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
