100 Cupboards

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
Additional links: Interview with author and his first published book, Leepike Ridge review.

Henry York is traveling to Henry, Kansas to stay with his aunt, uncle, and four girl cousins because his parents were recently kidnapped. While he is with his relatives he finds (in his own bedroom) hidden cupboards all over the walls. What he discovers with one of his younger cousins in, through, and about these cupboards is extremely mysterious and possibly dangerous. The right decisions need to be made, but Henry is not sure if he is up to it.

100 Cupboards is N.D.Wilson’s first installment in his new fantasy trilogy. He brings to life many new and different characters and this added to my enjoyment of his book. When you read as much as I do you can see similarities in characters from completely different books. I appreciated the uniqueness of Wilson’s characters and enjoyed their adventures. One thing that stood out and was impressive was how I was able to connect, and sometimes even feel like, I was participating in this story.

Also posted on www.flamingnet.com

I'm FREEEEEE

Hi all my friends! I have missed my online community SO much! Today I finished my last finals and I am now completely stress free, I can sleep for a normal amount of time, I can spend time with the people I have neglected, I can read Cybils all day long, I can blog and I can get ready for the Snow Ball my school is having tomorrow! Well, LOTS has happened.

1. I had my opening night and closing night for 'Emma'. It was an amazing experience and I had so much fun. In the past I have had smaller stage roles and more backstage jobs. This time it was all stage! I experienced the feeling of 'being a completely different person'. I think I'm slightly like Harriet Smith, but for some things, I had to get out of my bubble and just do what Harriet would do, not Traci. Another fun part was how much I made the audience laugh. (I didn't think I was that funny) After the performances many people came up to me and said how they loved my facial expressions. (facial expressions?) I really need to see the video of this play, because I'm thinking that I did some things I wasn't aware of. At first I wasn't sure how to take these "facial expressions" comments, but a cherished friend told me that it was a very good thing and I thank her for that!

Emma (cast 1) and our wonderful piano player

Emma (cast 1) and Jane Austen

Me after my last performance

Jane Fairfax (cast 2) and Mrs. Weston

Mr. Elton and Mrs. Elton

Cast 1 from left to right, Harriet(me), Jane Fairfax, Mr. Churchill, Emma, Mr. Elton, Mr. Knightly, Mr. Woodhouse, and Jane Austen.

Cast 1 from left back row, to left front row, Ball Guest, Butler, Ball Guest, Maid, Harriet, Jane Fairfax, Mr. Churchill, Emma, Mr. Elton, Mr. Knightley, Jane Austen, Mrs. Weston, Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Elton, Miss Bates, Maid

Mr. Churchill, Mr. Woodhouse, Harriet, and Maid

Mr. Martin and Harriet

Ben our curtain and scrim guy and his brother Mr. Weston

Miss Bates and Mrs. Bates

Mr. Knightly, Butler, Mr. Churchill

Dancing for the fun of it between performances

Jane Austen

Me before my closing night peformance

All of us after our last performance...look at my face..;)

Jane Fairfax (cast 2), Harriet, Miss Bates, and Emma (cast 1)


Emily (good friend from school)/ Maid and my sister


Moi and Katie (Jane Fairfax, cast 2)

2. I was featured on the Cybils website HERE! *happy happy*

3. The Broncos play this Sunday!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

"Whats Wrong Here",

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Did you know that 80% of UCSD students could not find the error above? Repost this with the title "whats wrong here", and when you click "post ", the answer will be really obvious.

*I must be really stupid but I still can't figure out the problem. If anyone of you figures it out, tell me please! It's killing me!*

Last Games

Boise State vs. Hawaii

*sniffles* Well, the Broncos played Friday night from 9(pm) to 1(am). Yes, I stayed up for the WHOLE thing. My dad and I were able to go down to the exercise room since it was a nationally televised game. It was very fun watching the game, but the sad thing was, they lost. 39-27. I have to admit that the Warriors were a very good team. I think that if some of our best players hadn't been injured the score might be different, but one can only guess. I was very sad afterwards. It's not often that the Broncos lose. Then it hit me. Wow, I am really blessed. Lots of people have teams that they are dedicated too that are just....well...bad. It's amazing how many games the Broncos have won. In the last 8 years we have won 96 games and lost 18. This is the most wins in college football ever. So with that said, even though I am still sad, it's Hawaii's chance to shine right now and I wish them the best of luck. But, we'll see you next year Warriors and you better watch your back!

After this game Dad and I were talking about Boise’s bowl chances. He realized that they would probably be playing in the Humanitarian bowl. This is actually the bowl game hosted in Boise. *smiles* So, now the question was who was going to be their opponent.

Me: So, who is Boise going to play on the blue?
Dad: Whoever wins the North Carolina State verses Maryland game tomorrow.
*dramatic pause*
Me: WAIT!! Isn't that the game I'm going to tomorrow?

Yes indeedy, I actually got invited to the game that would decide Boise’s opponent. How crazy is that?

North Carolina State vs. Maryland

My friend’s family is big NC State fans and they have season tickets and tailgating passes and entrance into special cool big places. She invited me to go and as you may have guessed I was thrilled. My first football game in NC. We tailgated (which is a hoot, cause you eat and talk about the game and eat more) for about 2 hours, then went to our really comfortable chairs and watched the game. Don't get me wrong, I totally respect NC State and everything but their football team is horrible. In the entire game they rushed for 10 YARDS!! *that's not good* Since I haven't been in North Carolina for very long I haven't decided what teams I will root for. So, I didn't have any kind of attachment to NC State. With that said, I really enjoyed the game even though they got creamed 37-0. Maryland was a good team and I watched them and analyzed them. They will be fun to watch when Boise plays them. GO BOISE!

Love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Spend lots of time with your families and friends, eat, laugh, sing, dance, and praise the Lord!

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good..." Psalm 100:4

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
I Thessalonians 5:18

"I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy." Anne Frank

P.S. I am seriously considering changing my URL from
this: http://www.my-life-photoblog.blogspot.com/
to this: http://www.somethingkind.blogspot.com/

Just to let you know. ;)

Author Chats 2

From left to right starting at the top:

Sonya Sones, Holly Black, Carolyn Mackler, Mitali Perkins, Lisa Yee, Kirsten Miller, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Dia Calhoun, Janet Lee Carey, Gaby Triania, Lauren Myracle

If you could meet any person in the world, who would it be?

I knew this one was coming! I've been thinking about it. I keep switching between Elizabeth Bennet and Captain Jean Luc Picard. (Yes I am a TREKKIE!!!) -Dia Calhoun

George Cloooney. -Kirsten Miller

Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected leader of Burma, who is under house arrest. She is one of my heroes. -Mitali Perkins

Jesus and Gandhi -Janet Lee Carey

Have you had any fun fan expierences?

Right now! Also, I was just spotted by a fan at a play on Saturday night. I was OVER THE MOON! -Carolyn Mackler

What first got you interested in writing?

Reading. As soon as I could read a book I knew I wanted to write one. -Lisa Yee

Do you have any other interests besides reading and writing?

I love taking photos, especially of my author friends. I love dancing. I love the movies. I love reading. Cooking is fun. Shopping for vintage clothes from the 40's and 50's... -Sonya Sones

What is your favorite outfit?

Jeans and a t-shirt, NO DOUBT. I am a no fuss, no muss kind of gal. ;) -Lauren Myracle

On me? I don't know! That's a great question. I guess the answer is that I am obsessed with jackets and a new and spiffy jacket is always my favorite. I have a purple leather one right now that I love to death. -Holly Black

What was the hardest part to write in Tantalize? Was there a hard part?

The hardest part was knowing that I had a huge story to tell, but I'd have to start with one book and pray that a readership would be there to demand more. I had an established reputation as a Native American themes writer for children so some folks thought it would be difficult for readers to think of me as writing anything else. So I had to take it one step at a time. Fortunately, the response has been really great, and it seems strange now that anyone would be worried. I really appreciate all the support. It's been an amazing and heartening year. -Cynthia Leitich Smith

What is one of your favorite CD's?

I love Walela, very soothing. - Cynthia Leitich Smith

Do you read aloud to your kids very often? If so, do you have one or two particular books you enjoy reading to them most? I read aloud to them all the time. When Michael was little, it was Goodnight Moon to a tune I made up that would make him fall asleep. Now, I read anything aloud that he brings home. With the little ones, I read the Spanish version of an Eric Carle book, De la cabeza a los pies, that has different animals. And Goodnight Moon. They picked that up and gave it to me to read too, and they love it. Weird. No wonder that book is a winner.-Gaby Triana

Do you have a motto for your life?

"Eat more cake." -Gaby Triana

Who was your favorite teacher in highschool?

My favorite teacher was my dearly loved English tutor, Mrs. Saunders. So many reasons why! But the biggest one is that she believed in me. She believed I could do whatever I set out to try. She encouraged me to dream I could be a writer, and taught me all about grammer and punctuation so that I had the tools to be one! Sadly she died before my first book came out.-Dia Calhoun

Thank you Readergirlz!

GOOD BYE VANDALS!!!

*smiles* Yesterday afternoon around 2:00 p.m. a great game started. The Boise State Broncos vs. The Idaho Vandals. This is both teams' biggest rivalry.

The University of Idaho is very corrupt. In the past year about 16 players have either been arrested, expelled or suspended. I'm not saying Boise State is perfect, but they at least have their head on straight.


Anyways, Boise hosted the game and what a game it was. My dad and I had to listen to it on the radio, but it was better then nothing. It got a little scary in the first half as the Broncos were struggling to get plays down, but after halftime, boy what a game. The final score was 58-14.
Near the end the Vandal players started playing nasty and revealed their true rotten innards.
After the game, not surprisingly, lots of police had to come in and settle some people down and even make some arrests.











Praise the Lord! Go Broncos!

Photo Credits:
1. Ian Johnson being dragged down with a facemask. -The Idaho Statesman.
2. Jeremy Childs breaks free to score a touchdown. -Shawn Raecke
3. Akey. The Vandals coach. Doesn't he look scary? - The Idaho Statesman.
4. Austin Pettis celebrates after scoring a touchdown. - Shawn Raecke

Big Update

Hello Everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't been on my blog for awhile. The past couple of months have been very interesting. I needed some time to sit down with myself and think over what has happened. We moved across the country. I started private school. How different it has been compared to homeschooling. Friends. Houses. Money. Family. Acting. Blogging. Writing. God.

When I was homeschooled, I had all the time in the world. Now, frankly, I don't. But, I am working on time management. With God's help in the next couple of weeks I would love to be able to continue blogging, reading for Cybils, not feel stressed at school, give my all at drama, have time for family and time for myself. Everything will work out...

Thank you for being patient and I will try my hardest to continue posting at a regular basis.
Here are some recommendations:
Must Read: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (oh my gosh, talk about dream role)
Must Watch: Radio, Rudy, and We are Marshall (do you see the theme?)

Also, I would like to inform you all that tomorrow at 3:00, Boise State will play their archrivals the Idaho Vandals. The Broncos are going to win so there, but if they don't, don't plan on seeing me for the next.....10 years.

Update on Drama: Emma has been going really well. We just finished learning the dances for the ball scene and that was a blast! I love dancing and I can't wait to dance in my beautiful long blue dress. I haven't been able to take pictures because I'm on stage so much (doesn't that sound cool?), but I think I'm going to ask my mom or sisters to come to some practices and take pics.

Oh, you HAVE to watch this video I found. It's absolutely breathtaking. The Circle of Life from The Lion King performed at the Tony Awards. *sighs deeply* Just wonderful!

I would like to draw your attention...

....to Miss Erin's recent blog post. Her Clare B. Dunkle Interview. *screams*

It is absolutely amazing and so you all need to go and read it now!!!

~traci

The Cybils Press Release

BOOK BLOGGERS KICK OFF KIDLIT AWARDS SECOND YEAR CHICAGO

Will Harry Potter triumph among critical bloggers? Will novels banned in some school districts find favor online?



With 90 volunteers poised to sift through hundreds of new books, the second annual Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards launched on Oct. 1 at www.cybils.com. Known as the Cybils, it's the only literary contest that combines both the spontaneity of the Web with the thoughtful debate of a book club.


The public's invited to nominate books in eight categories, from picture books up to young adult fiction, so long as the book was first published in 2007 in English (bilingual books are okay too). Once nominations close on Nov. 21, the books go through two rounds of judging, first to select the finalists and then the winners, to be announced on Valentine's Day 2008.
Judges come from the burgeoning ranks of book bloggers in the cozy corner of the Internet called the kidlitosphere. They represent parents, homeschoolers, authors, illustrators, librarians and even teens.


The contest began last year after blogger Kelly Herold (http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com) expressed dismay that while some literary awards were too snooty, rewarding books kids would seldom read, others were too populist and didn't acknowledge the breadth and depth of what's being published today.


It didn't have to be brussel sprouts versus gummy bears, said Anne Boles Levy, who started Cybils with Herold. There are books that fill both needs, to be fun and profound.
Last year's awards prompted more than 480 nominations, and this year's contest will likely dwarf that. As with last year's awards, visitors to the Cybils blog (http://dadtalk.typepad.com/cybils) can leave their nominations as comments. There is no nomination form, only the blog, to keep in the spirit of the blogosphere that started it all.


For further info:
Anne Boles Levy
anne (at) bookbuds (dot) net

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
by R.L. LaFevers

Theodosia’s mother is coming back home (finally) from a trip to Egypt and she is bringing back hundreds of artifacts found in an ancient tomb. One problem, all these things have evil curses surrounding them and for some reason her mother and father aren’t aware of the potential harm her mother is bringing to the world. Theodosia needs to try and some how get one of the artifacts back to Egypt with the help of her unwilling brother and a random pick pocket off the street before it destroys mankind and before the Germans (evil men trying to kill her and take over the world) catch up with her.

This book was very unique and interesting. I liked how the Egyptian cultures were portrayed and how Theodosia was a well-written, funny character who is easily remembered.

Author Chats

From left to right: John Green, Kirby Larson, Cecil Castellucci, Ann Brashares, and Sara Zarr

If you could meet any person in the world, who would it be?

Oh, I hate having to make these choices!!! I think I would've loved to have met Mother Teresa but otherwise, I feel so lucky to know so many wonderful children's and YA writers -- who, as you must know, are the greatest folks in the whole world.
-Kirby Larson

Anyone who has been to Outerspace.
-Cecil Castellucci

Any person in the entire world? Gosh that's a tough question. I'm going to assume they must be living (otherwise: Shakespeare. I have questions for him). I would be pretty interested in meeting Philip Roth. I think he's my pick, weirdly enough.
-John Green

Oooh, tough questions! Like, so tough that I can't think of any ONE person in the world that I'd particularly like to meet...every time I've met someone famous or semi-famous or just someone I admire, they turn out to be just regular people like you and me. Only usually with a lot more money. :) Okay, a name that comes to mind because she my favorite actress of my generation: Kate Winslet.
-Sara Zarr

Besides writing, what are some other interests of yours?

I love yoga and walking and feeding the birds in my backyard. I am also addicted to lattes! I have also been very involved in our community, including serving two terms on the school board, starting a foundation to build a performing arts center (it opened last year!) and helping raise money for literacy causes.
-Kirby Larson

Have you had any interesting fan experiences?

It was all pretty normal until the Nerdfighters started coming to stuff with their homemade shirts and their posters and everything. That's pretty awesome, I have to say. Nerdfighters are good at making a guy feel welcome.
-John Green

Soon after I published my first book, I was in an airport and saw a girl reading [my book]. I was so excited I couldn't contain myself. I went over to her and told her it was my book and that I was so happy she was reading it. Both she and her mother looked very suspicious and scared for a moment, but then they looked at the author photo in the book and decided it was me. We took our picture together. I still have it. I guess I was kind of the fan in this instance.
-Ann Brashares

What first got you interested in writing?

As for writing, my mom read to me all the time when I was a kid, from toddler years on through age 11 or 12. I think that put stories in my blood and pretty soon I wanted to start telling them myself.
-Sara Zarr


Many thanks to all the amazing people on readergirlz and the authors who took time to talk with us and make these online chats possible!
31 Flavorite Authors for Teens

Into the Wild Book Trailer

When I was over visiting Miss Erin a week or so ago, we filmed a book trailer for Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst. Erin edited it, produced it, filmed it, outlined it, etc. I acted in it.
Hope you like it!




Here are some links I recommend visiting:

Sarah Beth Durst's blog post HERE.(talking about the video)
Miss Erin presents her first book trailer HERE.
YouTube link HERE. (please go and leave us a comment)
and
Razorbill's Front Page (the book's publishing company) HERE. (look at the sidebar)

My Trip

My first quarter ended in school and so I decided to go and visit all my friends back home over my two week break! :D I was able to be there for about 10 days and it was so fun! Talking with people I haven't talked with for 3 months, walking in my neighborhood, going to church, chatting at my favorite coffee house, visiting everyone where I used to work, hanging out with my good friends, filming Antigone with even more of my friends, etc.

Ok, so what you have been all waiting for....my adventures on the trip back. Miss Erin's family dropped me off at the airport which was very nice of them. I had a good amount of time to myself so I ate and read! I then read some more once I figured out that my plane was going to be 45 min. late. It was 8:14 p.m. when we finally landed in Chicago(midway) and I had to catch a flight at 8:50. But, when I got there I realized that almost half of the flights were delayed because of the weather, including mine. 4 hours. Departure time: 12:45 a.m.

So, I went and had dinner. Then, stood with a bunch of other sports fanatics and watched the two games that were being displayed on the TV's. A baseball game and a football game. ;) A guy from my flight came up to me and we started chatting. He was very nice and it was nice to have someone to talk with. I went and checked the status of my flight. *ouch* 1:30 departure. Ok, so now what. Lots of people were going to sleep, but I couldn't sleep, too much was happening! I finally sat down and was reading, but it was really loud because a bunch of drunken college kids were wheeling around in wheelchairs flirting and yelling at everyone. Yeah, that was weird. Finally, a lady updated us on our flight. It was coming in early and we could be boarded by 12:30. WAHOO!!! Once we were on the plane, everyone was laughing and joking around. It was late, give us a break. The flight attendants were so tired that they kept on slurring their words on the mike then laughing uncontrollably. Anyways, everyone was ready to go, but for some reason we weren't taking off. Then, these two policemen come on the plane. Uh-Oh. They go to the back of the plane then after a minute or so escort four people off the plane. A flight attendant explains in so many words that they were drunk. I found this funny, because more then half of the people on the plane were intoxicated, but tthe people who were taken out people had not kept their mouths shut and had made a nasty comment to one of the flight attendants. Finally at 1:30, the words that everyone was waiting to hear: "we have been cleared for departure!"

I landed in my home airport around 4:10 and wasn't in my bed until 5:00 a.m. I slept in till about 11:00 a.m. then lazed around and went to a party that night to end my fall break. ;)

Thank you to the family that kept me and fed me and everyone else (you know who you are) who drove me around and did helpful things! Thank you also to all my friends who took time out of their busy lives and spent some time with me! Love you all!!