i gift my brush painting teacher an amaryllis each
year. this year, i had chosen one that was a deep
rich crimson. this is my attempt at its portrait. =)
i used the same one and a half shuen paper i had
used for blobby cat with quasi-disastrous results.
the flower blobbed out more than i wanted in much
of the petal area, so it’s an imperfect painting (in my
critical mind). but i still quite like it.

my art show just ended today. i sold quite a few
cards as well as a hummingbird painting! (thanks
gjb and v!) which is always so thrilling! our long weekend
in SF is coming up in a few days and i’m eager to
play and see some friends. i also signed up for
a top secret class in the name of research that will
start next week! it’s not as if i weren’t busy enough, but
it seems the busier i get, the more ambitious i become!

in rather sad news, i think i’ve lost my wild bunny muse. =(
she was here every day and over a week ago, she disappeared.
it’s not like her during spring. some twitter and fb friends
suggested she may be preggers. which is likely! but i researched
online and it would seem wild bunnies have a life span for
about two years, and i think i’ve had the pleasure of her company
for two spring times. (honestly, i don’t even know if it’s the same
bunny but i think so!)

i had written a poem for bunny a while back and
completely forgotten about it. then came across
it again a few days ago. i’ll share the poem and a foto of
her from last spring, sprawled out and chillaxin’. =)
it makes me smile!!

Quiet and serene
Nibbling with wide eyes
Ears raised then tilted
knowing where I am
admiring from behind my window.
You slowly trust me but will always
be careful and wild.
This is why a glimpse of you, your
cottontail, is such a delight.
Mine but not mine, wild bunny muse
You bring your quiet and serenity
to my own day.

…

i hope another wild bunny finds our
secret garden. and this is why i can’t keep
real pets. i get so attached!! also, i’m lazy.

edited to add : MY BUNNY IS BACK! MY BUNNY IS BACK!
she made an appearance this afternoon. =DDDD yay!

linky love : come discuss the queen’s thief series by
megan whalen turner over at the enchanted inkpot!
why do you love this series? what are some of your favorite
scenes and quotes??

congrats to mike jung, winner of the signed mwt books
for our TGIFBM contest! and thanks to all those who entered!

currently reading :

the warrior heir by cinda williams chima

but sanity returned gradually and ideas are
percolating, especially after speaking with v and
brainstorming together.

of course, it’s short day all week for sweet pea AND
spring break the next, with a trip to san francisco
thrown in. as well as the art show that is taking
place right now through next monday PLUS some
personal happy stuff that is keeping me quite busy.
(no, i’m not pregnant. i’ve relinquished that superpower
to those braver than myself. =)

the reception was on a gorgeous summer-like
day and we have quite the show going. i’m always
so proud of our art shows and have so much fun
sitting at the gallery. as i mentioned, for the first time
this year, i have brush painting cards for sale too!

*wearing my lotus anthropology dress for the
first time. love it! i’m posing with one of my favorite
paintings, “lily nestled in rock”.

*writing friend deborah came! she’s a fan of
“blobby cat”!

*a view of the gallery from the front entrance. most of
the paintings are in the gallery space on the right.

*the brat pack also made it to cheer me on!
heather, me, amy and aaron. they are also fans
of blobby cat! =D

(and as an aside, every time i say blobby cat i sing
it in my head to the spiderman theme song : blobby
cat! blobby cat! does everything a blobby cat can!)

that is all until next time, when i have a moment
to poke my nose from words, story, colors, art, daydreaming,
brainstorming, and motherly duties.

happy news : Silver Phoenix has been included in the New York
Public Library’s “Stuff for the Teen Age”, under the kick a$$ section!
yeah!

currently reading :

tipping the velvet by sarah waters

all san diegans are cordially invited to the
chinese brush painting society’s art show.
i can’t believe it’s just next week–i’m very
excited, especially since i’ll be selling my cards
for the first time this year. they have been well
received and i hope people enjoy them!

i finished The Glass of Time, which i enjoyed,
but didn’t find as compelling as cox’s debut,
The Meaning of Night. probably because i found
the first protagonist more interesting as well
as the storyline. having said that, i would still
recommend both novels.

for those who don’t know the books, michael
cox’s debut was critically acclaimed in england.
he finally wrote the debut that had been lurking
in his mind for the past three decades–the thing
that drove him to action was an illness that would
soon steal his eyesight.

he died before seeing his sequel published.
in an interview i found online, cox said that he
had a third companion novel in mind–which
did sadden me, because it obviously would never
be written. however, i’m glad that he DID write these
two books, that he finally sat down to realize his dream,
tho he didn’t have it in him all those years before.

i’m glad that he found the courage.

currently reading :

perchance to dream by lisa mantchev

congratulations to travis, who won copies
of Demon’s Lexicon, uk edition, and the arc to Mistwood!

i’ve been painting quite a lot in the new year and
trying to add to my very small collection of
brush paintings as our (chinese brush painting
society) show in balboa park is in mid march.
the person that i usually hire to mount my brush art
has retired, and so far, no one has replaced him.
thus, i’m left with unmounted paintings! if worse
comes to worse, i can try and back the paintings myself.

i’m very excited as i’ve been working on making some
more greeting cards with my brush art, including
these sea birds and the lily i painted recently. it’ll
be the first time i’ll be selling cards (finally!) at the
art show!

other than that, Silver Phoenix is featured on Free
Books Friday–your chance to win two signed copies.

also, i interview kristine cashore for the enchanted inkpot!

and don’t forget my own awesome TGIFBM giveaway of
two morris 2010 shortlist novels and the winner, signed
copies to ONE lucky winner!

*foto courtesy of k!

i failed to mention a few weeks back that
my lotus painting with the delicate dragonfly
(the one featured on my bookmark!) won the
third place ribbon at the fair this year. yay!

and here’s an anecdote to go with that winning.
all artists were invited to a reception to preview
the exhibit before the fair opened–it was also
when they’d announce the ribbon winners. i commuted
with my fellow brush art friend and we were a little
late. we climbed up to the second floor and queued up
with everyone else, writing our names on stickies
only to realize it was for the photography exhibit.

whoops! so we climbed another two floors to the
fine arts ceremony. we were barely there ten minutes
when they announced the winners for asian art, with
me being the first one called. as background, i had
entered the lotus painting and my most adored bunny
painting and called them “untilted I” and “untitled II”.
only because i had an art show when i had to submit
my entries and didn’t know which paintings i would
put in the county fair.

so when i won the white ribbon for “untitled I”,
i didn’t know which painting it was for. i was hoping
for my back garden bunny. =)

we all converged downstairs on the ground floor
to view the exhibit after the cermony. i was standing
in front of my paintings with some other people when
one man pointed at the sticker on my shirt (because being
cindy, i thought it’d be cute to leave it on, why not? no
one else had one.)

man : you’re cindy pon! *pointing at my name
tag then at my bunny*

cpon : yes! that’s me! and look! i won the ribbon for
the lotus painting too!

the man is with an attractive, petite blonde with
curls piled up on her head.

i go on to explain how much i adored my bunny
painting and it visits every day and i feed it carrots
and it was my muse and inspired my fantastic painting
and it’s going in my picture book coming out with
harpercollins, etc etc. and i couldn’t remember which
one was “untitled I” and was hoping it was the bunny
that had won the ribbon.

and the blonde woman turned to me and said :

do you know why i gave the lotus the ribbon instead?

cpon : =O

JUDGE : i gave the lotus the ribbon because it had
more components, it was more complex.

cpon : *taking foot out of mouth* YOU gave me
the ribbon?!?

JUDGE : i judged this category.

so i went on to say why yes, the lotus painting is
lovely (and truly, it is, i love it) and yes it does have
many more components and thank you for giving
me the ribbon, etc etc.

haha! it’d only happen to me, i tell you.

but psst!! between you and me…
the bunny was A LOT HARDER to paint.

i’ve got two interested buyers for the lotus
and one buyer who would like both paintings.
and usually, i’m not one to be sentimental. i’ll
definitely favor some paintings, but if a person
is willing to pay for my art, (there’s something
wonderful in that because the only reason they
are buying it is because it brings them joy in
some way–art is an absolutely frivolous purchase–
altho i’d argue that it feeds the soul) i’ll sell
it 95% of the time.

but i don’t think i can part with my bunny!!
not yet anyway.

i’m off to chicago on friday! it’ll be my first time
on a plane by myself since i’ve had the bubs! it’s
going to be a packed weekend and i’m super
excited to meet my editor as well as toast neil
gaiman on his newbery medal! eeee!!!! i’ll be
signing this saturday.

ala chicago signing
saturday 7/11/09 @10am
harpercollins children’s booth #2011

also got confirmation on my comicon panel today!

comicon san diego panel / signing
thursday 7/23/09 @3.30pm in room 3
THE EVOLUTION OF FANTASY
signing immediately after one hour panel
in the autograph area. book also avaiable
at mysterious galaxy booth #1119 in the
exhibit hall and at their website!
Panelists: Jacqueline Carey (Naamah’s Kiss);
Lynn Flewelling (Shadows Return);
Patrick Rothfuss (The Name Of The Wind);
Thomas Sniegoski (The Fallen);
Greg Van Eekhout (Norse Code) and
Cindy Pon (Silver Phoenix : Beyond the Kingdom of Xia).
Moderator: Lev Grossman (The Magicians)

and heather z interviews me over at
her blog (full of spoilers!). i answer why i wrote
the ending that i did for Silver Phoenix and also
get the recipe for one of my favorite chinese dishes!

i’m making steady progress on the sequel. only wish
i could write faster. am not bringing the laptop to
chicago–i’ll probably be too busy to write. but i’m
bringing the good old notebook, if i really need to
write. i hope that i do!

also, my eternal love for pulp of 1995. it always
plops me right back in london with the love. me
at barely 21, he at 25. a different class album is
pure genius.

do you remember the first time? by pulp

this entry wins for MOST TAGS EVER! =D

i’ll be signing at books inc in laurel village on friday night!

also, next friday MAY 15, i’ll be at a
benefit for rollingreaders at the new children’s
museum in downtown san diego. i’m really looking
forward to this as well!

i’ve been so busy with SILVER PHOENIX’s release
i haven’t been able to blog about an awesome group
i’ve joined that just started called THE WORD NINJAS, INK.
yes, it’s really that cool. =D

i made my first post today, “firsts” being a very
appropriate topic. you can read the first poem i ever
wrote–or at least felt it was worthy to type up and
keep. tho i’m almost sure it’s the first poem i wrote. =)

http://community.livejournal.com/thewordninjas/

also, don’t forget my SILVER PHOENIX SET FREE contest
running through JUNE 8th! make sure to comment directly
within that post to let me know what you’ve done to win some
raffles! =D i’ve seen so many nice posts online but my brain
is much too much too to keep track! so let me know!
and THANK YOU!!

http://cindypon.com/2009/silver-phoenix-set-free/

hope to meet some of you in san francisco! =D

so reader reviews are trickling in for SILVER PHOENIX,
and i have become a self-googling fool. you better believe it.
i read all reviews. and it may come to a point where i can’t
anymore or i choose not to. but at this point, i’m reading
everything. there have been some meh ones. where the reader
wasn’t so into my story for whatever reasons. i thought it’d
sting more, but it really hasn’t.

control freak that i am, i’ve learned these past years
the best thing you can do is not worry over things you
have absolutely no control over. and that includes reader
reaction to what you have written. it’s all part of becoming
an author. i DO know, however, that i put out the best
story i could with the backing of a wonderful editor and
publisher. i couldn’t be more proud of this achievement,
and nobody can take that away from me.

SILVER PHOENIX releases next tuesday and i feel like
i’ve been running around in circles chasing my own tail.
my best friend flew in on her birthday and we had
such fun catching up. we’ve known each other since junior
high and are headed toward nearly 25 years of friendship!
i took her to george’s terrace for a delicious lunch, the meal
rivaled by the gorgeous views of the pacific below us. i’ll
see her again in london later this year!

our brush painting society’s show also started last week.
i went to the reception on saturday and found out that my
panda painting had sold to out-of-towners, who took the
baby panda home with them. i really don’t get too sentimental
about my art. when someone is willing to buy my painting
because it brings them joy–i honestly cannot think of a greater
compliment for an artist. my bunny painting, however, i’m still
unwilling to part with right now. =)

speaking of bunnies…

my best friend had fun peeping on my muse.
here is bunny sprawled out, just chillaxin’.
i find it very very funny! he feels so at home now
in our back garden! but! there was a bit of excitment
last week when i spotted this….

it must be spring as we have a BABY BUNNY!
awwwwwww! so my best friend and i admired the
baby bunny and the big bunny for quite some time,
trying to guess if big bunny is a parent or possible
sibling? we both stepped away from the window for
a bit and when i went back–there were TWO baby bunnies
on the grass. i thought maybe the big bunny had shrunk but….

do you think we’re in trouble? if we see two baby
bunnies–does that mean there’s a half dozen more in
the bushes? haha! yikes! i have no idea how many bunnies
are in a litter. either which way, they are very very CUTE!
i tried throwing carrots at the baby bunnies. one sat on it
for a while–but never tried to eat it.

baby bunnies will learn. and please buy my book as
i will need a serious increase in the “bunny fund”. haha!
it’s glorious weather these past few days–like summer.
hope everyone has a wonderful week! comment and give
us some bunny love!

eta : “Rabbits can mate as early as 3 months of age and gestation
is 31 days with a litter size of 4 to 12 kits.“ oh dear.

some linky love :

steph over at reviewerx was kind enough to share my
first sale story–and is doing an ARC giveaway as well!

lenore also was kind enough to interview me for
her YA review blog, presenting lenore.

and kelsey has featured SILVER PHOENIX for
her “on the outside” cover posts.

and finally, we have a great discussion going on over
at the enchanted inkpot on gender roles in fantasy
novels–especially that of women! please join in with
your own thoughts!!

i picked up the backed paintings today!
i honestly didn’t think i would have
anything to show this year, but i’ve got
five paintings worthy of framing! so so
happy! including this charming couple above.

am still valiantly battling my cough and
sore throat. but today proved to be a happy
day full of good news. official reviews are
beginning to trickle in for SILVER PHOENIX,
and i await each whilst gnawing my nails
to the quick. will share them as soon as i
can, probably in april. which is a mere week
away. eeee!

and today, jennifer laughran was kind enough
to send me the poster for my san francisco
signing. it made me feel so…official! *sniffs*
only forward motion now! i’m not looking back! 8)

and congrats to my online writing friend, tas, who
got a THREE BOOK DEAL with berkeley / roc this
week. the good news keeps coming! never stop
chasing your dreams!