The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #561: Thirteenth Hour Sequel Update 10 - Aurora's Story 1

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 before.  I imagined that she was almost always the oldest kid in the orphanage and thus probably the tallest and biggest as well as someone who others would naturally tend to gravitate towards for comfort and support.  I imagine she also entered puberty a bit on the earlier side (maybe 11), which is not always the kindest to girls that age.  That often comes with some changes - menses, body changes, societal expectations, sometimes unwanted attention from men, etc.  Aurora didn't exactly have a mother figure in her life, but the Headmistress of the orphanage and its staff (most of whom were probably women) kind of filled that role, and I imagine that since she was there so long, they would have viewed her as kind of a surrogate daughter and might have tried to shield her a bit from some of those things.  That said, everyone has to grow up sometime, and I imagine she would have figured out these things on her own eventually. By the time we meet her again in this book, though, she's older (almost 30) and more secure in who she is.  She's happy for the most part.  Perhaps a little lonely and wondering if she and Logan will ever be able to have children, but all things considered, settled.  This story does unbalance that a bit, but the changes are less external and more mental.  In some ways, she serves as a voice of reason when it comes to some of the irrational/unhealth attitudes and views we tolerate but may still find unreasonable when it comes to family attitudes, societal expectations about gender and body shape, societal roles, and so forth.    But as she encounters these things anew when she finally meets her own family, it causes her to question who she is and what parts (if any) of this part of her life that she wants to integrate into her old life.I have thought that for illustrations this time, instead of going the digital route, I'll use hand drawn watercolors and so will make some pictures this summer that will depict some of these things.  I don't know if they will all make their way into the text but perhaps some for future short stories or maybe just to understand my characters better.∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞Once Upon a Dream, the second Thirteenth Hour soundtrack, is now out in digital form!  It is out on most major streaming services such as Bandcamp, Spotify, and YouTube Music.  (If you have no preference, I recommend Bandcamp since there is a bonus track there and you will eventually be able to find tapes, CDs, and special editions of the album there as well.)-Check out the pixelart music videos that are out so far from the album:-->Logan's Sunrise Workout: www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7SM1RgsLiM-->Forward: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9VgILr1TDc-->Nightsky Stargazing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0p3jKRTBo-->Aurora's Rainy Day Mix: https://youtu.be/zwqPmypBysk∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!Like what you see or hear? Consider supporting the show over at Thirteenth Hour Arts on Patreon or adding to my virtual tip jar over at Ko-fi. Join the Thirteenth Hour Arts Group over on Facebook, a growing community of creative people.https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2026/05/11/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-561-thirteenth-hour-sequel-update-10-auroras-story-1/