#newadult

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #29: Censorship, Children vs. Adults, and Raffle Winner

Episode #29: What age group is The Thirteenth Hour for?

https://archive.org/download/13thHrEps16On/13th%20hr%2029.mp3

-I get asked this question occasionally and am still refining my answer, which is generally, “adult, though teens over 16 may enjoy it as well.”  The only ones who generally seem interested in the answer are parents or grandparents not interested in the book for themselves but as a present for the children in their lives.  I feel it’s better to let them know what to expect first rather than have them surprised when little Johnny lets them know that someone in the book said, “oh, shit!”

That said, there are no f-bombs (sort of the king of English curse words), but, in the fine tradition of the 80s movies from which it drew inspiration, there are a few four letter words sprinkled in the text for emphasis.  No one has sex, either on or off the page.  No one loses a head or has organs ripped out.  But there are some fight scenes, as well as some introspective narrative passages on more adult-oriented things like growing older, waxing nostalgic for the seeming simplicity and innocence of childhood, the inevitable regrets along the way, the aftermath of traumatic experiences, the complicated and halting way romantic relationships start, and the struggle to become one’s own person … stuff that may not necessarily be the most interesting to an eight year old.  I sometimes say that if it were a movie, it’d probably get a PG-13 rating, which coincidentally, is what the movie The Martian is rated, and that does have a few f-bombs 🙂

Anyway, sometimes I think we protect children in very weird ways (e.g. banning books and other kinds of media).  But that is a different topic altogether and dangerously close to real world activism, which this corner of the internets strives to steer away from.

Onto other things …

-Although I’ve had guests on the show before (e.g. authors Lo-arna Green and Coreena McBurnie), I’ve not had live guests yet.  That is, until next week, when my brother, who writes about video games, will be joining me live!  We’ll be discussing the video games we tried to make when we were kids (as I discussed previously in this post which has a collection of Tomb Raider sprites I made for a game I never finished).

–Starving Artist section: make some passive $$ by watching videos on your phone (you don’t have to watch ’em!) on Swagbucks!  See this guide on Reddit for the apps you’ll need to get in order to maximize your points:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SwagBucks/comments/229bf6/detailed_guide_about_swagbuckscom_for_the_newbies/ 

-Lastly, today I announce the winner of last week’s raffle hosted by Kelly St. Clare, chosen at random by the gods in the Rafflecopter machine:

Jeremy J., you’re the big winner! (You’ll be receiving an email from me with more info).  Congratulations!

As always, thanks for listening!

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New Year, New Books Blog Tour 2016 – Featured Author: Loarna Green

If you missed the first stop on the #NYNB2016 Blog Tour, click on this link to check it out.  (There’s also an introduction to the tour on the podcast that came out yesterday.)  We’re switching gears from last time’s focus on epic fantasy toward the other end of the spectrum, in a way, toward books that are more fairytale romance oriented.  As before, book covers link to Goodreads for more info.

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What a great cover!  You can tell by looking at it that it’s probably going to be a romance, but the colorful painted swirls that might be a dress or wings, worn by the dancing woman at the center give it a lyrical quality that suggests it’s something more.

Synopsis:

Jazz lives her life according to colour.
She vibes off people’s colour.
Her world is happy, bright, fluro. Until her sister goes missing, followed closely by her mother.

She moves across the country and starts a new life. Some of it good, some of it a little bad. All of it colourful. It is there she meets a man who makes her question herself, her previous life and where she is going in this one. Jazz wants to move forward but she also can’t forget the mystery surrounding her mother and sister.  

Here’s what one reviewer on Amazon thought about this book:

“All the Colours is the “indie film” of romance novels. There’s no better way to describe it …  If you are looking for a simple plot where the heroine meets the hero and pursues a courtship, this book delivers so much more than that (and probably much more than what you want to sift through.) If you are ready to be engrossed in a book that explores friendships, love and family in an authentic way, you will be very satisfied with this story.  Lo-Arna Green does a superb job of capturing the voice of her characters. The people of her story are believable and vibrant, leaping off the page with so much life force that they seem like people you know personally.  At times, the writing is so honest that it breaks away from the “romance novel” mold completely and evolves into a character study.”

All the Colours on Amazon 

The next book in this synesthesic series just came out (1/7/16) and takes the opposite end of the spectrum – darkness, giving it more a more gothic feel while still the overall character of a fairy tale romance.

All The Darkness 3D Image of Book Cover Black

Synopsis:

Nate knew a life of colour when he had Stella by his side.
Now she’s gone, her life cut short, he sinks deep into darkness when he discovers who is responsible.
He leaves town and leads a quiet life keeping to himself, not feeling he deserves anything more than just merely existing, in all the darkness.

Edie is trapped in her life, made prisoner by those who are meant to love and protect her.
She is drowning in a quicksand she can’t breathe in. She’s lost her voice, her strength, her self-esteem.
When these two cross paths, they’ll both wonder if they deserve happiness. Can they make their way out of the darkness and to happiness with each other?

How do we convince ourselves we deserve happiness? How do we live with the dark acts we have committed?
All the Darkness explores the parts of our minds we try to keep hidden, even from ourselves.

Book 2 in All The Colours series.

Here’s what one reader on GR wrote about it:

“Lo-Arna has again captured the intricacies of her characters, making you hurt and love right alongside them. I especially enjoyed Lo-Arna’s portrayal of Nate, I love his character and admire his loyalty. I think Lo-Arna has written him to perfection.  A must read for those who like their romance with a side of darkness.”

All The Darkness Facebook Cover Art

All the Darkness on Amazon

If these books looked intriguing, you’ll be happy to know that Lo-arna has many more books in the pipeline for 2016!  (You can sneak peak the covers on the Smashwords link below.)  Check out the social media links below for more details:

Website: http://www.lo-arnagreen.com/

Read Lo-arna’s interview at Smashwords

Follow Lo-arna on Twitter @loarnagreen

Facebook: www.facebook.com/loarnagreen

Watch for more discussion on Lo-arna’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 Malinda Andrews, author of the Incalescent Trilogy – coming 1/22/16!

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

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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!

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In summary:

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

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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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