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!

once again, i’m here to list my favorite
reads from the previous year. this past year,
i only read 54 novels. not a lot by any means,
but still enough to fuel me. the more that i read
and the more that i write, i’ve truly come to realize
how personal reading favorites are. yes, everyone
might agree that [this] book is really good. but not
every reader will truly *love* it.

i’ve read a lot of excellent novels in 2011–and the
ones that are my favorite are for completely personal
reasons. and i have to admit, it is becoming more and
more difficult to choose each year. last year, i didn’t
bother to rank them, and i won’t this year either. i’m only
glad i managed to whittle them down to five, with many
honorable mentions worth mentioning.

i consider myself a reader before i consider myself
a writer. and i’m just as big a fangirl as the rest of
you when it comes to favorite authors and books.
for those who are curious, my top favorites
from the last few years are listed here on my about page.

now, i’m very happy to announce, with links to my
goodreads reviews, my top five reads of 2011, in the order
that i read them. (not all novels were published in 2011.)

Red Glove by holly black

You Against Me by jenny downham

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors
by francisco x. stork

The Gray Wolf Throne by cinda williams chima

Mistress of Rome by kate quinn [debut]

Other favorites read in 2011, all rated 5 stars:

Clockwork Prince by cassandra clare

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by lish mcbride [debut]

Huntress by malinda lo

Invisible Sun by David Macinnis Gill

Madame Tussaud by michelle moran

Nevermore by kelly creagh [debut]

Slice of Cherry by dia reeves

So Silver Bright by lisa mantchev

The Demon’s Surrender by sarah rees brennan

The Dragon and the Pearl by jeannie lin

The Second Duchess by elizabeth loupas [debut]

and there you have it! what were some of YOUR
favorite reads from 2011? any that surprised you?
my biggest surprise would have to be You Against Me
by downham. it’s contemporary–which i’m more
selective of when reading (i favor fantasy), but it
stayed with me for a very long time. she’s a fantastic
writer and storyteller, and tackled a difficult subject
in a compelling way.

i’m excited to keep reading in 2012!
also, stay tuned for a big Greenwillow Books giveaway
next week–including TWO fantastic arcs!

currently reading:

Saving Fish From Drowning by amy tan

i don’t know which date or day it is at
any given time. november is gone and december
seems to be passing me by leaps and bounds.
and the only thing i’m certain of,
if you were to ask me, is where i am exactly in my
rough drafting of novel 3: issues i need to address,
inconsistencies that i’m concerned about, word choice
and dialogue. those, i can tell you in a snap.

but i’m afraid between holiday parties, kiddies holiday
performances, the special clothes they need to wear,
the secret santa exchanges, gifts for the teachers, donations
to adopted families, so on and so forth, i’m at a complete
jumbled loss.

what day is it again? =)

brush painting, as always, is my meditative sanctuary.
but while my teacher has been encouraging winter subjects
such as pine dusted in snow and plum blossoms, i’ve been
inevitably reaching for spring, as i tend to do.

thus, i present you with funny birds perching amongst
a burst of fragrant blooms.

and without further ado, i’d like to announce the
winner and honorable mentions for my nameless cat
contest. thank you so much for everyone who made
suggestions, so many of which made me smile!

the grand prize winner, with the actual name printed
on the back of my new cat cards is deborah with
“Inscrutable Cat”. congrats, deborah, who will be
receiving two of the cards as a prize! (i’d give deborah
a copy of Silver Phoenix, but she has already bought
and read it, ha!)

honorable mentions go to:

zombie joe with “Mr. Grumpy Puff”.

joan stradling with “Shady Cat” and the
hilarious caption: “If this tree touches me
I’ll turn it into a scratching post.”

and megan’s “SoPo Under the Bough” which
sounds all hip and sassy. =D

honorable mentions will each be receiving
one card in the post! thanks to all for playing!! xo

currently reading:

Brideshead Revisited by evelyn waugh

i was so pleased by my riot of blossoms with my
funny birds painting recently that i had to repeat it!
but this time, it is a funny cat sitting beneath the
blooms. this is my third cat painting! as i’ve said on
twitter, i consider myself more a dog than cat person,
tho i like both animals–but cats have a way of sneaking
into my novels–as cats will do. and apparently, into my
art too! my first cat was named Blobby Cat, my second
Surly Cat. i have no idea what this cat should be named.

want to help?

help come up with a name or title for this painting and
WIN A PRIZE! what will i win, cindy, what what?

eh. this is a haphazard half-arsed giveaway open
to all. let me surprise you. tho i’m sure it’ll be something
bookish or brush arty. =)

contest ends when i feel like it.
contest has closed!

GO!

at the end of october, i attended my first world fantasy
con AND malinda and i also brought the Diversity in YA
tour to official close, with a fantastic signing at the Poway
library. thank you so much danielle, for having us! so many
of my friends from twitter (yes, twitter!) who love YA came
to attend the event. thank you guys for coming too!

greg van eekhout was the only other local author and
was kind enough to shuttle all the panelists from the
world fantasy con hotel over to the library. i admit, i was
nervous. when we say DiYA is grassroots, we mean it–
pile a bunch of YA authors into one car–adventures!
yikes. greg admitted he was nervous and i felt the exact
same AFTER the event, when i drove everyone to a taiwanese
dinner. ha!

*our rad panel consisted of (L to R): malinda lo, me, cinda chima,
holly black, karen healey, and greg van eekhout with danielle, the
wonderful YA librarian at the Poway branch as moderator.

*i’m fairly certain that i’m responding to the question posed
by the raddest 13 year old boy in the audience: what’s a eunuch?
everyone said i did a wonderful job of explaining in an as polite
way as possible. even radder? the boy bought a signed copy of Silver
Phoenix after!!

*it was a packed event and such a fantastic way to end
our Diversity Tour. it truly was a labor of love and malinda
and i stressed but had a wonderful time. to be honest, looking
back, i’m not sure how we pulled it off. haha! but i will say that
the tour was only as successful as the great authors who agreed to
join us at each tour stop, as well as the YA book lovers who showed up
to support us! and of course, all the wonderful librarians and
indie booksellers! thank you!!

*a mom with twin girls wanted a foto of them with malinda
and me. how cute are they? one twin got Silver Phoenix and
the other got Fury of the Phoenix, but each only wanted me to
sign the novel to herself. hehe!

*so it started as a joke on twitter when i asked megan
(raddest fan ever aka RFE) wouldn’t she LOVE to be at our diversity
panel. unfortunately, she lives in utah. well, guess who drove all
the way out from utah (again!) to attend the event? thank you megan
for being such a fantastic and fun fan! <3

*karaline came with her sister larissa, also a YA fan! this
was her first bookish event, hoorah! karaline said she had
a blast. =D

*a group foto of awesome! (L to R back to front: joanna (librarian),
karen, malinda, greg, holly, me, lali (librarian), danielle (librarian),
cinda and jennifer (librarian). i loved the librarians who all came
to support the event, not to mention host us!

*it was so great to finally meet the lovely rae carson,
author of fantasy debut The Girl of Fire and Thorns. and
between you and me? she’s even more beautiful now than back
in her beauty pageant days!

*i didn’t get to attend world fantasy con full time because
motherly duties called that weekend as well. but a highlight
was definitely meeting n. k. jemisin (nora) whose debut The
Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was a top read for me in 2010.
i was really bummed i missed out on her pajama themed release
party for the third book in the series, The Kingdom of Gods. BUT!
she tweeted about giving away the slightly used games from the party
and i responded with a YES, please. so i picked up the games before
the banquet. thus nora is looking so stunning in her elegant gown.
what a fan girl moment for me!!

*here is a foto by my friend heather of the YA panel i was
on at the con. it was a pleasure and honor to be discussing young
adult books and reading along with mar perez, karen healey and
tamora pierce.

whew! i hope you enjoyed the recap and fotos! it has been a whirlwind
november and i can hardly believe thanksgiving is next week! stay
tuned for another cat painting to be posted this week. i need help
with naming this particular cat–and there shall be a prize if you play!

after many months of not completing a painting
worth framing, i was happy to take home these
funny birds chillin’ under a riot of blossoms. i
personally think that a person’s art is a little glimpse
into her soul, and for me, my brush art definitely
caters to the charming whimsical side. i’m drawn
to cute creatures and bright colors when i paint–
it’s simply what i love and lifts my spirits.

when writing, i reveal much more darkness and
angst. my writing is more grown up than my
paintings. 8) even then, i have very little interest
in writing from an adult’s perspective: marriage,
children, grown up responsibilities and worries. why?
i live this! and all my artistic endeavors are about
escapism, catering to the sides of me that aren’t
expressed so often in day to day life.

i honestly believe that art and fostering your
creative side is so good for the soul. i actually call
it art therapy. this is my tenth year as a brush painting
student, and it’s been a wonderful journey for me.
it’s amazing how that decade flew by. i never considered
myself artistic when i was younger. i remember drawing
“still lifes” in pencil of my mini schnauzer, my stuffed
animals, and even one of my walkman (haha!) but that
was the extent of my interest. it wasn’t really encouraged
by my parents. writing wasn’t, either. they were just
hobbies that i did on my own.

this year, i’m volunteering for the bubs’ art class.
their new school has a dedicated art teacher (so
wonderful) who has her own studio. she asked me
yesterday to help with the annual student art show.
each student chooses one project they are most proud
of to display, and the show is on for two days, catered
with coffee and pastries–all fancy and a big deal.

i think this is wonderful! a show really lets the children
understand what it feels like to display your work, to
feel accomplished and acknowledged, and also to place
importance on art. because i think it truly is important
to a child’s growth and development, to encourage that
creativity.

it’s when the magic happens.

hoorah! i invited fellow san diegan YA author kirsten
hubbard on a piercing date and she took fotos! check
out her post here. she said i smiled the whole time.
probably. haha! the pain was minimal–it’s the healing
the piercing for weeks that will be the real challenge now!

the piercing followed an exciting weekend of book events.
on saturday, i attended the mission viejo reader’s festival.
it was a fantastic event and had something for readers of
all ages. i arrived early and chatted to jamie ford (Hotel on
the Corner of Bitter and Sweet) for a bit. allison, the lovely
librarian who invited me to the event for a diversity panel also
introduced me to linda evans, who recently released a memoir
recipe book. she was very gracious.

*our fantastically fun panel: lisa yee, gretchen
mcneil, moderator allison, me, and marlene perez!

on sunday, i attended the orange county children’s
book festival for the first time. it was hot! but also very
well attended and there was a fantastic YA line up including
authors such as lindsey leavitt, d. j. mchale, andrew smith,
kami garcia, heather brewer, katie alender… so many rad
authors in one place!!

some attending YA authors: lisa desrochers,jeff mariotte,
gretchen mcneil, heather brewer, me, inara scott, katie alender.

reading from Fury of the Phoenix. i’m wearing
prescription sunglasses and it was a hot and bright
day. just to clarify i wasn’t being a diva. inara (to my
left) and i actually discussed the decision before going
on stage. hee! also on the rad paranormal panel, emma
michaels, gretchen mcneil and jeff mariotte.

it was a wonderful weekend spent with fellow book lovers,
readers, and writers with great food to go with the great
company. a special shout out to aly who was my official
author handler, as in, she literally had to be on the phone
directing me where to drive as i got hopefully lost. i’m afraid
sense of direction is not my forte. you’ll never find a map
in the front of my fantasy novel. haha

wow. this post took all day to write because sweet pea
fell off the monkey bars and smashed her teeth. ouch. so
the afternoon entailed a trip to the dentist as well as the ER
to make sure she wasn’t injured beyond what we could see.
she is okay!

also, congratulations to vivian on the YA Rising Stars
tgifbm! giveaway! thank you to all those who entered!

and this one is gonna rock socks. remember a month
back i had a fantastically fun signing at Once Upon A Time
in montrose with suz young, nova ren suma and holly
goldberg sloan?

*me, holly with delicious cake pops, suz and nova.

well, get ready young adult novel fans! i’m giving away
signed copies of A Need So Beautiful, Imaginary Girls,
I’ll Be There and (i literally decided while posting this)
Silver Phoenix OR Fury of the Phoenix to ONE lucky winner!

goodreads link

goodreads link

goodreads link

goodreads link

it’s been too long since i’ve had a tgifbm! giveaway
and i thought i’d come back with a bang! do you
remember the drill? tweet, facebook status, blog, LJ
or whatever with a blurb and link back to this post, then
comment with that link here. giveaway open to US mailing
addresses only. i’ll select a random winner on friday, 9/30.
good luck!