Cindy Pon's Blog, page 24

the bread bar lunch date

you can tell how busy i am by the lack

of food and vanity cam fotos. ha! i'm busy!!

i'm basically done with the first draft of the sequel

but there's a lot of revising i need to tackle.

my favorite part, yes! but percolating is always

required. i definitely prefer to see writing as some

mystical magical process than one of calculated

plotting or outlining.

the difficult part is shutting out all the noise

so i can let my intuitive side guide me.

my mom is visiting for two days (long overdue!)

this is a bunny test

eta : hoorah! i've successfully mirrored posts to livejournal.

am so proud. =D this bunny (teen?) foto is months old. i

haven't seen the baby ones in a looong time. i think they

have moved on. but the mom still visits each day. 8)

the blue moon ball

it's nearing 10pm again. and i want to read!

so i'm too lazy to link tonight to all the fabulous

people (and one martian) shown below.

i'm pretty sure this alien was much enamored

of chun li–but we had a language barrier. haha!

actually, he was very popular and took fotos with

many people!

one of the highlights of the night was when i was
dancing and someone tapped me on the shoulder. and
there was angela in her shimmering octopus costume
(which she made and won first place for–just like last...

cindy pon's dream career

*malinda lo [ASH:], kathleen duey [SACRED SCARS:],

holly black [TITHE:], me, kami garcia [BEAUTIFUL CREATURES:].

fantasy writers in a large gathering at rock sugar restaurant.

just back from scbwi los angeles and had a wonderful, exhausting

time. i'm wondering when i'll recover. returned and jumped

right into mommy mode, picking the bublets up from summer

camp (last week, eee!), grocery shopping, a large stack of bills, etc.

also waiting for me is the sequel. i really missed
it, but didn't have...

looking for a few good questions!

i’m back from my family visit and i’m pooped!

i had a quintessential daddy pon moment when
he brought over copies of Silver Phoenix for me
to sign. he had already given two copies to the local
libraries, also one to the mayor (we are so proud of
cindy! the mayor said–according to my dad) and he’s
also sending a copy to the president of taiwan. ha!
oh, and the retired neighbor across the street loves
it and thinks i’m very talented! =DD

i definitely know where i get my…er storytelling
skills from. ha!

pondering a bit more on the vlog attempt, i thought
it’d be fun to answer some questions regarding
Silver Phoenix in a vlog post. so, if you’ve read my
debut and have a question or two, email me!
pon.cindy@gmail.com

also include a blog link if you have one and i’ll
linky love back to you on my vlog post!!
and don’t forget about my Silver Phoenix release
contest! i’m going to really try and start a tally
this weekend. i think we’re close to 200 participants!
but not quite.

g’night and happy weekend, everyone!!
oh! i didn’t write or read much BUT i did some
good percolating during the two hour drives
back and forth. YES!

contest extended and bookmarks!

just found out that my lotus painting won the third place ribbon at the county art exhibit. so excited!

if you'd like a bookmark featuring this painting, email me! pon.cindy@gmail.com

also, my silver phoenix release contest for a framed painting or 100$ gc has been extended until i get 200 individual participants. we're clooooose. =) and i'll be giving BOTH prizes away (first person drawn can choose her/his prize, the second drawn gets the other!)!

silver phoenix release celebration contest!

i can hardly believe it.
my debut is making its way out in the world
finally–after months of rough drafting, fighting
my own fear and immobility, revising for over a
year with the help of my wonderful critique friends,
querying too many agents and receiving too many
rejections, selling the manuscript last may and learning
so much from my revisions with my editor, virginia.
SILVER PHOENIX is released and has already been
sighted in bookstores and recieved from online vendors!

and in celebration, i’m holding a contest and giving
away some awesome prizes. namely, an original framed
brushpainting. if you have not seen my art, please click
over to the chinese brush art link to your left. i can’t
say for certain which painting it will be, but a flower subject
or bamboo or cute critter / bird is very likely. i’m in the
midst of some art events so anything i
have on hand may sell. i price my framed paintings from
$200 to $400. along with a signed copy of my novel.

then i got to thinking. i realize i have some admirers
of my art, but it’s really rather presumptuous to assume
that everyone would be interested in that as a prize. so
another possible prize for the winner is a $100 gift card
to a book store of your choice. also offered with a signed
copy of my novel.

depending on how many participants there are–i may
give away more than one painting / gift card prize!!
so of course, in my bid for shameless self-promotion to
help my debut become the little asian fantasy novel that could,
i’m asking you to help spread the word!

there are many ways to earn a “raffle” ticket. you can
do part or all of these listed.

-post the cover of SILVER PHOENIX on your blog
and link back to this contest. please mention
the prizes!! [1 raffle!:]

-post my awesome trailer by madison on your blog
and link back to this contest. please mention the
prizes!! [2 raffles!:]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJ1xy...

-read SILVER PHOENIX and post a review on your blog. [3 raffles!:]

-read SILVER PHOENIX and post a review on amazon,
bn.com, borders, or any other site that sells books. [3 raffles!:]

-read SILVER PHOENIX and post a review on goodreads,
librarything or any other forum that holds book discussions. [3 raffles!:]

reviews should be honest, and at least 60 words long. that’s
really just a few sentences!

and as i said, you can do just ONE of these things listed above
or all of them, depending on how many raffles you’d like.
i will ship prizes galactically! and am looking forward to new
alien avvys from new commenters. =DD
contest will run through MONDAY, JUNE 8th! please leave
comments with links for me to verify the above for your raffles!

so my lovely readers, you who have supported and encouraged
me and been so kind these past three years. so many of you who
have witnessed my journey from the very beginning, THANK YOU!
i honestly would not have made it this far without you guys!!
my debut takes flight today and i’m hoping to watch her soar. =)

gaiman, pratchett and...pon?

i'm still not over it. Silver Phoenix hasthe huge honor of being on the top ten fantasy novel reads for youth this year, in awesome company like collins, cashore, lin and those mentioned above.

how what who huh?

top 10 fantasy reads for youth list

i'm a puddle of fan girl for neil gaiman and this couldn't make me MORE GIDDY. seriously. wow!!

last hurrah! silver phoenix ARC giveaway! 5 copies available!

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

starred review for SILVER PHOENIX in ALA's booklist!

If the cover image of a fearless Chinese heroine reminds readers of such films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that’s intentional; the story inside will, too. First-time novelist Pon has a screenwriter’s talent for producing a sweeping saga, and in this, the first of two books set in ancient China, 17-year-old Ai Ling faces demons, monsters, and gods as she tries to fulfill her destiny. Frightened after a local man tries to blackmail her into marriage, Ai Ling resolves to journey to the emperor’s palace where her missing father was last seen. Along the way, she meets the handsome Chen Yong, who is of mixed parentage and on a quest to find answers to questions about his family that have haunted him his whole life. (In the story’s prologue, readers get hints about his origins.) As in most martial-arts movies, the story sometimes takes a back seat to the action, but Pon doesn’t stint when it comes to her characters. Ai Ling is a clever and determined heroine, Chen’s younger brother is a witty teen whose girl-crazy ways transcend the centuries, and even the monsters have dimension. Pon’s writing, both fluid and exhilarating, shines whether she’s describing a dinner delicacy or what it feels like to stab an evil spirit in the gut. There’s a bit of sex here, including a near rape, but it’s all integral to a saga that spins and slashes as its heroine tries to find her way home.
— Ilene Cooper