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!

i’m not an outliner, and rough drafting can be
a terrifying experience for someone who tends to
be a Control Freak in every other aspect of her life.
there’s nothing like the challenge of The Blank Page
and that oh crap, what happens now feeling. haha!
but i will say, i’ve got very intriguing characters and
situations in this novel and i’m at that stage where
i love it a lot and can’t leave it alone. i’ll enjoy this New
Cute Boyfriend feeling while it lasts. 8)

now that my annual brush painting show is over as well
as the exhibit at the san diego county fair, i know what
paintings i can give away as grand prize(s) for the Fury
Meets Mad Men contest!

*baby panda will come matted in chinese fabric
and framed. it is a small painting.

*i really love this bird plum painting. i didn’t clean it up
in photoshop but it’s a huge painting, matted in green chinese
bordering and rich with spring colors. this prize will come unframed,
as it is so large!

as i’ve said before, the Fury contest is open to fans who have
read the novel and can come up with a slogan or ad, etc, to help
“sell” my rad sequel. 8) check out the original post for full details.
contest closes on september 1. WINNER chooses
which painting s/he would like.

now for some upcoming author events i’l be participating
in! comic con starts this thursday and i’ll be on a panel
with some great authors on SATURDAY, 7/23! with a signing
right after. hope to see you there!

12:30-1:30 Diversity in Young Adult Works— It’s not all about being torn between vampire and werewolf boyfriends. This panel is a celebration of different genres, protagonists, and media for young adult readers. The diverse authors participating include Cindy Pon (Fury of the Phoenix), Kiersten White (Supernaturally), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), Vera Brosgol (Anya’s Ghost), Gene Yang (Level Up), and Elizabeth Bunce (A Curse Dark As Gold). Moderated by Malinda Lo (Huntress). Room 8

and i’m so excited to say that i’ll be participating in another
Bridge to Books co-sponsored event and signing with nova
ren suma (Imaginary Girls), suzanne young (A Need So Beautiful),
and holly goldberg sloan (I’ll Be There) at Once Upon a Time in
montrose on Sunday, 8/7 at 1.30pm.

click here for full details!

as you know, i had a blast at the first Bridge to Books event
which was YA in Bloom!

that’s all for now, dear readers. i hope you’re
all having a wonderful summer–especially since
it’s already half over!

i apologize for dropping off these last few weeks.
it took me over two weeks to get over my gross
summer cold and in the mean time, i leapt right into
rough drafting my third novel.

so i’m officially in Troll Mode.
while rough drafting, i don’t often feel very chatty,
tho you can always catch me (usually late at night)
on twitter. =)

it’s very strange to be writing completely new characters
and stories. i know some writers (like dia reeves) who
doesn’t enjoy writing the same characters because she
finds it too constricting. i, in turn, very much like writing
the same characters because there is a familiarity to them–
like an old friend.

but ai ling’s story ended with Fury of the Phoenix so
i move on–to characters i don’t know at all. to a story
i don’t know enough of. the whole thing is rather maddening
and scary and hard. i’m trying to write at least 1k words
a day, so i plod faithfully on this summer. wish me luck!

in the meantime, i went to the first YA in Bloom event
run by Bridge to Books, a few saturdays back. and had
a blast! i sounded a little like a man due to the tail end
of my cold–but that didn’t stop me from having fun! =)

*teen readers chloe and khy, the Original Teen Fan! =D

*i had the pleasure of meeting ashyln, teen reader and blogger!

*was able to hang out with marie lu which was
so much fun. her debut LEGEND is a rad read!

*authors and organizers of the event! (alethea, me, jessica brody,
andrew smith, lisa yee, nancy holder, katie alender, and aly beecher.)

lisa yee does a wonderful write up of the event here.
i always love hanging out with her and le peep!

diana, who was super fun to meet, recaps here.

and ashlyn also shares her thoughts!

finally, malinda and i are very excited to launch
our next big DiYA endeavor–a summer reading challenge.
librarians are welcome to create summer reading programs
focused and inspired by diverse middle grade and YA novels
for a chance to win over 50 books for her/his library.

and book bloggers are encouraged to read diverse novels
throughout the summer and write an (at least 500 word)
essay on her/his experience. the winning blogger with the
best essay will win over 50 books all for him/herself!

it’s an amazing list of books to be won–check it out here.
and all the details here!

challenge closes on september 1, y’all! so get on it!

until next time…

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

very different and exciting as it’s in a
genre i’ve never tried before (dystopian)
and in a point of view i swore i could never
write (first) so we’ll see if it works. =) i haven’t
written a short story in almost two decades,
how insane is that?

so let’s finish off my wonderful sirens con post
with some more glorious fotos! =)

me being silly in vail village. there were a lot
of giant meese statues around.

malinda lo and i before the sirens faery ball.
we are doing our prom picture pose. haha!

my absolute favorite editor outside of
greenwillow books, juliet grames.

i would characterize sarah rees brennan as
irrepressible and ebullient. (impressed by my
SAT words? =) it’s impossible not to have fun with
her around.

marie brennan hosted a launch part at sirens
for A Star Shall Fall (can’t wait to read it!) and wore
a gorgeous especially tailored for her dress. she
was indeed majestic! i am literally hiding my bare
feet behind her full skirt as i took off my high heels
the moment i arrived at the ball. =O i’m no
cinderella.

i’m a huge fan of both sherwood smith (Crown Duel,
Inda series and much more) and ellen
kushner’s novels (Swordspoint, Privilege of the Sword
and more)! had to grab a foto with them on our last
day at the con.

also took a foto with delia sherman (Changeling, The
Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen and more.) we had
quite a few lovely conversations during the con. i loved her
calming, quiet yet engaging energy. it’s one reason why sirens
rocks, because the setting is so intimate, everyone is just
hanging out, reveling in the love of fantasy, story, writing
and strong heroines.

i’ll leave you with some linky love:

i’m over at i heart monster for her frightay nights
during october. come and read my spooooky post
on Ghost Press.

i’m also donating a signed copy of Silver Phoenix
and two brush art cards of the winner’s choice for a
charity auction hosted by swati avasthi (author of Split)
for the Family Violence Prevention Fund. i’m willing to
ship world wide!

if you haven’t gotten a hardcover of Silver
Phoenix yet, here’s your chance. or perhaps
get a personalized copy as a holiday gift while
helping a great cause? there are many other
great items for auction, check it out!

we visited san francisco on my 30th birthday
in august 2003, when i was around seven months pregnant
with sweet pea. fotos were taken, me with my
rotund belly, but i can’t be bothered to resurrect
them. and in november 2003…

…sweet pea arrived!

i was fortunate enough to take an entire year
off from work, and much to my surprise, found
out we were expecting munchkin when sweet pea
was just seven months old. i cried.
i felt very sorry for myself. haha! to this day, i call
munchkin “my favorite mistake”. =p

we traveled to london at least once a year all
these years. in 2004, we went twice, once
in the spring and once over christmas. (again, fotos
not readily available.)

in march of 2005, munchkin arrived!

the love and i began discussing perhaps
moving to a bigger home, which was a three
bedroom bungalow. but we loved this area so
much, instead, we decided to add a new master
and bath toward the back of our house and gut
the kitchen and dark tiny dining area to the studs
and open it up to our living room. (the one public
living space.)

from january 2006 through june, my only living
space was three bedrooms and two bathrooms. the
guest bath was converted into a place i could do the
dishes. i tried cooking soup udon noodles on a bunsen
burner in the bathroom once. i didn’t do it again!
we ordered take out a lot!
at the time, both bubs were at home with me full time.
honestly, i’m not sure how i survived.
i chose almost everything for the remodel, from cabinet
doorknobs to lights to dining room table and chairs,
doing all my research (and much of the shopping) online.

i was an hgtv fiend during that time. and
tho i still enjoy many of the shows, i don’t watch
the home redecorating so much any more.
my decor tastes are pretty eclectic, tho i think
ideally, beach cottage is what i would love best.
bright, clean, cheery. that reading nook in the
master overlooking the garden was meant to be
a walk in closet. (what a waste of the views!) and
originally, the claw foot tub was a monstrosity of
a giant square jacuzzi thing stuck in the corner in
the original designs. i requested all the changes,
including over sized windows where the tub sits.

and a blog post from that year.

23 July 2006
..long drawn..

i spent over five hours this
weekend writing and editing
my story. i am nearly at 10k
words now. it is a painstaking
process. and lonely business
at that. i am too close to it
to know whether it is good
or interesting.

i am meeting with my monthly
read and critique group this
tuesday night. a writer
cannot ask for anything more
than good honest criticism.

that and thousands of
adoring fans.

(ha! and yes, this is my rough
drafting of Silver Phoenix.)

in september 06, we had professional
family portraits taken on the beach.

in spring 2007, i somehow convinced
my mom to look after the bubs while the
love and i escaped to fiji for ten days for our
ten year anniversary. my mom flew my aunt
from china to help. when i returned. she said
it was the hardest days of her life. (i am her only
child, and she’s not at all used to little boys, hee!)
i pretty much knew i wouldn’t be asking her for
the same favor again for another ten years. =p

we were in northern fiji, at the yasawa islands.
the blue lagoon was filmed in this area of fiji.
the resort we stayed at (very small with private bungalows)
was steps from the private beach and a few feet beyond
there was an amazing reef full of sea life and coral.
(all the underwater fotos were taken by me while snorkeling!)
i would often poke my head above water and look back onto
the beach, marveling the beauty just ten feet from the sand,
completely hidden from view if you were just glancing seaward.

at night, i saw the most stars i’d ever seen my entire
life. the experience was written into Silver Phoenix, when
ai ling takes a bath in a certain river.

in january 2008, i began querying for an agent for
Silver Phoenix. another blog entry…

27 March 2008
..numbers game..

nine weeks into my agent querying

total queries sent : 109

rejections :38

rejections assumed : 8

partials requested : 18

partials rejected : 9

fulls requested : 4

fulls rejected : 1

rejection with inviation to submit new project : 3

rejection with invitation to submit revised beginning : 1

have yet to respond : 41

that same month, we took another trip to taiwan,
the bubs’ first to my birthplace. i’m so glad that we
did, as that summer, my uncle fell ill suddenly
and died. =( he was always our tour guide and a very
gracious host for all our visits, and
a wonderful father to both my girl cousins. they and
my aunt were devastated. i was so happy that we took
this trip and was able to spend some time together as
a family that year.

*the 101 building. was the tallest building
in the world for a short time.

*how is it that i can smell them and am
now actually salivating?

*i love LOVE LOVE taiwanese street food.

*the market on a typical day.

*the asian food courts at the department stores put
the american ones to shame. this meal cost me $4. yeah,
good thing i don’t live in taiwan!!

*the taiwanese dessert chua bing (crushed ice).
i love mine with tapioca balls, taro, barley and
condensed milk. damn. i’m drooling even more now. ha!

within a week after my query stats post, in early april
2008, agent bill contardi offered to represent me. about
six weeks later, my novel sold in mid-may.

which brings us to 2009, the most wonderful, amazing,
stressful and exhausting unforgettable year yet. but i don’t
think i need to document 2009? you can just click on my
archives. =)

did you have a good long weekend?
mine was a mix of work and pleasure.
i met with two of my wonderful critique
group writing friends on saturday and they
were nothing but encouraging with my sequel,
as we discussed the issues i’m addressing in
this rewrite. i wrote for three hours.

on sunday, my friend vicky came down to
film some footage for her website. we had
a fun time by the ocean. it was low tide in
the late afternoon, revealing all the interesting
channels and rock formations worn down by
the currents. this one looks like a closed fist
or perhaps a dinosaur. =)

did you see the moon this past weekend?

after, we headed for the extraordinary desserts
in little italy. they have very simple and light
meals, salads and sandwiches. we were able to
(amazingly) choose a dessert from the displays.

if you know me, you would know that i almost
always get the french apple pie (or some variation
of it) because i LOVE their almond crust. but that
day, there was no french apple pie. so i was forced
to choose something else. and i chose this chocolate
and vanilla pudding cake. it was very very good.

vicky chose the viking. chcolate and caramel
goodness. she, too, was blissfully happy with
her selection.

i spent most of the day writing today. one
of my last marathons until saturday. 2600 new
words–not a lot. but i’m rethinking and
revamping as i’m writing.

sweet pea will be starting first grade tomorrow!
i can hardly believe it. munchkin is going to a new
preschool for just two weeks, as i need those
three hours (two really) to work. he’ll be upset.
he doesn’t like new environments, but
promised me he wouldn’t cry. we’ll see.

after dinner and grocery shopping, i was meant
to fill out the new forms (how i loathe all the
forms!) for munchkin’s school, but instead, i
got sucked into watching interviews of (my
new crush) brandon flowers on youtube. ha!
whoops!

but it’s for research’s sake. honest.

*and no, i have not forgotten about daniel henney.
my hero.

we writers are always trawling for
inspiration. hee! =)

currently reading :

beautiful creatures by margie stohl and kami garcia

*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

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

i hope to be done with the sequel this week.
i only have some final scenes to write. and i have
to say, writers always complain about how difficult
beginnings are. and they are. but for me, endings
are much more challenging. it’s the difference
between an initial impression and a lasting impression.
i think only the ending can accomplish the latter.

what do you think?

i had a lot of fun at my first teen book club
library visit. around fifteen readers showed up
and miko the librarian did an awesome job
by creating a fantastic flyer announcing my visit.
on top of that, she served pot stickers, rice,
green tea and even had a package of dried squid!!
to pass around. many of the teens were brave
enough to try it! hee!

we talked about everything from chinese
folklore and myth to li rong and chen yong
to themes found in Silver Phoenix, my personal
phobias (which made their way into the book),
titles and covers and my ending. 8)
i had such a great time and thank you to two
other librarians, joann and jennifer for attending
as well! i wish i had a teen book club at my local
library during the summer!

ruth had asked about my silver phoenix contest
from april. um. i think the winner will be drawn
in october! i didn’t mean to take so long, honestly.
but don’t worry, i haven’t forgotten!

i’m off to the scbwi conference for a long weekend.
looking forward to the panels, meeting new and old
friends, talking about books and writing. i’m sure i’ll
return with another stack of books. i simply can’t
resist! will report back next week!

now for some taro / vanilla frozen yogurt,
tele and reading. =D

currently reading :

the adoration of jenna fox
by mary e. pearson