Cindy Pon's Blog, page 3

my top reads in 2013

(in the order read)

a new year’s gift to myself

*1930s Corona Standard flat top typewriter.

i get a little obsessive about things. this year it was becoming a fish hobbyist, when i foolishly said yes to the bubs “winning” carnie goldfish at the fair this summer. after much googling and research, as one does, i found that keeping goldfish in a bowl isn’t good for them… and now, a 10 gallon tank, a 3 gallon nano tank, some snails, neon tetras and shrimps later (including two ghost shrimp that cannot stop fornicating and getting berried with eggs), i moved on to Typewriter Romance.

it’s a new genre, folks. we’ll say for New Adult. because it might be a little too nostalgic and dusty for YA. =p i saw this typewriter on Etsy and i just HAD to have it. but i couldn’t justify the price. which led to days of researching gorgeous (and HEAVY) vintage typewriters, stalking them on ebay, and after some haggling, i still settled for the original model i had fallen in love with, for half the price.

it arrived today, ensconced in it’s musty, tattered case, but looking bright and cheery itself. i found a local guy who tunes up vintage typewriters and will be taking her in before tapping at the actual keys. surprisingly, sweet pea (10) and munchkin (almost 9) are totally WOWED by this beautiful, archaic thing. they both want to use it, but i’m not sure how often i’ll share. 8)

maybe it’s a frivolous gift to myself, and my romantic notions on what it means to be a writer. but writing is one of the hardest things i have ever done. it takes discipline and dedication and psyching yourself up and psyching yourself out. but for me, it also takes pause, and quiet, and little moments of magic in our lives, and a whole lot daydreaming.

so truly, this corona is a *necessity* and a write off. haha!

for 2014, i hope to finish my cyberpunk set in taipei and also the sequel to my second Xia duology. it might be a little ambitious, but i love both these stories, and i’m itching to get my novels out into the world again!

Graceful

a very simple painting from last night.

when i was pregnant with sweet pea, i painted

many orchids, and found the flow and twist of the

brush necessary to paint the orchid leaves very calming.

the leaves were such an elegant subject, more beautiful to

me than the flowers themselves. this is not an orchid flower

but they are orchid leaves.

i had wanted to add a sparrow or a bug on the leaf and my

teacher forbade me. that is a rare thing!

currently reading:

Shadow Gate by Kate Elliott

A Sparrow’s Day

my newest brush painting. still experimenting

with rice paper i bought in taipei. this particular one

was very thick compared to the previous, and was

perfect for the more detailed strokes for the hydrangeas.

i really enjoyed painting the flowers–it was meditative for me.

the sparrows were the last added to this painting.

they are really enjoying this spring day. 8)

currently reading:

Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow

Nestled Chickee

still experimenting with the rice papers

i had bought on my taipei trip. the best one

is this pineapple paper–made of pineapple fibers.

but there is a strong stripe on the paper (which i have

smudged out–but you can see traces of them still) and

it’ll be interesting to see how this type of paper mounts.

it takes blobbing very well, like for the cute chickee

and critters i love to draw. but not so good for stronger

strokes necessary in trees and branches.

currently reading:

The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin

Spring Song

i attempted this painting three times on different types

of paper. in the end, the striped rice paper i had bought

in taipei made from pineapple fiber was the best. this is

it, my third and final painting. i’ll be framing this one and

displaying at my next brush painting show. =D

What I Ate and What I Saw: Bruges, Belgium (August ‘13)

funny duck says, what’s up?

hello wonderful readers!

due to august travels and conferences,

i had missed six weeks of brush painting.

it took a while to find my stride again, but last

night, i painted this cute little guy. i love funny

looking birds. i titled the painting “Curiosity”. =)

summer summer summer time

what have you been up to, cindy? you ask.

well, i wanted to spend this summer working on my fifth novel,

a cyberpunk set in taipei–the expansion of my short story

“Blue Skies” in the Diverse Energies anthology. that has been

going slow and steady–not without some angst and hesitation,

as it is my first foray into a genre that isn’t strictly fantasy. and

i do love writing fantasy! but this novel is not only proving to

be a challenge in many ways, it is also turning out to be lots of fun!

other than that, this summer has proven to be very social,

which has been a blast. but i must not over socialize, as that

would turn me into a giant spotty troll ready to burrow myself

into my troll cave.

i’m a writer. it happens. =)

the summer kicked off with a lunch with Kate Elliott and her son

before her signing at Mysterious Galaxy. both were loads of fun!

taro balls and lychee milk tea, anyone?

i was then fortunate enough to be invited to the Clarion class

at UCSD as Nalo Hopkinson (visiting faculty for that week) cooked

dinner for the entire class. now, i’ve been reading Nalo’s #foodisgood

tweets for a long time. and boy, did i feel very lucky to be invited

to eat with everyone!

*meatballs frying. so delicious!

*on the menu: rice, curried chickpeas with boiled eggs and

tomatoes, and a delicious squash soup with dumplings. YUM!

then i kidnapped Megan Whalen Turner and made her

tell me the story arcs for her next The Queen’s Thief novel!

and wooo boy, are you guys IN FOR A TREAT! =D

(i kid, megan is notoriously evasive about what she’s

working on. ha!)

i also went to Megan’s signing at Mysterious Galaxy and

did ask her the question of choosing Costis as the narrator

of The King of Attolia. point of view is something that every

author needs to consider, and Megan said she wanted someone

who was able to see certain key events that took place within

the book. the first draft had Costis showing up at the right events,

but it seemed contrived, as if he was just Guy Wandering Through

in the Back. she later wove him into the story quite brilliantly.

(understatement! =) !

this past weekend was comic con and i spent

most of my time avoiding the actual con. i wasn’t

on a panel this year and being local to san diego, it

just gets to be a bit too much for me. (honestly, not

my scene–as i’ve since realized i make a terrible “fan”

in that i am lazy as well as quite territorial with all the

things i love.) officially started the con with megan

(Raddest Fan Ever) stopping by. i gifted her with my first

Chinese Classic Beauty painting. i’m always happy to know

when a friend has one of my paintings. =D

i was only at the con officially for a few hours on

saturday (for holly’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown signing)

and was so happy i was able to track down Rainbow Rowell. i

had recently read Eleanor and Park and really loved it. so

happy i was able to meet her and chat for a while in the midst

of a crazy con!

also got to catch up with claudia gray which was

a real treat. her new Spellcaster series about witches

sounds very intriguing! and she has other fun books

in the works, too!

i also hung out with Marie Lu and Wes Chu but failed

miserably and didn’t get fotos with them. wah!

the con officially ended for me with an amazingly

fabulous dinner with fabulous company (Holly Black

and Leigh Bardugo). we talked about our novels in progress

and helped each other with plotting, enabled by hellishly

strong and muddy turkish coffee at 10pm. so wrong yet so right!

Holly was saying she glummed onto something

an author friend said just off the cuff about her current novel.

Cindy: but you say things off handedly when you plot all the

time. you don’t even remember the great things you say that

help me!

Holly: i still think you need a sex scene in the sequel.

Cindy: i see you haven’t forgotten that specific point.

haha! i found that hilarious.

and that is a recap of my recent adventures, dear readers.

i shall end with the two images that i’ve got on my desktop

as i’m writing my cyberpunk:

*this particular image of Hu Ge is the inspiration

for my hero as i draft. #cuteasianboys

*a view that i took from the 101 of taipei at dusk.

several scenes take place in this building.

currently reading:

Prodigy by Marie Lu

What I Ate and What I Saw 3: Taipei, May ‘13