i commissioned this portrait from phoenix lu. =)
her digital art work is nothing less than stunning.
i cannot wait for you to read zhong ye and silver
phoenix’s story in Fury of the Phoenix.

and YES! i am making postcards to give out as swag!!

just finishing up line edits and this commission
couldn’t have arrived at a better time as i’m working
on making the sequel better. =DD

this week’s links of interest:

*ai ling and bod owens (The Graveyard Book) are
battling for their lives at YA Fantasy Showdown
cage match! neil gaiman told me very graciously
via twitter yesterday that he voted for ai ling. haha!
that neil, such a charmer. it does make me a little
sad tho, as i love bod and both ai ling and he aren’t
violent by nature. but all’s fair in love and cage matches…

go vote if you think ai ling would win! (bottom of page.)

*i give some advice on college to diana dang
as well as a signed copy of Silver Phoenix and a
brush painting card of your choice from my etsy site!

*i interview dia reeves, author of Bleeding Violet, at the
enchanted inkpot!

as i said, my publicist wasn’t able to secure
a venue to sign in nyc during the rosh hashana
weekend. i told myself to let it go and leave it
at that. and usually, i’m pretty zen about letting
things be, but this time–i kept hearing from
online friends in nyc asking when my signing would
be. so i decided to ask one of them, wendy,
where there might be a good pastry type of cafe
to converge casually. for at least a group of ten.

wendy zapped me an email with suggestions,
and then offered to host the party in her home
if i’d like. i couldn’t believe it! wendy is a great
online friend but still, i was floored that she would
open her home to me like that. and it couldn’t
have been a better gathering. THANK YOU WENDY!
and all those who came to spend a saturday
afternoon together. i hope you all had as much
fun as i did–i only wish i had more time to talk
to each of you.

wendy had suggested crumbs as i said,
and i got yummy mini cupcakes, cookies and
brownie bites catered from there. highly
recommended. their cupcakes really are so good!

chris borgman came! he’s the talented photographer
and artist who designed my silver phoenix cover!

david has been an online friend for nearly a decade.
and lara is another writing friend from online. met so
many people i “chat to” every day or read in person finally.
so fun!

larry is another friend i’ve known online
for ages. he is also the photographer
(clear aperture photgraphy) that took
the majority of our group fotos! website
is currently under construction.

jody and fellow deb, neesha meminger, author
of shine, coconut moon.

my writing friends from purgatory!
wendy (hostess), jen, me, steve and shveta.

juliette is a novelist as well as an amazing journalist.
i know her from many different places, but we chat
most via the enchanted inkpot.

tisha had a flat tire and some trouble
getting to the gathering. i was so glad she
did come near the end so we could meet!
sunil, tisha and me.

a partial group foto!

after the gathering, i went with my old
nyu friends arshi and jen to have dinner!
we didn’t know where, and wound up in the
west village, walking about. it was great, as i
hardly got a chance to really have a good wander,
i was pretty busy with meeting people during the
entire four days there.

we stumbled on the end of some
street fair.

loved this storefront window. the
shop itself was tiny.

there was a long line for magnolia cupcakes
when we got there and it was longer when we
were leaving, after dinner.

a puglet in a store window!

we had dinner at the paris commune
and it was a really lovely restaurant with
yummy food. i DID take food fotos but
they turned out too dark, alas. so i shan’t
torture you in this entry. i know you’re disappointed.
me too!

currently reading :

theodosia and the serpents of chaos
by RL Lafevers

very fun and full day today.
i started by writing at a cafe. then headed
to melissa marr’s signing at the mysterious
galaxy, where part of the brat pack (amy
and heather) met up with me.

it was lovely meeting melissa. she was more
petite than i imagined and so vivacious and
random and fun! she threw prizes at the audience
and i WON a beautiful black and purple wicked
lovely shirt in german! yes, be jealous. i squeed
much. ha!

then we headed to the ocean and had a
wonderful sunset picnic, the bubs played
ball with the love and i read (GIVE UP THE GHOST
by fellow 09 deb megan crewe) and enjoyed
an especially fragrant passion fruit tea. a near
perfect day, truly. this is the good life.

i also got confirmation finally for an OC signing.
not in los angeles but i hope LA friends can make
it :

orange county book signing
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 @ 2pm
Bella Terra
7881 Edinger Ave. #110
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 897-8781

hooray! the nyc signing will be a month
later and i’ll confirm that probably in july.

also, i had no idea that my phone interview
on friday morning–which was wham bam fast
but super fun–could be heard online. thanks
to david for cluing me in two minutes before i
went on air. ha!

so i’ll be better about letting you know i have
a half hour podcast this coming thursday,
JULY 2 @ noon pacific. it’s hosted by suzanne
lieurance over at book bites for kids.

also added, my first teen book club discussion
and signing. i’m doing quite a few of these at
local libraries across the county. am especially
excited about them! first confirmed :

teen book club discussion / signing
MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2009 @ 1pm
San Diego County Library, El Cajon
201 E. Douglas
El Cajon, CA 92020
(619) 588-3713

and my neverending silver phoenix release contest
(ha!) is still taking place!! so links and reviews
are welcome! i made it to number 50 participants
last weekend but still have many to link on a post.
if only there were more hours in the day–i’d sleep
more. ha! =D

but seriously, tonight on my to do list :

1. write a blog post for enchanted inkpot about
fantasy tropes for this coming monday.

2. work on another batch of signed book plates
request–with some librarian requests which is
always yippees!

3. bills. i have to pay them and i keep putting it
off. boo.

i think i’ll probably only manage the bills tonight.
but i’m ever ambitious!!
enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

eta : come and discuss fantasy tropes over
at the enchanted inkpot!

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

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

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

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

speaking of bunnies…

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

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

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

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

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

some linky love :

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

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

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

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

right now, i’m up in los angeles hanging out as
it’s my mom’s birthday! as much as i don’t like
LA (it’s a monstrosity in size and the freeways
are loopy), i DO love the food
here. =) i’ve had some awesome dim sum and will
have japanese at a small wine house type restaurant
(according to my mom) for dinner before zipping back
with two dozing over-indulged and over-exhauseted
bubs in the back of the wagon tonight. (and yes, i
do drive a wagon. ha! with wood side panels. just
kidding.)

it’s spring break this week, and then we’ll return
to our regularly scheduled programming! i just
finished SKIN HUNGER by kathleen duey and loved
it. such a gripping read, i especially loved two interwoven
stories of the characters from two time periods in their
lives. kathleen has graciously agreed to an interview over
at the enchanted inkpot, so i’ll keep you posted! =)

i haven’t quite decided what i’ll read next. i’ll let you
know when i settle on something. in the mean time,
happy easter to everyone who celebrates! we’ll probably
be poking in tide pools and digging holes in the sand
at the beach…