friday 10/8 @10am in Rocky Mountain D
Are There Faeries Outside Western Europe? Exploring Fey Folklore from Around the World
Shveta Thakrar, Valerie Frankel, Andrea Horbinski, Cindy Pon
Mention the word “faerie,” and everyone knows what that means: a tiny Victorian winged girl devoted to flowers, or an inhumanly beautiful Celtic creature who fears iron and loves mischief in equal measure. Yet this loaded term is often used as an umbrella for all supernatural creatures, regardless of origin. Does it fit? Join us as we delve into the worlds of Persian peris, Polynesian patupaiarehe, Indian apsaras, Iroquois jogah, Australian tukonee, and Japanese kitsune, and encounter fey the world over.

a couple of weekends ago, i took the family an hour up
north to the laguna area for a couple nights. it was a mini
getaway (all we could do given hub’s work schedule) for his
birthday. i was full on sick and blowing my nose by the pool
the entire day, but despite that, i did read, eat well, and enjoy
watching the bubs paddling in the pool.

we were actually upgraded to an ocean view.
but the mornings were fogged in until past noon.
yes, there is an ocean there past the pool!

we took the opportunity to visit the ocean institute
at danapoint harbor. it was small but had some fun
hands on displays. including these gorgeous starfish.

my bubs. =)

they also had a tour of this brig, which is a replica
of Pilgram from the early 1800’s. i was very interested
in this tour especially because part of Fury of the Phoenix
is spent on a ship. my conclusion–it must have been
awful. haha! i can’t imagine it. it’s life and death out there
at sea. i bought Two Years Before the Mast by richard henry
dana, jr. about his time on the Pilgram (merchant ship).
very interesting piece of historical writing. dana wrote how
they lost an english sailor overboard. he was weighed down
with ropes and gear and fell in the water. most sailors can’t
swim, and the poor chap must have sunk like a stone. they
rowed in a boat for over an hour looking for him, but gave up.
the captain was then obliged to almost immediately auction off
all of the drowned sailor’s possessions. =O

still reading loads as you can see. really enjoyed Marcelo
in the Real World by francisco x. stork.

i’ll leave you with an interview ari did with me for
coloronline. i talk about the sexual elements in Silver Phoenix
and what you can do to support books featuring people
of color.

after an incredibly hot day, it is thundering and with bursts of
rain outside. very strange weather!

currently reading:

The Demon King by cinda williams chima

*kimberly derting, me, kelley armstrong,
ellen schreiber, and kim harrison.

*the turn out was fantastic! people waited a few
hours to get their books signed.

*i’ve met kimberly before and it was a real pleasure
to meet the other authors–all so nice. kelley told me
she was currently reading Silver Phoenix! ellen had the
cutest shirt and i love kim’s glam hair. =D

*aly who i know from online was a treat
to meet too. we talked about YA novels and southern
cali authors.

also, happy news for Silver Phoenix, which was named one
of the Best Fantasy, Sci-fi, Horror novel in 2009 by VOYA
(voice of youth advocate)!

bisi was kind enough to interview me on her blog.

and i just joined a group of harpercollins paranormal
authors group (adult and YA) and we launched this month,
giving away loads of book to celebrate all month long.
my first post was today about sex in Silver Phoenix. i’m
giving away a signed copy of my book as well as my Blobby
Cat and Lily cards. so come check it out!!

currently reading :

wolf hall by hilary mantel

other than le guin’s earthsea series, this is one
of my favorites. A Conspiracy of Kings is a New York Times
Bestseller AND was also chosen by American Library Association’s
Booklist as one of the Top Ten Fantasy/Science Fiction Novels for
Youth in 2010! i’m delighted to offer a signed copy for tgifbm!

i also have an impromptu interview with megan whalen
turner. these were questions i had posed to the authors
of the summer reading panel at mysterious galaxy a few
weeks back.

if you could live the life of one of the characters you’ve written,
which would it be and why?

[This] makes me wish I’d written a story about a nice
middle aged woman living in a charming hillside town with a great
veiw and central heating, where the villagers revere her for no particular
reason and bring her food three times a day and otherwise don’t
bother her much. : )

See, you didn’t ask which person I’d like to be, you asked whose
life I’d like to take on. I think I’d have a nervous breakdown if I had
to deal like any of my characters. So, I think I’ll go with the narrator–Aunt
Charlotte, in my story “Aunt Charlotte and the Portraits at the NGA.”
Sure, she had some absent parents and some childhood isolation
going there at the beginning, but by the time she’s telling her story,
she’s all grown up and it’s clear she’s got her life well in hand.
Ooh, or possibly I’d be the Selkie in that story. That would be okay.

(megan did admit at the panel to admiring eddis and it might
be neat to be her. but not so much living her very
stressful life as a queen.)

name a favorite book that you wish you had written
yourself. why do you love this read?

Just lately, I’ve been thinking that if
I were Frances Harding and I’d written The Lost Conspiracy,
I’d be darned proud of myself. But the problem is that
if your *write* the book, you don’t get to be the reader of it. Given a choice,
I’d rather someone else wrote books *for* me.

If you could magically implant your idea in someone else’s head and
get *them* to think it through and make a story out of it,
who would you pick?

megan’s sly like that and turns the table on you! ;*)
well, i’d be really interested in how you’d write Silver Phoenix,
megan. and i’d be curious to see how neil gaiman would
write it as well. because you are both authors i admire and
write and think so differently than i do.

…

okay, lovely blog readers! you know the drill!
tweet, fb status, blog or LJ about this contest with
a link back to the post AND comment here with
your link to enter!! i’ll select a random winner some
time on wednesday, june 16th! this contest is open
to all!! good luck!

i had the pleasure of meeting and having a lovely
lunch with sarah. she’s living my dream life, getting
a doctorate at cambridge AND also writing historical
fiction in the elizabethan era that i REALLY want to read.
i hope some smart editor buys her novel(s) soon!!!

mmm. the english fudge stand at camden town!

camden town is one of my favorite markets!
here, diners sit on moped seats along the
camden loch. i couldn’t find the antiques section
of camden town. was searching very hard for it
to find…a tarot card reader. yes! i had a very
interesting reading by her in september 2007
about my writing career. but she wasn’t meant to
be found! boo.

and no, i don’t usually get tarot readings. my best
friend and i did it on a lark and then got scared
by how accurate she was. haha!

fruits made from marzipan in the food hall at
harrod’s! also glimpses of turkish delights–which
i always buy. i love their turkish delights!

walking from piccadilly to leicester square.

a fancy version of the english breakfast.
always a favorite indulgence while on holiday
in england! just say no to bacon! i never eat the
stuff. bleah!

and this was a foto from our last day in london.
the bubs near liverpool street station. =)

have been working diligently to prepare for our art
show in balboa park’s spanish village in mid march!

will leave you with some great links :

kirsten lesko, a fabulous critique friend, launches her
blog “sell your novel, not your soul”. she discusses all things
regarding writing and marketing yourself and your books!
click over and say hi at disobedientwriter.com!!
(can’t decide which is cooler, her tag line or her url!)

we’re trying to raise some money for YABC (young
adults book central) so it can get a much needed make
over. there’s an auction going with signed books (including
Silver Phoenix and three of my note cards of your choice!)
as well as critique of pages by authors. so check it out!!

i also interview fellow greenwillowite david macinnis gill
on his great debut, Soul Enchilada, over at the enchanted inkpot!

i’m so thrilled to have hannah here with me today.
her debut, BREAK, was just released in september :

Jonah is on a mission to break every bone in his
body. Everyone knows that broken bones grow back
stronger than they were before. And Jonah wants to
be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything
around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing,
is Jonah’s only way to cope with the stresses of home,
girls, and the world on his shoulders.

When Jonah’s self-destructive spiral accelerates and he
hits rock bottom, will he find true strength or surrender
to his breaking point?

*cynthea liu, lisa schroeder, me, and tammi sauer!

i was very happy to pick up an ARC of BREAK
at the ala chicago conference in july. i know hannah
originally from a writing forum and went up to
one of the editor’s manning the booth.

me : did you know that hannah just turned eighteen?
editor, surprised : no, i didn’t know that!

that’s right. hannah sold her debut novel at 17 and it
published right after she turned 18. if that isn’t amazing
and inspiring, how about this? her writing and the story
is excellent. i recommend BREAK!

and without further ado, a chat with hannah.

hannah, tell us how long you’ve been writing creatively
and how long it took you to write BREAK.

I’ve been writing little stories for as long as I can
remember. I finished my first long thing (about 100 pages)
when I was in sixth grade. Finished the first novel–horrible
though it was–at the end of eighth grade. Since then it’s been
non-stop. For BREAK, first draft was 6 days, all the drafts
together about 2 months

i cannot believe you wrote a first draft in less than a week.
that is incredible! were there any songs that inspired you
as you wrote this novel? or songs that make you think of this novel?

I’m so glad you asked this question! There are a few songs
that were huge–”The Trouble with Jonah” by Gersey, “How
Far We’ve Come” by Matchbox 20, and “I’ve Seen Better Days”
by The Sublime. The song that had the most to do with creating
the book, though, is called “Time Turned Fragile” by Motion
City Soundtrack. The song was actually written about a father
and a son, but it works so well for Jonah and Jesse’s dynamic,
of one brother looking after the other–”You used to say that
you’re just fine, but I still wonder all the time,” and later in the
song–”I know I say that I’m just fine, but I hope you wonder
from time to time.” Beautiful song.

i’m totally searching for these songs online!
what is a young adult book you read this year that really
struck you?

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. I’ve already read it twice.
Damn, that book is good. I also fell hard for Someday This Pain
Will be Useful to You by Peter Cameron.

if you could follow in the footsteps of another author
career wise, who would it be?

Oh hey, I just mentioned her–Laurie Halse Anderson. I mean,
my God, that woman is amazing. Everything she writes is just
fantastic, and she keeps producing these books that are just
total sensations, one right after the other. What I love about her
is that she has a niche to the extent that you have a vague idea
what to expect from her books, but she gives herself enough
freedom so you’re still surprised. But you get the heartbreaking
heroines, well-researched scenarios, and tough family situations
you want from one of her books. She’s great. And I love how
prolific she is. I want to crank out one book after another after another.

BREAK floored me not only due to the wonderful and strong
writing, but for the depth of emotions that we see living through
jonah’s eyes. how did you relate to your hero? did you draw upon
your own emotional journeys?

Aw, thank you! Honestly, very little of what Jonah goes through
is anything I’ve personally experienced. I’ve had my own tangos
with self-destruction, I suppose, and I absolutely know a lot of
the emotions Jonah has when he’s in the hospital–particularly
the combination of feeling incredibly guilty for disappointing
people who love you and simultaneously angry with them for
making your struggles about them. That frustration was a
cornerstone for Jonah, and I think it was important to know that.
But most of Jonah’s stuff is foreign to me. Everything with siblings
is imagined; I have one sister, and our relationship is quite
different from Jonah’s and Jesse’s.

i love that you were able to channel jonah so truly.
and finally what is your favorite pastry? =D

Blueberry muffins.

in celebration of hannah’s debut release, i’m
giving away one copy of BREAK to the lucky
winner who leaves a comment answering this
question :

have you ever broken a bone? if so which?
if not, what is one of the most memorable
ouch injuries that you’ve endured?

winner will be randomly chosen some
time on friday night, 11/13! =D

to learn more about hannah : untilhannah.com

it’s top model wednesday!
i’m thrilled to share the newest
ALAN Review cover which features
several YA novel covers including many
debs such as :

ASH by malinda lo
HATE LIST by jennifer brown
STRUTS and FRETS by jon skovron

other covers also featured :

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE by gene luen yang
FIRE by kristin cashore
I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want
to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb
Troy High by Shana Norris
(last two titles sussed out by steph. thanks, steph!)

no one knows what book cover is supposed to
be on the laptop yet?

also check out my interview with debra
on Old People Writing for Teens. =D

*i squish those cheeks!

munchkin is 4.5 years old now, but one
year old in the above foto, making a blanket
tent with sweet pea! he constantly amuses me
with the things that he says.

these related to me by his preschool teacher,
mrs.p.

munchkin : i won’t see you tomorrow!
i’m going on a long weekend to new york city!
(we were going a few miles up to carlsbad. =)

and when mrs.p asked why i hadn’t gone
to the preschool open house along with
daddy. (i was at our annual autumn potluck
for brush art class.)

munchkin : she’s got a book signing. it’s
sooo boooooring.

at home

munchkin : why is mommy reading books
all the time? they’re only words!
(despite this, he does enjoy stories, ha! =)

helping sweet pea read winnie the pooh.
she’s having issue sounding out “tea”.

me, giving a clue : it’s what daddy drinks.
munchkin : BOOZE!

a preschool mom died very young and
unexpectedly recently. so i’ve mentioned
death a few times, and how sad it was to the
bublets.

munchkin : we have to do everything we want
before we die.

me : =O that’s right! where did you hear that from?

munchkin : nowhere. i thought it myself.

today after reading starwars easy reader

munchkin : i wonder what droids eat?

me : i don’t think they eat anything.

munchkin : yeah. neither do aliens.

me : no. i think aliens do eat.

munchkin : what if they ate their buggers?
(”boogers” in munchkin speak.) that’d be
disgusting!

haha!

sweet pea is the epitome of nerdette.
we have homework every night (including
weekend homework) usually involving math
and book reports and daily reading. she also
needs to memorize addition tables (like 1+1,
2+2, etc). each day, she is thrilled to do her
homework and says how much she loves it.
i bought her some flash cards and she loves
“playing” with those too!

hope this nerdiness lasts! =D

in exciting Silver Phoenix news, i’m thrilled to
announce that foreign rights have been sold
to indonesia! =D i hope to share a cover soon
once it’s finalized! hoorah!

also, stacy whitman interviews me for the new
small press, tu publishing, focused on multicultural
fantasy and science fiction for children and young
adults. i really enjoyed this interview!

*speaking of vanity cam shots! my hair looks
esp curly here!

actually 36 years old on the 29th this month.
the love and i are going to see a play (we haven’t
in *years*) and try out a new fancy restaurant to
celebrate my ox year! =D

my mom has come and gone (she can endure about
36 hours of the rabid monkey bublets–and i don’t
blame her) but the minute she arrived, she showed
me my early birthday gift. a diamond gourd-shaped
pedant (for good fortune, of course!) on a white gold
chain. she had just returned from a trip to taiwan
(right before the typhoon–and even i have distinct
memories of typhoons from when i was a preschooler
living there–no lights, bathtubs filled with water)
where she had purchased it.

i’m not really an accessories girl, but i love it!
and have not taken it off since i put it on. i used
to wear a heart-shaped jade pendant (from my
grandfather) on a gold chain, but took it off after
i had sweet pea. what with babies and their grabby
hands.

i said in a radio interview a few weeks ago that
i think i’ll always look back on this year as a very
memorable one full of magnificent firsts. i worked
on three books, edits for my debut,
Silver Phoenix, my very first picture book dummy, as
well as finishing the sequel. three books!

my debut released and i was thrown into
hurricaine authorhood. ha! it was hectic and
crazy and exciting and i learned so much and
met so many people and went to so many places–
i’ve absolutely loved it.
but not without moments of how will i ever be able
to do all of this within the next three months
minor meltdowns. the best part of being a mother
is that you can never melt down for very long, as
you need to tend to much louder and insistent
ones from bublets. ha!

and a reminder that i’ll be signing in orange
county this saturday!

barnes and noble huntington beach
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 @ 2pm
Bella Terra
7881 Edinger Ave. #110, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 897-8781

after my three day hiatus, i was able to work on
the sequel again–which was lovely. revising is
my absolute favorite part! i’m just too much of a
stick in the mud to truly appreciate the freefall of
rough drafting.

becca was also nice enough to interview me!

currently reading :

shiver by maggie stiefvater

*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

so exciting! philomela was kind enough to
do fan art of li rong, the charming funny younger
brother to chen yong! beautifully done, philomela!
and THANK YOU! i love fan art!

you can see more of philomela’s art
on her blog here. =D

i’ll be doing an ucsd alumni interview tomorrow
which i’m excited about, as i have such fond memories
of my time there. on thursday is my half hour podcast at
book bites for kids @ noon, pacific. i’ll tweet about it
on the day and do a count down. apparently, listeners
can call in? i’m not sure. ha!

still writing diligently on the sequel.
AND i got diamond plops. couldn’t be
happier that my story is slowly revealing itself
to me, one perfect facet at a time.