also, i’ll be on three panels at ConDor this
weekend. check out their website for more info.
i’ll be presenting on YA fantasy, women in fantasy, and
novel research panels on saturday and sunday afternoons!
my signing will be at 4pm on saturday, right after my
3pm panel with nancy holder and kiersten white. fun!

now some fun and exciting links to share!

my friend gretchen revealed her debut cover
this week! isn’t it stunning? you can check out
the awesome synopsis on gretchen’s site. i can’t
wait to read Possess!

also, i just found out on twitter that
alex bracken, awesome YA author of Brightly
Woven sold a trilogy to disney hyperion.
check out her post for details!
i’m so excited to read more from this talented
YA author. congrats, alex!!

also, with the release of Fury soon, we’re
getting closer and closer to the Diversity Tour.
there are awesome posts each monday from guests
on the diversity in ya website, be sure to check it out
and sign up for our newsletter for announcements!
this monday, dia reeves did a great guest post.

finally, i blog over at the greenwillow blog
about my ten years as a chinese brush painting student.
with commentary on various pieces i’ve painted throughout
the decade. have a peek!

till the next, i’m just trying to stay sane
as release day rolls closer. =D i’m very excited.
i’ve a great giveaway contest planned for Fury of the
Phoenix release. can’t wait!

currently reading:

Akata Witch by nnedi okorafor

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

also, i’ll be buying a signed copy for the winner
directly from indie bookstores, which will also
get some loving in this post!

my review :

i’ve heard ASH by malinda lo described as a lesbian
retelling of cinderalla, but this short changes
malinda’s wonderful debut novel. beautifully written in prose
that can make your heart ache, ASH loses everything
that she loves and is on a journey to discover herself
in the process.

rich with folklore, malinda intrigues the reader with
the dark, intense and possessive fairy, sidhean juxtaposed
with the innocent, butterflies in the stomach encounters
with the king’s young huntress, kaisa. both relationships
drew me for their own reasons, and malinda does a fantastic
job of adding her own twists to a familiar fairy tale.

i highly recommend this debut!

*malinda and i at the 2009 scbwi LA conference.
i try to post the foto as much as i can cause it makes
me giggle. ha!

*Photo L to R: Elaine Petrocelli, C. Lee McKenzie,
Lissa Rovetch (Kid Lit Salon coordinator), George McGovern,
Sarah Quigley, me, Cheryl Renee Herbsman, J.A. Yang.

signed copies of ASH can be purchased from Book Passage.
this is what malinda had to say about her local indie bookstore!

My local independent bookstore, Book Passage, is way more
than a bookstore. It has a gigantic series of events every month
including author signings, writing conferences and literary salons –
it’s truly a community meeting place. My first event for ASH was at
one of those literary salons, the Kid Lit Salon, which brings together
Bay area writers and readers of children’s and YA books. Because
Book Passage is such a happening place, George McGovern happened
to be presenting in a separate area of the bookstore the very same
night, and Book Passage owner Elaine Petrocelli brought him over to
the Kid Lit Salon to say hello. That was an awesome way to kick off
my ASH promo efforts!

my review :

gothic. epic. touching. frightening.
mysterious and intriguing.
with a hero falling in love for the
first time whom you can’t help falling
in love with yourself.
and a heroine battling her family, her
past, her future and herself.

definitely recommended!

*L to R : kami garcia, margie stohl, nancy holder,
me, and megan whalen turner.

the signed copy of Beautiful Creatures which will
be made into a film soon (!!) was purchased
at the Mysterious Galaxy Holiday Party in december.
i got the chance to hang out with some awesome author
friends and many lovers of Mysterious Galaxy showed
up to support authors, good books, but most of all, a very
beloved local indie bookstore.

Mysterious Galaxy focuses on, according its website,
“books of Martians, Murder, Magic and Mayhem
(with occasional Matchmaking and Munchkins)”.
every author i know who writes within these genres
loves the store. and if you’re a reader that enjoys
science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, suspense or thrillers,
it’s the bookstore to go to if you are ever in san diego!

i had the pleasure of meeting tad williams, elizabeth
moon, melissa marr, and neil gaiman at MG author
events. i also attended my first fantasy novels panel
at Comicon and had a signing there through MG last year!

they have also been so supportive of SIlver Phoenix
and keep signed copies in stock, calling me to let me
know when there are personalized requests!

and last but not least, Flash Burnout was my
second favorite read from 2009–out of 41 books read.
it was an utter surprise to me because i do lean toward
fantasy as favorites (reading tastes are so personal), but
i instantly fell in love with l.k. madigan’s “hero”, fifteen
year old blake. his voice was so honest, endearing, funny
and real. this debut satisfied on multiple levels, and
i couldn’t have been happier to learn that it was awarded
the morris award for 2010!

congratulations, lisa!!

signed copies of Flash Burnout are available
from Annie Bloom’s Books. this is what lisa had
to say about her local indie bookstore :

The first blog review FLASH BURNOUT ever received
(a glowing one!) came from Holly at Annie Bloom’s.
And the very first fan mail I ever received (literally: the
topic line was “Fan Mail”!) came from Matt at Annie Bloom’s.
No wonder they’re my favorite independent bookstore.
They made me feel like a star before my book ever came out,
and they’ve been hand-selling it ever since.

whew! so how do you win ALL THREE fabulous
signed copies? simply tweet, fb status, LJ or blog a link
and blurb about the contest from now through this
saturday (1/30). i will choose a winner randomly some
time on saturday. please be sure you let me know in
THIS POST if you’ve tweeted, etc, to officially enter!
contest is open to all! good luck!

i’ve been tweet-bragging about our sunshine
and high 70’s temps and getting grouchy and
threatening replies from all over. =p what can
i say, i’m a southern cali girl through and through.
i’ll gladly trade “seasons” for constantly temperate
weather. and proximity to the beach. i don’t like
swimming in the ocean at all, but i love to gaze at
it. it’s both soothing and inspiring.

last night we went to watch sherlock holmes
which i loved! i really love robert downey’s come
back and he and jude law’s rapport and chemistry
are spot on. i really recommend this movie!

imagine my excitement when i saw the trailer
for a remake of Clash of the Titans. i LOVED that
movie. it epitomizes everything i adore about
fantasy : gods, monsters, a hero on a fantastic
journey. ha! the final scene with medusa is
incredible and this was over two decades ago.
i can only wonder what they’ve done with it now!
watch the trailer and see how kick ass it is!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpZ5D_Wc4cA

and today is the inaugural post for
Thank Goodness it’s Free Book(s) Monday!
i thought i’d kick off the give away with some
wonderful news! Silver Phoenix was a 2009
Booklist Editor’s Choice for young adults! such
an honor--one that could never have happened
without greenwillow books and all the people
there who helped make my debut the best it can
be! so in celebration of this and GWB’s 35th year,
i’m giving away an ARC of amy brecount white’s
Forget-Her-Nots and david macinnis gill’s Soul
Enchilada.

i loved soul enchilada! it was an exciting,
fun, scary and touching read--all through the
eyes of a heroine with sass, gumption and heart.
i had the pleasure of reading david’s arc while in
england two years ago and nearly missed my train
stop because i was so engrossed in the story. for
anyone who is a writer, you MUST read this novel
for the voice--which is incredible.

i also loved Forget-Her-Nots! a entirely unique
take on magic, with intrigue, mystery and romance.
i love flowers and found the lore absolutely fascinating.
it’s unlike any fantasy i’ve read and that is a good thing!

so how do you enter to win BOTH arc and novel?
simply tweet, fb, LJ or blog a link to this contest and leave
a comment in THIS post letting me know. contest will
close some time this saturday (1/16) when i will
randomly choose a winner! this contest is open
internationally!

my mom is visiting tomorrow and she is bringing
my dad’s persimmons. i’m so excited! my dad grows
fantastic fruit in the garden! 8)

as i said, we made it safely back from england!
i won’t lie, it was one of the most stressful
and coldest jaunts ever. sweet pea was air sick
the entire eleven hours there and back. =( i was
hoping she would get better as she got older
but this trip was the worst yet. we gave her over
the counter medication on the flight back and it
didn’t help one bit. she’s traumatized over flights
now. =( we flew back with heightened security
which meant further stress and delays. i was just
so happy to be back home safe again!!

*to high 70’s weather and surfers galore!
those are my boys in the corner. =D

this doesn’t mean i didn’t manage to enjoy
my trip. i’m returning to my favorite city after all!
i went into london for the weekend by myself to
see my best friend, and we had such fun!

*i loved this “christmas tree” outside the
royal academy art institute on piccadilly.

*and right adjacent wedged into a tiny corner
of an arcade was this french macaron shop.

*yes, please! we had to let the macaron
shopwoman fill our boxes for us. i bought
a dozen: pistachio, chestnut, praline, vanilla,
chocolate and coffee. yes, i remember! i tried
the praline and chestnut.

*and probably one of the highlights of this
trip, my best friend took me to the wolsely
for afternoon tea. oh, it was just gorgeous
inside and completely full our entire 2 or so
hours there! it’s a place i’ve walked past many
times with the love and bubs and said, we wouldn’t
be welcome there. ha! but it was more casual than
the ritz close by, which required black tie for tea!

*so so delicious. the restaurant had a no fotos
policy so i was trying my best to be quick and
surreptitious. meep!

i’m still a little jet lagged, but almost fully
recovered. i have a feeling 2010 will be a very
exciting year–tho 2009 will be a difficult one
to top, certainly!

it’s a special year as my publisher, greenwillow books
just celebrated 35 years! to mark the occasion,
we’ve started a blog, under the green willow. there
will be fun and interesting posts, including the
inaugural post by my fantabulous editor, virginia!
do check it out and say hello!

(my munchkin would LOVE that Fire Truck book!)

my sweet pea is six years old today!
i sent her to school with some brownie bites
and mini chocolate chip cookies (purchased)
and she got to open her pressies this morning.
she chose both, one a sort of bejeweled sticker
by numbers and another paper beading bracelets
or some such. i also bought her a nice stack of
books–which she always loves. =D

i bought a carvel ice cream cake for the family
and she chose THAI food tonight to celebrate.
(how many six year olds would choose thai? she
loves the vegetarian meat dish, ha!)

munchkin was in hysterics this morning despite
a “pity gift” i got for him. (again, books.) his sister
got two real presents from us and another thing
to open from grandma in england. and he tantrummed
all morning. of course, i was entirely unsympathetic.
NO MORE “pity gifts” for munchkin.

my mom says you always have to reason or talk
sense to the bublets. and i do. but munchkin is
so stubborn. (like i am.) he knows i’m right but
he’s very angry that i am and has to have a show
of rebelling against my rightness. ha!

it was munchkin’s big bday party year, in fact.
i decided a while back that the bubs would only
have “big birthdays” every 4 years. so when they
turn 4, 8, 12, 16…
simply because i find them very stressful and
also quite extravagant in this day and age.
it used to be you got a cake, some balloons and
a pin the tail on the donkey and that’s that.

how times have changed.

so she’s only celebrating with her immediate
family. and she is fine with that, because those
are the rules. =)

i love you, sweet pea!
you are such a good student
and reader and artist. and you
are a kind big sister, even if you
tend toward bossiness. but i know
you are only trying to be like me. =D

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!)
which means three days (as i did not write today)
of no writing. i can go months without writing but
when i’m really within the story, three days is a long
time to be away from it.

also something exciting, the tiniest barely there
seedling of an idea for a third novel. set in xia but
with different characters. i’m very excited by the thought
of this. i’m strictly a ONE IDEA at a time type of writer.
(and reader, as well!) in fact, i can’t help but turn a little
green whenever i hear about writers who seem to be
constantly bombarded with GREAT IDEAS. i get my one
idea, i write my novel, and hope that i get another idea.
somewhat. somewhere. somehow.

i need to read a little bit more, but i do hope
this seedling for a third novel is a viable one. =D

and without further ado, as it’s 10pm again
and i want to go read and watch MAD MEN…
i had the pleasure of going to one of my favorite
restaurants at the century city mall–the bread bar–
with one of my favorite people! gretchen and i have
been friends online for quite some time, but this is
the first time we met!

we started with an assorted bread basket
and different spreads. so yummy!

i decided to try the beet gazpacho. the flavors
were amazing. perfect for summer.

gretchen had the french onion soup and
i will have to try that next time! *drools*

i couldn’t resist their sliders! i got one in angus
beef and one of beer battered brie. SO GOOD!

gretchen got a grilled cheese sandwich that came
with a side salad. yes, we feasted! and chatted much!

love this foto! gretchen is every bit as witty and
charming as i imagined she would be. she just finished
an eight week run as a soprano singing in the circus.
how cool is that? bet you couldn’t claim the same, huh?
and fyi, we are both dolled up in anthropologie. hee!

i bought an almond chocolate (is that even LEGAL?)
croissant to go and omg–it was a little pocket of flake
crusted heaven! i highly recommend this
restaurant to anyone who’s hanging in the ritzy part
of los angeles!!!

and the most amazing news!
kiersten got a three book deal with harperteen!
we’ll be publisher sisters!!!
her debut, PARANORMALCY, will be out
fall 2010!

Sixteen-year-old Evie’s job is bagging and tagging
paranormals. Possessing the strange ability to see
through their glamours, she works for the International
Paranormal Containment Agency. But when someone–
or something–starts taking out the vamps, werewolves,
and other odd beasties she’s worked hard to help become
productive members of society, she’s got to figure it out
before they all disappear and the world becomes utterly normal.

Normal is so overrated.

i’ve followed her journey and struggles
and absolutely could not be more thrilled for
her. congrats, kiersten!!!!

currently reading :

sacred scars by kathleen duey

it feels exactly like when you start falling for another
person–you can’t stop thinking about him.
you wonder what he is doing all the time.
you wake with the thought of him, you sleep and
hope to dream of him. you replay the
short, meaningless conversations you’ve shared
and you add dialogue–with intent, purpose
and feeling.

you change the scenery. instead of passing one
another in the hallway going to classes, you’re
in the quad sharing lunch and discussing the
meaning of life and love and being, as the world
revolves around you in a an exquisitely
low hummed, slow motion.

it feels a little like that.
and it’s the reason that writers endure the often
tortuous, terrifying process of writing.
over and over. so we can fall in love again.

currently reading :

ASH by malinda lo

eta : awesome news from jeannie lin this morning.
not only did she win the golden heart for her
historical romance, BUTTERFLY SWORDS, she also
sold it to harlequin mills and boon. OMG! congrats,
jeannie! celebrate!!

this morning, i spent 9.30am – 2pm working on
my sequel. i would have started at 9am when the
love took the bubs to summer camp, only i was
looking for my disposable contacts. i had a follow
up appt and needed to wear them, but for the life
of me could not find them. so i canceled the appt.
tonight, while making dinner, i found them in the
pot drawer. haha! yes. welcome to my life. and yes,
i did put them there!

just back from my critique meeting. i love my
critique group! you guys are awesome! they are a
talented, encouraging, amazing bunch. so only a
brief update tonight…

here’s something you may not know about me.
i’m good at keeping secrets. if you
tell me a secret, i basically won’t tell anyone.
ever. even if you didn’t really mean for it to be a
secret secret. well, i’m like a vault.

i’m also good with keeping my own secrets.
i usually don’t like to divulge anything until after
i’ve accomplished it. (altho i was always very
forthright about writing a novel and the entire
journey to publication–because i wanted to be
held accountable for that goal i set.) well, in these
past two months, i’ve been painting lotus diligently
so i can give it as a gift to neil gaiman.

*a new day for neil gaiman.

i spent a long time painting perfect parts but
never a perfect whole. usually, it’s the composition
that is off (the angle of a stem, the way a leaf
unfurls). when i finally had a kingfisher and lotus
painting i was happy with, i realized it was all too–
bright and pink. at least, for neil gaiman.

so on the last week before the conference, i painted
him a more “masculine” interpretation of the lotus.
that is a lotus pod and a more muted kingfisher, with
a dash of gray at his breast. i admit it is my favorite
(and perhaps best) lotus painting to date. i couldn’t
be happier to give it to him!

on saturday, i queued up with 300 of his other
fans and waited about two hours to get the graveyard
book signed. then i showed him the painting…

cindy : it’s supposed to be a kingfisher.
NG : of course it’s a kingfisher.

he said it was beautiful. *beams*
then gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. eeeeee!
you can stop staring daggers through the screen
cause i can feel them. ha!
to say i was giddy is an understatement. 8)

and the weekend only got better from there!
highlights in order :

1. meeting my fantabulous editor, virginia, and other
greenwillowites, david m gill, marybeth kelsey, and steve.
seriously my favorite part of the conference! which
is saying a lot considering….

2. neil gaiman. we adore him for all the right reasons!
i shared a taxi ride with two women during this conference
(hi bonnie and linda!) both doing great things and involved
in many organizations and committees, and our conversations
would inevitably center on our admiration of NG. ha! i loved it!

3. an amazing newbery banquet that brought me to my
feet multiple times and tears to my eyes. and me near
front and center of the stage!!

4. my first signing at ala, meeting fellow YA authors, teens
who have read and enjoyed Silver Phoenix, as well as YA
bloggers, librarians and teachers. i wanted to give everyone cupcakes!

5. free arcs!

that is all for now. i’m on a tight deadline
but will try and update when i can!! xo

also, it’s the debs giveaway day!!

*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