The first two "Dream the Scene" winners . . . and more chances to win!

UPDATE: WE'VE EXTENDED THE DEADLINE! SEE BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS...

I've selected the first two winners of the "Dream the Scene" contest! (If you don't know about the contest yet, click here.) Congratulations to:

Joshua Ruark, age 13, who suggested the King kids should walk through a portal into ninth-century England, during the Viking raid on Alfred the Great's castle. There, they face a bloodthirsty berserker.

Katie O'Dell, also 13, who thought the Kings should suddenly find themselves on the deck of the Titanic, as it's sinking.

Joshua and Katie will receive iPod Nanos.

You'll be able to read these adventures (and many others) in Timescape (June 2009). What leads them to each world is almost as incredible as the things they do once they're in the midst of them. And head's-up: Our bad guy, Taksidian, is turning up the heat. He's making the King family's life in the house as scary and dangerous as the worlds they find through the upstairs doors!

More chances to win!

We've had so much fun reading the "Dream the Scene" entries, my publisher and I have decided to add two more chances to win. Instead of four total winners, six contestants will now win iPod Nanos. So we've extend the contest deadline to at least September 15, 2009 (we've had such a great response, we're looking for ways to keep it going, so check back to see if we've pushed the deadline even further down the calendar). Entries will be considered for extended Dreamhouse adventures—either in future books or in special online stories. So send 'em in!


Some hints to make your ideas really stand out:

• The more details you provide, the better. That way, if more than one person suggest the same adventure, the winner will be the one who gives me the most details that I'm able to work into the story.

• Make the place where they go and the people they meet real. The story is so wild as it is, we don't want the Kings bumping into Bugs Bunny! They don't have to meet famous people, but who they do run into should have possibly existed.

• Entries can be in any form that works for you: rough sentences, bullet-points, crayon drawings—anything that gets your idea across.

• You may submit as many ideas as you'd like.

• Most important: have fun!

Weekly Trivia Contest

Hello, Dreamhouse Kings readers! Here's your chance to test your knowledge of the story so far, and win some loot in the process, like gift cards, books, and t-shirts.

Here's how it works:

• Answer as many questions as you can. Send your answers to me by clicking here. Please include your age, school grade, and email address.

• Every correct answer gives you one drawing entry (ten correct answers = ten entries).

• Once a week, we'll draw a winner from all the entries, and notify him or her with an email. All the entries stay in the drawing for as long as the contest goes on, so once you've entered, you'll always have a chance to win.

• Every Monday, we'll post a new question—so come back often for another entry and another chance to win!

(Hint: The easiest way to answer multiple questions is to copy the list to an email message, then answer each one next to the question.)

Here we go!

73. Which arm did David break?

72. Who do Xander and David meet when they travel back to the time when the house is being built?

71. What purposed do the strangely carved wall lights in the third-floor hallway serve (besides providing light)?

70. How many books will there be in the Dreamhouse Kings series?

69. What cartoon character's teeth does one of Jesse's symbols remind Xander of?

68. Where is David at the very end of Timescape?

67. What happens when people from other times (or who spent a lot of time in the past) stay in the house too long?

66. In what hospital does Jesse end up?

65. What kind of rental car does Keal drive?

64. What "artwork" does Xander find in Taksidian's house?

63. To where do the symbols Jesse left written on the floor lead David and Xander?

62. What kind of car does Xander borrow from a classmate?

61. (First from Timescape!) Right after returning from the future, to what historic event is David dragged?

60. Again, there's no wrong answer for this one: Which of the two FRENZY covers (shown on the right) do you like best? (Frenzy is the sixth book in Dreamhouse Kings series.)

59. Who do Toria and David bring home from the Civil War?

58. What does Jesse give Dad to bring into the future world?

57. Who is Gatekeepers dedicated to?

56. How does David cut his palm in the clearing?

55. What is the title of the sixth Dreamhouse Kings book? (Hmm...I think the covers we're considering are somewhere on this page.)

54. In what branch of the military did Keal serve (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard)?

53. Where does the title of the first book, House of Dark Shadows, come from (what character thinks of it and why)?

52. Another freebie entry to mark the one-year anniversary of this trivia contest! Just email me your answer and you'll be entered into the weekly drawing for a Dreamhouse Kings t-shirt or a Borders gift card--your choice. Which Dreamhouse Kings book is your favorite so far?

51. Here's another free entry (there are no wrong answers): Name a character and the actor you think should play him or her in a Dreamhouse movie.

50. What's Xander's girlfriend's name?

49. What type of house is the Dreamhouse
(hint: it's an architectural style named for a British Queen)?

48. In Gatekeepers, when Toria shakes David to wake him up, who does he mistake her for?

47. What is the publication date of Timescape?

46. Whose shoes does David see under the linen closet door?

45. In what city near Los Angeles did the King family live before moving to Pinedale?

44. Name one item that was in the antechamber the big guy went through when he took Mom.

43. What is Taksidian's real name?

42. What does Phemus hurl at Xander, David, and Toria in the clearing?

41. What three words does David often say (sort of his catchphrase) that conveys optimism when it's time for the family to spring into action?

40. What does David do to keep Clayton from talking about the locker portal to the house?

41. What city do David, Xander, Dad, and Keal find over the hill in the “peaceful world”?

38. Here’s an easy one, because there are no wrong answers: Of all the times and places the Kings have ventured into so far, which has been your favorite?

37. The little girl who David saved in the World War II French village grows up to help eradicate which disease?

36. What name does Xander give the big brute who reminds him of the Cyclops that captured Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey?

35. What is the title of the magazine the policeman watching the house is reading?

34. What is Xander's favorite movie soundtrack?

33. (The first from Gatekeepers!) Who chases Xander, David, and Toria into the clearing?

32. Who, besides the Kings and Taksidian, discovers the secret portal between locker 119 and the linen closet in the Kings' home?

31. What is the name of Jesse's friend, the one who helps him get to the house?

30. What is the model of the SUV the Kings drive?

29. How old are Toria, David, and Xander?

28. (Here’s a freebie entry for everybody): Who is your favorite Dreamhouse Kings character and why?

27. What do the Kings call the room they use to gather portal information and plan their rescue strategies?

26. What actress does the real estate person in Pinedale remind Xander of?

25. How does David break his arm?

24. What is the first weapon Xander picks up when he's fighting the gladiator?

23. What do the Kings do at the dinner table to honor Mom?

22. What does Mom hide in a ceramic rooster?

21. In what fictional California town does the story take place?

20. What's the name of the school bully who finds out about the locker-to-house portal?

19. Who starred in the movie Danielle told Xander she watched recently?

18. For what ancient empire did Taksidian work as an assassin?

17. What does the family call the cartoon face Xander draws on the Civil War tent?

16. What is the name of the nursing home Jesse lives in?

15. What is the name of the doctor who set David's broken arm?

14. What sport does David like to play?

13. What was Dad's occupation before he became principal of Pinedale Middle and Senior High School?

12. For which army does David's coat suggest he's fighting when he and Xander first go to the Civil War?

11. Name one of the videogame posters David has.

10. Xander finds a zoot suit in a closet. What movie does he remember having seen clothes like it?

9. What is the name of Toria's "talking" teddy bear?

8. What is the locker number that the linen closet portals to?

7. Here's a tough one: How old is Dad (Ed King)?

6. How many doors are in the third-floor hallway?

5. What famous person did David and Xander meet in the Civil War?

4. This one's from book two, Watcher in the Woods: What is the name of the little girl David saves in the World War II scene?

3. What was the theme of the items in the very first antechamber Xander and David looked into?

2. What is the street name on which the Dreamhouse is located?

1. What is the style (theme) of the pajama bottoms that disappear under the portal door?


Weekly Drawing Winners

September 27: Bobby C., Wyoming
September 20: Mary W., Georgia
September 13: Jack E., California
September 6: Nanci N., Tennessee
August 30: Elizabeth S., California
August 23: Micah L., South Dakota
August 16: Jeff T., Texas
August 9: Joshua F., Australia
August 2: Maddy R., Texas
July 26: Rebeca B., Colorado
July 19: Jeremy C., Utah
July 12: Vickie K., Arizona
July 5: Michael L., California
June 28: Nancy F., Louisiana
June 21: Melissa S., California
June 14: Scott C., Nebraska
June 7: Robby B., Michigan
May 31: Jeffery R., Washington
May 24: Caitlin R., North Carolina
May 17: Jacob C., Colorado
May 10: Shannon L., Minnesota
May 3: Michael G., Texas
April 26: Brandon F., Oregon
April 19: Melissa M., New Mexico
April 12: Jessica O., Iowa
April 5: Valarie B., Florida
March 29: Nate P., New Jersey
March 22: Mackenzie J., Michigan
March 15: Christine W., Colorado
March 8: Asa F., Pennsylvania
March 2: David E., Arizona
February 23: Virginia B., North Carolina
February 16: Thomas M., Texas
February 9: Mark N., California
February 2: Cindy P., Florida
January 26: Andrew S., Colorado
January 19: Linda L., Hawaii
January 12: Timothy G., California
January 5: Rachel H., New York
December 29: John S., Tennessee
December 22: Trevor G., Utah
December 15: Samantha S., North Carolina
December 8: Connie W., Virginia
December 1: Caleb S., Colorado
November 23: Bryce B., Mississippi
November 17: Sriram, Washington
November 10: Brian L. Massachusetts
November 3: Elizabeth R., Texas
October 27: Alexander D., Georgia
October 20: Jenny, Colorado
October 13: Jacob M., Florida
October 6: Kendra F., Colorado
September 29: Nathan, Colorado
September 22: Caroline T., North Carolina
September 15: Josh H., California
September 8: Chloe, Colorado
September 1: Amy A., Washington
August 25: Dillon D., Wyoming
August 18: Ethan M., California
August 11: Caleb F., Florida
August 4: Amy L., Maryland
July 28: Justin D., Minnesota
July 21: Jordyn G., Texas
July 14: Nicholas F., Colorado
July 7: Molly, Iowa
June 30: Sarah S., North Carolina
June 23: Tyler T., Georgia
June 16: Leanne M., New York
June 9: Nicholas F., Colorado
June 2: James N., Oklahoma
May 26: Truitt M., Colorado
May 19: Jason S., Florida
May 12: Elizabeth T., California

More to come!