Cindy Pon's Blog, page 11

tgifbm! goes to france!

posting my first Thank Goodness It's Free

Books Monday! a couple of days early in 2011!

and i'm starting the year off with a bang.

the prizes this time are two books i recently read,

both taking place in france, and both receiving five

star ratings from me on goodreads. they are very

different reads but equally fantastic!

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She's angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she's about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights' most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn't want—and couldn't escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine's diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There's comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal's antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine's words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls' stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

alas, these are both big hardcover novels so i'm

limiting the contest to US mailing addresses only.

you know the drill! tweet, fb status, LJ or blog and link

back to this contest post. then simply comment with

that link here for a chance to win! i'll choose a winner

by random on wednesday, 1/12. good luck!!

seven

this will be the fourth year i've ranked

my top reads of the year. you can find my

favorites from previous years on my about

page. this year, i read more books than ever

before (59) and gave many 5 star ratings. you

can see everything i read on my links page which

connects you to my goodreads ratings/reviews.

so now i face the very difficult task of

narrowing down my favorite reads of the year.

and boy, was it challenging. so this year, i will

give you my top seven reads. i even found them

impossible to rank, honestly. (as i had in previous

years.) so i will simply list them in the order i read

them throughout the year.

the more i've read and discussed books with other

book lovers, and the more i've read reviews of my

own novels, i've come to realize reading is such

a personal experience. so much of what

i love to read is what i love to write (fantasy, historicals,

multicultural). so without further ado, my favorite novels

from 2010!!

i had never heard of sarah waters until

malinda lo recommended her to me. and am

i glad that she did. consider me a fan. waters is

an incredible writer and storyteller. i was looking

for books with good sexual tension and this novel

delivered. (and then some, ha!) i went on to read two

more waters novels (Fingersmith and The Little Stranger)

this year, but Tipping remains my favorite.

i am a HUGE fan of this series. it's hands down

one of my absolute favorites. i really enjoyed The

Demon's Lexicon and love the broody tortured nick.

so i admit i was disappointed and hesitant when i found

out that mae would be narrating the second novel.

well, a fool was i. brennan blew me away with

her storytelling in this sequel, and i was especially inspired

because i was personally struggling through Fury at the time.

(the contracted sequel is the devil's spawn–it's true!)

brennan basically floored me with her writing. i never feel

i fangirl her quite enough in real life. so i am left to do so

virtually. and the woman is only like, twenty-five! 8) so talented.

i found out about this debut from reading a fantastic

interview shveta did with jemisin on her livejournal. i

had no idea what to expect, but Hundred is one of those

novels where the author says, let me take you by the hand,

hear this story, and you do. and she literally has you in her

palm the entire time. it is an incredible amazing debut.

this is the first novel by clare that i've read.

and promises to be another one of my favorite series.

as you may or may not know, i didn't read much YA

(foolish me!) until i sold Silver Phoenix as a young adult

novel (and can't begin to tell you how thrilled i'm writing

within this genre!). so i've been scrambling to play catch

reading wise since. when i began hearing buzz about

Clockwork Angel, i was intrigued. then i found out it was

set in victorian london (ding) with demons (ding ding) and

finally saw that gorgeous cover–probably my favorite this

year–i had to read it. what can i say? i'm a dirty demon lover.

ha! and cassandra clare did not disappoint.

i look forward to meeting her in person in 2011–even if she

teases me relentlessly about the next books in this series

on twitter. =)

it takes a lot for me to pick up a non-fantasy read.

it's not that i have anything against it–and i always

enjoy what i do read. but it's simply personal preference.

i'm sorry i took so long to get around to reading Marcelo

in the Real World. marcelo's narration was touching, poignant,

funny and so very honest. i really truly loved this novel. if

you haven't read it yet, you should.

i liked The Demon King, but i LOVED The Exiled

Queen. epic comes to mind, the world chima builds,

the magic system she creates, the characters she gives

us, each unique with her/his personal struggles. i was

so impressed by the way she wove these multiple story lines

so deftly. and the sexual tension? *fans self* i would say

i liked this novel as much as cashore's Fire, if not more. if

you're a fan of high fantasy, read this series. i was so lucky

to be on my first ALAN panel with cinda back in november. she

is absolutely lovely in person and i fangirled her!

i had not heard of okorafor until the sirens conference,

when they announced that she would be one of the guests

of honor in 2011. (go to sirens if you are a fan of strong

fantasy heroines! amazing con!) her YA novel Akata Witch

will be released in april, and after reading Who Fears Death,

i seriously can't wait. this adult fantasy with dystopian touches

follows a heroine's journey and is rich with african traditions,

myth and folklore. like nothing i have read within the genre.

more, please.

so there you have it! and what's even more amazing

about my favorites is that all these novels feature diverse

characters be it in sexual orientation, different cultures,

or protagonists of color. a perfect segue into the Diversity

Tour that malinda and i have been planning for some time!

both malinda and i will have asian inspired fantasies out next

april (Huntress and Fury of the Phoenix) and we thought this

was great cause to celebrate. we'll be signing at five different

locations across the country and have invited other middle grade

and young adult authors to join us.

i can't tell you how excited we are about this tour–

and for the amazing authors who will be at each location.

we'll be announcing very soon in the new year. until then,

check out our Diversity in YA Fiction webpage and sign

up on our mailing list to keep updated!!

happy new year, everyone!!

christmas clean up

happy christmas to those who celebrate!

my family isn't christian so we used to go

to las vegas a lot on christmas day–which

actually was a lot of fun. circus circus, buffets

and random shopping. that was back when vegas

wasn't as out there as it is now, of course.

this is the first time in quite a few years that we

haven't gone back to the uk to celebrate. it was nice

to avoid the stress of traveling (and the crazy snow

falls they have had). i bought a few turkey slices from

whole foods prepared foods section and all the fixings,

and the hub roasted veggies, made some yorkshire

pudding and also steamed the christmas pudding for

our christmas dinner at 1pm today.

i've spent much of the down time cleaning up the

tiny reading nook in our master bedroom. it was getting

overrun by…books! books books books! i can't read

fast enough and i keep buying more. it's definitely a happy

indulgence of mine, as it is with many book lovers and

many other authors, i've seen.

our house isn't very big (tho i guess that's all relative

depending on where you live). it was about 1200 sf and

then we remodeled and it's now at a little under 1700 sf.

i have no office or official work space. my "office" is the

dining room table. =)

when we first remodeled, the architect had made my

reading nook into an extravagant walk in closet–which

is all the rage, apparently. it also happens to have the prime

location of a view of the back garden as well as up our

little slope. i told him i didn't want a walk in closet, thank

you very much, and would prefer a reading nook flanked

by windows.

and here it is, totally junky.

i had originally bought the tiny sewing table

converted to a mini desk in hopes of making my

reading nook into an office. i tried writing there a

few times, but i just wasn't feeling it. it was too bright

in the day, and i didn't like to have my back to everything.

even if it was a nice view out the window. it is, however,

the perfect reading nook indeed.

so i never did write successfully from this space.

here it is cleaned up! it's holding my chinese brush art

cards, and my reams of manuscript revisions for both

Fury of the Phoenix and Silver Phoenix with my

fantabulous editor (i don't discard them–call

me sentimental) in the larger box and in the smaller is

my awesome pirate hat. =) i picked up the two boxes when

i happened to wander through a Tuesday Morning store

recently with sweet pea.

also, i officially asked for a shelf above the chaise for

christmas and the love put one in for me overhead. i moved

the majority of my books there, which as you will see,

helped clear up the space tremendously.

the boxes on the ground hold book swag as well as copies

of my books and arcs themselves. despite all the stuff i still

have, it looks a lot better, no?

this is the top of our dresser that increasingly

became piled with haphazard stacks of books and

papers. yikes! i took this foto at dusk on a rainy day so

it's really dark, but it's probably better you didn't get a

clearer view of the mess. without the shelf that the love

built above my reading nook this was where all the books lived. =O

and now look! after i moved most of my books to the

new shelf in the reading nook!

this little table is my "shrine" where i keep goodies

i've received from fans as well as from the bubs, including

a coil pottery cup, the snowman, a couple of butterflies

and more. the bubs have to get "approval" before they can

contribute to the shrine. =) this was also where i had the

majority of my to be read books stacked–until i bought too

many and they oozed over to the dresser.

the stacks are noticeably smaller now! =) still have some

but overall, the room feels much less cluttered. i'm so happy!

christmas day is good for cleaning and organizing.

tomorrow we're off for a short jaunt to santa barbara. hope

the weather holds up! now the question is, what books to

bring with me to read?? have a wonderful holiday break, those

who are lucky to get some extra days off. i'll be back before

the new year to do my top books read in 2010 post!!

currently listening to:

bare by annie lennox

artist

the weather has been crazy for us

these past few days, lots of rain and

howling winds. of course, school let off

so the bubs are stuck home with me with

no where to go! today, we did go to a pottery

class. it was just three kids and they did some

hand building and even made their own bowls

on the pottery wheel.

i loved ceramics so wanted the bubs to

try it. sweet pea definitely loves it. not sure

about munchkin, he could grow to like it.

sweet pea has been working on some "business

cards" these past two days. i finally saw them

tonight. they are really cute and make me laugh.

she had written in pencil her name, her job title,

and *my* cell phone number in case anyone needed

to reach *her*. haha!

she says she wants to make thirty. wow! i don't

even have that many people to pass business cards

out to!

i find them both darling and hilarious!!

sweet pea wanted to be an author for a time

but now has switched to artist. 8)

i'm bummed we'll miss the lunar eclipse tonight

due to the rain. i hope some of you get to catch

it where you are?

choose your own tgifbm!

hello everyone! i'm afraid this week

we were fighting the stomach flu plague.

the love and munchkin brought it back from

the uk with them. (gotta love it!) the good

news is that by some minor miracle, sweet pea

and i managed not to catch it for once. the

bad news is poor munch was home sick and

all droopy for the entire week. =( but he's recovered

now and more loud and rabid than ever. hoorah

for bouncing back! =)

the hub was trying to find something amongst

the piles of books i've stacked on our large dresser

this weekend and said i should be on the hoarders

show. ha! so this will be a new years, Choose Your

Own TGIFBM! the winner will be able to select 8 novels

from those listed below:

Worldshaker by richard harland (arc)

The Wizard Heir by cinda williams chima

The Blue Sword by robin mckinley

Hate List by jennifer brown (arc)

Virals by kathy reichs (arc)

Marcelo in the Real World by francisco x. stork

Revolution by jennifer donnelly

The Little Stranger by sarah waters

Devil's Kiss by sarwat chadda

The Agency: A Spy in the House by y. s. lee

Dead Until Dark by charlaine harris

The Ivy by lauren kunze with rina onur (arc)

Poison Study by maria v. snyder

that's right, any EIGHT novels from the

above listed. happy happy holidays! =)

you know the drill. tweet, fb status, LJ, blog

and link to this contest post. then comment with

that link here. i'll choose a winner some time

on wedeneday, 12/22. unfortunately, since the

contest involves shipping 8 books, this one is

open to US mailing addresses only.

for another fantastic chance to win eleven

middle grade and young adult fantasy novels,

simply comment in this post over at the enchanted

inkpot with what MG or YA fantasy you're

looking forward to reading in 2011!

again, US mailing addresses only.

good luck!!

currently reading:

the knife of never letting go by patrick ness

Fury of the Phoenix arc winner!

hi everyone!! i had some really fantastic entries

from readers for this arc contest. confession: i literally

sat there for a minute before clicking publish on my arc

post. why? i was afraid i wouldn't get any entries. it's true!

like having a big party and no one comes. but i really really

wanted this first contest to be for Silver Phoenix fans, and

you guys amazed me in so many ways.

thanks to everyone who took the time to blog or

comment in the contest post with your thoughts--it

really means a lot. now i'd like to share some of the

great entries i received!! WARNING! this post contains

a whole lot of Silver Phoenix SPOILERS!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MawgoUwOq8g

alison, a teen reader from the east coast, submitted this

fantastic vlog of why she loves Silver Phoenix. how cute is it?

i received three art entries--and what's so fantastic

about them is that they are all from readers abroad!

by adam in thailand (using watercolor pencils)

this is the scene where chen yong saves ai ling

from his dopplegangar. adam mentioned

especially liking the terraced rice fields. me, too. here

is the passage from Silver Phoenix:

The sun descended, streaking the sky with ribbons of

vermilion. There was no farmstead in sight. Lush terraced

fields reflected the light. The fields had collected recent rains,

and the crops grew from pools tinted rose, gold, and green.

my comments: other than the terraced fields that i love,

this scene is where chen yong and ai ling join

one another again. i especially love the sword

wielding action from chen yong. he looks fierce!

by annie in calgary, canada (using .7 lead and pencil crayons)

my comments: annie is also a teen reader! and i think this portrait

of ai ling is just lovely. i love the colors and i love that she's holding

a calligraphy brush in one hand!

by haricha in the uk (using coloring pencils, ink, Photoshop

Elements and Imagine FX brushes)

my comments: i love the surrealism of this piece! how

ai ling holding her jade pendant is blending into the

chinese dragon behind her. gorgeous!

i also received some great written entries!

lauren from ottawa, canada submitted a fan fiction piece

titled "A Smile from Ear to Ear" based on a japanese monster.

she said she enjoyed the monsters from Silver Phoenix the most.

below is an excerpt, shared with permission:

When I woke up I was not sure where I was. At first I believed I was in the gardens of heaven. An angry wasp stinging me made me realize this was not the case. I was lying on the edge of a river, my clothes ripped and covered in blood. I struggled to stand up and crawled to the water to clean myself. Then I saw what my lord had done. He had taken his sword and split my mouth from ear to ear, giving me a grotesque smile. I was a monster. I remember feeling an unholy anger that sustained me when I could not find food or drink. My wounds became infected and I wandered the countryside in a delirious fever. I wanted to hurt and kill someone as my lord had to done to me. I did not know what to do, until the man found me.

He called himself Zhong Ye. He offered to help me get revenge, for a price. He offered to give me power to destroy my lord and any man who stood in my path. The power to hurt any man who threatened his wife the way mine did. My lord and husband had taken Xiu Ying from me. He had beaten me and scarred my body daily, then had the nerve to insist I had been betrayed him for another man. He did not even have the honour to kill me, only the cowardice to scar me. I readily agreed, not caring about what it might cost me. Zhong Ye filled me with spells and powers with only one command: I must find the girl named Ai Ling.

First I had to see to my own desires. I went to the grand palace. My lord was there feasting with his friends. He had remarried a young nubile girl half my age. I doubted that she had even begun her moon time. An angry feeling twisted within my heart. I waited until the night fell and snuck into the castle. He was sleeping on the pallet, his arm curled around his naked bride.

my comments: whoa! right? the entire peace is dark,

creepy and horrifying. but lauren ends the story on a hopeful

note, with ai ling's help. i really enjoyed this story.

heather zundel wrote a wonderful Silver Phoenix

haiku sequence. here, i share the first stanzas. to read

the poem in it's entirety, click over to heather's blog.

Mere daughter

Unworthy of esteem by most

but cherished by a father still

One day, a letter

a summons from the emperor

leaves -- but does not come home

A journey begins

the step beyond the light is dark

but time -- too short

Courage, a medallion

gifts of her father, but to take hold of another's spirit

a gift of her own

The world is wide

unknown dangers always lurk

a reflection of life

The pool seems safe

cool water, soft lilies bloom

but the monster's hands are strong

my comments: i really enjoyed this poem. i was

especially impressed because heather had written it

same day and without much revising, which she lamented.

i think that's why it read so true and so organic.

and finally, LT uses her craft skills and beyond to

bring a scene from the immortals gardens to life!

this is a scene in which ai ling, chen yong

and li rong enter the immortals gardens of the

golden palace. unusual trees such as the Love Lost

Tree greet the three friends.

Ai Ling stopped at the first tree, its trunk as thick as

three men, the roots gnarled and spread wide, drinking

deep from the ground. Its ivory leaves were shaped like

the palms of hands, and it bore fruit--glistening human

hearts that beat rhythmically on white stems. A jade placard

set into the ground had the words LOVE LOST TREE etched in

gold upon it.

my comments: um. amazing? you really must click over to

LT's site to read about how she made the entire scene. she

mentioned some details she missed, but truly, what she has

is so wonderful. and it isn't about getting the exact details right,

when she brought the feel of the entire scene to life. i love it.

the winner: so truly, how fabulous are Silver Phoenix

fans? i wish i had more Fury arcs to share! the grand

prize goes to LT for her fantastic hand crafted recreation of

the immortals gardens in the golden palace. i'd like to give a

second Fury arc to haricha for the wonderful mixed-media piece

of ai ling and the red dragon. congratulations to both winners!

and for everyone else mentioned in this entry, i'd love to share

some Fury swag if you're willing to email your posting address. i

truly was so impressed and touched by the creativity, time and

thought all of you put into these entries.

everyone! i hope you enjoyed these entries as much as i did!

ALAN day 2: in which i gossip…

about authors! YES! i talk behind everyone's

back giving you the nitty gritty dirty details that

you've been dying to read. shhh! come closer!

i said SHHHH!

*i spent the first night escaping the disney all star

sports resort (motel). it was a nightmare and the sports

theme was totally wasted on me. it might as well have

been the All Star House of Clowns or something. but i

was only there for one night. and i also was able to go to

a lovely dinner with many of the debs that were attending.

alas, we didn't take a foto for some reason! and i love fotos!

after, i wandered around shopping with sydney

salter and suzanne morgan williams. i was trying to find

a gift for sweet pea and munchkin–and it was really hard.

suzanne and sydney were kind enough to follow me around

as i searched.

here, sydney models a princess robe. very cute! =)

*on monday, i was lucky enough to join holly black

and megan whalen turner for lunch at the buffet type

cafe in the conference hotel.

i really miss megan since she moved back to ohio.

but we had a really fun year while she was in san diego

and it went by so fast! she's clever, funny and smart, as

well as evasive when she needs to be. which always reminds

me that she's the creator of eugenides!

i only met holly in october at sirens and she is

super nice and hilarious. prone to a lot of laughter

(often at self) which only makes me want to laugh with

her. i love people who laugh a lot!

the conversation meandered from sailing to books

(of course) and the stories we create and who and how

and what may have influenced us. i mostly chewed on penne

and kept my ears perked. haha! i hadn't had the chance

to read Holly's White Cat yet (just finished it, loved!) but

this foto was taken right after megan complimented holly

on her books. i love holly's smile here! =) hoorah for

fantastic books and lunch with authors i admire.

*speaking of being fans of books and authors.

i had taken the liberty of reading sarwat's The Devil's Kiss

as well as cinda's The Demon King and The Exiled Queen

before our panel together at ALAN. enjoyed both of them

thoroughly. after lunch, i had at least two hours to kill and

in ambled sarwat and we had a great discussion about young

adult novels, diversity in young adult and middle grade fiction

and everything recently published authors gab about.

sarwat hadn't prepared a speech and we decided he could

run on charm and his british accent alone. ha! and it worked.

he spoke for seven minutes very eloquently–i could never

without um'ing my way through it!

then cinda joined us and i had to fangirl her as i absolutely

loved The Exiled Queen–a wonderful YA high fantasy. and

we discussed more of the same very animatedly. cinda's speech

was great as well. i honestly can't think of two authors i would

rather have been on my first ALAN panel with. it was such a pleasure

to meet them and an honor to present with them.

*my view from the stage.

as for my speech, well, i think i got through it okay.

as i mentioned in the previous entry, my voice was pretty

hoarse by the end of the first night. and i only proceeded

to yak more on the second day (how could i not in the company

i was with?!) so i was just grateful i presented without a

coughing fit. i also speak too fast when i'm nervous, but i don't

think i went too fast. i could have slowed a little perhaps?

after was signing Silver Phoenix copies which was a lot of fun.

and finally, i stayed for the final part of the schedule

which was kristin cashore accepting the Walden award for

Fire. i'm a big fan (as many of us are) and i had been trying

to spot her all weekend. no luck! but i queued up like everyone

else after and was able to get a copy of Fire signed and take

a foto with her. her speech was very well done and she's so sweet

and gracious in person. i didn't have any time except to say it

was so good to finally meet her and congratulate her on her success.

of course, i had to get a foto in, i apologize for the bad lighting.

so there you have it, i was at ALAN for two full days and

what two full days they were! i'll leave you with some links

of interest that are ALAN related!

fotos from the greenwillow blog including one of megan

getting a mickey mouse birthday cake! =D

i was lucky enough to get peeped by lisa yee!

i feel so famous! i'm excited to read Warp Speed, her

next MG novel. have heard fantastic things!

it's raining authors at ALAN!

hello lovely readers!

i'm back from ALAN and had a blast.

it was so much fun but pretty intense. i've

never seen so many authors in one room or

on one schedule as i did for the ALAN reception

and its back to back panels and signings. it was

amazing to meet authors, new friends and old, as

well as speak to teachers and librarians so passionate

about books and reading. how could it not have

been a stupendous few days?

*i was so happy to run into ruta sepetys at the reception.

i can't wait to read her debut, Between Shades of Gray. also,

thrilled to meet jackie dolamore for the first time. i really

enjoyed Magic Under Glass and am looking forward to Magic

Under Stone.

*i was able to chat with alyson noel for a bit. she

is always saying such lovely things about Silver Phoenix.

there are two things you can be certain of when you

meet alyson: 1. she is one of the nicest sweetest people

you will ever meet. 2. she WILL be wearing awesome shoes.

*one of my favorite people, david macinnis gill!

he's so cool he doesn't even have to have his eyes open! =D

seriously tho, i always have fun with david–cause he's

got a quirky sense of humor, like me. ha! (and by quirky,

i mean weird. =)

right after the ALAN reception was the harpercollins

family dinner. thank goodness for laura (a foodie, and

in charge of booking) who got us a wonderful table and

delicious meal at cat cora's kouzzina. YUM!

*cindy in a genius sandwich! alas, i'm not the genius part.

that would be my fantabulous editor, virginia, and megan

whalen turner.

*appetizers included grilled prawns, lamb meatballs,

various dips and spanich pie with feta, leeks and dill.

*i chose the fisherman's stew with scallops, fish, shellfish,

fennel, grilled bread and ouzo butter. it was divine!

*i chose the loukoumades, freshly made greek doughnuts

drizzled with warm honey and cinnamon for dessert. i was

so full i had to leave two! =(

the meal was so delicious and the company made it

that much the better. i had so much fun chatting and

laughing i sort of lost my voice by the end of the night.

whoops!

so what do you think so far? that was just the first afternoon

and evening!!

currently reading:

white cat by holly black

must dash to ALAN!

hello lovely readers!!

i apologize for the lack of updates, but you

know how things are this time of year–so many

holiday busy-ness mixed in with cooties. our

entire household is cootified and i've taken to

drinking fizzy fake sugar airb0rne out of desperation.

because i'm taking a 6am flight out to orlando

tomorrow for the huge ALAN conference. i'm so

excited, so so excited!

Monday, Nov. 22 @ 3.45pm, Panel and signing

"Long Ago in a Land Far Away"

Cinda Williams Chima

Courtesy of Disney Books, Dina Sherman

Sarwat Chadda

Courtesy of Disney Books, Dina Sherman

Cindy Pon

Courtesy of HarperCollins, Patty Rosati

Introduction by Margaret Ford, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio

i worked on my little speech and will be signing

Fury of the Phoenix arcs and doling out some pretty

swag. what every author loves to do! (at least, i do!!)

in the midst of doctor visits, speech writing, volunteering

for the bubs at school, school thanksgiving projects,

chinese school quizzes, etc, i have yet to pack!

but i'm not worried. and on a very happy note, i

found the lovely lucky gourd pendant my mom gave me

for my birthday last year. i had misplaced it and didn't

know where it was for months. so happy to have found

it this afternoon as i think it's a good luck sign for ALAN

conference. *beams*

okay, so while i'm busy in orlando, you lot will be hard

at work writing, composing, vlogging, poeting, drawing,

singing or dancing for my awesome Fury of the Phoenix

arc contest, right? right?? =)

have a wonderful thanksgiving to my stateside

readers. we'll chat again soon!

Fury of the Phoenix arc contest!

i've spent the past days working on Fury

copyedits. and was grateful that a writer

couldn't be arrested for her use, misuse

or non-use of commas, semi-colons, and

modifiers. not to mention the danglers. those

darned dangly things!!

and today, like a reward from the heavens

(or my fantabulous editor!), a box of Fury of

the Phoenix arcs arrived. this truly is The

Best Monday Ever!! so of course, i have to hold

an ARC contest. now!!

i had a think about it and i want this first

contest to be for Silver Phoenix fans out there.

tell me what you enjoyed or loved about

Silver Phoenix. you can leave it in the comments here

BUT creativity and effort count. you can express

Silver Phoenix love by blog post, by drawing, by vlog,

by poetry, by fan fiction, collage, paint or doodles.

whatever inspires you! please post contest entry on

your blog (and link here) or if you don't blog, you can

email me the entry or send via snail mail (but email me

and let me know you've posted something! =):

cindy pon

p.o. box 928107

san diego, ca 92192-8107

depending on number and quality of entries, there may

be more than one winner. (i hope so!!) the prize package

will include:

1. signed hard copy of Silver Phoenix

2. signed ARC of Fury of the Phoenix

3. one of the first to receive a postcard of Silver Phoenix

and Zhong Ye portrait (shown below)

4. choice of two brush art cards from my etsy site

this contest is open to all Silver Phoenix fans and

i will ship world wide. =D contest closes wednesday,

12/1. good luck!!