Blog Tour: Interview With Denise Jaden!

Denise Jaden is the debut author of Losing Faith which is available now from Simon Pulse!
 
KBB: Is there any one person who really inspired you to become a writer? If so, who?

DJ:  I would say the first author who really inspired me was Jane Hamilton. I remember the first book (A Map of the World) where I sat and just stared at sentences for hours on end. It was like the moment I fell in love with the English language.

KBB:  Why did you decide to write a book for young adults?

DJ:   The first novel I ever wrote was officially aimed at the adult market. Looking back now, I can see that almost all my writing naturally has a young adult flavor. It’s just something I fell into.

KBB:  What do you consider the best part of being a writer?

DJ:  I feel like I figure out a lot about the world by being a writer. That, and connecting with others, is my favorite part.

KBB:  Do you have any must-haves while you are writing?

DJ:  A cup of green tea and my online thesaurus.

KBB:  Do you have a favorite character from your book?

DJ:  I love all of my characters, but Tessa Lockbaum, a rebellious girl who befriends my main character, is definitely a favorite of mine. She says and does all the things I wish I could say and do. She very much has a mind of her own, and seemed to show up when she wanted to throughout the writing of the novel.

KBB:  Are any of the characters in your book based on people you know?

DJ:  None of my characters are based on real-life people, but I would say Tessa was inspired by someone I knew in high school.

KBB: Do you have a favorite young adult book that you would recommend? It can be an upcoming release, new release, or even a pretty old one.

DJ:  Oh, I have lots that I can recommend! Wintergirls, Speak, and Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. As for more recent reads, I really loved Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

KBB:  Can you tell us anything about what you are currently working on? Any more YA novels in the plans?

DJ:  I’m working on another YA novel called Appetite For Beauty. It’s about a cheeky and forthright girl who discovers a dangerous, self-destructive side in her sister, and has to decide between helping her sister and a powerful and unfamiliar desire to become appealing to a mysterious boy.

KBB: Just for fun: What is your most embarrassing moment? It can be writing related but it doesn’t have to be.

DJ:  This is supposed to be “fun”? haha. I’ve had plenty of embarrassing moments, but how about this one… I’ve lost a grass skirt on stage before (I’m a Polynesian dancer) in front of a crowd full of my parents’ friends.

KBB: Okay so embarrassing moments may not be fun when they happen but they are fun for readers. =]

Thanks so much for the interview, Denise!

Readers if you want to know more about Denise, check her out on the web.

Twitter:  @DeniseJaden

Website:  http://www.denisejaden.com/

Also, check out her blog for all the release party giveaways: http://www.denisejaden.com/Blog.html

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14 comments

  1. Love that embarrassing moment. It doesn’t top mine though. Let’s just leave it at this: A trip to the bathroom, and the long trailing friend I left with, unbeknownst to me until I’d gone through the entire store, talked with a clerk, and went to my car.

    Yeah.

    Love the tour, Denise!

  2. Writing connects you with lots of people. And I think it does the same with the characters in the story.

    Oh, I enjoyed reading Hush,Hush too. Patch. 🙂 *sighs*

    Another novel? YAY!! This one sound promising as well. 🙂

    That must have been one of the most embarrasing moments ever. And it happened in front of the people you know. *hides*

    Thank you for doing the interview Katie, and thank you Denise for sharing more things with us. 🙂

  3. I love that you just fell into YA, maybe because I was the same! The first novel I ever wrote was for NaNo 2005. I had no idea about voice or target audience or who my characters would be, and it totally came out YA. Yup — extreme pantsing revealed my destiny, lol.

    Enjoyed reading the interview — thanks Denise and Katie!

  4. Hehe, embarrassing moments only fun for the readers, so true! Fantastic interview, Katie. Denise sounds super cool and I can’t wait to read Losing Faith. =)