Sweet sassy sidekicks!

This blog has moved on.

2008-09-23T15:05:00.000+10:00

Thanks for playing, everyone!

I've decided to close this blog and move everything over to my new home at http://kikifu.wordpress.com.
Why don't you stop by and drop me a line? Grab a box or some furniture to help with the move. We'll have cookies and tea once you get there!

Also, there's a new link list, so why not make sure that your name's on there, too, so people can find you?

It's been fun.

Bai-bai!

Reading distractions

2008-08-14T13:46:00.002+10:00

I've had Stephenie Meyer's 'Breaking Dawn' for two days now and still have read hardly any of it. And you know why?
Because I can now read manga on my iLiad!
I've been on a manga reading spree this week (in between deadlines, unpacking and food shopping). Life could be worse...

It's a digital world.

2008-08-01T10:20:00.006+10:00

I like to think of myself as a late early adopter.
I'm not fast enough to be one of the first to get into a new technology, but I usually get an item just before it takes off amongst the geeky.
Enter the e-reader.
After handheld gaming (you should see our Graveyard of Old Consoles and Handhelds) and iPod, mobile reading and writing was the next step to go.
Laptops always struck me as supremely unsatisfying, and PDAs were just so...meh.
But I'm incredibly excited about my new, shiny iLiad. I have high hopes that it's going to make both my reading and my writing life a lot easier.
It's charging right now, but expect more detailed reviews over the next month as I bring to you
The iLiad Odyssey!

Tweet tweet?

2008-07-28T12:59:00.000+10:00

Are you twittering?
If you are, you can follow me at http://twitter.com/kikilon. I'll be updating live from the snow, if I can get reception.
Who else is twittering around here? Who's your favourite person to follow?

Get your board on!

2008-07-27T16:12:00.000+10:00

Only a week to go until it's time to hit the slopes for winter fun. I've got my gear, a week's worth of dried food goodies and a DS for the looooong bus trip up into the mountains.
I've got some brand new gear this year (including a helmet and boots!), so I'm excited to try it all out.
Last year was my first year snowboarding (after three years of skiing), and while I didn't lack in enthusiasm, my skill was, well, varied.
But never fear! this year I intend to get the hang of that whole staying-upright thing. No more going face-first down a black run of doom for me. Well, okay, maybe.

This year, we're also joined by a bunch of people from kung fu, so I expect the weekend to be especially made of awesomeness. And soreness.

I've got a week of LOTS of editing work ahead of me, so maybe the next time you'll read from me, I'll be enjoying a metre of fresh, powdery frozen goodness -- face-first!

All you snow bunnies out there, got any last minute tips and tricks I should know about? How do you get your boarding (or skiing, or tobogganing) groove on?

The hidden meaning in your name

2008-07-21T12:33:00.000+10:00

Did you know that what name you go by can say a lot about your personality?
Yeah, no duh.
But did you know that the actual *sounds* of your name will give you a clue as well?

This page talks about the consonant sound(s) and vowels in your name's stressed syllable (or only syllable, as the case may be) and what it says about you.

For example, Kiki is unstressed (or stressed on the first syllable, if you want). Not that it matters, since the syllable is KI. K plus short I.
Which means:
'short i' - moves up-up-up, light and a bit tense
'k' - a room where some things are allowed in or even captured, and where other things are definitely not cool. The 'k' is in the know and keeps its secrets. It's the most caring and intimate of letters, but when it's not careful, 'k' gets snobby and cuts people off.

I must admit, I'm liking this.
What's in your name?

Kung Fu Panda

2008-07-14T05:23:00.000+10:00

I went to see Kung Fu Panda yesterday with my fellow kung fu peeps.
OMG, it rocked so much! It had everything! Kung fu, buns, a panda... Well, okay, so it's kind of hard to explain, so just take my word for it. If you like martial arts, or pandas, or the idea of China, or just a fun, sweet believe-in-your-dreams story, KFP is for you.
As it says in the opening, it's made of awesomeness.

It made me think about my own kung fu training (something I've been woefully neglecting lately), as well as Enter The Parrot, of course.

So in the spirit of things, I've got to ask: what's your favourite kung fu movie, and why?

The tooth fairy returns

2008-07-11T10:29:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was what will hopefully be the final chapter in the Teeth Wars saga.
You know you're onto something good when your dentist calls his colleague to have a quick peak, too. Freakshow teeth? Check.
But it's all good now (or so we hope). The dentist couldn't have been nicer or more helpful, and all things considered, it went well.

Except that my tooth damage was all along the nerve and the anesthetic didn't quite take so I had to get a second shot. Which led to me looking like a new brand of superhero as I left the clinic:
Fugu Face!
Fear my pufferfish powers and poisonous slack jaw!

The anesthetic (and swelling) lasted for over 10 hours, which meant eating was pretty much impossible. Grrrr.
But today, I finally get to eat solid foods again.
So bring on the CRUNCHY!

You can't buy enthusiasm

2008-07-04T09:08:00.001+10:00

There is noting as exciting as someone falling in love with something you've created.
And if that someone happens to be your editor, well!

Jill Williamson, my fantastic and generous editor at The Wild Rose Press has in fact told me she loves Enter The Parrot so much, it's her favorite book this year. But not only that, she's also going to talk about it at the Oregon Christian Writers conference, where she is a guest speaker this year.

So if you happen to be going to the conference, say hi to Jill for me and tell her she rocks (because she does). And watch out for my book, because it's also awesome. ^_^

2008-07-02T11:01:00.000+10:00

Do you like words? Clouds of words?
I know I do, so when the cool chicks over at YA Fresh were showing off their Wordle creation, I had to get one, too.
Apparently, these are the words that appear most in this blog. Uh... I think I need to talk about happier things. And kittens! Lots of kittens, methinks.

Apart from having fun with words online, I haven't been up to overly much. Just getting more and more psyched that our snow trip is only a month away (yay!). plus, they've had first snow. Snow is awesome.

I've also just started reading Meg Cabot's Airhead. it's too soon to form an opinion about the story itself yet, but I'm kind of sick of how the UK/Aus cover looks so similar to Tommy Sullivan. I mean seriously, what's with that?
Bright pink and silver swirls are only fun for so long, you know?
I liked the US cover... *pout*

Ow, my teeth!

2008-06-23T09:49:00.001+10:00

I hate dentists.
Okay, that's not entirely fair, since I don't necessarily hate dentists the people. I'm sure a lot of them are extremely lovely people once you're out of their chair.
What I really hate is the feeling of helplessness when dealing with dentists.
When you go to an anything-else doctor, you have at least a sporting chance of watching what they're doing. Also, they don't hide their faces while they work on you.

With a regular doctor, I often already have a vague idea what's wrong with me, and sometimes I can even hazard a guess as to how it'll be fixed.

But not with dentists, oh no. All I know is I'm in tremendous pain that seems to move, and when I tell the lovely front desk asssistant that, she gives me an appointment for next week with one of those perfect white dentistry smiles that says "I floss twice every day. Do you ever floss? You don't, do you?"

A week. In pain. Not slight pain. 6+ Nurofen-a-day pain. And you're telling me to wait as if that was perfectly acceptable.

My GP takes walk-ins. because, you know. Most people don't just decide to get sick some time in the near future, or feel like a social visit in a crammed doctor's office.
I don't know about you, but when I give my doc a call, 9 times out of 10 it's because somethig is wrong.

Okay, so horrendous pain for a week. once you get to the dentist, she'll fix you up right and dandy, won't she?
Uh, that would be a no, too.
I tell her I'm in pain and that I assume it's my blasted wisdom teeth. She takes one look at my mouth and says, "Yeah, that's right. The wisdom teeth. They need to come out."
Fantastic. So far, I'm on track. For a minute, nothing further happens. Then she takes another look in my mouth, this time with that pointy metal thing that makes you want to hold reeeaaaaally still in case they slip and give you a tongue piercing you didn't ask for.
"Do you drink a lot of soft drinks," she asks derisively.
"Not really." As in, not even every week, nor necessarily once a fortnight.
"Sugar then." Not a question.
"I guess."
"You've got holes." She says that in the same way I always imagine people to say "You've got crabs."
"Oh," I mumble. I'm not overly coherent with my mouth open and lying on my back, you see. Don't take that the wrong way.
She takes a mini air-blowtorch from her arsenal and aims it at one tooth.
"Can you feel that," she asks. "It should hurt a little."
Me, tears forming from acute pain "Uh-huh."
She turns off the air stream. Wow. And I thought I was in pain before!
She blows around my mouth some more adn tells her assistant some bingo numbers. I don't think I win, since she keeps comparing other teeth to the painful one, nodding and mumbling to herself.

"Do you want me to clean your teeth," she asks out of the blue.
"No thanks," I say, wiping my eyes. I think I don't want her scrubbing my gums, thankyouverymuch.
Wrong answer.
"What, you just came in here to check?"
Uh,yes? Seriously, do people come in here to get their teeth brushed? Isn't that a tad expensive?
"You need to come back for your wisdom teeth," she dismisses me and my pain. She doesn't even prescribe painkillers.

That was last time I went to the dentist, about three months ago.
The pain is back.
This time, I'm not going to the Pointless One that told me I had a hole and then sent me packing again. I'm going to my friend Rock Chick's dentist (I went with her not too long ago when she had some major surgery done to her), even though it's over an hour for me to get there. He was nice and friendly and explained everything that he was doing as he was doing it. I like that.

My appointment is ina week's time, the earliest they had. Oh joy. That bodes well.

Cat-sitting

2008-06-20T18:40:00.001+10:00

I'm cat-sitting my friend's big fluffy tomcat right now, and it's been challenging.
My own Ryoko is a very solitary cat and very attached to me. She gets jealous and as a general rule, doesn't play well with others.

Mr. Niles, on the other hand, can't get get enough affection and is extremely clingy, whingy and generally in constant need of something or other.
Guess who has a deadline at the start of next week but has to keep entertaining or appeasing one cat or the other?
Yep, that would be me.

On the plus side, I have two cats, which means my life is still double awesome. because cats are just incredible.

Expect more Enter The Parrot goodness mid-next week when I've successfully jumped the deadline hurdle (or broke myself trying, at least)!

Enter The Parrot: What's it about?

2008-06-10T13:24:00.000+10:00

I'm going to try and post something about my upcoming book ENTER THE PARROT every week to give you a taste of what's coming.
Feel free to spread the word to everyone you know. And if you've got a book you'd like me to promote in return, why not drop me a line? I'm always happy to help the buzz about new and exciting projects around!
Today, I'm bringing you the back cover blurb. Would you pick it up in a bookshop?

Meet Jade, the White girl in the Wong family.

On the surface, Jade fits in perfectly. But just below the surface lurks the fragrance of ginger, ginseng, and a secret kung fu society.

When her crazy grandpa's deluded parrot goes missing, Jade must dive deep into the seedy underbelly of Chinatown to find him, keeping secrets from her best friends and her cute eco- mentor, Cedric: aka the hottest guy in school. She'll need her wits about her to solve the riddle, especially when more than one bird goes missing. Could TF, the hot Chinese guy with the washboard abs, hold the key to the mystery?

One girl. One parrot. One ancient kung fu mystery.
Got kung fu?

Hardcore Boot Science

2008-06-04T16:11:00.000+10:00

I love that my snowboarding boots are hardcore. In fact, they are Hardcore Boot Science, which is very reassuring, right?
I mean, if I would want anyone protecting my feet, I wouldn't want them to be casual about it.

Why am I talking about my boots in June? Well, because I'm wearing them right now, of course. First of all, they're new, so they need to be worn in. This is so that I won't have incredible toe pain on day two of our trip. Secondly, it's absolutely freezing right now and my office doesn't have a heater.
For some reason, people in Melbourne aren't aware of the fact that it does actually get cold in winter, and their houses are often equipped with one measly heater that is absolutely not enough to keep even the room it's in warm.

But of course the main reason why I'm clomping around in my snowboarding boots around the house (and cause my cat to fall off the couch every time I stomp by to get more tea)?
They're pink!
And everybody knows that wearing pink will make you write better. Not that I'm writing right now. but maybe it'll help with editing, too.

The big blog revival

2008-06-02T16:24:00.001+10:00

Welcome to the revival of this blog.
I've been very quiet recently, but I promise I'll make more of an effort to keep things up and running (not just here, in my other blog projects, too).
But why now? Well, there have been quite a few things going on since I last blogged, amongst them the little fact that I SOLD MY FIRST BOOK!

I sold Enter The Parrot, the first in the 'got kung fu' series. That's the cover right there. Isn't it awesome? My cover! For my book. The one that I wrote. Me. my book.

You will pardon me for being incoherent, but you have NO IDEA just how exciting this is. Unless you're a writer too, of course. in which case you can appreciate exactly the head space I am in right now.

I won another book!

2007-06-08T10:49:00.001+10:00

Dona Sakar-Mishra, author of How to salsa in a sari (Jan 08, Kimani Tru) -also creator of the most awesome titles- has an ongoing contest on her blog this week where you can win FREE BOOKS! There's only two left, so you'd better run over, because I won one yesterday!
I'm going to get Shannon McKelden's Venus Envy, which I'm mad excited about, since the blogosphere had nothing but good things to say about it, as far as I could tell.
Remember the last time I won a free book? It's now sitting on my shiny, shiny keeper shelf. I've said it then and I'll say it again. There's *nothing* as awesome as a free book.

If you could win a free book that's been (or being) released this year, what would it be, and why?

I won! I won!

2007-03-18T14:58:00.000+11:00

As hopefully most of you know, Tina Ferraro's Top 10 Uses For An unworn Prom Dress was released last week, and to celebrate, she had a contest over at YA Fresh. And she gave away signed copies of her book! Which is always exciting (I'm poor, *and* I live where shipping is expensive, pity me), but it's even more exciting, because I won! Yaaaay! I'm going to get my greedy little hand on a brand-new book that doesn't just have an excitingly pretty cover, but also sounds like a lot of fun. Expect me to talk about it once I've read it. ^_^
Hooray for winning!

Major Linkage

2007-03-02T10:24:00.001+11:00

I've updated the link section on the right, using BlogRolling. now it'll be much easier for me to stay on top of my major linkage!
Expect to see lots of cool links soon.
In the meantime, if you've got a site (your own, or just one you love) that you'd like me to link to, comment, or drop me a line!
I'm all for networking...

Gung hay fat choi

2007-02-19T14:12:00.000+11:00

It's Chinese New Year! Whee! Fireworks! Lots of food!
We spent the weekend with The Boy and his family, eating way too much food (and it was all sooooo good).
This year is a very special year, considered very lucky by Chinese people.
The Year of the Golden/Yin Fire Pig (or Ding Hai) comes around once every sixty years.
The Pig is the last of the twelve Zodiac Animals, and in a lot of ways, that means the year of the pig is one of closure, of tying up loose ends.

I was born in the year of the Snake, and this is what my horoscope said for the upcoming year (yes, I admit I looked around until I found one I liked, hehehe):

Snakes increase their income and a promotion may be heading their way. This paves the way to a much more interesting and satisfying career and this pleasant financial surprise will allow you to purchase something you couldn't previously afford. Take time for a health check-up in 2007 and promptly attend to any illness or injury while this Pig year opposition is in effect. Stomach problems can cause your digestive tract to act up. Be cautious of overindulging in food or drink. Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. A temporary rocky road this year, wait with patience, settle in and learn a new spiritual art.

Sounds good, right?

Which eyar were you born in, and what's in store for you? Or do you hate all that mumbo jumbo?

Play with me.

2007-02-04T17:56:00.000+11:00

I've always been a gamer. From board games to VR, I've played them all and loved them.
I've enjoyed console gaming from Day One. The only thing I never *really* got into was PC gaming, but that was more a matter of not being able to afford top end machines than anything else. I play *old* games on my PC. Well, mostly.

But lately, I've found that it's harder and harder for a game to get my attention for any significant amount of time. This point is really driven home when I talk to other gamers and what they are excited about.

in the end, the main divide seems to be between graphics and gameplay. To some people, graphics are everything. They'll forgive a tried-and-true cliche plot (or no plot at all) if the graphics are stunning, smooth and flawless. Some people live for the cinematics. Some for photo-realistic gore.

The other half are all about gameplay. Red dot chasing yellow dot? No problem as long as it's *fun*.
Now, don't get me wrong, most people will agree that having both is the best thing that can happen, but which one can't you live without?

Me, I'm definitely a gameplay person. The last game I really enjoyed for a significant amount of time was Emperor on the PC, a game whose graphics engine was state-of-the-art last century. but it was fun! You build a Chinese empire, complete with special buildings like the Great Wall, and if you have musicians in your town, you can have a dragon parade on Chinese New Year's. Great times.

We play a lot of games in this house. But I don't care for most of them. At the moment, I'm really into party games (on the Wii!). because there, gameplay and social fun intersect.

I've always loved playing games with friends. Like board games.

How do you like to play?

How old are you anyway?

2007-01-26T10:16:00.000+11:00

'Write what you know' is one of those overused mantras in writing. So is 'write from the heart'. A lot of people's inclinations (mine included) is that you can't take the what-you-know thing too literally. Research can be done, and after all, you constantly write about people/situations/time periods you don't have a personal account of, do you?

but maybe there is another point to it. I've had this discussion recently (on the train, as you do) about writers of YA books. And how I, as a general rule, dislike YA books written by mothers of teens and/or teachers of teen grades. Why? because they just don't ring true to me. They often sound too stilted, too trying to be cool.
I'm sorry, but just because you happen to run a b n'b (whether school or home) for teens does *not* put you in touch with teen life, issues and what they're really like.
Now, I'm certain I've read YA books by people in that age bracket that I've enjoyed, but not because of their occupation/living in a research habitat, but *despite* it.
I believe in order to write a certain age, you need to be able to act that age. it's like mental maturity or something. If you're no longer in synch with your inner teen, it's much harder to pull it off.

If you are writing YA, or thinking about it, ask yourself. Do you connect with what's hot right now? Do you follow the lingo? Do you appreciate pop trash? Are you down with music trends, do you understand the clothes?
Where were you in your teens? Were you popular? Were you a geek?
And one of the things that always grates on me is the lack of techno gadgets in a lot of teen novels. Hello? We've evolved past cell phones and casual mentions of iPods. Some people use IM in their books. IMing is the new talking on the (landline) phone. Text messaging. Online gaming. Why don't we see those more often?
because a lot of writers grew up before the tech overstimulation.

Maybe it's just me, but I much prefer YA books written by people who are still around that maturity level. They bring a natural language to the game, a certain flow that rings true. These people *could* have teen children/teach at school, but most don't. Most haven't grown up themselves.

What's my point? Maybe not write what you know, but act your age and write appropriately.

Blog changes

2006-08-17T07:49:00.000+10:00

Looking for Kiki Anika's witing blog?
It's moved!
To http://kikianika.blogspot.com.
I know, how shockingly intuitive.

So what's going to happen here? Some renovations, then it's going to be the blog of Kiki Lon, the parallel universe version of Kiki Anika. A lot less industry info and general ramblings. We'll see where it takes me.

So pull up a chair and kick back. We'll be with you shortly.