. Harried by a deadly foe, Kari must call upon friends old and new to track down a serial killer from the underworld.

Along the way she must figure out: are the killings just the act of a depraved demon, or an ingenious plot to shatter the barriers between Citaria and the underworld? And will the people she goes to help prove to be her allies or her enemies in the end?

White Serpent, Black Dragon on Amazon

Be sure to check of Joe’s blog for an impressive amount of background history he created for the world in his books.

Follow Joe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShoelessAuthor

Watch for more discussion on Joe’s work on The Thirteenth Hour Podcast – date pending.

BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAYS

Don’t forget to sign up at the Rafflecopter link below for a chance to win some free stuff supplied by the authors themselves.

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6ac455060/

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Thanks for stopping by!  Next stop on the tour will be Loarna Green, author of the All the Colors series – coming 1/19/16!

Stay up-to-date with the latest blog info at the main page here.  Stay tuned!

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Amazon Giveaway for Two Copies of The Thirteenth Hour

Win a copy of the 3rd edition of The Thirteenth Hour direct from Amazon by participating in this free, no-purchase-necessary Amazon Giveaway, now live, until 1/171/5.  Two winners will be selected at random (according to some Amazon algorithm) from a pool of up to 5000 people.

Here’s the giveaway link:
https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/3a7e4f1045b8b0b9

Good luck!

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thunderclap 13th hr picture_edited-1

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Big Thanks and Reminder for The Thirteenth Hour Raffle!

Thanks to everyone (400+ people) who downloaded The Thirteenth Hour when it went free the past few days!  Your support is much appreciated!

If you’d like a chance to win a signed copy of The Thirteenth Hour and a signed copy of the prequel to the Thirteenth Hour, the novelette, A Shadow in the Moonlight, all you have to do now is … cue drumroll, wailing guitar, and synth:

Aurora guitar play animated  Logan piano

1.) Read the book.

2.) Post your thoughts on amazon.com by June 13th, 2015 and email me (writejoshublum@gmail.com) a link to your review for a chance to win …

book pics

3.) … a The raffle winner’s name will be drawn from the entries on June 14th, 2014 and announced on my website (don’t worry, no contact info will be displayed).

4.) I will contact the raffle winner privately to arrange prize delivery (worldwide)!  The winner doesn’t have to pay for a thing.

Thanks in advance!  Happy reading and good luck!

—

In summary:

-Email your amazon.com review link at writejoshuablum@gmail.com by 6/13/15

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Get The Thirteenth Hour Free Starting Tomorrow (May 13th to 17th)

The Eternal Optimist’s Rule #1: Sometimes when you think things can’t get any worse, they make a turn for the better.

Well, yes, that’s a positive way to start this post.  Because guess what?  The Thirteenth Hour is free on amazon starting tomorrow.  So even if you’ve had a $#!te week, it never hurts to get something for free.  Who knows, it might give your week a turn for the better.

logan lightning animatedSo zoom over to amazon.com to get The Thirteenth Hour for free starting Wednesday, May 13th!  The promotion runs for 5 days.  If you’d like a chance to win printed version of the books below, just check this post out.

book pics

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The Thirteenth Hour Featured on GoodKindles and 1980s Fantasy Film Mania!

Do you remember those 1980s fantasy movies with the big hair and electronic synthesizer soundtracks – movies like The Neverending Story, Ladyhawke, and Labyrinth?  If you can imagine those films in illustrated book form, you have some idea what The Thirteenth Hour is like …

… One could classify the story as adventure or fantasy, though not a serious JRR Tolkien-style fantasy.  The book doesn’t take itself too seriously, though there are plenty of introspective, psychological parts where the characters grapple with balancing that difficult no-man’s land of feeling older than an adolescent but too young to classify oneself as an adult.

In some ways, the book grew up with me, since I wrote a very early draft of the book the summer after I finished high school …

…So life went on – going to many years of school, working to pay the rent, getting married, changing diapers, etc.  But the story wouldn’t let me go …

Check it out here: http://www.goodkindles.net/2015/03/the-thirteenth-hour-new-adult-fantasy.html

By the way, side note: if you want more suggestions on 1980s fantasy movies, I put together a amazon listmania entitled “So you want to watch an 80s fantasy movie …”  

Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/So-You-Want-to-Watch-an-80s-Fantasy-Movie/lm/R1H34IQ5YOD1PV/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full 

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Two New Thirteenth Hour Stories Are Now Out!

As mentioned in this post, I’ve been working on two stories to round out the universe of The Thirteenth Hour.  They’re done, and you can download them on 3/20/15 (which might be now, depending on when you read this).

Although they’re available on amazon.com and there will be a print version of the novelette, “A Shadow in the Moonlight,” you can also download them on Smashwords.  They’re free there, since I wanted to give people who bought copies of The Thirteenth Hour when it first came out a token of my appreciation.

-“A Shadow in the Moonlight: A Thirteenth Hour Prequel” (~11,000 words): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/529040

-“Falling Leaves Don’t Weep: A Thirteenth Hour Epilogue” (~2,000 words): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/528769

Thanks to everyone who helped to make these stories a reality!

shortstory covers

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The Thirteenth Hour Gets a Prequel and an Epilogue!

As of next week, there will be two more pieces of writing in The Thirteenth Hour universe – two short stories that serve as figurative bookends to the book, though they are meant to stand alone.  Putting them out has taken much longer than I anticipated, but luckily, I’ve had a lot of help from beta readers and my brother, all of whom were invaluable in spotting areas that needed fine tuning.

1.) “A Shadow in the Moonlight”: a young hunter accidentally interrupts a spell which literally turns him into a shadow, only able to venture out into the world by night, where interactions with other people leave him with such intense anxiety that he avoids them altogether. He is trapped in this state while encountering an injured runaway, whom he decides to help, despite the personal pain it causes.  I realize this description makes it sounds like a vampire story, but it isn’t, really, though the intention was to make it more gothic in nature than the original book, as the majority of the action takes place in a land of seemingly perpetual night (sort of like Brandon Lee’s The Crow).  It’s set a number of years prior to the events in The Thirteenth Hour and written in the same new adult/young adult style as the book.

Shadow in the Moonlight cover_edited-1 lo rez

2.) “Falling Leaves Don’t Weep”: an elderly king reflects on a life of self-absorption and hedonism after a falling leaf blows into his bedroom one night when he’s unable to sleep.  Takes place several decades after the events of The Thirteenth Hour.  In contrast to the other story, this one is more of a psychological story, as almost all of the narrative takes place internally, in the King’s head.

Falling Leaves Don't Weep cover_edited-2 lo rez

Each of the stories features small cameos by characters from The Thirteenth Hour, though the purpose was to highlight characters and situations that didn’t really get discussed in the book or in some cases, tie in with a sequel.

The stories will be available on Smashwords and Amazon.  I’m currently putting the finishing touches on them for the 3/20 release date.  Stay tuned!

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The Thirteenth Hour Version 2.0 Update for Kindle is Here!

The second edition Kindle updates for The Thirteenth Hour are now live!  See this post for additional details about the updates.  You can update your copy of the book to version 2.0 by going to the Kindle Manage Your Devices page:

www.amazon.com/myk

Thanks to everyone who purchased a first edition copy!  And many thanks to everyone who provided feedback along the way!

Stay tuned for additional work in the near future (short stories set in the same world as The Thirteenth Hour are coming soon!).

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How to Create Your Own Three Piece Takedown PVC-Fiberglass Bow

When I was writing and drawing the pictures for The Thirteenth Hour, I thought I’d give Logan and Aurora, the main characters, some unique gear.  Not to the level of James Bond-style stuff, just something a little distinctive.  Kind of like how Indiana Jones had his whip and hat, Luke Skywalker had his lightsaber, Marty McFly had his Delorean and flying hoverboard, etc.  I’ll cover some of these things in future posts, but this one will be on archery gear.

It’s not a huge part of the book, but I do have a few mentions about a three-piece takedown bow that Logan is issued (meaning a bow that can be broken down in to three pieces for ease of transport).  I figured these special soldiers should have something special up their sleeves when it came to their armament.  Something functional and compact, but with a bit of, how shall we say, elan (pardon the French).  Bows are, by nature, kind of bulky, and despite characters on TV using their bows as maces and staffs for braining people, they’re actually kind of delicate in some ways: large dents in the limbs from using the bow as a club would probably compromise the integrity of the wood; the string and wood are subject to temperature and humidity changes; bows should ideally be unstrung when not used so the limbs don’t take a set (and so on).  So I figured someone on the move without a lot of time to fuss over equipment would appreciate something that could be easily taken apart and packed in a backpack and wouldn’t be much longer than a quiver of arrows.

Hence, the three part takedown bow (nothing new from a modern perspective; but probably pretty neat in a less technologically advanced world, like the one in the book). Below is a picture of a generic Imperial Ranger with a typical loadout – note the bow in the upper left-hand corner.

Imperial Ranger LoadoutWM

So I figured, why not try to make one myself?  Although this is another topic entirely, it’s not difficult to make a bow quite cheaply and easily using PVC pipe that is heated and bent into the desired shape.  If you search on youtube (there is also a corresponding google+ community), you will find many such examples.

Although I’d made a number of PVC bows, the takedown ones never quite worked out until recently.  Luckily, PVC pipe is so cheap that experimentation is fairly painless.  In any event, this design, which did work, was so quick and easy I thought I’d share it.  It doesn’t look like the one in the picture above (that’s for a future project), but captures the spirit of what I was going for in the design: quick to take apart and put together, easy to use, and compact.

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This is an aside, but archery gear is, in my opinion, incredibly overpriced.  I can understand paying for bows that are handmade or made using difficult-to-work with materials (like horn).  No complaints there.  But most archery tackle is produced on a larger scale and with prices in the several hundreds of dollars for a bow (much more for a competition or top flight hunting bow); it’s beyond the reach of most people.  So although not related to the book, for this project, I wanted to make a bow that could be made quickly and easily out of readily found or re-purposed household items (in keeping with my roots of making bows out of household materials).

Here’s what you need to make it:

Untitled

The youtube video below documents the process of making the bow:

http://youtu.be/9NVO4Sc8YMs

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions on it – via this site or through my email address (writejoshuablum@gmail.com).

Interested in making more PVC takedown bows?  I’d highly recommend looking for other examples on youtube as well as checking out the book Takedown Archery by Nicholas Tomihama for more details of making takedown PVC bows and more.

If you’d rather buy a takedown bow, there are, of course, many commercial examples to choose from.  You can also buy handmade PVC takedown bows from the following sellers at very reasonable prices:

1.) LLBows and Archery (see the takedown option)

2.) Jaycubl (see “Takedown Survival Recurve Bow Set”)

Happy creating and safe shooting!

bow hunter

Before you go: want a free podcast on the creation of this takedown PVC-fiberglass rod bow?  Click the picture above for more details! 

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The Thirteenth Hour Kindle Edition 60% Off Sale – This Week!

Get The Thirteenth Hour for the Kindle this week for $1.99, as opposed to its usual $4.99 price!

That’s a discount of 60%!

Want to try before you buy?  Check out the links below for excerpts and other free stuff.

Here’s the link to amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Thirteenth-Hour-Joshua-Blum/dp/1505792673/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thethihou-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=UDBZIFI4NFSPCHG6&creativeASIN=1505792673

logan and aurora castle grounds moonWM

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One sentence summary: a nontraditional faerie tale for adults about a young man and his childhood friend who journey to the ends of the Earth to find the secret of eternal life for a narcissistic King, learning a little about living, loving, dying, and dreaming in the process.

You might like this book if you enjoy … 

  • 1980s fantasy and scifi films
  • books like The Neverending Story by Michael Ende or Stardust by Neil Gaiman
  • adventures with unassuming, introspective protagonists
  • coming of age stories
  • irreverent (probably politically incorrect) humor
  • fantasy art
  • martial arts
  • gymnastics/acrobatics
  • archery
  • throwing cards
  • skipping stones
  • contemplating the nature of human existence
  • backflipping chimpanzees (yes, there is one)

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The Thirteenth Hour Is Out! Available for Kindle and in Print!

cover_edited-3

At long last, the wait is over, and The Thirteenth Hour is out!

This is a story for everyone who has been told to get their head out of the clouds and stop daydreaming.

When a young boy falls asleep during school one day, he is transported to another world, where he witnesses the tale of Logan, a young man, and Aurora, his childhood friend, as they journey to the four corners of the Earth and encounter many exotic creatures, situations, and perils in a quest to find the secret to eternal life for a self-centered ruler.

Part adventure story, part travelogue, and part introspective narrative detailing the struggles we all face when becoming adults, The Thirteenth Hour contains over 35 illustrations, music written specifically for the story, and a rich world both on and off-line that was sixteen years in the making.

Open it today, and let the story of The Thirteenth Hour become your story!

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Website: 13thhr.wordpress.com

Art: http://13thhr.deviantart.com/gallery

Book Trailer

Free itunes podcast of the book read by the author

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Purchase The Thirteenth Hour for Kindle on Amazon

Just available!  Now you can purchase The Thirteenth Hour in print via Createspace (available even before it comes online on Amazon!)

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Read free excerpts at https://medium.com/@13thhr/in-the-army-now-852af0d0afc0 and the book’s amazon site.

“The Thirteenth Hour” Is Finally on iTunes!

Well, it only took forever, and a lot of trial and error, but the reading I did of The Thirteenth Hour  is finally on itunes!

If you’re seeing this for the first time and have no clue what this is all about – well, The Thirteenth Hour is a fantasy book I wrote that’s coming to amazon in a few days.  In the editing process, I read it aloud to catch grammar and spelling errors while audio recording it.  I’m not a voice actor, and there aren’t other actors doing the different roles or a sound effects guy, but hey, that’s for a future project!

There are 15 “episodes,” each about an hour in length.  Start with #1 and progress upwards.  You can find them all here, on this site, in .mp3 format, but itunes may be more convenient for some.  They’re all free, so if you’re curious what this book is about, download a few and see what you think.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-thirteenth-hour-audio/id955932074

 

Logo for podcast

 

 

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-Website: 13thhr.wordpress.com

-Art: 13thhr.deviantart.com/gallery

-Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpcIUpwTiFY

-Read free excerpts at https://medium.com/@13thhr/in-the-army-now-852af0d0afc0 and the book’s amazon site.

Reading Books on the Kindle

The Thirteenth Hour is currently only available for the Kindle (this may change in the future), but if you don’t have a Kindle, what to do?  Below are a number of options – all are free assuming you have another device that can read ebooks.

1.) You can read it on a PC with free Kindle software.

2.) You can read it using the apps for iOS (iphone, ipad) or Android.

3.) If you had a Nook (the ereader from Barnes and Noble) in the past, you may have found that Kindle books were not compatible.  There are some ways around that.  However, see this article – you may be able to just install the Android Kindle app now.

4.) Failing all these, just wait for The Thirteenth Hour to be available as a physical book, thanks to an Amazon company, Createspace, which allows ebooks to be turned into physical books via print on demand publishing.  Stay tuned!

 

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-Website: 13thhr.wordpress.com

-Art: 13thhr.deviantart.com/gallery

-Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpcIUpwTiFY

-Free itunes podcast of the book: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-thirteenth-hour-audio/id955932074

-Read free excerpts at https://medium.com/@13thhr/in-the-army-now-852af0d0afc0 and the book’s amazon site.