this is the first time in quite a few years that we
haven’t gone back to the uk to celebrate. it was nice
to avoid the stress of traveling (and the crazy snow
falls they have had). i bought a few turkey slices from
whole foods prepared foods section and all the fixings,
and the hub roasted veggies, made some yorkshire
pudding and also steamed the christmas pudding for
our christmas dinner at 1pm today.

i’ve spent much of the down time cleaning up the
tiny reading nook in our master bedroom. it was getting
overrun by…books! books books books! i can’t read
fast enough and i keep buying more. it’s definitely a happy
indulgence of mine, as it is with many book lovers and
many other authors, i’ve seen.

our house isn’t very big (tho i guess that’s all relative
depending on where you live). it was about 1200 sf and
then we remodeled and it’s now at a little under 1700 sf.
i have no office or official work space. my “office” is the
dining room table. =)

when we first remodeled, the architect had made my
reading nook into an extravagant walk in closet–which
is all the rage, apparently. it also happens to have the prime
location of a view of the back garden as well as up our
little slope. i told him i didn’t want a walk in closet, thank
you very much, and would prefer a reading nook flanked
by windows.

and here it is, totally junky.
i had originally bought the tiny sewing table
converted to a mini desk in hopes of making my
reading nook into an office. i tried writing there a
few times, but i just wasn’t feeling it. it was too bright
in the day, and i didn’t like to have my back to everything.
even if it was a nice view out the window. it is, however,
the perfect reading nook indeed.

so i never did write successfully from this space.

here it is cleaned up! it’s holding my chinese brush art
cards, and my reams of manuscript revisions for both
Fury of the Phoenix and Silver Phoenix with my
fantabulous editor (i don’t discard them–call
me sentimental) in the larger box and in the smaller is
my awesome pirate hat. =) i picked up the two boxes when
i happened to wander through a Tuesday Morning store
recently with sweet pea.

also, i officially asked for a shelf above the chaise for
christmas and the love put one in for me overhead. i moved
the majority of my books there, which as you will see,
helped clear up the space tremendously.

the boxes on the ground hold book swag as well as copies
of my books and arcs themselves. despite all the stuff i still
have, it looks a lot better, no?

this is the top of our dresser that increasingly
became piled with haphazard stacks of books and
papers. yikes! i took this foto at dusk on a rainy day so
it’s really dark, but it’s probably better you didn’t get a
clearer view of the mess. without the shelf that the love
built above my reading nook this was where all the books lived. =O

and now look! after i moved most of my books to the
new shelf in the reading nook!

this little table is my “shrine” where i keep goodies
i’ve received from fans as well as from the bubs, including
a coil pottery cup, the snowman, a couple of butterflies
and more. the bubs have to get “approval” before they can
contribute to the shrine. =) this was also where i had the
majority of my to be read books stacked–until i bought too
many and they oozed over to the dresser.

the stacks are noticeably smaller now! =) still have some
but overall, the room feels much less cluttered. i’m so happy!
christmas day is good for cleaning and organizing.

tomorrow we’re off for a short jaunt to santa barbara. hope
the weather holds up! now the question is, what books to
bring with me to read?? have a wonderful holiday break, those
who are lucky to get some extra days off. i’ll be back before
the new year to do my top books read in 2010 post!!

currently listening to:

bare by annie lennox

*i was so happy to run into ruta sepetys at the reception.
i can’t wait to read her debut, Between Shades of Gray. also,
thrilled to meet jackie dolamore for the first time. i really
enjoyed Magic Under Glass and am looking forward to Magic
Under Stone.

*i was able to chat with alyson noel for a bit. she
is always saying such lovely things about Silver Phoenix. <3
there are two things you can be certain of when you
meet alyson: 1. she is one of the nicest sweetest people
you will ever meet. 2. she WILL be wearing awesome shoes.

*one of my favorite people, david macinnis gill!
he’s so cool he doesn’t even have to have his eyes open! =D
seriously tho, i always have fun with david–cause he’s
got a quirky sense of humor, like me. ha! (and by quirky,
i mean weird. =)

right after the ALAN reception was the harpercollins
family dinner. thank goodness for laura (a foodie, and
in charge of booking) who got us a wonderful table and
delicious meal at cat cora’s kouzzina. YUM!

*cindy in a genius sandwich! alas, i’m not the genius part.
that would be our fantabulous editor, virginia, and megan
whalen turner.

*appetizers included grilled prawns, lamb meatballs,
various dips and spanich pie with feta, leeks and dill.

*i chose the fisherman’s stew with scallops, fish, shellfish,
fennel, grilled bread and ouzo butter. it was divine!

*i chose the loukoumades, freshly made greek doughnuts
drizzled with warm honey and cinnamon for dessert. i was
so full i had to leave two! =(

the meal was so delicious and the company made it
that much the better. i had so much fun chatting and
laughing i sort of lost my voice by the end of the night.
whoops!

so what do you think so far? that was just the first afternoon
and evening!!

currently reading:

white cat by holly black

*all dressed up with somewhere to go! =D

hello my lovely blog readers!!

i turn 37 today!! i love the odd number years,
because i love odd numbers in general. but
i’ve been mooching up the birthday loving all over
the internets rather shamelessly. i joke that i have
Summer Birthday Complex. you know. when you get
your lockers decorated on your birthday and balloons
and presents from your bff? me? everyone was gone on
august 29th every summer! no cupcakes to pass out,
no decorated lockers, no love notes from boys. okay,
perhaps the last bit is unrelated. =) OR NOT.

this week was quite a week. my mom visited
and she bought me pretty pewter flats that make my
feet look like boats. and we ate and shopped a lot!
i love my mommy! =)
i turned in my final line edits to my fantabulous
editor. i am so happy with Fury of the Phoenix and
am looking forward to doing copy edits next. we’re
so close!! very exciting.

then…well, then despite other things on my to do list,
i simply napped and read for pleasure a lot. like a lot.
and on saturday, i had my fun secret craft class and
finished another project. had a lovely lunch by myself
with k. a. stewart’s debut, A Devil in the Details. a great
read so far. i also tore through nicole peeler’s sequel
in her tempest series, Tracking the Tempest. so much fun!
i’ll be doing a giveaway soon. and read n. k. jemisin’s
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which was fantastic!
all recommended. and all read this week! =)

then i had a lovely birthday date night and actually
took the time to dress up. (i usually opt for casual and
lazy, ha!) so note before birthday dinner foto above. =D

the best part of our lovely dinner was the dessert. the
“vietnamese alfogato” was condensed milk ice cream with
coffee nibs, vanilla mochi cubes, drizzled in espresso with
a side of cinnamon fritters, which were basically fresh mini
churros. SO GOOD! i already dug in as usual before taking a foto. =)

today was a nice birthday brunch and reading by the sea.
more relaxation. the bubs are home with me for two weeks
before school starts! then it truly is the end of summer.
and how fast it flew, i can only measure it by revisions i’ve
done. haha! i can’t wait for you to read Fury of the Phoenix! <3

i’m very excited to finally share the cover
for Fury of the Phoenix, my sequel to Silver Phoenix!
wait cindy, you say, this looks different from your
debut cover. a lot different.

i know. i know!
both the Silver Phoenix paperback
(out on feb. 1, 2011) and Fury of the Phoenix
(out april 2011) have been repackaged. it’s
something that isn’t at all uncommon. it’s a way to
reach a different and (we hope) wider audience.

i feel so blessed to have gotten the original cover
so wonderfully created by chris borgman. it will
always hold a special place in my heart.
alas, despite its gorgeousness, Silver Phoenix was passed
on by borders and carried in only limited quantities
in select barnes and noble stores. she simply wasn’t
being picked up by readers as much as we’d have liked.

the truth is, Silver Phoenix looks like nothing else
that is being offered on the young adult bookshelves.
on top of that, my story is also “different”. it’s fantasy, which
is very popular right now. but asian-inspired and reads
more like a historical than the more familiar urban.
for every reader that told me s/he’s been waiting so long
for a book like mine to come along, i’ve had another tell
me, i never thought i’d like asian-inspired fantasy, but
really loved Silver Phoenix. (this always makes me so happy!)

i can’t help but wonder how many readers took one
look at my cover, made assumptions (it’s too *this*
or obviously not enough *that*) and decided it
wasn’t for them. i won’t lie. it breaks my heart a little.
the reason that i love fantasy so much is because despite
the fact that an author can take me to an entirely
different world or time, weave epic stories of good
against evil, astound me with mythical creatures, etc, the
fantastic is always grounded in the human experience.

Silver Phoenix may be a little different than what’s
offered in young adult right now, but at the heart
of ai ling’s story is friendship, family, discovering
oneself, growing and falling in love. (oh, and food. =)
i don’t think my debut is for every reader.
of course not. but do i think that it has fully reached its
potential reading audience? unfortunately, no.

i’m very well aware of recent discussions
about whitewashing young adult covers as well as
#racefail debates, especially within the speculative
fiction genres. most of you know by now that the
author gets very little say in cover design. i was fortunate
enough to be consulted on many aspects for the original
cover. my debut cover couldn’t have been more fierce
or asian! and i’m so grateful to greenwillow books for spending
the time, money and effort to repackage my books.
with the hopes that it will be carried more widely and
perhaps draw a new audience that my original cover didn’t.

because what matters to me the most has always been
the story. i spent two years writing and revising
Silver Phoenix, went through the gut wrenching heartache of
querying 121 agents so ai ling’s tale could be read. and it’s a
dream come true to be published. i never did it for the money,
fame or glory (i laugh at the thought!). but on a personal level,
i want my stories to be read and on a professional level, read
widely enough that more xia fantasy books in the future is
a possibility. i do have other xia tales in me! =)

i would love to see more diversity in all ways being
published in children’s and young adult genres.
i think progress is happening, even if it may seem painfully slow.
especially when we feel passionate about it. but change doesn’t
happen instantly. i believe success can be achieved through many
small triumphs. and it can start simply with a story…

i wanted to take the time here to express my gratitude
for all the love i got (and continue to receive!)
on the www, from LJ to twitter to blogger, facebook to
wordpress and all my online friends in the groups and forums
i frequent (many of whom are now real life friends!).
your support and enthusiasm for Silver Phoenix means the
world to me. and also to the librarians, teachers and
booksellers who’ve been so encouraging and kind–thank you!!

if you truly love the original Silver Phoenix cover, please
get a hold of a hardcover copy soon! the paperback will feature a
“darker” cover to match Fury of the Phoenix.

as you know, i’ve been working obsessively on my sequel.
i’m very excited by it, and so pleased to see my vision
of this tale improve and unfold as i revise with my
fantabulous editor. it’s really stayed true to my vision,
only better! i can’t wait to send Fury out into the
reading world next april!

i had a really interesting discussion with megan
the last time we met about Wolf Hall, which i had
just begun. if you didn’t know, i’m absolutely fascinated
by the tudor period. so much so i’ll actually read non-fiction
novels on the time and people--which i don’t do often.
i’m almost strictly a fiction kind of reader--other than
novel research.

my favorite “characters” has to be anne boleyn
and her daughter, elizabeth I. you truly couldn’t
write their lives and make it more tension filled,
passionate, dangerous, exciting and tragic as they
actually lived it.

*anne boleyn.

we’re not even quite certain how anne looked.
given all the various portraits supposedly attributed
to her. she is often portrayed as very devious, chasing
after power and seducing henry VIII. but i was reading
a new biography which decided to present her as a
reluctant maiden, a virgin that garnered the king’s
attentions and although trying to deflect it, could
not deny him in the end. (how do you deny a king?)
she finally accepted her fate as an opportunity to
support the protestant cause.

how does one historian come up with this
interpretation and others call her a temptress
and whore, willing to do anything to become queen?

*cromwell by holbein.

since i had just started reading Wolf Hall, megan said
that it portrays thomas more in a poor light. and makes
thomas cromwell sympathetic. and she was reluctant
to read it because she liked thomas more, and was afraid
reading this will taint her opinion and view of more.

well, i’m nearing the end of Wolf Hall and i have to admit,
it certainly does portray cromwell as very sympathetic.
very human, with vices and foibles--but a character
incredibly well drawn by mantel. as a writer, you should
read it to see how real and alive an author can render
a person long gone. a true portrayal? we won’t ever
know--but certainly a compelling one. but more is definitely
put in an unfavorable light.

how can you possibly know which portrayal is true?
or the truest? is it possible to know? can we tell anything
about a person by another’s assessment of her
or him? is it possible that this is an unbiased view? and
even if not biased, could it not be one of the many masks
we wear to show the public, depending on the situation
we’re in? i think people are fascinating because we can
be so very contradictory. impossible to peg down even.
i think we all have multiple-personalities.

can we judge a person’s personality by the letters s/he
wrote? love letters? can someone who is cruel and violent
not write beautiful love letters? what about henry, who
hacked off wives’ heads one by one with (what may seem)
little remorse. but he was king. does that mean he lived
by different rules? of course. is that fair? no. but it is. it’s
impossible to believe that henry behaved or thought like
us. how could he?

it really made me think of my own characters.
they say that action speaks louder than words.
perhaps for people as well as the characters that
we write. but what meaning in action when we don’t
have the motivations behind them? murder to protect
someone you love, for vengeance or for mere blood thirst?
altruism to better the world, or to ingratiate, to salvage
a damaged reputation?

i think people--or the human condition--is so
complex. so complicated.
and i love it when it’s reflected in writing.
i don’t believe i’m a very character driven
writer. i’m much more comfortable with action
and situations, but Fury has definitely required me
to think much more about character (with my editor’s
gentle--or not!--prodding), which is exactly what
i wanted for the sequel.

and i’ll leave you with another song for chen yong
and ai ling by faye wong this time! lyric translations here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8CQxuLRmuo

congrats to mike jung who incredibly won the third book
by megan. (he had won the first two too.) i swear it’s
not rigged!

i don’t know what to do with myself now
that i’m waiting on my editor’s comments.
any writer knows what it’s like to be obsessively
immersed in the world and then to be forced
to leave it.

thankfully, megan whalen turner was kind enough
to meet and “play” in celebration of completing
round two. we always get into interesting rambling
all over the place discussions about anything and
everything. but a lot about publishing and books,
of course!

we also had the YA panel together to launch the
summer reading celebrations at mysterious galaxy.
i was hostess and we had a great time!

*our audience. we did have them laughing, promise!

*was so happy to meet online friend helen
and her sister tiffany. helen’s also a mwt fan and
started giggling a lot when she went up to her. it
was really cute!

*greg van eekhout (Kid versus Squid), barrie summy
(I So Don’t Do Mysteries series), richard harland (Worldshaker)
megan whalen turner (The Thief series)

all of us are local authors with the exception of
richard who flew in from australia on his united
states tour! and mysterious galaxy is so so good
to its local authors. those stacks are getting signed
by us and they always make sure our books are carried
when they are gone from chains within 3 – 6 months
of release usually!

anyway, i had the high perch on the right that
you can see and for some (bad and wrong) reason
pet megan on the head several times during the
panel. haha! sorry megan!
richard did a very dramatic reading from
Worldshaker (steam punk which i just read and
enjoyed) and all the authors answered a few fun
questions that i posed as well as some great and
interesting ones from the audience.

my next event will be at the local RWA chapter
meeting with fellow YA authors and signing to follow.
SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2010
10am – noon
“Writing for YA. It’s just like writing for adults. Only different.”
Panel : Barrie Summy, Laura Preble, Cindy Pon, Debbie Garfinkle
411 Hotel Circle South, San Diego 92108

congrats to madeleine on winning
Candor and Lips Touch Three Times, my last
tgifbm give away!

i’ve also joined a fabulous new group composed
of adult and YA harpercollins paranormal authors
called supernatural underground. we just launched
our blog yesterday and we’re doing fantastic
book give aways all month. so please check it out!

we’re also on facebook. like us! =D

celebrating this little thing as it makes
it more real, while i’m diligently revising
with editor!

so i apologize for bringing you tgifbm! a day
late this week BUT i’m gonna make it up to you
by giving away two awesome reads. both i just
finished recently and recommend!

Candor was a fantastic, compelling debut
by fellow deb, pam bachorz. i’m really hoping
there will be a companion to this book.

Lips Touch Three TImes by laini taylor was a
national book finalist and for good reason. the
stories are lush, sexy and terrifying. i especially
liked that draws inspiration from cultures that isn’t
often written about in fantasy.

winner takes all!
simply tweet, fb status, blog or LJ
about this contest and link back to this
entry. be sure to COMMENT IN THIS POST
with YOUR LINK! i’ll choose a winner next
wednesday, 5/26. this contest is open to all!
good luck!

i reserved rooms for the sirens conference
in colorado in october today. i’m hoping to be on
a panel about world fey. the guests of honor
this year are holly black, marie brennan, and
terri windling. sirens is a conference that focuses
on women in the fantasy genre. i’m very excited
to be attending and hope our panel will be accepted!

also, i’ll be hosting a YA panel at Mysterious Galaxy
on tuesday, may 25th @ 7pm. greg van eekhout, megan
whalen turner, barrie summy and richard harland will
be there with a signing following! i can’t wait to be Vanna White! =D

here are few more fotos from our san fran trip
during easter weekend. i had such a fantastic time!
i miss my friends up in the bay area.

*i love open air markets! this one was very
crowded on saturday morning.

*munchkin admiring the pastry selection. 8)

*hike in the castro for a stunning view.

*so many flowers were in bloom already!

congrats to sara and jenny on winning nicole peeler’s
Tempest Rising. thanks to all those who entered!

i went back to the gym for the first time
in eight weeks and had a rather untriumphant
return. i’m so out of shape! but to rub salt
in the wound, i spent 15 minutes at my locker
trying to remember my combo. i knew for certain
2 out of the 3 numbers. then i started second
guessing myself on the sequence. and that was
the beginning of the end.

muchly sheepishly, i went up to the front desk
and had the clerk cut off my lock. *shakes head*
this is my state of mind these days.

i’ve been living in the sequel so much i daydream
about it when i’m awake and literally dream about
it when i sleep. after i sent the ms to my editor,
i dreamt about her reading it that night. haha!
it seems i’m due for a second round of revisions
and i’m both excited and anxious.

it’s never anxiety about the work ahead of me.
because i’m not afraid of good old roll up
your sleeves tappity tap hard work, it’s always
that little doubt in the back of my mind asking,
Can I Pull This Off? i think that’s what causes
every writer anxiety.

i’ve been reading a lot! i reread (and i almost
never reread) The Queen and King of Attolia
this past weekend. am reading my friend jill
myle’s Gentlemen Prefer Succubi (fans self!)
right now and have Wolf Hall and Shadowrise
waiting for me. i’m actually quite particular on
what i like to read while i’m writing and revising.

i’ll leave you with another ballad by jay chou.
this one is called “orange jasmine” and the lyrics
are here. it’s difficult tho. i still don’t know the words
to it. (my mandarin skills are elementary, so this is
like a difficult poem with phrases and meaning beyond
my abilities. boo. i love the song tho.
*waves to helen and moonie* =)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX1Hicf3myg

my friend was kind enough to offer to babysit
the bubs so the love and i could go on a date night
to greens, probably our favorite restaurant in SF.
it’s in fort mason and completely vegetarian.
saturdays are set courses and that’s when we went!

i got the potato griddle cakes as a starter.

and the ravioli for the entree.

the love got a quiche type thing. that’s mushrooms on
the top!

my dessert was chocolate and hazelnut torte with
nut crunch candy.

he got the lemon meyer cheesecake. (i’m not
a fan of cheesecake!) or anything sweet made
of cream cheese (like frosting).

our sunset view. =)

it was a lovely meal and evening.
an early 13th anniversary celebration for us!
till next time…