Listed in the order I read them…

I think it was by pure kismet that I was fortunate enough to stumble across Lukavics’ signing at ALA this past June. When I found out her debut is horror (prairie horror as I call it), I could NOT have been more excited. I love horror as a genre, and have been looking for more lady horror writers for some time. Lukavics’ creepy debut novel did NOT disappoint. I can’t wait
to read her next!

I honestly did not know what to expect going into this great debut by Gregorio, other than that it featured an intersex protagonist. I loved the boldness in Gregorio’s storytelling. She does not shy away from emotions and complications
and complexities and everything that it means to be vulnerable and human, reflected also in a great supporting cast of characters. So well done! Bravo!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie Tromly at the Texas Teen Books Festival in Austin this past September. I picked up her debut from Bookpeople while I was there, and am I glad that I did!

This novel was different than anything I’ve read in a while. It made me laugh out loud multiple times with its dark humor, great dialogue, and absurdity. But at the same time, Tromly manages to create fascinating characters, none of them perfect. She also tackles hard topics well, and I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story on top of everything else I mentioned. REALLY looking forward to the sequel of this one!!

*Stephanie and me at TTBF in September. So fun!

I am so lucky. Not only was Cinda kind enough to blurb Serpentine, but she personally gave me a signed ARC of Flamecaster when we met up at Dragon Con. Her Seven Realms series is a favorite one of mine, and I couldn’t have been more excited to read more set in this world! I loved the new characters she introduced as well as new intrigues and mysteries, and glimpses into new relationships forged. The wait is toooo long for the next installment!!

*Cinda and me sharing a delicious Mexican meal in Atlanta during Dragon Con.

And last but not least, Black Wolves by Kate Elliott.

Another friend of mine—Kate is someone I adore as a friend but really admire as an author (and rad person all around). Like Flamecaster, Black Wolves is the first book in a second series based in the Crossroads Trilogy, another favorite fantasy series of mine! So I was nervous. I waited to read the novel while abroad visiting family (it seemed a tradition for me to read Kate’s big ass novels while traveling), and I knew going in that I could trust her. This is so important as a reader, don’t you think?

And she did not disappoint. It was so wonderful to return to that world, but get to better know old and new characters. Her storytelling weaves the past with the present, mysteries with revelations, and always with intriguing and real characters that leap from the pages. As a writer, she has so many fortes, but one of my favorites is Kate’s ability to create characters that make me laugh aloud, but also pause and think. Two of her main characters are also unconvetional in epic fantasy, being older in age, one hero in his 70s.

If you want amazing world building, complex storylines, fantastic characters who are complicated and flawed and amazing, plus emotional depths in the storytelling, read this novel!

*Kate, me and Zen Cho taking a break from Comic Con this summer with delicious food and desserts! I also grabbed a copy of Zen’s gorgeous UK edition of Sorcerer to the Crown from Foyles in london last week and was lucky enough to get it signed!

i could not be more thrilled that Serpentine has been
chosen as a Junior Library Guild Fall Selection!! in addition,
we received a glowing Kirkus review:

“The economical narrative conjures an entire world, drenched in color and texture and scent, rich in evocative mythology and heady action, and filled with vivid characters. Skybright makes a refreshing heroine, both fiercely loyal and eminently practical, ready to exploit her supernatural powers while insisting on her inherent humanity.”—Kirkus Reviews

and a *starred* review from School Library Journal!!

★ 07/01/2015

“This coming-of-age story takes readers on a fantastical journey through friendship and Chinese mythology. YA fans will love Pon’s storytelling ability and the immersion into a world filled with love, danger, and fantasy. VERDICT Readers will be begging for a sequel to find out what happens to these intriguing characters.”—Jessica Strefling, US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Library

i’m doing a great pre-order campaign through my
favorite local indie book store, Mysterious Galaxy! if you
order Serpentine now through them, you can get a signed
and personalized copy ready to ship around the 9/8 release date.
in addition, you can choose one of my brush art cards as a gift
with each copy purchased! (while supplies last.)

in this way, i can share my art with my readers (which i LOVE
to do) while supporting my favorite bookstore at the same time!
WIN WIN!

so if you’re interested in buying Serpentine, please consider ordering
through the link above! thank you!!

hello friends! this is a painting that i finished
last night. the previous week, i had painted the
baby sea bird, and last night, i finished the background
around it. the sea bird is rendered from a photograph
i had found online. :) i love this little bird!

We are coming ever closer to Serpentine’s release
on September 8th! I’ve decided to do a pre-order
campaign exclusively with my favorite local indie
bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy. I will be giving one
of my brush painting cards with each book ordered
(stay tuned for details), and wanted to take a poll
on your THREE favorite images for a brush painting
card as part of this giveaway. So please vote! And
thank you! :D

PLEASE VOTE UP TO THREE IMAGES!

Blobby Cat

Baby Panda

Joyful Birds

Surly Cat

Inscrutable Cat

Oriole Among Blossoms

Playful Kitty

i decided not to white out the background to
this painting because i love the antiquated feel
of the piece without it. i saw this chinese beauty
in an art book and absolutely fell in love with her.
she is holding a pipa (a chinese muscial string
instrument) in the original painting. but i didn’t
like that pose as much, so i painted her with this pot
of plum blossoms instead. :)

as always, with person or critter, i start with
the eyes. if you don’t get the eyes right, if you
don’t capture the subject there, then all is lost.
move on. the painting is not worth keeping.

i love that she seems to know where she is going,
and that she enjoys life to the fullest. that is
often how i feel about things myself. and those
are the best days.

i spent four lessons in class painting her. and
finished her last night, on the lunar new year.
couldn’t think of a better way to start the year
of the sheep. all best wishes to you in this new year! :D

i apologize for dropping off the face of the earth,
but december definitely kicked me in the arse with
my bubs holiday activities, and then they were home
with me for vacation.

now! i’m in the midst of mad writing to finish my
Serpentine sequel. :D so exciting, but also nerve
wracking. ha! i haven’t had a deadline for an entire
novel since, er, 2010. that’s half a decade ago!

i’m not one to really do recaps. but 2014 was a quiet
year for me, in which i crawled into the “troll hole”
as an author, limiting my events and signings, because
i had no new book out. Serpentine and its sequel sold
unexpectedly to Month9Books, and i’ve only had a wonderful,
collaborative experience with this newer small press.
i’m so grateful and thrilled that Serpentine will be published
by them.

then of course, i visited china for the first time.
it was such an amazing and fantasic trip, and truly
the highlight of my year.

here is one of my latest paintings. i admired my author
friend Liz’s bluebird photo she has posted on her facebook
page, and took the image to inspire me for a painting.

i first tried rendering the bird on white rice paper,
but because its breast is white, its fluffy effect was
lost. so i bought pale green paper and tried again. the
texture of the paper was challenging (controlling my ink)
so you see a halo around the bird. but i was able to get
the fluffy white look of its breast, and i’m very happy with it.

i put him on a rock and had the idea of adding some colorful
flowers around him, but my teacher refused! she said nothing
should take away from the quiet grace of this bird. :)
the calligraphy (by my teacher) says: Peaceful Heart.

my lastest chinese brush painting. our
teacher wanted us to paint red mountains in
celebration of autumn, and i tried. but i just
wasn’t feeling it and the mountains werent’ good.
so i decided to try indigo instead. and i think they
turned out well! my teacher’s calligraphy, per my
request: Tranquil Heart. my chinese name is on the
very left.

i’m honored to be on the advisory board
for the amazing We Need Diverse Books team.
they just started an indiegogo campaign to raise
$100k for the great initiatives they plan to
implement in the near future, including the Walter
Dean Meyers award and grant program, the WNDB kidlit
festival in 2016, and working with various organizations
to bring diverse books directly into the classrooms.

please consider contributing to this great cause!
even five dollars, the money you’d spend on a frapp,
would help!

i’ve offered an original brush painting as an incentive
for a $400 donation.

“Nestled Chick” is bordered in light green
chinese matting (mounted in the traditional
chinese style) and measures 22 1/4W x 17 3/4H.
Not shown is the calligraphy for “Spring Color”
(in chinese) and a red chop bearing my chinese name.

an example of the light green bordering (it resembles
brocade but too fine to see in this photo) is used
for matting in this bird painting below.

please check out WNDB fundraiser page and consider
supporting through a donation OR sharing the love on
social media. thank you!!

here’s my latest brush painting. i had been trying to
paint a kingfisher on rock from a painting book, but
didn’t have much luck, so decided to google for a kingfisher
image. the first one that popped up was this regal little guy.
how could i resist?

the resulting painting was this little guy!
my teacher and i had a big discussion about how we
should place him, on a branch, on a rock? with flowers?
in the end, i wanted to paint the rock and nothing else, as
he’s the main focus of this painting! i had so much fun doing
his “mohawk”. =D hope you enjoy him as much as i do.