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STORIES
Kibi and the Search for Happiness
Amanda Herman, 17: I currently live in Ethel, Washington and attend school at Onalaska High. In my spare time I enjoy taking pictures, drawing, reading, and surfing the internet.
Mireille Xioulan Powers, 15: I like sketching. I'm honest, friendly, I love animals, and I like helping other people's feelings.
Rachael Hedges, presently residing in the Southern California desert, continues a lifelong vocation of fine arts with the creation of pastel and oil color artworks covering a range of subjects.
Manuscript Critiquers
These wonderful people, most of them young adults, worked their way through draft manuscripts, highlighting and commenting on thousands of passages that were too wordy, not wordy enough, confusing, the wrong level of vocabulary, logically incorrect, and even, occasionally, just right. After the manuscript work was complete, they endured an in-depth interview with the author. These stories could not have been written without their help. About half of them are still with the author today, working on Book Five and beyond.
Sidney Oster, 10, is destined for greatness. She began life as a princess and is now dancing her way through her pre-teen years. She enjoys tap dancing, jazz, girl scouts, cooking, art, and swimming. Sidney gets the giggles religiously. She appreciates this opportunity to find a constructive outlet for her obvious acting talents as she undertakes the role of Sata [in the Dramatic Audiobooks].
Mitchell Bendis, 10
Kacie Wilson, 10
Aditya Srinivasan, 11
Courtney Snyder, 11
Madison Frasier, 11
Dylan Oster, 12, is a born politician and skilled negotiator. Although he is legally required to spend many hours in school, in his free time he participates in tae kwon do, boy scouts, chess, and swimming. He is thoroughly enjoying the Nebador series.
Catherine "Cat" Harper, 12: I live a very humorous life. I have a totally awesome school. My backyard is HUGE! I have about...7 animals all together (3 cats, 2 dogs, a fish, and a water snail). I've taught my kitten Clawdia to jump onto my shoulder at nighttime. I've got a trampoline in my backyard but I rarely get to jump on it because it's pretty much winter already.
River Lyons, 12: I am from Portland Oregon, I am 12 and in 7th grade and go to Skyline school.
Thurston Coatney, 12
Ruth Drake, 12
Sarah Bray, 12: I love Taylor Swift, animals, Greek mythology, manga, reading things like "Twilight", "Percy Jackson and The Olympians", the "Alice" series, "Fruits Basket" and "Cased Closed". (So basically Horror/romance, action/mythology, action/i-don't-know-what-it's-called, probably reality, action/romance and mystery). I love my teachers (the best 6th grade teachers in existence) even though I am not so crazy about school. I really hate homework, but do well in ancient civilizations, hands down my favorite subject in school. One of my best friends attempts to help me in math. It doesn't work so well. I despise global warming, lack of Taylor swift music, lack of books, lack of delicious food, science experiments on animals, and math. I spend 25% of my time reading, 15% of my time playing on electronics (Wii, Ds, Tv, Computer), 25% of my time eating/sleeping, 35% of my time doing not so interesting stuff such as school and homework. Somewhere in there I jam in everything else. For the picture: Sarah (the human wearing a cat-eared head band in honor of my sister's fifth birthday) and Bubbles.
Jarret Beckoff, 12
Joshua Clark, a middle school student, lives in Oregon and enjoys computer science, sustainability, aerodynamics and literature. He will read just about anything that he sees, and loves the opportunity to read for a commercial audiobook.
Jessica Johnson: I am a 13 year old girl who LOVES to read. I like to read pretty much any book, as long as it's not too short. I was born in Bellingham, WA and I still live there.
I have a brother that can be annoying. Sometimes I try to annoy him back. To annoy Jimmy, I once unplugged his computer and hid the cord and the battery. I like to go on the computer. I play puzzle games on the computer. I have a Wii and a Playstation 2.
I am homeschooled. I like being homeschooled, because I like the ability to study what I like to at the moment, instead of sticking to a schedule. I want to be a Volcanologist when I grow up. I've been studying volcanoes since I was really little. The only active volcano I've been to is Mt. St. Helens, but I'd like to go to others.
Cherish Broker, 13
Katheryn Brunswick, 13
Jasper W. Romero, 14: i love music, coffee, sleeping in, "wasting" time in town with my friends, reading, writing/playing songs, discovering a new band and loving them, and getting funny looks for zipping around town on a razor scooter that's way too small for me. i care about my friends and family more than anything else, except for possibly the planet, which i am disgusted to find that humans are polluting and destroying everyday. i mean hello, look what this world gave to us!!!!! i want to be a musician, and i feel confidant that i will be. if that doesn't work out though, i will try to do something musically oriented as a profession (i.e. luthier/guitar-maker). i like to read, eat, drink, make music, hang out with friends and (sadly) play video games to kill time. things that set me off are: my friends (or anyone really) being treated like crap by teachers, global warming, sell out musicians, running out of coffee and guitars just going out of tune with no outside assistance.
Mariah Bruns, 14, lives in Portland, Oregon, and attends St. Mary's Academy.
Kristen Voie, 14
Hannah Li Powers, 14, and Maunti
Patrick Murray, 15
Kathryn C., 15: i love reading, so a job where I might get paid to be reading is a dream come true! I love music and listen to it almost 24/7. I play the guitar and I sing, as well as playing the piano a bit. I love sports, especially soccer, hockey, and lacrosse.
Laurel Koran, 15
Margaret Brunswick, 15
Stephanie Louie, 16
Abigail Bodley, 16
Alex Chalcraft, 17: The Nebador series takes readers on an original and often hilarious journey to the stars and beyond.
Abby Powers, 18
Brie Polette, 19: I have lived in Vancouver, WA for most of my life. I enjoy hanging out with friends and family, reading books, and writing stories. I currently go to school at Clark College and work at Ace Hardware; both are great for where I'm at, at this point in my life.
Elwin Aragorn, 19: The two most important parts of my life are my friends and my education, and I won't let anything get in the way of either one. I think that these books can be something really good, and I'm proud of all the people who support them.
Rachael Hedges, presently residing in the Southern California desert, continues a lifelong vocation of fine arts with the creation of pastel and oil color artworks covering a range of subjects.
Winn Barrientos is a gifted facilitator, mediator, and spiritual teacher. She is a core founder of Seekers of Core Spirituality and is an Ordained Interfaith Minister. She is a mother to three young men and currently resides in the Pacific Northwest. "Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." -- George Bernard Shaw
Elizabeth Renguso is a loving Mother and friend who loves literature and enjoyed many an evening reading Jonathan's insightful and delightful novels as a cure for her insomnia. She hopes you enjoy them as much as she did!
Beth Littlewolf
Brendan Aragorn, 25: Reader, websurfer, scribbler of maps (loved the maps), would-be traveler. Liked the descriptions and non-human point of view. I ignored the romance.
Publishing Assistants
These helpers worked through the polished manuscripts to make sure they were ready for publication. Those who were also critiquers could compare the two versions. Others brought a completely fresh perspective, reading the NEBADOR stories for the first time. The final proofreaders have a merciless job, never able to just "read." Some help the author with the Ask Kibi advice page.
Mitchell Bendis, 10
Sarah Bray, 12: I love Taylor Swift, animals, Greek mythology, manga, reading things like "Twilight", "Percy Jackson and The Olympians", the "Alice" series, "Fruits Basket" and "Cased Closed". (So basically Horror/romance, action/mythology, action/i-don't-know-what-it's-called, probably reality, action/romance and mystery). I love my teachers (the best 6th grade teachers in existence) even though I am not so crazy about school. I really hate homework, but do well in ancient civilizations, hands down my favorite subject in school. One of my best friends attempts to help me in math. It doesn't work so well. I despise global warming, lack of Taylor swift music, lack of books, lack of delicious food, science experiments on animals, and math. I spend 25% of my time reading, 15% of my time playing on electronics (Wii, Ds, Tv, Computer), 25% of my time eating/sleeping, 35% of my time doing not so interesting stuff such as school and homework. Somewhere in there I jam in everything else. For the picture: Sarah (the human wearing a cat-eared head band in honor of my sister's fifth birthday) and Bubbles.
Bethany Ford, 14: I live with my dad and his dog whom I love to death. I have been riding horses for about three years and I hope I will never quit. I love music and if I'm not grounded I love to go to the park on my bike and get some air and I love to read and sing and play a game called "Call of Duty 4." I can get very hyper sometimes. I have never worked with Lumiere Player before but it's fun. I have a brother and sister I love to death and we can be a pain together sometimes but we are fun to be around. I love when it rains. I have fun with my friends.
Mariah Bruns, 14, lives in Portland, Oregon, and attends St. Mary's Academy.
Joshua Utter, 14
Katelynn Persons, 17: "Acting isn't a hobby, it's a way of life." The words I live by. I eat, sleep, and breathe performing and literature. At any time of day you can find me writing, acting, dancing, reading, or in other words just about any literature or performing art you could imagine. I love people, and I love meeting new people and being around different types of people. I don't hate anybody. I love diversity. Performing has been in my life since a young age, and I never plan on letting it leave; it's my number one passion. But on the off chance that I'm not doing any of the above, you'd probably find me making plans with friends, on the computer, or trying to give advice to friends in need. I absolutely love country and rock music, along with a little of everything else in between. AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Darius Rucker, and Rascal Flatts are some of my favorites, just to name a few. Reba McEntire is my hero! Not only for her incredible music ability but also for her extraordinary acting, and unbelievable heart of gold. My parents are my mentors, my heroes, and the ones I'll never stop loving. My little brother is a brat, but has a golden heart, and nobody is aloud to mess with him except for me. I love people, school, art, along with unlimited and artistic self-expression.
Alex Chalcraft, 17: The Nebador series takes readers on an original and often hilarious journey to the stars and beyond.
Faylyn, 17
Amanda Herman, 17: I currently live in Ethel, Washington and attend school at Onalaska High. In my spare time I enjoy taking pictures, drawing, reading, and surfing the internet.
Rachael Hedges, presently residing in the Southern California desert, continues a lifelong vocation of fine arts with the creation of pastel and oil color artworks covering a range of subjects.
Norma Ashley has acted with Lumiere Players for years, and even assisted directing a couple of plays. She started acting with 2nd Heart Drama at her church which uses drama weekly in their main service, has directed several skits for them and also directed the Youth Group Christmas Production one year. She has performed with Newberg Community Theater and Gallery Theater in McMinnville. With Lumiere she has been the Main Narrator in "War of the Worlds," was the narrator for "We Hold These Truths," was Miss Shields in "Christmas Story," was Nell in Haiku for the AACT competition, and went to Nebraska to perform in "North Platt Canteen" as Rosie.
Deborah Meier, proofreader
Tim Kutscha lives in Portland, Oregon, graduated from MIT and currently works at Hewlett-Packard. He enjoys helping J. Z. Colby review some of the more technical aspects of the Nebador series and assists with computer/internet issues when called upon. In his spare time, he climbs mountains, does Vipassana meditation, drives electric cars and dances to 80's music.
Manuscript Readers
This category of helpers includes a few partial critiquers. Readers gave the author valuable feedback after reading the books. Readers who were also critiquers are only listed as critiquers.
|
Taia Handlin
Ardith Libby Janet Powers Dan Clark Susan Drake Cecelia Harper Karen Oster Holly Chalcraft Toni Corkran Karen Pihlak |
Krista Reichard
Shelley Johnson Jimmy Johnson Jennifer Westran Kate Westran Deborah Meier Mike & Ann Bergey Martha Higgins Katie Norris Aurora WindDancer |
Memorial
Karen Pihlak was a girl the author dated in high school. She later found a good partner and eventually became a police captain. She loved reading early drafts of the NEBADOR stories, but never got a chance to read Book Five, as she passed away on 5 October 2009 after fighting cancer for several years.
These lists are cumulative, including all helpers who have worked on any of the books of the series to date. Each published book lists the helpers for just that book.
Previews
Book One:
The Test
Spring 2010
Book Two:
Journey
Summer 2010
Book Three:
Selection
Fall 2010
Book Four:
Flight Training
Spring 2011
Book Five:
Back to the Stars
Fall 2011
Book Six:
Star Station
Summer 2012
Book Seven:
The Local Universe
2013
Book Eight:
Witness
2014
Copyright © 2009-2012
by J. Z. Colby
unless otherwise attributed