Silver Phoenix Trailer


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJ1xy009bk

Silver Phoenix : Beyond the Kingdom of Xia

By Cindy Pon

Out today at your local book store.

Congratulations , Cindy!!!!

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“I couldn’t put it down. Your heart will be racing, and you’ll be aching for more. An addictive gem.”
—Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries and Airhead series

“Beautifully written, lush, exotic, and romantic, with a gutsy heroine who defies convention to fulfill her destiny—Silver Phoenix has it all!”
—Alyson Noel, New York Times bestselling author of Evermore

available APRIL 28, 2009

Tuesday Teaser rewrite:



For the third time this week, Amber Kane almost lit her little brother on fire and not on purpose. When she gets mad, well, fiery things tend to happen. Some people throw temper tantrums, she throws fireballs.
It wouldn’t be that bad if she had more control over her talent. It’s in her dreams she’s most helpless and the firepower is of no use to her.

He stood a few feet away from her; his lush black hair glistened in the moonlight. His voice, which spoke to her in a rhythmic cadence, eased her initial trepidation. She’d seen him before, in the night where her imagination ran free.
“You have grown up to be such a beauty. I’ve been watching you your whole life, little one.”
She smiled and shyly glanced away from his hypnotic stare, but the magnetic pull drew her back.
His head tilted, as he laughed, surely taken with her innocence.
“There’s no need to be shy with me.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“To help you. As I’ve always helped the witches in your family.”
Amber stepped back. “My family has no other witches in it except for my mother and me. And my mother’s a Priestess of Oya and Isis. Not something out of Sleeping Beauty.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, little one. There have always been powerful stregas in your family dating back centuries. Your grandmother’s magick is in her cooking. Whatever she is feeling at the time is infused into her meals. Your mother is a great psychic. And you…” Amber detected hunger in his voice. “Wield the element of fire.” He began to move closer to her and she was powerless to leave. A part of her didn’t want to. He exuded sexuality and she wanted him to touch her, everywhere.
The warmth of his hands felt so right upon her skin as his fingers traced the lines of her cheek and neck. He muttered softly in her ear, “So lovely. Pure and virginal, mine to protect.”
Amber leaned into him, feeling the hard muscles of his chest and the warmth of his breath upon her flesh. Her arm wrapped around his waist and she felt his arousal as their bodies pressed closer together.
“Give me your heart, my sweet one.” His lips pressed against her cheek as hers sought to meet them.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
A growl emanated from deep within his throat. She wrapped her other arm around him, lifting her face to receive his kiss.
“I want you,” he said fiercely.
“Take me.”
“You will give me your heart, my love?”
“Oh, yes.”
That’s when she noticed the ice cold look behind his eyes. A vacant stare met hers as his arm raised and he thrust a long, thin blade into her back. Her body bucked forward into him and he moaned as if in ecstasy.
Amber felt the heat within her build, but she could not use it to heal herself or scorch the demon who held her. He glided the blade upward and his lips brushed hers.
“Thank you for your heart, my love. I will always have it with me. I will always have you with me.”
The only warmth Amber sensed was the blood flowing down her back. A new, raw pain radiated from behind. His gelid fingers entered her flesh and wrapped around her still-beating heart.
“Remember that I love you.” He sighed and yanked her heart from her body.

Amber bolted out of bed, her eyes wild with fear. She searched the room while grabbing at her chest. Relieved to feel her heart beating, she began to settle down.
“Another nightmare?”
Amber jumped back and fell over her handbag, landing on her rump.
“Damn you Cliff!”
“I’m sorry, did I frighten you?”
“You prick, you know you did.”
He smiled. “I swear I didn’t mean to. Really. I give you my ghostly honor.”
“You have no honor.” Amber climbed back into bed.
“You really should let me help with those nightmares.”
“Ha! That would mean allowing you to enter my body. No way.”
“Still mad about the whole kidnapping thing?” he asked.
“Yeah and the whole, ‘I’m going to kill you thing.’”
“Dude, you really hold a grudge.”
“Dude?”
“Sorry, dudette.”
“Yeah Cliff, it’s taken a lot just to talk to you and acknowledge your existence.”
“I know. My bad.”
“Bad doesn’t even come close.”
“Good-night, Amber.”
“Good-night, Cliff.”

Life is like a box of chocolates. I was thinking about that famous movie, and my son. I hope he gets only the sweet with a touch of dark chocolate, so he'll appreciate the sweetness. I wish that for all my boys.

Tuesday Teaser: This is bare bones--unedited--WIP



For the third time this week, I almost lit my little brother on fire and not on purpose. When I get mad, well, fiery things tend to happen. Some people throw temper tantrums, I throw fireballs.
My mother’s a witch. A real --spell-casting, ghost whispering, High Priestess-- witch. She’s famous too. She’s been in the papers and on TV. So, as you can imagine, it’s not easy being her daughter. Especially since I’ve somehow inherited powers far beyond hers and I’m only eighteen-years old. It started about two years ago. Fire is my element and my mom and her coven sister, Ouida, decided it’s time to help me harness this ability. Before I really hurt someone like my brother, Jake.
“I want to you to focus. Concentrate on your power center and raise the energy. Send it to that pile of leaves,” Ouida instructed, pointing to the leaves.
My mom was standing next to me, coaxing me like I was six years old and learning how to ride a bike. I focused on the anger I still had concerning my father. He’d cheated on my mom and they got divorced this past winter. It’s a long story.
“You can do it, Pookie,” my mom whispered.
My stomach churned, the heat emanated from that center and I pushed it out. I had a new respect for women going through menopause. This had to be worse than any hot flash Ouida described.
Smoke rose from last autumn’s pile of dried up maple leaves. Soon, I saw flames leap up and consume the dead leaves.
“Excellent,” Cliff applauded.
“Thanks,” I answered him aloud. Cliff’s handsome ghostly features formed out of the ethers as he gave me a thumbs up.
“Ah, I’m glad to see you’re talkin’ to the spirit,” Ouida said with a wide smile.
I shook off the residual energy and wiped the sweat from my brow. “Yeah, well, he doesn’t understand the word no.”
My mom laughed. I looked over at her. She’d been through so much these past few years. Including going up against this uber-evil murderer, Cliff, who was now dead and helping us work out some karma. Not to mention he’s working out a lot of his own debts.
You’d never know it to look my mom. In love and pregnant with—I believe—the love of her life’s baby. This will be the fifth and final installment of the Kane/Bennette clan. Or so I’m told.
“I think that’s enough training for today,” Ouida added.
“You did great, Amber,” my mom said.
“I’m my mother’s daughter.” I smiled.
I could tell Ouida was concerned for my mother. I watched as she walked over to her and the two walked inside. My mom had a miscarriage a few months back and Ouida and all my mom’s friends were extra cautious with her.
“So you did good, kiddo.”
“It seems to come easier.”
“It will.”
“What is it, Cliff? I can tell you want to talk about something.”
“Nah, it can wait.”
Then he was gone.
I walked toward the water. Our backyard was the Long Island Sound and I sat on a lounge chair. The weather was finally getting warm and before long I’d be performing my first Solstice ritual.
From the darkened corner of my mind, a sound emerged, slowly forming words. They sounded hollow, almost tinny. “I’m here, can you hear me?”
“Cliff? Is that you trying to play one of your semi-scary ghost tricks on me?”
“Please help me.”
I turned and saw there was no one around, not even my little twerp of a brother. I leaned back and closed my eyes. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew I was in a park setting. I noticed a young man sitting alone on a bench. His hair was the color of ripened wheat and had the most beautiful eyes. They were a pale hazel-green color with flecks of burnished gold. Immediately, I realized this must be a spirit. I walked over to him.
“Hi, my name’s Amber,” I said, introducing myself.
“I know. I tried to get to talk to you before, but your friend wouldn’t let me get through.” His voice sounded intensely masculine, with a husky quality to it. I thought I detected a slight accent.
I watched his expressions as I spoke to him. He seemed lonely, and somehow scared. Maybe he’s newly crossed. “That’s his job, among other things. He’s sort of like the gatekeeper, or a spiritual bouncer. Spirits have to get his okay before they can communicate with me. I’m somewhat new to this.”
“I got that impression. I just wasn’t able to…get through to him the way I would’ve wanted to, but I knew I would be able to talk to you—directly.” His head bowed down as he stared at the ground.
He looked extremely sad as he tried to explain himself.
“You are really beautiful. I—I mean inside and out. You radiate a calm energy. I like being around you,” he shyly admitted. “Not to mention the fact I find it oddly disturbing that I can even see your energy.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“I can’t remember,” he said. “Another oddity.”
“How did you die?” I tried to read his energy, but he was scattered and unable to ground his energies.
“I—I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “Am I dead?”

I spent the day doing readings yesterday. It always amazes me when the spirits come through and the strength of their personalities. No matter what your agenda may be, spirit has its own. You may want to know when your true love will arrive, but Grandma may feel it's more important you get yourself to the doctor and get regular check-ups. She wants you to know she remembers it's your birthday at the end of the month. And it's all validation for you to realize she's still around and knows what's going on in your life.

If you insist, she might give a vague timeline as to when Mr. or Ms. Right will come along. Time and time again I've seen--and heard--spirits give the messages necessary for their loved one to hear. So listen.