Friday, May 8, 2009

Author Reading: Cindy Pon


I'll be there, will you?
So far, Tales of a Ravenous Reader said she'll be there too!

Launch Party and Reading:
CINDY PON presents Silver Phoenix

Time:
Friday, May 8, 2009 7:00 p.m.

Location:
Books Inc. in Laurel Village
3515 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
Phone: 415-221-3666

Come to the Northern California Launch Party for CINDY PON, who will read from her debut teen fantasy book, Silver Phoenix, at Books Inc. in Laurel Village. With a sweeping quest and Chinese-inspired mythology, this book introduces a heroine who sheds the constrictions of her sheltered life, discovers the well of power within herself, and vanquishes an age-old evil.

Cindy's blog here.

Cindy's raffle contest --> deadline June 8. Prizes include an original framed brush painting, signed Silver Phoenix book, gift card.

Cindy's brush artwork here. Such sweet pieces. I love the Joy in Spring with the two blue birds and the Afternoon Snack with the panda.

Book Trailer:

Stop, Drop & Read

Book reviews (so far):

my review coming soon...

Books by their Cover

Dear Author

Presenting Lenore

The Story Siren

The YA YA YAs

Author interviews:

AuthorsNow!

Elise Murphy Books

The Enchanted Inkpot

Frenetic Reader

Katie's Bookshelf

Reading Keeps You Sane

ReviewerX

The Road to Publication

YA Bookmark: Novels for Young Adults

Feel free to comment below with your review links.

Post event thoughts:
It was a nice warm evening in San Francisco which is rare. I grabbed some dinner at a new wonderful foodie place called beautifull! located a few doors away from Books Inc. The turkey burger with chipotle ketchup and guacamole was yum! but I digress.

OK, so afterwards I walked over to Books Inc. to check out the store and YA section. Living in SF for a year and a half, it was my first visit. I've been frequenting Borders bookstores because of convenience and the Borders rewards card. I liked this nice small bookstore which had a pretty good children's, teen and graphic novels sections. I got a copy of the Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon and joined Books Inc.'s discount card program. I'm jazzed.

Because I was in the shop early, I got to see Jennifer (hostess of the event and not your mother's book club) setup the table with Cindy's book and vase of flowers. Once the chairs were in place I picked out my spot and started on the first chapter of the Silver Phoenix. Meanwhile, Cindy popped in with her hubby and two kids in tow. She brought cupcakes to treat us with. Cindy looked beautiful in a red Chinese dress. I didn't have a camera but you can check out pictures at Martha Flynn's I Am Procrastinating blog.

The audience started to finally assemble after 7pm. I was worried it was going to be a small crowd. But the event had people standing in the back. The room was filled with Cindy's friends, fellow writers, would-be authors, online acquaintances, fans and new fans (like me). Hey! Cheryl Renee Herbsman, author of Breathing was also in the house!

Our hostess, Jennifer (also of not your mother's book club), read the first paragraph of the first chapter of the Silver Phoenix to kick off the night. BTW: this event is the second for Cindy in her blog tour line-up.

"The eunuchs said the windows were ceiling height to allow the concubines their privacy, but Jin Lian knew it was also a way to keep them trapped. These quarters had walls taller than any courtyard tree. No one could survive the drop to the other side. No that any concubine in possession of ther wits would ever attempt to escape the Palace -- or her duties to the Emperor."

Pretty engaging first paragraph, eh? Reminds me of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon's jumping on roofs sequence.

Then, Cindy took questions from the audience before signing books. Most of the questions were regarding her writing and research process. At one point, Cindy's daughter asked when her next book was coming out. To which Cindy answered 2010 and it was going to be a prequel sequel or did she say pre-sequel. hmmm. Regardless, it sounds like an interesting twist on things normally done.

All-in-all a nice event in a friendly and casual setting.

Thanks for coming to San Francisco, Cindy!

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updated: 5.9.09
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