Cindy Pon's Blog, page 10

Fury of the Phoenix is beautiful!

oh happy happy day!

i received the actual hardcover copy of

Fury of the Phoenix in the mail today. it

never gets less amazing. seriously. and

the book is gorgeous. let me share with

you in this giddy author moment!

click for larger image, including a sneak peek

of the first page! =D

*my cover! with cassandra clare's blurb on top.

*the binding with my calligraphy of "spirit" (hun). what was

carved on ai ling's jade piece.

*the back, with gorgeous chinese brocade. a short teaser

from the novel and the rest of cassandra clare's awesome blurb. woo!

*flap copy!

*chapter one with my chinese brush art chapter

decoration. and tiny daggers to mark the pages. genius!

oooh, getting so close. i'm all sorts of excited and anxious. 8)

Fury of the Phoenix trailer!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARIvCtzPLfE

lovely blog readers! Fury of the Phoenix releases

this month! in exactly 22 days in fact. do you know

what this means? this means that i'm wandering around

with fifty different things i need to remember to do,

while trying to actually do them, often stopping mid-task,

turning in circles aimlessly, and moving on to do something

else until i get distracted again.

it's a sad sight, dear readers. it truly is.

but at the same time, i'm so very excited for the world

to read Fury and find out what happens to Ai Ling and

Chen Yong! to find out what happened between Silver

Phoenix and Zhong Ye…

and since it's monday, and you know how i loathe mondays

and try to mitigate its foulness with pastries, mapo or book

goodies, i'm making this particular monday a little better by

revealing my Fury of the Phoenix book trailer. i hope you

enjoy it!!

if you could spread the Fury trailer love by tweeting, blogging or

sharing it on your fb page, i'd be ever grateful! i do have

an awesome Fury release giveaway planned on 3/29 so

stay tuned!!

currently reading:

Chime by franny billingsley

tgifbm! Huntress & Akata Witch!

i'm especially excited for today's tgifbm! giveaway

because it's books from two authors i really love and

admire.

i was fortunate enough to beta Huntress for malinda

and was especially excited knowing it was an asian

inspired fantasy. i enjoyed her debut ASH, but loved

Huntress even more. with Huntress, malinda immerses

us in a wonderful tale of friendship, danger, adventure,

sacrifice and love. all through her beautiful prose and voice

that is so uniquely malinda's. let me just give you the first

two paragraphs from Huntress, and you'll see:

She saw a beach made of ice, and she felt her heart breaking.

The ground where she stood was frozen white, but twenty

feet away, cold blue ocean lapped at the jagged shore.

Someone there was climbing into a rowboat, and she knew

that she loved this person. She was certain of it in the same

way one was instantly aware of the taste of sweetness in a

drop of honey. But she was afraid for this person's life, and

the fear raised a cold sweat on her skin and a sick lurch in

her stomach, as though she was on a ship during a violent storm.

malinda is truly the only author who gives me goosebumps

when i read her prose from the sheer beauty of it.

(this happened for me when the heroine declared her love for

the girl sage she had been traveling with–so poignant.)

and the fact that Huntress has wonderful storytelling in spades,

doesn't shy from breaking our hearts yet also lifting it with hope,

makes it an absolute must read this year.

it's no wonder that just today, Huntress received a starred

review from Publisher's Weekly. congrats malinda, so well

deserved!!

you may remember my raving about Who Fears Death by

nnedi okorafor earlier this year. it was a fantasy novel with

dystopian touches rooted in african mythology and folklore.

it pretty much blew me away. the book has since been nominated

for a Nebula.

so i was thrilled to receive an arc of Akata Witch, nnedi's YA

fantasy set in nigeria with sunny as the heroine:

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born

American. Her features are African, but she's albino. She's

a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer.

There seems to be no place where she fits. And then she

discovers something amazing—she is a "free agent," with

latent magical power. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic

students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change

reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked

to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?

ursula le guin says, "There's more vivid imagination in a page

of Nnedi Okorafor's work than in whole volumes of ordinary

fantasy epics."

yes, ursula le guin. how jealous am i? but i totally have to

agree. what is so refreshing about nnedi's novels is the

originality and imagination that shines through. Akata Witch

was a much lighter tale than Who Fears Death, with moments

of fun, discovery and coming of age. at the same time, it is

not without it's frightening moments, all told so vividly.

another YA novel i can't wait to release and be read by all!

so up for grabs for one winner:

Huntress ARC by malinda lo

Ash paperback by malinda lo

Akata Witch ARC by nnedi okorafor

Who Fears Death hardcover by nnedi okorafor

this prize package kicks butt! =) and because

i'm feeling generous, is open world wide! you know

the drill, tweet, fb status, LJ or blog about this contest

and link directly to this post. then comment here with

that link. i'll choose a winner by random on friday, 3/11.

good luck!!

on hold

hi lovely readers!

i'm in a holding pattern waiting for Fury of

the Phoenix release and have no news of my

own, alas. i do have exciting book news from

my writing friends, tho!

also, i'll be on three panels at ConDor this

weekend. check out their website for more info.

i'll be presenting on YA fantasy, women in fantasy, and

novel research panels on saturday and sunday afternoons!

my signing will be at 4pm on saturday, right after my

3pm panel with nancy holder and kiersten white. fun!

now some fun and exciting links to share!

my friend gretchen revealed her debut cover

this week! isn't it stunning? you can check out

the awesome synopsis on gretchen's site. i can't

wait to read Possess!

also, i just found out on twitter that

alex bracken, awesome YA author of Brightly

Woven sold a trilogy to disney hyperion.

check out her post for details!

i'm so excited to read more from this talented

YA author. congrats, alex!!

also, with the release of Fury soon, we're

getting closer and closer to the Diversity Tour.

there are awesome posts each monday from guests

on the diversity in ya website, be sure to check it out

and sign up for our newsletter for announcements!

this monday, dia reeves did a great guest post.

finally, i blog over at the greenwillow blog

about my ten years as a chinese brush painting student.

with commentary on various pieces i've painted throughout

the decade. have a peek!

till the next, i'm just trying to stay sane

as release day rolls closer. =D i'm very excited.

i've a great giveaway contest planned for Fury of the

Phoenix release. can't wait!

currently reading:

Akata Witch by nnedi okorafor

surly cat loves you!

happy early valentines day, my lovely

readers! i'm sharing Surly Cat early as a present

to you. =D i'll be going out for a nice dinner

with the love tomorrow for a date night, and

am hoping i'll finally get a few hours to write on

monday–actual valentines day.

i was trying to paint birds again last night, but

they were simply flitting away from me. after three

or four poor attempts, i decided to try a cat

instead. none of the lesson books inspired me,

so instead, i googled for cat images and found this…

haha! tell me it's not the cutest thing you've

seen? so this is the cat that inspired Surly Cat.

i first tried to paint him in the orageish color but

that proved too difficult. so i rendered him in

black ink. what do you think? does he make you smile?

he makes me giggle every time i look at him!

this was one of those paintings where i started with the

first four strokes and thought, there is no way i can

paint this thing. but slowly and surely, he began to

emerge on the rice paper, coaxed by brush strokes as if

by magic. in art, as in writing, there is the comfortable

confidence of "i can do this, i've done this many times before"

and the challenge of "i don't think i can do this, but i'm going

to try". it's the latter that makes us better every time.

if my oriole made you happy, i hope my Surly Cat makes

you giggle, as he does me. and finally, in celebration of

Silver Phoenix paperback release, i'm giving them away

over at the Supernatural Underground.

have a wonderful weekend and a happy valentines day!!

Surly Cat's theme song sung to "Spider Man" tune:

Surly Cat, Surly Cat does everything

a Surly Cat can

Glares at you

Pouts all day

Is Surly as only a Surly Cat can!

oriole among blossoms

yay lovely blog readers!

last night, i painted an oriole among blossoms.

it's the first painting i've done in a long time

worth framing, mainly because i've been working

for months on my chapter decorations for Fury.

this was my second attempt for the night. which is

very good–as sometimes, i can make a dozen

attempts or more over multiple painting classes and

never get something worth framing.

i'm not a fan of orange as a color to wear, but i

*love* it as a color to paint. it's just so bright and

happy and makes a bold statement. do you like him?

he makes me very happy when i look at him!

i've only a few paintings on hand as most i give

away or sell. so i'm gearing up to paint a few

frameable pieces for my annual art show in june

with the chinese brush painting society. if this little

guy doesn't sell, i'll most likely give him away as a

prize for promoting Fury of the Phoenix release!

something else that makes me smile.

some of you might remember a while back i

was lucky enough to win an original black and white

drawing from the talented natalie whipple of

ai ling and chen yong. click here to see a bigger

version of that lovely portrait.

i finally got a chance to get it framed after the

holidays and put it up right by our master bedroom

door. i wanted to make sure it was a place where i'd

pass it often, and be able to see it. thank you natalie

for a wonderful drawing!

i, in turn, gave natalie my Giant Lucky Pomegranate

painting, which she framed recently. i really loved the

color and feel of that painting. and it is indeed quite

a big painting. you can see it on her blog post here.

hooray for art, and happiness in art! please

don't forget the awesome giveaways that are going

on at malinda, i heart monster, and ellen's blogs!

and go out and get your Silver Phoenix paperback! 8)

happy chinese new year! until the next…

book news galore!

Silver Phoenix paperback releases today!

and it also includes my mom's veggie homestyle

mapo tofu recipe (it is delicious!). see

greenwillow's very own Head Chef martha mihalick's

first delicious attempt here. also included is a teaser

for Fury of the Phoenix and some comments about

writing my debut by me.

in celebration of my paperback release, some

wonderful bloggers are doing fantastic giveaways

along with Fury of the Phoenix reviews. first, i heart

monster reviews Fury and is giving away a Silver Phoenix

paperback and Fury arc.

next, malinda lo shares why she enjoys my

novels, as only malinda can. =D i love her

endorsement! it means a lot.  she, too, is giving

away a Silver Phoenix paperback and Fury arc. you

can also see her delicious rendition of my mom's

mapo tofu recipe!!

finally, ellen oh (fellow harpercollins YA author who

has an asian-inspired three book deal!) is

running a haiku contest on twitter and her blog! she's

giving away two prize packs, including $75 worth in

giftcards! won't you write a haiku for some Fury love? =)

also, a while back, cassandra clare was kind enough to

blurb Fury of the Phoenix:

"Cindy Pon's writing is beautiful, conjuring up images

of breathless adventure, heart-stopping romance, dangerous

demons, and hidden secrets. Ai Ling is the sort of heroine you

can't help but root for. A thrilling ride from start to finish."

-Cassandra Clare, New York Times Bestselling Author

of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series

then today, i learned that she had selected Silver Phoenix as

a favorite read in a bn.com feature. !!! amazing! and i happen

to be in fantastic company as well, with books i truly enjoyed

reading (Bleeding Violet, White Cat, Book of A Thousand Days,

The Replacement, Anna and the French Kiss). thank you so

much, cassie!!

i believe my book may be featured in endcaps at

some bn stores under a "Cassandra Clare Recommends" sign.

let me know if you see this–so exciting!

so there you have it, all my book news. =) i can't

believe we're less than two months away from

Fury release and not much more before the awesome

Diversity Tour. it's going to be crazy and amazing.

till next time, lovely readers!

tgifbm! White Cat and Red Glove, baby!

*this is the paperback cover, out 2/8. i chose it

because it shows cassel's face. yummy. =)

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

Curses and cons.

Magic and the mob.

In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together: Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth–he's the most powerful curse worker around. He can transform anything–or anyone–into something else.

The was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Now she's back, but she's been cursed to love him. If Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help find his brother's killer: But the mob wants Cassel too–they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. Where can he turn when he can't trust anyone–least of all, himself?

…

okay guys. i just finished the much coveted

Red Glove arc and it is brilliant. splendid genius.

i loved it more than White Cat–which was one

of my top ten reads in 2010. holly's The Curse

Workers series is officially one of my favorites. the

only reason i'm giving away a SIGNED hardcopy of

White Cat and the Red Glove arc is because i'm getting

personalized copies when holly joins us in boston for

our Diversity Tour stop. 8)

if you haven't read these books yet, move them to

the top of your to be read list.

if you haven't heard of these books, where have you

been? ha! you best enter this contest or run out

and buy White Cat now. Red Glove releases on april 5!

you know the drill, tweet, fb, lj or blog about this

contest and link to this post. then comment in this

same post with your link(s). i'm feeling the afterglow

of Red Glove, thus making me generous. this contest

is OPEN TO ALL. i'll choose a random winner on wednesday,

2/2. good luck!!

one week

it was such a hectic week last week.

after the high of ala midwinter, malinda lo and i

worked hard behind the scenes to officially launch

our Diversity in YA website and announce the authors

signing with us. we'll be in san francisco, austin, boston,

new york city, and one more stop depending on when

our nyc signing is. we also hope to sign in san diego the

week of world fantasy con in late october! =)

malinda and i have been planning and working

on the tour since last year, so it's very exciting to

see it coming together. please check out our awesome

authors list and sign up for the mailing list. the blog

is updated every monday and we've cool blog

posts and contests planned in the coming months!

the same day we launched the website, fellow deb,

l. k. madigan (lisa) shared very difficult news

on her website. i've been thinking of my friend and

sending good thoughts all week. the debs are also giving

away forty sets of lisa's Flash Burnout and The Mermaid's

Mirror to help spread L. K. Madigan Book Love. won't you

consider helping by tweeting or anything else you can do to

spread the love?

it was an honor to be interviewed by sarwat chadda

for his Kiss Me, Kill Me blog tour. we talk food, sex, and

a girl's place in xia society. as i mentioned before, i had the

pleasure of meeting sarwat at ALAN last november when we

were presenting together with cinda williams chima. so much

fun. and i'm loving his sequel, Dark Goddess.

harperteen is also giving away ten Fury of the Phoenix arcs

over on goodreads! get on it! =) the initial reviews and reader

reactions are always so nerve wracking–but so far has been

very positive. it makes me glad that i took the risks that i did

for Fury.

finally, i had friends visit over the weekend and we

spent a lovely summer like day at legoland. (our first

full day there, really, i tend to avoid theme parks like

the plague, ha!) it was surprisingly uncrowded and the

bubs had loads of fun. here, you can see some of the

san francisco skyline as well as the griffth observatory

in los angeles.

till the next, lovely blog readers!

she's so high…

get prepared for a Monster post about ala midwinter,

my lovely readers!! this one was quite different than

my first in chicago, as i basically went as a fellow fangirl

of books. and since it was in my hometown, i could take

as many arcs as i'd like. i was on an arc buzz high for

days!! some of the best moments were meeting fans of

Silver Phoenix as well as librarians who told me how much

their teens adored my book. that truly means the world to an

author. i hope you enjoy the fotos! =)

the harperchildren's booth with a glimpse of jordyn

from ten cent notes. Fury of the Phoenix

arc is somewhere in this foto. i'm among author friends. =)

i heard there was a stampede when the exhibit hall opened on

friday night at 5.30pm. by the time it was 6.30, the scene had

calmed down some what. but i did the majority of my YA arcs

snagging that night. (i had a list on my iphone, hehe!)

i ran into alex bracken at the random house booth!

yes, she is like twenty and gorgeous! and just so happens

to be the the debut author of Brightly Woven which was

one of my five star reads from last year. i recommend it!

on saturday morning, one of the first things i wanted to

do was hit two author signings. I've heard great buzz for

sarah jamila stevnson's The Latte Rebellion and was lucky

enough to get a signed copy at the flux booth.

then i went to fellow deb lee's signing for her

new novel The Princess of Las Pulgas. congrats, lee!!

was lucky enough to run into mary kole on the

exhibit floor, as she couldn't do dinner together that

evening.

one of the funnest parts of going to ala is being

stalked by awesome YA librarians and bloggers. =D

sarah from green bean blog saw me on friday night

but had put her Fury arc away. she promised to bring

it to get it signed on saturday. and she found me! so we

got a foto together. i signed the arc to the teens at her

library. i hope they enjoy it–and sarah too!

steve from greenwillow books arranged this

very official author foto in the harpercollins

children's booth and also played photographer. =D

thanks, steve! it's my new profile foto on facebook!!

i also saw lessa a few times during my brief time at

ala. she was the one that won the first rare Fury arc by

creating the wonderful gardens of the golden palace scene

from Silver Phoenix. she's a fellow writer, newly-married, and

just totally cool. we geeked out on arcs at the hyperion booth. =)

saturday night, i went to dinner with sophie, jill

and martha. i had taken my fantabulous editor and

steve to extraordinary desserts for lunch–then went

back again for dinner. TWICE in one day. i didn't mind.

haha! we had a lovely three hour dinner talking books

and publishing and everything else. it was just a wonderfully

fun time. as was lunch!

finally, a look at all the arcs i picked up. not including some

adult titles and middle grade ones for my sweet pea.

um, amazing, right? and uh, good thing i had those shelves

built at christmas. ha!

arcs that i'm looking forward to reading that i hadn't

heard about until  the ala convention:

Chime by franny billingsley

Tempest Rising by tracy deebs

The Midnight Palace by carlos ruiz zafon

Falling for Hamlet by michelle ray

how's that for a post of awesome? now, i'm

really geared up for ala in new orleans! i've never

visited before and Fury of the Phoenix will be out then.

so exciting!