Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

And with all things electoral behind us (the ANC did not get it's 2/3s majority but we still have no idea what we're in for and only time will tell), it's time to move on to other things. This time I'm heading in a bookish direction.


If you take a peek on my sidebar, you'll notice there's a new addition - a link to writer called Cindy Pon.

I've seen Cindy bouncing about the blogosphere, as one does, for quite some time, but never really connected. I heard that she'd had her debut novel, Silver Phoenix : Beyond the Kingdom of Xia accepted by an agent and subsequently found a publisher. I've now read several early reviews for her book - and I have to say it sounds totally bloody brilliant.

One of the blurbs for Silver Phoenix reads as follows:

On the day of her first betrothal meeting–and rejection–Ai Ling discovers a power welling deep within her. She can reach into other people’s spirits, hear their thoughts, see their dreams…and that’s just the beginning.

Ai Ling has been marked by the immortals; her destiny lies in the emperor’s palace, where a terrible evil has lived, stealing souls, for centuries. She must conquer this enemy and rescue her captive father, while mythical demons track her every step. And then she meets Chen Yong, a young man with a quest of his own, whose fate is intertwined with hers. Here is a heart-stopping, breathtaking tale for fans of action, fantasy, and romance–of anything with the making of legend.

I thought that sounded like just the sort of book I HAVE to read giving it combines two of my favourite topics - fantasy/paranormal with the orient.

And then I saw this...

And it knocked my socks off - and even more so, I've just learned, because the trailer was created by an 18 year old. Go on, watch it if you haven't - you won't, I promise, be disappointed.

I have to be honest and say that most of the book trailers I've seen have left me stone cold - most are done in such an unprofessional manner by people who really don't get the "how" of using multimedia. But this trailer for Silver Phoenix is as good as any movie trailer - and exactly what a book trailer should be. Other writers out there, take note if you're planning on doing a book trailer.

Now, I have to let you into a small secret here - posting about the Silver Phoenix is not an entirely altruistic gesture on my part. Oh no... it's all part of a grand scheme to get Cindy Pon and Silver Phoenix promoted and hey, if I'm lucky enough I stand to win a copy of the book. "Hmm," I hear you say, "why don't you just buy a copy?". Well, here's the thing, the book is not being released in South Africa any time in the near future. I can't buy it from Amazon because Amazon no longer ship here because we have such a huge problem with theft in our postal services. And the local online provider I usually use doesn't even have the book listed. Whaaaaah! Mind you, all is not lost... I am heading to northern climes next month (more on that later), if all else fails I will march into Waterstones or Borders or wherever and grab a copy of Silver Phoenix there. But this is a book I have to read - aside from the great story, a girl has to know what her competition is up to, right?!

Right, now I'm off to try and compose a haiku, over at Ello's place, where the contest to promote Cindy is being hosted. Here's hoping that I stand an even better chance of winning a copy of Silver Phoenix! Why don't you have a go too?!