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STORIES
Kibi and the Search for Happiness
2012
8 February
"Standing on Your Own Two Feet: Young Adults Surviving 2012 and Beyond" is now available FREE to (or for) any young adult, or may be purchased if you prefer.
12 January
The Small Print editions of NEBADOR Books One, Two, and Three are now out-of-print. The author still has a few copies.
7 January
The first reader reviews of NEBADOR Book Five: Back to the Stars have been posted on the Comments page.
2011
31 December
By popular request, the Nebador writing contests are being synchronized with the school year, so the current writing contest goes through 30 June 2012.
7 December
NEBADOR Book Five: Back to the Stars is now available as an ebook for the Kindle and the many ePub readers (iPad, Nook, Sony, etc.)
2 December
The Small Print editions of NEBADOR Books One, Two, and Three will go out-of-print sometime soon after the end of the year. Book Four and beyond were not published in a Small Print edition.
17 November
The winning short stories from the Early 2011 NEBADOR Writing Contest have been posted: Buna's New World by Karen Buchanan, and First Taste of Freedom by Katelynn Persons.
14 November
NEBADOR Book Five: Back to the Stars has been published! The Medium Print edition is available, and the Large Print, Global Peperback edition, Hardcover, and Deep Learning Notes will be out very soon. Kindle and ePub will follow in December.
28 October
The ePub ebooks are now available from Barnes and Noble for the Nook. Links are on the Where to Get It pages.
22 October
From now on, anyone who finds a typo, grammar error, or punctuation error in any of our books (not yet listed on the Corrections page), or on this web site, gets a free book!
15 October
The Dramatic Audiobook of Book One: The Test is no longer being produced in the jewel case, only the slimline case. Collectors may find some still available in the jewel case from Lumiere Players (the theater company who produced it) and at Cellini Fine Gifts.
11 October
We are back from traveling! Thanks for your patience.
mid-September to mid-October
We will be traveling, and will catch up with all emails and business as quickly as possible when we return.
10 September
The Youth Futures blog this week explores The Myth of Progress that we all learned almost before we could walk.
6 September
The quarterly art contest has been changed slightly to help with school schedules: the 3rd quarter ends 31 October instead of 30 September.
4 September
The dramatic audiobook of Book One (MP3 CD) is now available in a slimline case from CCNow, an authorized retailer, and the retail price includes world-wide shipping.
1+4 August
Books Three and Four are now available in the ePub format for the iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, etc.
30 July
The winners and participants of the 2nd Quarter Art Contest were recently featured in their local newspaper, details on the Reviews page.
23 July
The Youth Futures blog this week concludes the series of three blogs about being on your own, and the attitudes, skills, and knowledge necessary to handle it well.
18 July
A new Youth Futures blog, Money Without Jobs, is now posted at Blogging Authors, and will remain exclusive there for several days. Please make comments on that site.
13 July
Book Two is now available in the ePub format for the iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, etc.
9 July
The Youth Futures blog this week begins a series of three blogs about young people being "home alone," or at least being the only ones home with their heads on straight.
7 July
The 2nd Quarter 2011 Art Contest entries have been posted, with a drawing of Tori's Bakery winning a great silver piece.
2 July
The talk and book signing at the Mensa Annual Gathering was fun, and the book seller reported that after people bought Book One and went away to read for awhile, they usually came back for Books Two, Three, and Four. The audio recording of the talk will be posted on the Mensa page sometime next week.
30 June
A new Youth Futures blog about Emotional Resilience is now posted at Blogging Authors, and will remain exclusive there for several days. Please make comments on that site.
25 June
The Youth Futures blog this week is all about drawing your own personal Web of Life. Also, the author has begun a discussion topic on the Dumbledore's Army group at GoodReads.com called "A real Dumbledore's Army?" His posts and interesting comments are also on the Dumbledore's page.
18 June
The Youth Futures blog adds some additional thoughts to last week's "Recap of Threats to Young Adults."
15 June
NEBADOR Book One is now available in the ePub format for the iPod touch, iPad, IPhone, and iTunes download. Links on the Where to Get It page.
12 June
TeensReadToo has given NEBADOR Book One a very nice review.
10 June
After conferring with many NEBADOR helpers and readers, J. Z. Colby has decided to quit using Twitter.com to announce news items. Everyone seems to prefer going directly to this web site, and it loads much quicker and more reliably over slow connections. Also, the author and Katelynn Persons have determined that MySpace.com is not useful to current or future NEBADOR readers. The Youth Futures blog this week contains a recap of threats to young adults that are present or developing in the world.
3 June
The Youth Futures blog explores the "angel" and the "reptile" inside each of us.
2 June
Katelynn Persons, the voice of Kibi in the dramatic audiobook and the author of the short story Kibi and the Search for Happiness, will be assisting J. Z. Colby at the Mensa Annual Gathering in Portland on 2 July.
31 May
A beautiful new picture from the Hubble Space Telescope, of two galaxies interacting, UGC 1810 and 1813, is at the bottom of the Home Page.
28 May
A magic word for the 21st century, EROEI, is explained in the Youth Futures blog.
23 May
The Youth Futures blog explores the notion that our energy situation (especially oil) may be a test arranged by deity. Can we pass? This entry is especially recommended for those planning to attend the author's talk at the Mensa AG on 2 July 2011 in Portland.
14 May
Are we painting ourselves into a corner? The Youth Futures blog explores the idea.
7 May
The author explores the source of the collective Shame many people are beginning to feel today in the Youth Futures blog.
1 May
The final NEBADOR book coming out this spring, Book Four: Flight Training (Deep Learning Notes), is now available at Amazon USA.
30 April
The Youth Futures blog looks at some of the reasons our "free" energy got so expensive.
20 April
The NEBADOR stories are now used by entire classes at Community High School, Fort Kent, Maine. The Youth Futures blog examines the idea of Free Energy. Do we have it, or don't we? The NEBADOR illustrator, Mireille Xioulan Powers, turned 16 today!
15 April
The Youth Futures blog examines an important equation, part of the calculations for a nuclear power plant near you: Risk = Probability x Severity.
11 April
American MENSA has confirmed that they want me to speak at their Annual Gathering this summer in Portland, Oregon:
The Future of Young-Adulthood -- Childhood's End?
An extended childhood was one of the perks of a century of wealth from cheap energy and the technology to use it. That era may well be winding down. If so, today's young adults -- roughly, those between the ages of 10 and 20 -- will be facing a tough transition just as their parents are struggling in other areas. The NEBADOR series of young-adult science fiction novels was inspired by a Muse who obviously believes that young people need to begin sharpening their wits and honing their skills now, before the future forces them to do so.
9 April
The Youth Futures blog looks at the growing concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, how it fits into history, and how it might affect young people.
8 April
NEBADOR Book Four: Flight Training is now available for the Kindle reader at Amazon USA and Amazon UK, and in large print at Amazon USA.
2 April
The Medium Print edition (12-point type) of NEBADOR Book Four: Flight Training, is now available at Amazon.com. The Youth Futures blog explores the pros and cons of doing things "just in time."
31 March
Mireille Xioulan Powers, the current NEBADOR Illustrator, has walked off with a great silver piece for her colored pencil drawing of Toli in the 1st Quarter 2011 Art Contest.
28 March
NEBADOR Book Four: Flight Training is at Amazon.com in the Global Edition (10-point type), which will also be available from bookstores in a month or two.
26 March
The Youth Futures blog tackles the question of when emergency helpers can come, and when they can't.
19 March
The Youth Futures blog peeks at one aspect of the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear situation in Japan.
17 March
NEBADOR Book Four: Flight Training came out today, the hardcover, direct from the printer for 25% discount. Paperbacks and Kindle will be along in a few weeks.
3 March
The 1000th Nebador book was just ordered! This includes all books in all editions. The 1000th book was a medium print edition of Book One.
18 February
The final polish of "NEBADOR Book Four: Flight Training" has been completed, and it now goes to the proofreader. The author tacked one of the most difficult questions yet on the Questions page: Is Nebador some kind of cult?
2 January
The winners of the 2010 NEBADOR Writing Contest have been selected, and the second place winner's story has been posted on the web site. The first place winner's story will be published with NEBADOR Book Four: Flight Training next spring.
2010
30 December
The first draft of NEBADOR Book Six: Star Station was completed at 11:43am (19:43Z) today. Whew! After one more read through, it will go to my young adult critiquers for (as my cover artist says) "slicing and dicing."
20 December
The Young Star-Seekers Edition of NEBADOR Trilogy One is now available on Amazon USA. It contains the complete text of Books One, Two, and Three, all illustrations, and chapter-by-chapter Deep Learning Notes. It is probably the most important NEBADOR edition, and also the lowest-cost way of buying the entire first trilogy.
12 December
Free NEBADOR Books for Teachers has become serious with ads on Free-Stuff sites and word-of-mouth promotion. Also, the NEBADOR web site now has a mirror in case of server problems (see the Nebador Archives page).
8 December
The Early 2011 Writing Contest has been posted to the Contests! page. It's perfect for any young person who has ever chatted with friends about their teachers. First prize is two great silver pieces, worth US$60 and rising.
1 December
A small gold piece just went out the door to a lucky young lady in Australia for her prize code. Another will go out soon for skill and effort in the first NEBADOR writing contest, ending 31 December.
21 November
The DRAMATIC AUDIOBOOK of Book One is now available as a ZIP file download for those with a high-speed internet connection who don't need the CD. Also, the hardcover printer now sells the Global/Library editions at a 25% discount.
15 November
Congratulations to the winners of the give-away on GoodReads.com that just ended. The winners live in Ireland, Croatia, Philippines, Canada, Australia, UK, Israel, and Panama. The author wishes he could send the Dramatic Audiobook to everyone who entered the contest. Also, NEBADOR Book Three: Selection is now available in Large Print from Amazon USA, and for the Kindle in the USA and UK.
13 November
The release party for the first Dramatic Audiobook was great fun, and all the cast members loved receiving their discs. A supply was delevered to Cellini Fine Gifts in downtown Portland, the largest giftshop in the Pacific Northwest.
10 November
Considering the budget crises in most places, any library that cannot afford to purchase their own copy may now request a free copy from the author. The only requirement is a statement from a librarian, within a few months, about how useful the book was in the library's collection.
7 November
Any teacher may now request a free NEBADOR book, and will receive the Deep Learning Notes that go with it. This offer goes equally to community, home, religious, and school teachers.
5 November
The Deep Learning Notes for NEBADOR Book Three: Selection are now available. Large Print and Kindle are in preparation, and won't be long.
2 November
A give-away of 10 copies of the Dramatic Audiobook (Book One) begins todays, and goes through 15 November, on GoodReads.com. It is open to anyone in the world.
28 October
The Small Print edition of Book Three, for those with good eyes and/or a tight budget, is now available! The audiobook cast is charging through Book Two, and NEBADOR gained another honorary citizen.
18 October
The DRAMATIC AUDIOBOOK of NEBADOR Book One: The Test is now available! The author and Lumiere Players of Tualatin, Oregon, have been slaving over it for 8 months. It's an MP3 CD (unabridged, almost 7 hours), and includes music, sound effects, a full cast of voices, and JPEG illustrations. The downloadable version should be coming soon. With this release, ALL editions of Book One are now available. Also, the Paperback Global edition of Book Three is at Amazon, but will take a few weeks to get into the wholesale system for other bookstores.
12 October
The NEBADOR MySpace profile is open for visitors, and Katelynn will continue to improve it in the coming days and weeks. The author and Lumiere Players are putting the finishing touches on the Dramatic Audiobook of Book One, and hope to release it very soon.
8 October
NEBADOR Book Three: Selection is now available in Medium Print Paperback from Amazon USA! Small and Large Print are not far off.
30 September
Congratulations to the winners of the GoodReads.com book give-aways that ended today. The winners are from Bahrain, Brazil, Netherlands, Indonesia, Canada, and USA. The author wishes he could send a book to everyone who wanted one.
28 September
Katelynn Persons, the NEBADOR social networking coordinator, declares that the Facebook site is ready to receive visitors. It is, of course, just a subset of this web site. Also, the author has begun making "tweets" on Twitter to announce news items, new Youth Futures blog postings, and any other interesting events or insights. All the social networking links are below the Menu on every page.
25 September
The last give-away of Book One (except the dramatic audiobook) at GoodReads.com begins today, of 8 more medium print editions for the USA and Canada (since they didn't get many in the first give-aways).
21 September
The Global/Library hardcover edition of NEBADOR Book Three: Selection is now available directly from the printer. It will be available from other retailers in 6-8 weeks, and the other editions will appear on Amazon USA in coming weeks.
16 September
The first GoodReads.com give-aways, of 17 books, has been completed, and the books are going into the mail today. Congratulations to all the winners in the UK, Canada, the USA, Australia, Russia, India, and Indonesia. The author wishes he could send a book to everyone who wanted one. Five more give-aways begin today on GoodReads.com, of 22 more books, including 2 hardcovers. Some are the small print edition, so make sure your eyes are sharp if you enter those give-aways!
9 September
Because so many people wanted them, the author has moved up the ending date of the 3 book give-aways on GoodReads.com to the 15th of September, and will post more give-aways in the last half of the month. Several new Youth Futures blog entries await those who are not afraid to get ready for an uncertain future.
1 September
Three book give-aways of NEBADOR Book One begin today on GoodReads.com, and go through the end of the month. Ten medium print editions are available for the USA, UK, Canda, and Australia. Four paperback global edition are for all other countries. Finally, 3 large prints will go to winners in the USA.
19 August
The author has posted his Youth Futures blog, starting with an overview and some thoughts about jobs. He will add one or more topics each week, driven mainly by questions from readers.
17 August
The author and Katelynn Persons (Kibi in the audiobook), 15, will be carefully exploring MySpace, FaceBook, and other social networking possibilities, and how they might help young readers find NEBADOR. Also, the Book One medium print edition may be unavailable for about a week for revision.
7 August
The author is now taking applications for scholarships from young people who cannot afford to buy the NEBADOR books. See the Scholarships page. Also, Book One, large print, will be unavailable for about a week in mid-August for revision.
1 August
Book One, Small Print edition, will be unavailable for about a week in early August for revision. The author has begun to give feedback for writing contest entries.
20 July
The author has begun the process of correcting the 8 errors that have been found in Book One. The hardcover Global/Library edition has been corrected, and can be ordered from the printer now, but will take 6-8 weeks to get into the wholesale system. Also, the Ebook for the Kindle has been corrected, and will be unavailable for a few days until the new edition is fully set up. The corrected editions will have a "1" at the end of the item code, such as "NEBADOR1EK1."
13 July
The Book Two illustrations are on the web site, and the Deep Learning Notes for it should be at Amazon within a week. For those waiting for the audiobook of Book One, the answer is probably September.
28 June
Book Two: Journey is now available for the Kindle, and in Small Print paperback. The home page has been redesigned, and more changes might be coming.
23 June
The author has made arrangements with Tania Opland to use some of her excellent medieval and renaissance music for the musical performance scene in the audiobook of Book One.
14 June
Book Two: Journey is now out in Medium Print (the best one for most people, in the author's humble opinion) and Large Print. Yes, yes, Kindle is in the works.
6 June
A new web page, The Characters, has sketches by Rachael Hedges, a few pictures from others, notes about the main characters' personalities, and their backstories from Book One. Additional pictures and thoughts are welcome.
31 May
The Deep Learning Notes (with discussion questions and illustrations) for Book One are now available as a thin 5" x 8" paperback.
18 May
The hardcover edition of NEBADOR Book Two: Journey is available directly from the printer (currently with free shipping) while it is being set up in the wholesale system (which takes about 2 months).
5 May
Mireille Xioulan Powers has joined Amanda Herman in creating illustrations for the book interiors, and Rachael Hedges has completed the cover art piece for Book Three, which can be seen on its preview page.
13 April
The artwork for Book Two was received from the cover artist, Rachael Hedges, and posted to the internet site.
25 March
The author and Valley Entertainment (owner of Hearts of Space Records) finalized a licensing agreement for two pieces of beautiful music for the Dramatic Audiobook of Book One: Milky Way Rising by Kevin Braheny and Arcturian Sunbird by Steve McDonald.
20 March
The Hardcover Global/Library Edition of Book One appeared at retailers, and two Pacific Northwest gift shops are stocking the NEBADOR books: Northwest Gifts in Bellingham, WA, and Cellini Fine Gifts in Portland, OR.
16 February
The Paperback Global Edition of Book One began showing up with internet retailers through wholesaler Ingram, which means it is also becoming available to bookstores.
6 February
Recording of the Dramatic Audiobook of Book One began by Lumiere Players under the direction of Nancy Wellman. The author began the search for an appropriate theme song to go with it.
18 January
The first edition to be prepared (Paperback Medium Print) appeared on Amazon.
3 January
The final polish and proofread of Book One was completed, and the author began preparing it for publishing.
2009
14 December
Lumiere Players of Tualatin, Oregon, agreed to produce the dramatic audiobooks for the NEBADOR series under the direction of Nancy Wellman.
12 December
The first "read" of Book Five was completed by the author's oldest helper, Ardith Libby, 88. The author reads draft manuscripts to her every week over tea.
30 November
The Library of Congress issued a control number (LCCN) for Book One. They will decide whether or not to add it to their collection when they receive a printed copy of the book.
12 November
The pastel drawing that will form the lower part of all Book One covers was completed and sent to the author by artist Rachael Hedges. It can be seen on the Book One preview page.
2 November
Nebador Archive's 100 ISBNs were received from the issuing agency. One International Standard Book Number is necessary for each edition or format of each book. Seven different formats are planned for Book One.
25 October
The web site was posted for the first time for testing and comments from critiquers and other helpers.
18 October
The author received the first completed artwork from the cover artist, Rachael Hedges, the star field that will form part of the cover of all the books of the series. He set to work adapting part of it for the web site banner.
5 October
One of the author's manuscript readers, Karen Pihlak, passed away. A memorial was created for her on the Helpers page.
5 September
The author met a large family of bookworms at a retreat, and commissioned them to become his Publishing Assistants, to check over the rewritten novels for any remaining issues. They joined a few of his original critiquers who had already done the same thing.
Summer
As the critiquing team made the transition from Books Three to Four, the author rewrote Book Three from 18 critiques and began to study the options for non-traditional publishing.
Spring
The writing of Book Five continued. The author was now into stories and themes he had only glimpsed in rough form in earlier years.
Winter
With 29 critiques spread out, the author dove into the rewrite of Book Two. "Trigonometry" gave him the most trouble, of course. His team of critiquers, slightly smaller now, began work on Book Three.
2008
Fall
The writing of Book Five continued while the critiquers struggled with Book Two, especially the chapter called "Trigonometry." The author began sending queries or manuscripts to traditional publishers.
Summer
The rewrite of Book One, from the 31 critiques he received, was a huge task with manuscripts spread out all over the house. Late in the summer, at a retreat, the first chapter of Book Five was drafted.
Spring
As the critiquers finished Book One, the author finished writing Book Four.
Winter
After placing a couple of ads, the author quickly developed his team of young-adult critiquers. While they worked on Book One, he finished writing Book Three and began Book Four.
2007
Fall
The author found his first few critiquers among friends, neighbors, and people he met at events.
Summer
Half of what today is Book Three (to the point Kibi sees the ship) was quickly set down while the author began to ask around for possible critiquers.
Spring
Book Two seemed to write itself. Most of the stories had been given to the author by the Muse years before.
Winter
After spending more than a year getting his forest home ready, the author began typing the NEBADOR stories into his faithful computer. Book One was quickly drafted.
2001-2005
The NEBADOR stories began coming to the author, but he was not in a position to write them down, as he had committed to moving and getting some further education at Portland State University.
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