Spread a Word about Fury of the Phoenix!

Okay, in all honesty I have been out of the YA book loop lately. University started last fall and bam! My reading and blogging consistency shot down. Therefore, I barely know what the latest and hottest novels are. However! There were a couple of sequels that I looked forward to for the books I read in the past. One of them is the sequel to Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon, Fury of the Phoenix! Just came out yesterday, you can go purchase it at a store near you!

I really wished they stuck with the original cover style like the did when Silver Phoenix first came out...

So in celebration, Cindy Pon created a contest where you must advertise the novel in some way (requirement is that you must read it first)! The winner receives an original Chinese painting made by Cindy herself! Please click here to read all the details. (International entries are welcome).

And by simply spreading the word about it like myself, you can receive some awesome swag! For example, you can get these GORGEOUS postcards below! (I am a huge art fanatic. Especially when it comes to Chinese art. They are LOVE.)

Ai Ling and Chen Yong

Silver Phoenix and Zhong Ye

Beautiful, aren't they??? I need to get my characters commissioned like that...

So anyway, what are you waiting for?? Buy Fury of the Phoenix now and enter!

Sidenote: Regarding the donation for Japan's Relief, I'm still awaiting for money to be transferred over to my Paypal. It seems that Red Cross has not yet distributed the $1 billion dollar donation received around the world so far to the Japanese victims (click here for the full news). So I have changed my mind to donate to GlobalGiving instead, where they update every time they are helping in Japan.

Cindy Pon: Leave the bird-nest

Cindy Pon, Author of the Silver Phoenix series

my best advice for college?
if at all possible, LEAVE HOME.
i'm the youngest child in a family of three and
was the first to "go away" for college. my mom
tried to convince me to commute to a closer
university, but i refused. and i'm so glad i did.

i think that distance is absolutely necessary for
both parent and child in the road to young adulthood
and independence. in a way, it's very much like
kindergarten. (which i went through with my sweet
pea and this september again with munchkin.)
college is as much about social and personal growth
(if not more) as intellectual growth. going away for
college and living on your own forces you to make
very adult choices in many ways, but at the same time,
still have the resources of the university (and your roommates
and college buddies) to fall back on. like grown up
life but not really. it kicks ass!

you know that saying, the world is your oyster?
well, that's gross.
i'd prefer to think of the world as your choose your
own mongolian beef meal experience. you know
the kind, a buffet of various meats, all sorts of veggies,
tofu cubes, many sauces to choose from, minced
garlic and chives. you point and the chef sticks the
ingredient in a bowl then cooks it up for you just right.

college is like that. the possibilities are endless.
internships, study abroad, working on campus, clubs
and organizations, greek life, leadership opportunities--
any interest or cause you can think of, most likely,
you'll find it in college. and if not? guess what? you can
start one with college funds. just go through the right
channels and most likely, it'll get approved. so cool, right?

i wish i could tell some wild crazy stories of my college
days but i'm just a big stick in the mud. ha! i avoided
parties in general, preferring to hang out with friends
chatting and studying in cozy cafes late into the night.
it was also the first time i had an email account
(shush you!) and i was totally an internet addict even
back then--even if the internet wasn't really there yet.
(yahoo didn't exist yet. much less google.)

the one thing i didn't like about college was that i had
no time to read for pleasure, the work load was so heavy.
so i read voraciously during the summers for pleasure.

but i loved it so much i got a masters in higher education
administration--which means working on the administrative
side in colleges (housing, advising, financial aid, etc.) that's
what i did before i became a published author. and i still
have very near and dear lifetime friends that i made back
in my college years.

a highlight was being invited back to my college to be
the keynote speaker for a parent's weekend last year!
it felt like going home again, and i had such a wonderful
time meeting the current students there. and being envious
of their college life! like everything in life, it's what you
make of it. and i think you should definitely make the most of it!

me with the current students at my old
university. (don't mind the giant restroom sign. =)

~~~

Read my review of Cindy's novel, Silver Phoenix, here. A truly captivating tale set in Ancient China with the elements of fantasy and mythical creatures! I am dying for the second novel in the series!

Contest Time

Giveaway Item(s): A signed copy of Silver Phoenix and a brush card of winner's choice from Cindy's Etsy

# of Winners: 1

Eligibility: US and Canada only

Entries (Leave links if needed)

+1 New follower (MANDATORY)

+2 Old follower

+1 Link (5 max)

+1 Add Stop, Drop, and Read! to your blogroll

Author Interview: Cindy Pon + CONTEST

Cindy Pon debuted with her amazing novel, Silver Phoenix, in 2009. I got the chance to interview her, excited for the sequel. At the end of the interview, you can enter to win a signed copy of Silver Phoenix for yourself!

If you want to learn more about Cindy or Silver Phoenix, please check out at www.cindypon.com. Enjoy!

Firstly, what inspired you to write Silver Phoenix?

although i've been writing since before i was a teen,
i stopped all through my 20's. it was only after i had my
bubs back to back that i rediscovered my love for writing.
i began taking some creative writing classes through the
local universities and thought, why don't i write a novel!
at the time, i had just begun taking classes in chinese brush
painting and reading more about chinese culture and history.
fantasy was and always will be my favorite reading genre, so
i thought i'd combine the two interests. Silver Phoenix was the result!

Can you please give us a little more information on the era in which the novel takes place for those who are unfamiliar with the Chinese culture and history?

i'd like to say that Silver Phoenix is inspired by ancient china
because it actually doesn't take place in china or any time period
within it. i drew inspiration from mainly the qing dynasty but also took
elements from others, researching in architecture, clothing as well
as other social and cultural elements. when i started to write Silver Phoenix,
i realized i wasn't writing a true historical, it was too limiting to my story.
ai ling, as a daughter within the scholarly class, would have had her
feet bound.

Are the magical beings in Silver Phoenix mythical creatures within the Chinese culture or did you create them yourself?

the creatures are a combination of actual chinese myths
and folklore and my own imagination!

What should readers expect of the sequel for Silver Phoenix?

the sequel is planned to be released in fall 2010! i think
that while Silver Phoenix was a very fantastic journey, this
one will be much more personal on many levels.

Are you working on any other writing projects aside the sequel to Silver Phoenix? If so, can you please give us a brief description of them?

i am! i believe ai ling's story is finished with the sequel.
but i have another fantasy YA novel planned in xia. it is only at the very
beginning stages so i won't say more about it, as i don't know
much myself yet right now! i also have a children's picture book
featuring my chinese brush art slated to release in 2011!

What do you find is the easiest part in writing? And the hardest?

the easiest part is definitely revising and polishing a novel.
the hardest part is writing the rough draft (the initial draft) of
any novel for me. the unknown can be very scary to me. i
liken to starting a new novel like jumping of a cliff. ha!

Lastly, please give us an interesting fact about yourself that not many know of!

i wrote a letter "to my future husband" when i was 16.
when i married, i never gave him the letter, because it's
so embarrassing. ha!

~~~

Now that you got to learn more about Cindy, here is a chance for you to win her novel!

To enter: (Make sure to have everything in one comment in the post or it will not be counted)
+1 comment
+2 follower through Google Friend Connect (MANDATORY or no entry, new or old)
+2 comment on the review here
+2 add Stop, Drop, and Read! to your blog list (link)
+2 for every time you link the contest (link)

This contest is open to Canadian and U.S. addresses only. (Sorry international friends!) Contest will end on February 28/10.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Title: Silver Phoenix
Author: Cindy Pon
Age Group: Older Teens
# of Pages: 338
My Rating: 5/5

Ai Ling may not be a suitable bride but she rather not marry a stranger. She enjoys embroidering and painting, the simple things in life. She has the strange ability to read minds but does not dwell on it so much. Her life, however, takes a drastic turn when she realizes evil mythical beings are trying to kill her as she embarks on a dangerous journey in search of her missing father.

Along the way, she encounters a handsome young man by the name of Chen Yong, who is of mixed ethnicities. He too is out on the search for his own father and identity.

When Ai Ling discovers that she is more than she seems, the world she once knew is far more terrifying than ever. In an oriental world of magic and adventure, Silver Phoenix will enrapture the reader with its spellbinding tale.

When Silver Phoenix's debut last year, I was dying to read it. Even without reading the reviews, I knew it had something special. And I was right!

Ai Ling is a fantastic female protagonist who is strong and someone you can count on. Facing her fears is difficult but she overcomes them to protect her and her friends. She does not think highly of herself because of her ability and who she is nor is she a weakling. Chen Yong is also a great char completely root for!

What kept my attention the most was the creatures that appeared in the novel. I find them absolutely fascinating and I kept wanting more of these mythical beasts to appear. Each and every one of them are captivating in their own way, from their abilities to their very existence.

Silver Phoenix had my eyes wide open and my fingers continuously flipping the pages, dying to read more. It made me want to go back and watch the Chinese dramas that I was so hooked onto when I was younger. I highly recommend Silver Phoenix to anyone who wants an amazing read!

Trailer Tuesday: Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Title: Silver Phoenix
Author: Cindy Pon
Description: No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.

Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.

When I saw Silver Phoenix awhile back, I instantly knew I wanted to read it. There are a rare number of YA books out there based on the Asian culture. To see this makes me very happy! I still have yet to get a copy but is totally looking forward to it!

And guess what? You can win a chance to receive a signed copy from Cindy and one of her gorgeous Chinese brush paintings (valued from $200-$400)! Another person can win a $100 gift card to any bookstore of their choice and a signed copy! Not to mention anyone around the world can join! Click here for more details! Ends June 8, 2009!