Cindy Pon's Blog, page 12

it's pumpkin season!

i'm sick again! wah!

i'm particularly bitter about this because

i was just sick five weeks ago. but i take

solace in hoping that this means i'll be healthy

for thanksgiving week, the ALAN conference

and ensuing holidays following.

i've been house bound except for necessary

errands and grocery shopping. today, i decided

to make myself feel better by baking some pumpkin

banana muffins. banana only because there were two

spotty mooshy ones that would be horrific to actually

eat but wonderful to bake with.

as much as i love pastries, i'm not much of a cook,

much less a baker. (the love is head chef, but he's

too busy these days to cook, boo.) but simple things

like muffins i can deal with. =)

this is an altered recipe i found from smitten kitchen.

ingredients

1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup brown sugar (more if you like sweet)

1/4 cup cooking oil

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

(spices are all optional. i like mine flavorful!)

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp pumpkin spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp all spice

the original recipe called for 1 1/4 cup sugar but

i like my baked good less sweet. it also asked for

1/3 cup of oil but my pumpkins were definitely moist

enough with just 1/4 cup.

directions

mix dry stuff together

mix wet stuff together

combine ingredients until mixed

put mixture in cupcake paper cups

i made 17 muffins in this batch. =)

the results were very chewy and delicious.

enjoy!

tgifbm! all hallow's read edition!

actually, no tricks here on halloween!

if you're not on twitter or read neil gaiman's blog,

then you might not have heard of All Hallow's Read,

neil's intention on starting a new halloween tradition–

by giving away scary books! appropriate to the lucky

person you are gifting, of course.

so i've got a special treat for tgifbm! this week.

a signed edition of the awesome Paranormalcy by

kiersten white and The Replacement by brenna yovanoff.

both debuts with gorgeous covers. very different books

with scary elements both! my fellow book lovers and readers,

you seriously can't go wrong.

and i'm lucky to have known kiersten before she became

the rockstar (new york times bestseller!) that she is today.

she is just as sweet and funny in person as she is online.

here's a foto of us at her recent signing…

and without further ado, the awesome books up

for All Hallow's Read grabs!

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

…

yes, they are as fantastic as their covers

and blurbs! so my dedicated readers, you know

the drill. tweet, fb status, blog or LJ and mention

and link to this contest post. then comment with

that link in this post. i'll choose a random winner

on wednesday, november 10! this contest is open

to united states addresses only. good luck!

all business: ncte/alan in november

hi everyone!!

i'm finalizing my trip to orlando thanksgiving

week (sunday through tuesday) for the ncte/alan

conference and i'm so excited!!

if you are in orlando and love young adult books,

you really should consider attending. here is the

alan site. there will be at least fifty authors on panels

in one place, including ones i hope to meet like

kristin cashore and cassandra clare.

i also just finished books by both sarwat chadda

and cinda williams chima and really enjoyed them.

i'll be on a panel with them on monday at the conference!

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 can't wait!!

other than that, please check out the newly

redesigned Silver Phoenix page and added

Fury of the Phoenix page (click on contents to

your left =). if you are reading this on LJ, you'll

have to hustle over to my actual website.

and finally, congrats to lauren (same name!) for winning the

signed arc of Wither by lauren destefano. the turnout

was amazing and thank you to everyone who entered!

and to lauren d especially for sharing an arc of her

debut with me. =)

just finished The Replacement by breanna

yovanoff and really enjoyed it. beautiful prose

for some dark and frightening imagery. i'm not

sure what i'm in the mood for next, tho sarah waters

fans are voting for Fingersmith. she's such a fantastic

writer, if you haven't read her yet, you should. i started

with Tipping the Velvet and recently read The Little

Stranger.

zai jian for now! =)

more fotos from sirens!

hello gentle readers!!

i started a short story last week,

nursed an ailing sweet pea (gotta

love that cold and flu season, i tell you)

and the time really flew. any free time

i had i worked on my short story.

very different and exciting as it's in a

genre i've never tried before (dystopian)

and in a point of view i swore i could never

write (first) so we'll see if it works. =) i haven't

written a short story in almost two decades,

how insane is that?

so let's finish off my wonderful sirens con post

with some more glorious fotos! =)

me being silly in vail village. there were a lot

of giant meese statues around.

malinda lo and i before the sirens faery ball.

we are doing our prom picture pose. haha!

my absolute favorite editor outside of

greenwillow books, juliet grames.

i would characterize sarah rees brennan as

irrepressible and ebullient. (impressed by my

SAT words? =) it's impossible not to have fun with

her around.

marie brennan hosted a launch part at sirens

for A Star Shall Fall (can't wait to read it!) and wore

a gorgeous especially tailored for her dress. she

was indeed majestic! i am literally hiding my bare

feet behind her full skirt as i took off my high heels

the moment i arrived at the ball. =O i'm no

cinderella.

i'm a huge fan of both sherwood smith (Crown Duel,

Inda series and much more) and ellen

kushner's novels (Swordspoint, Privilege of the Sword

and more)! had to grab a foto with them on our last

day at the con.

also took a foto with delia sherman (Changeling, The

Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen and more.) we had

quite a few lovely conversations during the con. i loved her

calming, quiet yet engaging energy. it's one reason why sirens

rocks, because the setting is so intimate, everyone is just

hanging out, reveling in the love of fantasy, story, writing

and strong heroines.

i'll leave you with some linky love:

i'm over at i heart monster for her frightay nights

during october. come and read my spooooky post

on Ghost Press.

i'm also donating a signed copy of Silver Phoenix

and two brush art cards of the winner's choice for a

charity auction hosted by swati avasthi (author of Split)

for the Family Violence Prevention Fund. i'm willing to

ship world wide!

if you haven't gotten a hardcover of Silver

Phoenix yet, here's your chance. or perhaps

get a personalized copy as a holiday gift while

helping a great cause? there are many other

great items for auction, !

tgifbm! signed Wither ARC giveaway!

okay, faithful readers. i am so so excited to

be able to share lauren destefano's fantastic

debut, Wither. i was lucky enough to receive a signed

copy from lauren herself, and now am passing on the love!

and seriously, how gorgeous is that cover?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has

become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only

live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty.

In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and

forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population

from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the

Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth

and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love

for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine

has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and

go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her

freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an

antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking

his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test

his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she

trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time

she has left.

read the first pages here.

doesn't it sound so intriguing?

i admit, i haven't read much YA dystopian

but lauren's debut really impressed me. not only

does she write beautifully, but the storyline was

absolutely riveting. and i read the novel in the same day.

i can't wait for the sequel. congrats, lauren, on such

a great debut!!

so you know the drill!

tweet, fb status, blog or LJ about this contest

and link to this post. then come back and comment

with that link to enter to win! i'll choose a winner

randomly on wednesday, 10/27. this contest is

OPEN TO ALL! good luck!!

tgifbm! Wither ARC giveaway!

okay, faithful readers. i am so so excited to

be able to share lauren destefano's fantastic

debut, Wither. i was lucky enough to receive a copy

from lauren herself, and now am passing on the love!

and seriously, how gorgeous is that cover?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has

become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only

live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty.

In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and

forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population

from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the

Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth

and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love

for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine

has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and

go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her

freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an

antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking

his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test

his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she

trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time

she has left.

doesn't it sound so intriguing?

i admit, i haven't read much YA dystopian

but lauren's debut really impressed me. not only

does she write beautifully, but the storyline was

absolutely riveting. and i read the novel in the same day.

i can't wait for the sequel. congrats, lauren, on such

a great debut!!

so you know the drill!

tweet, fb status, blog or LJ about this contest

and link to this post. then come back and comment

with that link to enter to win! i'll choose a winner

randomly on wednesday, 10/27. this contest is

OPEN TO ALL! good luck!!

sirens in vail

hi everyone! i got back from sirens on sunday, took

monday to recuperate and then my mom came to visit.

now i finally have the tine to sit down and write a little

about the con. it was amazing! there was just over one

hundred attendees which made it very small, intimate and

personal. the staff and volunteers were fantastic, the resort

and vail was gorgeous, i highly recommend this con for

everyone who is interested in fantasy novels featuring strong

heroines!

next year, the theme will be MONSTERS and their guests of

honor are laini taylor, nnedi okorafor, and justine larbalestier.

i loved laini's Lips Touch and justine's Liar. i hadn't heard of

nnedi before this but was excited when i did, and am looking

forward to reading her novels. especially Akata Witch coming

out next year.

i would REALLY love to go myself next october, but

can't commit officially till i see what my traveling will be like,

since Fury of the Phoenix will be out and i definitely will be

attending World Fantasy Con here in san diego next october too.

still, i can't recommend sirens con more highly.

i received presents from Silver Phoenix fans!

rachel made the cutest clay figure of ai ling with a giant

dumpling on her plate (we aren't complaining!) and then

decided to give her a table full of dim sum just for good

measure. haha! i believe there are shu mai, bell pepper with

shrimp AND chicken feet. how awesome is that? thank you

so much rachel!

and larry made me the chinese dragon out of oragami.

isn't it amazing? he actually was making various creatures

and doling them out throughout the conference. i also got

a lovely ox, my chinese astrological sign.

(i shamelessly asked for one. hee! =) thank you for

sharing your wonderful craft, larry!

this was the first day of the author signing tea and

i sold out of Silver Phoenix copies! it was lovely to meet

so many attendees who have already read my debut or

were excited to read it.

me and rachel! =)

malinda lo was my roomie. we took a lot of fotos

together but i think this is the cutest, as we're both

cracking up a little. =D

*juliet (soho editor), holly black, sarah rees brennan,

malinda and me.

friday night we went into vail village to eat at

kelly liken (recommended to us by ellen kushner).

it was really really delicious. we had to sit at the bar

but that didn't stop us from having some loud, fun

and interesting conversations veering from books, writing,

cute boys, cute girls and shenanigans. (i am vague here

to protect the not so innocent. ha!)

i was determined to go into vail village again on sunday a

little earlier so we could walk around and take in the sights.

the weather was overcast at times but often sunny and gorgeous.

these are the steps leading down to the village.

*andrea, shveta and me.

this is 3/4 of the panelists for our multicultural faeries

discussion, which i think went really well. i think most thought

it was an interesting panel and we introduced folklore and

myth from non-western traditions, many who often do serve the

same purpose(s) as western fey in storytelling.

another post later!

congrats to stephi for winning the tgifbm! gail carriger

giveaway!!

currently reading:

The Devil's Kiss by sarwat chadda

tgifbm! the unbreakable child

synopsis:

Grim yet ultimately inspiring, this harrowing biography catalogues years of institutional abuse that took place in the Saint Thomas–Saint Vincent Orphan Asylum, a Catholic orphanage in Anchorage, Kentucky. After many years of neglect by their drug-addicted mother, Kim and her three older sisters were abandoned to the uncharitable care of the Sisters of Charity. Detailing daily regimens of physical and mental abuse at the hands of the nuns, this chilling memoir explains how the Roman Catholic Church kept the orphanage hidden from prying eyes, miles from any main thoroughfare, allowing mistreatment to continue for decades. Describing her life through adulthood and the decision to finally expose the injustices after more than 30 years, this courageous tale chronicles the lawsuit initiated by 45 survivors, the two years of litigation, and the first successful prosecution of a lawsuit against Roman Catholic nuns in the US for decades of abuse in an orphanage.

…

it's a pleasure to have my friend, kimmi, the author of

the compelling debut, The Unbreakable Child, join us for

a Thank Goodness It's Free Books Monday give away and

interview. i've known kimmi as an online friend for a while

before getting to meet her at ALA chicago in 2009. she is

beautiful, vivacious and kind, and i'm unsurprised that she

had the strength of soul and courage to share what she does

with the world in her debut. it is a difficult read, but inspiring.

a necessary read, i think, and highly recommended.

kimmi, i can only imagine how challenging it was for you

to write this very personal and painful memoir. can you tell us

about your writing process for your debut? did you write

chronologically? how long did it take you to complete your first draft?

My first draft was written with what I refer to as its nourishment:

The Three T's. tea, typing and tears and during the historic

lawsuit phase and lasted until settlement. Written as an outline,

interweaving past (life at the orphanage) through present as the

lawsuit played out and ended. Then it was given as a gift to the

champion attorney, William F. McMurry, to express gratitude and

to show him his own self worth.

i'd like to talk about two people who were kind

and made a positive impact in your life in your debut. the

first is mrs. lindauer, who gave you the beautiful bracelet

on your birthday. (that scene was so touching, kimmi.) did

you ever see her again after you left the orphanage? did you

ever think of trying to contact her?

Ms. Lindauer was present throughout my youth and teenage years.

After leaving the orphanage, I found myself in another turbulent–

dangerous environment, eating toothpaste — struggling to survive.

But, Ms. Lindauer was indeed the fairy godmother; she would show

up when I needed her most.

Sadly, we lost contact after I reached adulthood and I have now

heard she has passed.

and your husband who a reader can tell from your story

gives you so much support, love and strength. do you mind

sharing with us how you met? =)

I knew my love eight years before we married. He was a beat

cop; I was a college student, busy with life, work and survival.

Arriving home late one night, I found two brawny construction

workers fighting in front of the condo next to mine. I was tired.

There was blood everywhere. I wedged myself between them, hoping

to stop–calm them. The workers told me; they'd been drinking,

and then one worker started dissing the other's girlfriend. I separated

and shamed them, examined their wounds, then placed one in my

condo on my couch (the least bloody one) and the other back into

his condo.

The police–ambulance were called. My love made the

'run'. After that and a whole lotta thank you's written on band aides

and stuck on my door by the construction workers the next morning,

I'd see my love drive by, watching me to make sure I made it safely

into my condo in the evenings. I'd wave my thanks and occasionally

stop and talk to him. Finally, with a little coaxing from and in the

presence of his partner, he got up enough nerve to ask me out.



i love that story. i was also glad to be able to meet your

husband at ALA chicago, kimmi. what do you hope readers

take away after reading The Unbreakable Child?

TUC is on the cutting edge for speaking out on what is

now a Humanity Crisis with the Catholic clergy, and the

first book of its kind in traditional publishing; a very important

part of history – a lesson, hopefully, so history does not repeat

itself. I'm finding from readers, you don't need to be an orphan

to relate or gain. I have received emails and letters from people in

their teens to their eighties. And I've also received from, equally,

and just as many, from people with no background of abuse and

from those who have suffered many different types of abuse—

injustices in life. I'm humbled to find many write, saying they

found TUC inspiring and uplifting and have gained strength from

reading it.

so well said, kimmi. and i agree completely. your story is still

so relevant today. last but not least, i always have to ask, what is your

favorite pastry?

Easy-peasy. Any pastry Cindy Pon is taunting us with at the moment.

Xx Thank you for having me, Cindy.

hee! great answer. and thanks so much for stopping by,

kimmi. congratulations again on your courageous and inspiring

debut!

okay, readers. tell me where you find

strength and inspiration in the comments to enter

to win a copy of The Unbreakable Child! this contest is open

world wide and will close friday, 10/15, when i'll choose a

random winner. good luck!!

weekend away

hi everyone!! after a struggle with a bad cold

and other strange ailments, i'm finally pretty much

back to full health. right in time for my sirens con

next weekend. it's my first away author related con

this year (limited this year since Fury of the Phoenix

was pushed back) and i'm so excited to visit colorado

for the first time and meet readers, writers and have fun!

friday 10/8 @10am in Rocky Mountain D

Are There Faeries Outside Western Europe? Exploring Fey Folklore from Around the World

Shveta Thakrar, Valerie Frankel, Andrea Horbinski, Cindy Pon

Mention the word "faerie," and everyone knows what that means: a tiny Victorian winged girl devoted to flowers, or an inhumanly beautiful Celtic creature who fears iron and loves mischief in equal measure. Yet this loaded term is often used as an umbrella for all supernatural creatures, regardless of origin. Does it fit? Join us as we delve into the worlds of Persian peris, Polynesian patupaiarehe, Indian apsaras, Iroquois jogah, Australian tukonee, and Japanese kitsune, and encounter fey the world over.

a couple of weekends ago, i took the family an hour up

north to the laguna area for a couple nights. it was a mini

getaway (all we could do given hub's work schedule) for his

birthday. i was full on sick and blowing my nose by the pool

the entire day, but despite that, i did read, eat well, and enjoy

watching the bubs paddling in the pool.

we were actually upgraded to an ocean view.

but the mornings were fogged in until past noon.

yes, there is an ocean there past the pool!

we took the opportunity to visit the ocean institute

at danapoint harbor. it was small but had some fun

hands on displays. including these gorgeous starfish.

my bubs. =)

they also had a tour of this brig, which is a replica

of Pilgram from the early 1800's. i was very interested

in this tour especially because part of Fury of the Phoenix

is spent on a ship. my conclusion–it must have been

awful. haha! i can't imagine it. it's life and death out there

at sea. i bought Two Years Before the Mast by richard henry

dana, jr. about his time on the Pilgram (merchant ship).

very interesting piece of historical writing. dana wrote how

they lost an english sailor overboard. he was weighed down

with ropes and gear and fell in the water. most sailors can't

swim, and the poor chap must have sunk like a stone. they

rowed in a boat for over an hour looking for him, but gave up.

the captain was then obliged to almost immediately auction off

all of the drowned sailor's possessions. =O

still reading loads as you can see. really enjoyed Marcelo

in the Real World by francisco x. stork.

i'll leave you with an interview ari did with me for

coloronline. i talk about the sexual elements in Silver Phoenix

and what you can do to support books featuring people

of color.

after an incredibly hot day, it is thundering and with bursts of

rain outside. very strange weather!



currently reading:

The Demon King by cinda williams chima

tgifbm! tea with alexia tarabotti!

i had the pleasure of meeting gail carriger, the lovely

author of Soulless, Changeless and Blameless a few

weeks back at her mysterious galaxy signing. i had all

three copies signed and am giving them away this week!

carriger's books cross genres and are a blend of steampunk,

fantasy, and paranormal romance with humor. they are

fantastic reads! i'll include the synopsis for the her debut, Soulless:

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul...