before the fotos, i just wanted to share some happy
bookish news of my own! i found out yesterday that
the ARCs of Diverse Energies will be available at ALA.
please go pick up a copy from Lee & Low booth if you’re
attending! this is a multicultural YA dystopian anthology
and includes short stories by me, greg van eekhout,
malinda lo, ken liu, ursula le guin, ellen oh, and paolo
bacigalupi. (i know there are other fabulous authors and
i’ll share once i get my hands on an ARC myself. =)

SO excited for this anthology!
please do mark it as “to read” on your goodreads page. =D

i’m also thrilled to announce that besides my rad
YALSA panel on Saturday, June 23 from 8-10am
(details on my events page here) i’ll be doing a
Fury of the Phoenix signing at the HarperCollins
Children’s booth at 12.30-1pm the same day. YAY!
please do come and say HI!

now, bookish fun fotos!

*many local writers showed up to attend the great
YA or Bust event! it was a really fun & funny panel
with these fabulous ladies. (L to R) me, kirsten hubbard,
nina lacour, gayle forman, stephanie perkins, kiersten white,
(back L to R) nikki katz, andrea ortega, debra driza & shannon messenger.

*then i attended Mysterious Galaxy’s 19th birthday bash
and you never know what fans of this fabulous indie book
store will show up with. Rick Holderman brought this
gorgeous red tailed hawk (native to san diego). she’s female,
bigger than her male counterparts, and was utterly gorgeous!

*all the peeps at Mysterious Galaxy are lovely, but
i especially enjoy seeing Kate and chatting YA and
fantasy books with her! finally, we have a foto together.
thanks patrick!

*New York Times Bestseller lisa brackman was there
to sign her second novel Getaway. she’s a friend and i
cannot wait to read this adventure thriller set in puerto
vallarta! (L to R) george, me, lisa and deborah.

*finally, more favorite people that i get to see
at Mysterious Galaxy bookish parties! (L to R)
me, nancy holder, jeff mariotte and maryelizabth!

it’s going to be a fun filled summer starting with the ALA
conference in anaheim. hope to see many of you there!

hello lovely readers!
i thought i’d update with progress on my
classic chinese beauty, which i, miraculously,
haven’t ruined yet. 8)

last week, i did a very frightening part of the
painting which is coloring her flesh. (in this case,
her face and her neck.) it is scary only because rice
paper is very *unforgiving* as a medium, and once you
make a mistake, there is no covering it. and to screw
up on the shading of the flesh would be pretty much
catastrophic.

flesh coloring is just using brown and lightening
the shade until desired effect. i applied one layer of
very light brown (darker above her eyes) then went on to
paint the branches and flowers behind her. the composition
isn’t finished. i still need to do some bamboo branches and
leaves above and under her, as well as another branch of blossoms
above that.

last night, i layered two more shades of light brown to
give her face color more depth, and also added the small
fan on the rock.

but so far, she’s hanging in there!

her face color didn’t scan very well, but you get
the idea. she’s not as dark in the original and i actually
put a bit of “blush” on her cheeks, but it’s not very
noticeable. i’m terrible with make up in real life, never mind
trying to paint it on a woman. 8)

hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
i plan on writing and reading!

currently reading:

I Hunt Killers by barry lyga

as some of you might know, i’ve been working on
trying to paint classic chinese beauties for some time.
(months now, i think!) and i’ve yet to not ruin a painting
somehow or other. in the months that i’ve been practicing
and trying to learn, i’ve gotten quite good at painting
heads and hair. then would proceed to ruin the painting
trying to paint her clothing or hand, etc.

this is the latest incarnation of my classic chinese beauty
attempts. i really like her, and she’s hanging in there
thus far. (notice sleeves cleverly covering difficult to paint
hands?) i only hope i don’t ruin her somehow with the other
elements of the painting that must be done. i still need to
finish the rock she is perched on as well as choose a background
for her like bamboo or flowers, etc.

wish me luck!
do you like her?

my current novel is still a work in progress as well.
tho am thisclose to being done. eep!
and i’m happy to finally be able to announce the first
short story i’ll publish in a multicultural YA dystopian anthology
titled Diverse Energies. it’s slated to release this november
published by Tu Books!

other contributors include malinda lo, greg van eekhout,
paolo bacigalupi, ken liu. also, ursula le guin. I DIE! this
is a short story with many firsts for me (first person narrative,
teen boy pov NON eunuch, and dystopian world)–i can’t
wait for you guys to read it!

click here for the official press release.

finally, thanks for all of you who entered the Wanderlove
giveaway. congrats to Ash and Kali Skittles (i only counted
kali’s entry once =) my two signed copies. enjoy!

have a wonderful weekend, lovely readers.
please remember that i’m tumblr’ing and twittering
basically every day. blogging, not so much. =)

so today is a belated Thank Goodness It’s Free Books Monday!
with two signed copies of Wanderlove to giveaway!

*butterflies is a fun and pretty theme in Wanderlove.
here with the author as i try to show off the butterfly barrette
andrea was kind enough to make for us!

*my lovely local fellow middle grade and young adult
writing friends! (L to R) lisa, debra, kirsten, nikki, me
and andrea.

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria’s a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan’s a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they’ve got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can’t run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

…

i’m offering two signed copies to give away!
you know the drill: please tweet, fb status, blog, LJ, etc,
about this giveaway and link back to this post.
comment with that link in this post!

this contest runs through friday, 4/6, when i’ll
pick two winners by random. this contest is open
INTERNATIONALLY. good luck!!

1. this was the first writing retreat i had ever attended.

2. this was the first time i’ve truly traveled abroad
for pleasure since my ten year anniversary trip to fiji
back in 2007.

i honestly didn’t know what to expect.
and i worried–as even tho i’ve been to many
countries and love traveling–i had never traveled
abroad alone. even if mexico is pretty close.
also, i’m just a worrier. it’s only become worse
since spawning the rabid monkeys. it is my new
superpower. haha!

well, i needn’t have worried. one of the reasons
i couldn’t say no to this retreat was because it had
authors attending whom i like that wrote books i love.
i had met delia sherman, sarah rees brennan, holly
black and cassandra clare before and had hung out
with all of them briefly–but never like this!

never in a bubble of non-stop books, craft and plot
talk. in the pool. over meals. while walking to restaurants
or going for ice cream. there was always someone to Talk
Story with. and it was amazing and wonderful. it truly felt
magical and like a trip of a lifetime.

now i want to go back!
but instead, i console myself by sharing fotos! =D

*the cathedral on the square.

*and this was the converging crowd in front of it on a
sunday afternoon. theo asked if i wanted to take a foto
with those giant puppet things in the back, but NO, i was
too afraid. *runs away screaming*

*the same cathedral lit up gloriously at night. the square
is especially filled with tourists and locals with families on weekends,
but also on weekdays, late into the evenings. the san miguel
folk definitely enjoyed their outdoor space and sense of community.

*walking down hilly cobblestoned paths for an
early dinner.

*this was our earliest dinner at 6.30pm on a roof deck
mexican restaurant. (delicious!) i think it was early because
we were meeting Franny Billingsley (who happened to be there
for a writing conference). she was lovely to meet and, of course,
we talked books! it was especially cool as both Franny and Delia
had just found out they had been short listed for the Norton for
Chime and The Freedom Maze.

*the restaurant was next to this cathedral? the architecture
and colors of the city were gorgeous.

*i wandered alone on the roof top a bit to snap
touristy fotos. how could i resist? it was a beautiful sunset.

*another view from the roof top deck.

*(this foto just fills me with joyful glee!)
for all you sarah rees brennan fans out there, you may
or may not know this, but sarah’s grace (as introduced
by kristin cashore) is “reenactment”. partly because she has
a boundless and astounding memory, and partly because she
can reenact with such enthusiastic conviction. we were very
much entertained! <3

*theo (who is an artist) proved to be an excellent
shopping companion with fantastic taste. (i would venture
that he is much more chic than i am and has more Exciting
Clothes than i do as well! 8) i did get some great shopping in
and am the owner of a gorgeous pair of boots thanks to theo’s
addiction to boot hunting. he stopped to buy a pinata. it was a hot
day and we were hauling four pairs of boots between us, i think.

*thanks to delia for taking a foto of me in my cool
new cowgirl boots. they are super pointy in the front which
is something i shy away from (never bought) but these
boots are super comfortable. amazingly comfortable! i bought
the typewriter tee at union square market when i was visiting
for BEA. it reads: Tap That on the bottom. *guffaws*

*on my last full day in our wonderful writing villa, i went
to our own rooftop garden to take some fotos.

*a view of probably one of the biggest hot
tubs in san miguel. it’s only meant to be a heated pool,
but let’s just say i wasn’t complaining when we prematurely
used up all the propane. ahem.

*i wasn’t able to get a complete group foto with
the lovely ladies of the retreat. so there are two!
(me, holly, sarah and delia.)

(me, holly, cassie and sarah.)

and now, i tackle revising novel 3 for the final time!
so close. =D

in celebration of Black Hole Sun coming out in
paperback on 2/28/2012, you’ll get a copy of this
along with an ARC of Invisible Sun! both action packed
reads. get ready to take a twisty ride through mars!

Mars stinks

It’s hot. The air reeks of burning fuel; the rivers and lakes seethe with sulfur. In the shadows, evil men plot terror and beasts hunt the innocent. Out on the barren crags of the terraformed planet, there is nowhere to hide. No one to heed a call for help.

No one, except Durango.

You don’t want to mess with Durango.
He left his crew behind.
His father is dead.
And he’s going to prove himself to Vienne,
even if he dies trying.
As he races through flood and fire and across a violent and terrifying planet,
there’s a 97% chance he’s going to die trying.
But who’s counting.

the much anticipated Masque of the Red Death ARC!
so happy to have bethany (whom i’ve known online since
before i was agented!) as a fellow greenwillowite!

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population, and those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery makeup . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club, and Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find not just something to live for, but something to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Nightspell (hardcover), the companion to leah cypess’
debut, Mistwood. i loved this even more than the first!

Here be ghosts, the maps said, and that was all.

In this haunted kingdom, ghosts linger—not just in the deepest forests or the darkest caverns, but alongside the living, as part of a twisted palace court that revels all night and sleeps through the daylight hours.

Darri’s sister was trapped in this place of fear and shadows as a child. And now Darri has a chance to save her sister . . . if she agrees to a betrothal with the prince of the dead. But nothing is simple in this eerie kingdom—not her sister, who has changed beyond recognition; not her plan, which will be thrown off track almost at once; and not the undead prince, who seems more alive than anyone else.

In a court seething with the desire for vengeance, Darri holds the key to the balance between life and death. Can her warrior heart withstand the most wrenching choice of all?

and finally, Entwined (hardcover), a fabulous retelling of the
twelve dancing princess. and is it me, or are all of
these covers stunning in their own ways? yes, yes they are. =)

Come and mend your broken hearts here.

Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her—beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing—it’s taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He’s trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

…

ridiculously awesome, right? right.

again, winner takes all. so go ahead and tweet,
fb status, LJ, blog and spread the word about this
contest with a link back to this post. please comment
in this post with that link! on twitter, a retweet back to
me is an official entry, but no guarantee i won’t lose it.
you know how twitter is. so be sure to comment here to
ensure i know you’ve entered! =D

i’ll choose a random winner on wednesday, 2/29!
only sending to US mailing addresses only. good luck!

after a month of trying to paint classic chinese beauties,
i finally painted one that i love last night. as you can see,
she’s far from complete. i’ve been using a great book to
learn from, and the original painting is a circular one. the
woman is resting her elbow on a rock (which i’ve sketched
out lightly)  and there’s a tree behind her with leaves. i
hope to complete the painting as best i can, but at this point,
it’s always a matter of me thinking:
please don’t screw it up. please don’t screw it up.

haha!

my classmates really liked her too and said that
i painted a better face than the original and that my
woman looks stronger. win! =D i’m especially proud
of her arm and hand. many artists will agree that hands
are one of the most difficult subjects to draw. and i
decided last night i wasn’t going to practice (this was
my first hand, really!) and the painting gods were with
me and it came out all right!

i also love her face.
and the overall pose and feel of this painting.
it really does feel like magic when a painting
comes together like this for me.

so hoorah!
i hope to make some progress in
class next week and share again. not
sure if i’ll finish her before my mexico writing
retreat next weekend tho?

what do you think of my chinese beauty? =D
happy weekend!

well, i decided after more than a decade of
being a brush student, i had to finally attempt
people. classic chinese beauties, to be specific.
this is my third week working on the women.
people are hard to draw, hard to paint. i think they
are one of the most challenging subjects personally.

normally, i never share unfinished paintings. these are just
sketches i’m working with, striving for a final painting
worth backing and framing. but i just signed up
for tumblr, which makes it seem easy and casual to
just throw up a few images.

then realized it might be interesting for you to see
an unfinished painting. the journey to the final, as it
were. so here they are. both sketches. the subject is
definitely challenging but i’m enjoying it a lot. i especially
love painting their hair, their accessories and their dress–
they remind me of the two girls i’m writing about in my
current xia novel. =)

also, follow me on tumblr! http://cindypon.tumblr.com

*she looks rather kissy, doesn’t she? 8)

*the proportions are challenging. but i love this
one’s pose.

it’s been a while since i’ve done a tgifbm! give
away, so let’s start the year off right! these are all
YA novels that i enjoyed reading recently and pubbed
in 2011 or, in the case of Cinder, just released this year!
they are all hardcovers and I Will Save You is a signed
copy by matt.

WINNER TAKES ALL!

Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger.

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

Kidd is running from his past and his future. No mom, no dad, and there’s nothing for him at the group home but therapy. He doesn’t belong at the beach where he works either, unless he finds a reason to stay.

Olivia is blond hair, blue eyes, rich dad. The prettiest girl in Cardiff. She’s hiding something from Kidd—but could they ever be together anyway?

Devon is mean, mysterious, and driven by a death wish. A best friend and worst enemy. He followed Kidd all the way to the beach and he’s not leaving until he teaches him a few lessons about life. And Olivia.

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

rad reads, right?
you know the rules: tweet, fb status,
live journal or blog, etc, with a link back
to this post. make sure you leave your link in
the comments section of this post to enter.
i will be sending books to a US mailing address
only, alas, as it’s a heavy stash.

contest closes next friday, 1/27, when i’ll
draw a random winner. good luck!!

*ai ling fights against demons.

i think any author will tell you that one of the
best perks of being published is receiving fan
art from readers. i have been lucky to have gotten
a few from my artistic readers and i love each and
every one of them.

imagine my surprise today when liz wong, the
fabulous artist, tweeted this beautiful drawing
(rendered in pencil and colored digitally) of ai ling to
me. don’t you love the fierce expression on my heroine’s
face? the demons and feel of the drawing reminds me of
the lake scene from Silver Phoenix–one of the very first
scenes i ever wrote for my debut. i remember brainstorming
the scene in the early dawn, and i am not a morning person!

thank you so much liz for this wonderful drawing!
and for giving me permission to share it here.

have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

ETA: oooh, the serpent demon is here too!
it’s a montage of monsters and demons! love it since
my heroine of current novel is half serpent demon!