Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Cindy's Silver Phoenix Cover

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the
dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed, free, and
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 the pieces of the puzzle start to fit
together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace
of Fragrant Dreams in search of her beloved father—missing these many
months—is so much more than that. 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.


This is one of the most stunning covers I have ever seen. And to be honest, I couldn't be more proud of this book then if it was my own! Not only because Cindy is a friend and agency sister, but because here is a book about Asia with an Asian protagonist. Cause let's face it, there's not many YA books in the North American market with Asian protagonists. So I cheer loudly when I see books like this. (One other series is the wonderful Dragonkeeper series by Carole Wilkinson.)

Both Cindy and I know how hard it is to get Asian themed fiction in the marketplace. We both have heard from professionals who have told us that our kind of books would not sell in the current marketplace. I am so proud that Cindy has proven them wrong. So when Silver Phoenix comes to a bookstore near you next year, I hope you will all run out and purchase it. Cause it's gonna look might nice on your bookshelves!

23 comments:

Kimbra Kasch said...

I will be one of the first people in line to buy it.

Way-to-Go Cindy!

And it is a breathtakingly beautiful cover.

Karissa Chen said...

yay cindy!

Lisa said...

Just beautiful! Now that my niece is in the YA age group, I need to start pre-ordering these books and telling her I "know" the authors :)

JaneyV said...

It's a beautiful cover and the story sounds compelling too. I'd love to know why these people think an Asian themed novel wouldn't have an audience. Assumption?? Well I'll buy it.

Anonymous said...

I love that cover. It is already available on amazon.com for pre-order. My daughter loves stories with a heroine. Do you know if this book would be appropriate for an 11 year old, or is it more of an adult book?

Jean Wogaman said...

Don't you just want to touch the fabric on those sleeves? So sumptuous.

Melissa Amateis said...

Wow - that's the first thing I thought when I saw the cover - absolutely gorgeous!

Charles Gramlich said...

Absolutely a beautiful cover. I'll check it out.

Vesper said...

A stunning cover and an interesting story! I'll look for it.

Stuart Neville said...

Rushing off to congratulate Cindy now...

Michelle H. said...

A stunning cover and an amazing storyline! Congrats Cindy!

cindy said...

ell, *hugs*, thanks so much for being my biggest cheerleader through all the ups and downs of it !! you are an awesome writerly friend!!!!

and everyone, thank you also for your kind words. it's still very surreal to me. i can't believe it. it's like your first pregnancy. haha!

cheryl, it is young adult, so 14 is probably the appropriate youngest age? i would go as low as 13--but i think it depends on the parent?

Chris Eldin said...

I love this cover, and that excerpt!!!
It will definitely be on my bookshelf--face out!
:-)

Spy Scribbler said...

Will you remind us when it's released? It sure is a beautiful cover! And it sounds like a beautiful story, too!

Travis Erwin said...

Fantastic cover.

cindy said...

thank you so much, guys!

and ell, i have to say, the cover matches your blog color scheme very well! =D

writtenwyrdd said...

Asian themed fiction is really great stuff (Bridge of Birds, anyone?) but not so much of it in the spec fic realm after Lustbader finished his series. Barry Hugart's Bridge of Birds, though, was hilarious and original fantasy. (I haven't ever gotten the sequel, though. Hmmm...maybe I should...where's that amazon link...)

And that is the most gorgeous cover.

Danette Haworth said...

I agree--the cover is stunning!

Tyhitia Green said...

I already told my best friend about Cindy's book, so when I buy mine, I'll buy hers too! Yay Cindy! I'd love to get them autographed as well. :-)

cindy said...

written, i have read hughart. never heard of him until i began researching on asian fantasy more. i was told by a baen editor that asian fantasy doesn't sell. boo!!! boo!! on that!

danette, thank you!

demon h, awww. i am thinking about book plates. it will have to do until my world wide tour!!! ;*)

Josephine Damian said...

Eye-catching, indeed.

Ello, I'm still waiting for you and Cindy to read THE GIFT OF RAIN and weigh in on it.

writtenwyrdd said...

Asian fantasy is wonderful because it is a highly underexplored mine of great mythic and mythological elements. Even buying good asian mythology books is hideously expensive, though. I just paid $75 for a Japanese mythology book.

cindy said...

jd, will check it out on amazon! written--don't i know it. my research books on chinese myth and folklore were expensive--esp the university press ones.

well worth it, tho!