took two fotos over the weekend that are totally
filled with Pretty People but are also totally
Awkward Author Fotos.

behold and judge for yourself!

(back row L to R: Elizabeth Bunce, Kiersten White,
me, Dave Roman. front: Shannon Messenger, Kirsten
Hubbard and Nikki Katz.)

we have a wonderfully fun and supportive MG and YA
writing community here in san diego. so it was lovely
for shannon, kirsten and nikki to come to the signing after
kiersten’s and my panel together. author fotos during
signings are always awkward. from the mere logistics
of The Table. whenever i can, i’ll run to the other side of
the table to take a less awkward foto, but it didn’t happen
in this case. haha! still a great foto tho!

me, Malinda Lo and Marie Lu.

on saturday night, was lucky enough to catch
malinda and marie (with beau in tow) to have dinner
together at extrao desserts. of course, we had to take
a foto of this tremendous occasion!

but as you can see, marie’s beau wasn’t quite sure
which was more important, the cake and mimosa or
the women in the foto. he wanted it all! and malinda
somehow decided it wasn’t cool to drape her arms around
us like “the don”, and instead, chose to hover between
marie and me like the Head of Oz.

dudes. i could NOT stop laughing after i saw this foto!
i mean, crying laughing. and everyone else thought it
was hilarious too! (i swear i cannot look at this foto and
NOT laugh. hhahah!)

pretty people. awkward foto.

haha!

i am bleeding words. at least half way through
novel 3 and Trying Not to Panic. 8) but the first
half is rad, so i’m happy with that.

next week, i go to scbwi (unofficially). you can find
me in the lounge or by the pool. if so, stop and say hi!
also, my exciting signing with Nova, Suzanne and Holly is
next sunday as well at 1.30pm hosted by Bridge to Books
and Once Upon a Time. click here for details!

Silver Phoenix paperback releases today!
and it also includes my mom’s veggie homestyle
mapo tofu recipe (it is delicious!). see
greenwillow’s very own Head Chef martha mihalick’s
first delicious attempt here. also included is a teaser
for Fury of the Phoenix and some comments about
writing my debut by me.

in celebration of my paperback release, some
wonderful bloggers are doing fantastic giveaways
along with Fury of the Phoenix reviews. first, i heart
monster reviews Fury and is giving away a Silver Phoenix
paperback and Fury arc.

next, malinda lo shares why she enjoys my
novels, as only malinda can. =D i love her
endorsement! it means a lot.  she, too, is giving
away a Silver Phoenix paperback and Fury arc. you
can also see her delicious rendition of my mom’s
mapo tofu recipe!!

finally, ellen oh (fellow harpercollins YA author who
has an asian-inspired three book deal!) is
running a haiku contest on twitter and her blog! she’s
giving away two prize packs, including $75 worth in
giftcards! won’t you write a haiku for some Fury love? =)

also, a while back, cassandra clare was kind enough to
blurb Fury of the Phoenix:

“Cindy Pon’s writing is beautiful, conjuring up images
of breathless adventure, heart-stopping romance, dangerous
demons, and hidden secrets. Ai Ling is the sort of heroine you
can’t help but root for. A thrilling ride from start to finish.”

-Cassandra Clare, New York Times Bestselling Author
of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series

then today, i learned that she had selected Silver Phoenix as
a favorite read in a bn.com feature. !!! amazing! and i happen
to be in fantastic company as well, with books i truly enjoyed
reading (Bleeding Violet, White Cat, Book of A Thousand Days,
The Replacement, Anna and the French Kiss). thank you so
much, cassie!!

i believe my book may be featured in endcaps at
some bn stores under a “Cassandra Clare Recommends” sign.
let me know if you see this–so exciting!

so there you have it, all my book news. =) i can’t
believe we’re less than two months away from
Fury release and not much more before the awesome
Diversity Tour. it’s going to be crazy and amazing.
till next time, lovely readers!

next year, the theme will be MONSTERS and their guests of
honor are laini taylor, nnedi okorafor, and justine larbalestier.
i loved laini’s Lips Touch and justine’s Liar. i hadn’t heard of
nnedi before this but was excited when i did, and am looking
forward to reading her novels. especially Akata Witch coming
out next year.

i would REALLY love to go myself next october, but
can’t commit officially till i see what my traveling will be like,
since Fury of the Phoenix will be out and i definitely will be
attending World Fantasy Con here in san diego next october too.
still, i can’t recommend sirens con more highly.

i received presents from Silver Phoenix fans!
rachel made the cutest clay figure of ai ling with a giant
dumpling on her plate (we aren’t complaining!) and then
decided to give her a table full of dim sum just for good
measure. haha! i believe there are shu mai, bell pepper with
shrimp AND chicken feet. how awesome is that? thank you
so much rachel!

and larry made me the chinese dragon out of origami.
isn’t it amazing? he actually was making various creatures
and doling them out throughout the conference. i also got
a lovely ox, my chinese astrological sign.
(i shamelessly asked for one. hee! =) thank you for
sharing your wonderful craft, larry!

this was the first day of the author signing tea and
i sold out of Silver Phoenix copies! it was lovely to meet
so many attendees who have already read my debut or
were excited to read it.

me and rachel! =)

malinda lo was my roomie. we took a lot of fotos
together but i think this is the cutest, as we’re both
cracking up a little. =D

*juliet (soho editor), holly black, sarah rees brennan,
malinda and me.

friday night we went into vail village to eat at
kelly liken (recommended to us by ellen kushner).
it was really really delicious. we had to sit at the bar
but that didn’t stop us from having some loud, fun
and interesting conversations veering from books, writing,
cute boys, cute girls and shenanigans. (i am vague here
to protect the not so innocent. ha!)

i was determined to go into vail village again on saturday a
little earlier so we could walk around and take in the sights.
the weather was overcast at times but often sunny and gorgeous.
these were taken from the steps leading down to the village.

*me, shveta, and andrea.

this is 3/4 of the panelists for our multicultural faeries
discussion, which i think went really well. i think most thought
it was an interesting panel and we introduced folklore and
myth from non-western traditions, many who often do serve the
same purpose(s) as western fey in storytelling.

another post later!
congrats to stephi for winning the tgifbm! gail carriger
giveaway!!

currently reading:

The Devil’s Kiss by sarwat chadda

*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

the moms that went most definitely left
their tween/teens behind. the kids that were
there were preschooler age. so i wound up not
doing a reading because the age bracket just wasn’t
right. i had actually told megan whalen turner
about the event and she came with. so i felt
a little bad, but we both took it in stride, still
sold a few copies of books, and had oodles of
fun strolling the exhibit hall looking at “womanly”
things. =D not only is megan a fantastic author, she’s
just plain fun to hang out with.

got home around
2pm, had a late lunch, then got ready for the
mysterious galaxy holiday party. this was
so much fun. the eleven authors invited
(including me!) were very eclectic in genres.
nancy holder (wicked, possesions) and
kami garcia and margie stohl (beautiful creatures)
and i composed the YA authors.

we also had a few YA bloggers show, which
is always loads of fun!

vania, me, kiersten ( debut PARANORMALCY out with
harperteen fall 2010!), khy, and nancy!
i had the pleasure of meeting vania at scbwi this summer.
and khy in my pocket is my Original Stalker, who drove over two hours
to attend my san diego book launch! nancy came to my san francisco
signing. it was so great to see everyone there again and feel the
YA book love! =DD

pamela, a fellow fantasy writer and
aspiring author!

kami garcia, margie stohl, nancy holder, me
and megan whalen turner.

look at these fotos? how could i not have
had fun? i always have a great time at
mysterious galaxy events!!

and of course, i have an interesting story
behind my purple velvet dress. it actually
has long sweeping sleeves, quite renaissance
like! no fotos of sleeves, alas. =( i was probably all
of twenty or so when i went to the citadel in
los angeles (an outlets place) to shop. wandered
into a betsy johnson shop (had no clue who
she was) and fell in love with this dress.

purple was my favorite color at the time. i’m pretty sure
the dress was discounted to $150 or $100.
either which way, more than i had ever paid for
a dress. but i loved it so much i bought it. so yes,
it’s nearly two decades old. haha! and i’ve worn
it only a handful of times. so i was happy to show
it off at the holiday party. =D
the necklace i bought from etsy.com!
the large crystal pieces were actually part of
chandeliers and reused by the jeweler. i love it!

finally, there are signed copies of Silver Phoenix
available through mysterious galaxy for holiday
gift giving! if you’d like it personalized with a name
inscription, just email me! it’s something i can
definitely do! thanks to all of you who have been
so supportive of my debut! <3 <3 <3

what a weekend! i’m glad i’m here
to tell you about it! a playgroup mom friend
was very kind to host a book club meeting at
her house for Silver Phoenix on friday night.
composed of two book clubs and two playgroups,
we had a group of women who mostly did not read
young adult or fantasy–and all seemed to enjoy
the book and were eager to discuss it.

i had so much fun and didn’t get home until after
11pm.

on sunday, i had a signing at bn in huntington
beach. many of my LA / OC friends have been waiting
very patiently for this! and i spent the morning picking
up extraordinary desserts mini-cupcakes for the
event and left an hour early to get to the bookstore.
never again.

i got stuck in oceanside for 40 minutes going all of
two miles. (i think there was an accident ahead?) and
when i got onto the 73N–i tried to make up time wailing
to a weezer song to destress.

bad idea.

guess who got pulled over for a speeding ticket?

*margie stohl asked so many great questions
at my signing. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is out 12/09.

one time, while driving the same route home from
college, i got a speeding ticket because i wasn’t looking
in the rear view mirror (like this time!) too distracted
from reciting a recent poem i had written.
(poems are meant to be recited aloud!)

argh.

and when i told the officer i was late
for an author signing, he said what?! like i had said
i’m missing the mothership and they will take off without
me or something. *sighs*

*i’ve known tracy from online for nearly a decade!
so lovely to finally have the pleasure of meeting in person!!

next time, i’ll know to leave at least TWO hours early.
i arrived five minutes late (augh!!) but the bn events
coordinator was so nice and said they never started on
the dot, anyway.

*enchanted inkpot writers representing!
gretchen, lia, me and amaris.

it was a special signing because it was the
first that my mom and sister were able to attend!
it was also the first time that i actually read
an excerpt from Silver Phoenix (my favorite scene
in the book). we also had a fantastic question
and answer session and at the end of the signing,
a tween came over to ask me about the book.

she was very excited about it and asked her dad
if she could get it. and she could. =D

the cupcakes were very well received, altho i
only had space in my ice chest for one box (the
chocolate ones) and my carrot mini cupcakes melted.
(the frosting and the white chocolate shavings.) they
tasted great still, however.

but they sort of looked like me by the time i arrived
at the bookstore. =O
everyone who had come to see and support me
(friends new and old) were so kind and said they
had a great time. i only wish i had the chance to
speak with everyone longer. i always wish that.
i felt very “official” when i saw that my event had
been tweeted with fotos and videos uploaded during
the fact. haha! love my friends! =D

and finally, i leave you the weezer song that
was the cause for my speeding ticket. it’s one
of my favorites by them.

fotos galore! but i neglected to take a picture of
the cupcakes–from sweet things recommended by
my friend at 6togo as well as martha!

kara and her husband, greg, flew all the way
from arizona to come attend my signing–their very
first book signing. kara already read my book and i was
so happy to see her. we know each other from…the baby
boards! both our munchkins are close in age! kara also took
the majority of my fotos with friends. =D

i look constipated here. this
is no reflection on kara–or me. i hope. ha!!

the fabulous martha! we are in an embrace!
jennifer l who ran the event brought gorgeous
flowers for my signing table!

NINJALICIOUS NANCY is part of the word ninjas, ink
group that i recently joined. she was so kind to bring her
friend and goddaughter, anna, a teen reader! the perfect
person for my book. thanks so much for coming!!

mary who runs the awesome site kidlit!
i’ll see you in los angeles, mary!! =D

jon yang, who’s own YA debut, EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE
released today! congrats, jon! cannot wait to read this!

sarina took the day off to come in from sacramento.
we’ve been online friends for nearly a decade, i’d say.
but first time we’ve met! it was such a highlight! she
gave me a present, which i didn’t open until after the signing.
it’s a lovely leather bound journal with my name engraved
on it. thank you so much for such a thoughtful gift, sarina!
and for celebrating my release with me!

fellow 09 debs malinda lo and cheryl herbsman attended!
cheryl’s debut, breathing just released as well. we traded
author copies and i’m very excited to read it!

m lo’s debut, ash, a lesbian retelling of cinderella
will be out later this year. aren’t both these covers
so gorgeous and evocative?

christine came with her honey in tow
(i gave her cute honey a thumbs up! ha!)
another online friend whom it was so much
fun to meet in person!

the beautiful edna! we first met at the scbwi conference
last summer and she’s been such a fantastic resource
and friend since. i also met her lovely “daughter” who
is in college. yeah. i don’t believe it either.

the books inc at laurel village was perfect for
my signing. it was a store with a very cozy and
welcoming feel, with lots of parking in the back.
i did a question and answer session, coaxed by
jennifer l–hey, i may actually read the third time
around! and just had a fabulous time. it never ceases
to make my heart full when i see old friends and
new come out to support me.

sweet pea showing you who’s boss.
(we fight a lot. we both want to be boss.
i don’t know what will happen in ten years’
time. haha!) but she was my little helper
handing me bookmarks to give to people.
where was munchkin? running around like
a rabid monkey upstairs and stuffing cupcakes
down his trap. =D

now onto silver phoenix news!!
i spent the majority of yesterday in dire need
of a sound proof padded room as i wanted to bounce
off the walls literally finding out my debut was named
one of the top ten fantasy novels for youth by booklist!
gaiman, pratchett and … pon? i still can’t get over it.

never in my dreams did i think i’d be on any type of
list with neil g–not even coolest dark wavy hair category.
haha! i seriously feel like the kid who crashed the
grand ball and crawled under the table sneaking sweets. =p~

speaking of which, a signing time for ALA CHICAGO in
july has been set. i’ll be signing on saturday, JULY 11th
at 10am along with fellow debut author extraordinaire
and greenwillowite partner in crime, david m. gill!

also, i’ll be flying out to nyc for a wedding the weekend
of september 18th and will  be doing a signing in
nyc as well. details are forthcoming. i’m very excited–i’ve
not been since i graduated from nyu with my masters back
in may 2000! it’s been too long, new york, new york!

finally, want another chance to win a signed copy of
silver phoenix? jordyn is doing a give away on her blog!
there is ONE PERSON participating so, um, your chances
are good currently. =D

also, please don’t forget to comment on my own
silver phoenix contest. i’ve seen A LOT of linky love
and reviews, but if you don’t comment with link in that
actual post, it’s impossible for me to keep track. i’m running
on 2 brain cells at the moment! i think if we hit 200 comments
with links, i’d feel obliged to give out TWO prizes. weeee!
contest runs through JUNE 8th so there is plenty of time!

off to pick up sweet pea from kindy now!

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

and in celebration, i’m holding a contest and giving
away some awesome prizes. namely, an original framed
brushpainting. if you have not seen my art, please click
over to the chinese brush art link to your left. i can’t
say for certain which painting it will be, but a flower subject
or bamboo or cute critter / bird is very likely. i’m in the
midst of some art events so anything i
have on hand may sell. i price my framed paintings from
$200 to $400. along with a signed copy of my novel.

then i got to thinking. i realize i have some admirers
of my art, but it’s really rather presumptuous to assume
that everyone would be interested in that as a prize. so
another possible prize for the winner is a $100 gift card
to a book store of your choice. also offered with a signed
copy of my novel.

depending on how many participants there are–i may
give away more than one painting / gift card prize!!
so of course, in my bid for shameless self-promotion to
help my debut become the little asian fantasy novel that could,
i’m asking you to help spread the word!

there are many ways to earn a “raffle” ticket. you can
do part or all of these listed.

-post the cover of SILVER PHOENIX on your blog
and link back to this contest. please mention
the prizes!! [1 raffle!]

-post my awesome trailer by madison on your blog
and link back to this contest. please mention the
prizes!! [2 raffles!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJ1xy009bk

-read SILVER PHOENIX and post a review on your blog. [3 raffles!]

-read SILVER PHOENIX and post a review on amazon,
bn.com, borders, or any other site that sells books. [3 raffles!]

-read SILVER PHOENIX and post a review on goodreads,
librarything or any other forum that holds book discussions. [3 raffles!]

reviews should be honest, and at least 60 words long. that’s
really just a few sentences!

and as i said, you can do just ONE of these things listed above
or all of them, depending on how many raffles you’d like.
i will ship prizes galactically! and am looking forward to new
alien avvys from new commenters. =DD
contest will run through MONDAY, JUNE 8th! please leave
comments with links for me to verify the above for your raffles!

so my lovely readers, you who have supported and encouraged
me and been so kind these past three years. so many of you who
have witnessed my journey from the very beginning, THANK YOU!
i honestly would not have made it this far without you guys!!
my debut takes flight today and i’m hoping to watch her soar. =)

update : i’ve extended the contest to get at least 200 participants
and i will give away BOTH prizes! first name drawn can choose which
s/he wants and second winner gets the other prize!!

she’s doing a combo interview deal
with carol (who also seems like a very
nice person) UNTIL she forwarded
me an entire interview about my secret
life as a stripper. HELLO? i emailed back
and said, my editor would kill me. what?!
so…i got the killer clown interview.

and you know what? i had a lot of fun with
it. then yan had to give me white hairs by
finding a rather inappropriate clown foto
with a very bad caption. so. er, maybe go look.
*covers face with hands*

yan’s killer clown interview and
ARC / cindy’s bookmarks giveway!

bookluver carol’s clown entry