Denise Jaden's Blog, page 27

Something Very Special For Release Day!

Never Enough is in the wild! Of course I'm very excited, but I'm almost as excited about this special video I get to share with you today.

Self-esteem is an issue very close to me. I definitely didn't feel good enough as a teen, and still struggle with those feelings of inadequacy sometimes today. Several of my author friends took the time to chime in and talk about how they didn't feel good enough during their teen years.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch it. And again I'd like to say thank you to all of the authors involved and to all of those who have been so supportive of this video and of my new book, Never Enough.

Do you feel like you have trouble measuring up? See if your feelings match any of the authors in this video...


Share this video around and come back and tell me about it, and I'll enter your name to win some awesome boxes of books!

TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW!!!

Yeah, I'm a little excited. If you check the Never Enough widget off in my right-hand sidebar, you'll see that there's a big 00 where it tells you how many days until Never Enough comes out.

If you haven't stopped by the blog tour yet, you should definitely do that. Besides telling you all of my deep dark secrets along the way, I'm also giving away some wonderful boxes of books.  Also, I've gone through and fixed up the links for all the tour posts so far so that you can quickly and easily click through to them and comment, entering yourself for the fabulous prizes.

You will get extra entries for finding other blogs that are spotlighting Never Enough, or even MORE entries for spotlighting it on your own blog or Facebook.

And...if you can find a copy of Never Enough in the wild (bookstore, library, etc) take a picture of it and email it to me at d (at) denisejaden (dot) com and I will throw your name in that hat an additional TEN times!

Besides that, come back tomorrow, on launch day, as I have a very special video to show you to commemorate my release.

Also, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all those who have been supporting Never Enough so much already. I'm honestly overwhelmed  and thrilled by all of your kind words.

See you back here TOMORROW!

GCC Presents Jessica Brody and 52 Reasons To Hate My Father

Don't forget about the blog tour and gigantic giveaways for Never Enough. Keep hunting for blogs highlighting Never Enough and mark them down! But for today, we're celebrating the launch of a different book...

Summary from Amazon:

Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteenth birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

 I'm excited to welcome another author from the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit! Jessica Brody's new book, 52 Reasons To Hate My Father, released July 3rd from Farrar Straus Giroux/Macmillan Publishing Group.

Here's what people are saying about 52 Reasons...


“The #1 reason you’ll love this book? Because it’s tons of fun.”
-Bestselling author Meg Cabot “Famous and spoiled teenage heiress Lexington Larrabee could give the Kardashians a run for their money in this opulent and fast-paced story…sharp writing and over-the-top scenes will appeal to readers looking for a fun summer read.”
- Publisher’s Weekly “This unusual riches-to-rags tale is fun and interesting…the mysteries layered throughout, as well as the depth of the main characters, draw you in. Lexi is an obnoxious but lovable character you’ll root for!”
- Romantic Times Book Review   (4 Stars!)
Jessica stopped by for a short interview about the book and her writing...

Welcome, Jessica! Can you tell me about your book in seven words or less?
Spoiled heiress works 52 low-wage jobs.

Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why?
I know it’s cheesy to say that you’re in love with your own love interest but I really am! Luke is the 20-year-old college intern who Lexi’s father hires to keep tabs on Lexi while she’s completing her 52 jobs. He’s kind of an arrogant jerk at first but he has reason to be. Especially when he’s around Lexi who’s a spoiled brat. I have to say, I kind of fell for him as I was writing the book. And so the best part about filming the book trailer was being able to cast Luke. During the auditions, the actor who I ended up casting walked through the door and I knew immediately that he was Luke. He fit the part SO perfectly! And the fact that there was a shirtless scene in the script didn’t suck either!

What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?
Learn to let go. If you get too attached to a specific scene, storyline, character, etc, it will be far too hard for you to be able to revise your manuscript effectively. Sometimes stories have to change in order to get them to where they need to go. If you hold on too hard to something that’s not working, you’re not helping the story at all. Sometimes you need to let go of what you think you want the book to be and embrace what the book is destined to become.
What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?
I wrote a lot of short stories as a teen but I wasn’t as “into” writing at that age as I was when I was much younger. When I was seven I published my first novel (with cardboard, wallpaper and electrical tape). It was called the Puppy and the Kitty and it was about a puppy and a kitty who ran away from home and got the chicken pox. So to me, the moral of that story is crystal clear: “Don’t run away from home, kids. Or you will get the chicken pox!”

What's the last book you read that you really loved?
I really really loved STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth, which just released in May. It’s about a girl who’s a lightening addict and she’s the key to saving or destroying the world. Jennifer and I are editor sisters (we have the same editor at our publishing house) and we became very good friends because of that. But we had become friends before I had ever read anything she wrote. So when I first got an ARC for STRUCK earlier in the year, I was a little nervous that I wasn’t going to like it and then I was going to have to lie to my new friend! Fortunately I LOVED it so there was no problem.





Jessica Brody is the bestselling author of The Karma Club and My Life Undecided, as well as two books for adults: The Fidelity Files and Love Under Cover. In researching this book, she took on several minimum wage jobs, her favorite of which was working the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. She splits her time between California and Colorado. Visit her online at: www.jessicabrody.com


Also, to celebrate the release this week, Jessica's doing a fun giveaway for an “heiress prize pack.” http://www.jessicabrody.com/2012/07/change-your-profile-pic-become-an-heiress/You can pick up a copy of 52 Reasons To Hate My Father at one of the following links. Thanks for visiting, Jessica, and congratulations!

Amazon Purchase Link: http://amzn.to/MOlElaBarnes and Noble Purchase Link: http://bit.ly/P13hw8Indie Bound Purchase Link: http://bit.ly/KWtXvv

Blog Tours and Entries and Prizes Oh My!

If you missed my Prize Vault Post from this morning, not to worry. I'll tempt you all over again at the bottom of this post!

The excitement is starting, friends! My blog tour officially starts today. Thanks so much to Kari from A Good Addiction for organizing it! And why should you care about following this blog tour? Good question! First of all, because many of these blogs will be sharing my brand new book trailer for Never Enough! But more importantly, because for each of the following blog posts that you comment on, I will enter you into my Enormous Super-Spectacular Prize Draw!


Monday, July 2: Kari at A Good Addiction(Author Interview)Tuesday, July 3: Crystal at My Reading Room (Into the Past)Wednesday, July 4: Corrine at Lost for Words(Review)Thursday, July 5: Tara G at Hobbitsies (Tens List)Friday, July 6: Zoe at Zoe’s Book Reviews(Author This or That)Saturday, July 7: Lauren M at 365 Days of Reading(Review)
Sunday, July 8: Jamie L at Bookmarked (When I’m Not Writing)Monday, July 9: Angela at Reading Angel (Author Interview)Tuesday, July 10: Tara G at Hobbitsies (Review)Wednesday, July 11: Lauren M at 365 Days of Reading(Tens List)Thursday, July 12: Corrine at Lost for Words(Author Word Associations) Friday, July 13: Crystal at My Reading Room (Review)
But wait! There are also more ways to win! There are many other blogs who will be featuring Never Enough between July 2-15th! Comment on ANY OR ALL OF THEM and then come back here and share the links to the blogs spotlighting Never Enough, and that will earn you TWO entries--one for commenting, and one for sharing the link.

Highlight Never Enough on your own blog, and then come back here and share the link in the comments, and that will earn you FIVE entries! Tweet and spread the word about this giveaway, using @denisejaden or tag denisejaden in your Facebook post and I will add an entry for every time you do that!
So the thing is, there are plenty of EASY ways to win. And if I haven't convinced you yet, let me just remind you of The Prize Vault...
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Simon Pulse has been extremely generous in donating a whole lot of books to my prize vault to celebrate the release of Never Enough. It's time for a look at what's up for grabs...

Prize Pack A includes:

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Black Heart by Holly Black
Lifted by Wendy Toliver
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins











Prize Pack B includes:

Being Friends With Boys by Terra Elan Mcvoy
Dust Lands by Moira Young
The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

Prize Pack C includes:

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Torn by Margaret Petersen Haddix
Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
Wrecked by Anna Davies
The Limit by Kristen Landon






In case you missed it, that's THREE packs of five books. But that's not all! I have one grand prize box of books, and this is a very special box because it includes TWO celebrations! Half of the books are from Simon Pulse, or from my own bookshelf, and are celebrating the birth of NEVER ENOUGH. The other half of the books have been donated by my most amazing critique partner, Shana Silver, and I'd like to include those to celebrate a much more precious birth...the birth of her first baby!

Here's what the Grand Prize Pack includes...

White Cat by Holly BlackWrapped by Jennifer BradburyPaper Towns by John GreenFury by Elizabeth MilesPerfect by Ellen HopkinsThe Season by Sarah MacLeanThe Absolute Value of -1 by Steve BrezenoffA Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. BunceShadow Hills by Anastasia HopcusRed Glove by Holly BlackWings by Aprilynne PikeSisters Red by Jackson PearceKitty Kitty by Michele JaffeSuite Scarlett by Maureen JohnsonGolden (audiobook) by Jennifer Lynn BarnesThe Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (not pictured because I'm sneaking in a quick read!)
I'm very excited about these upcoming couple of weeks and my chance to give away these fabulous prizes! The box sets can only go to someone with a U.S. mailing address, due to exorbitant international mailing costs, but because I SO HIGHLY VALUE my international readers as well, if I draw one of your names, you will still definitely get a prize (some extra-special Never Enough swag, or a book of your choice from Book Depository!)
There's plenty of incentive! So go get busy, learn more about me and my new book, and help spread the word! I'll also have other extra-special things to share with you, like a video highlighting different authors and how they never felt like enough as teens. I can't wait to share this and much more with you!!!

Never Enough Prize Vault!

Bookmark this page! You'll want to come back here over the next two weeks to swoon and dream and decide which prize pack you would most like to win! As I mentioned in an earlier post, Simon Pulse has been extremely generous in donating a whole lot of books to my prize vault to celebrate the release of Never Enough. It's time for a look at what's up for grabs...

Prize Pack A includes:

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Black Heart by Holly Black
Lifted by Wendy Toliver
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins











Prize Pack B includes:

Being Friends With Boys by Terra Elan Mcvoy
Dust Lands by Moira Young
The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan


Prize Pack C includes:

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Torn by Margaret Petersen Haddix
Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
Wrecked by Anna Davies
The Limit by Kristen Landon






In case you missed it, that's THREE packs of five books. But that's not all! I have one grand prize box of books, and this is a very special box because it includes TWO celebrations! Half of the books are from Simon Pulse, or from my own bookshelf, and are celebrating the birth of NEVER ENOUGH. The other half of the books have been donated by my most amazing critique partner, Shana Silver, and I'd like to include those to celebrate a much more precious birth...the birth of her first baby!

Here's what the Grand Prize Pack includes...


White Cat by Holly BlackWrapped by Jennifer BradburyPaper Towns by John GreenFury by Elizabeth MilesPerfect by Ellen HopkinsThe Season by Sarah MacLeanThe Absolute Value of -1 by Steve BrezenoffA Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. BunceShadow Hills by Anastasia HopcusRed Glove by Holly BlackWings by Aprilynne PikeSisters Red by Jackson PearceKitty Kitty by Michele JaffeSuite Scarlett by Maureen JohnsonGolden (audiobook) by Jennifer Lynn BarnesThe Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (not pictured because I'm sneaking in a quick read!)
I'm very excited about these upcoming couple of weeks and my chance to give away these fabulous prizes! The box sets can only go to someone with a U.S. mailing address, due to exorbitant international mailing costs, but because I SO HIGHLY VALUE my international readers as well, if I draw one of your names, you will still definitely get a prize (some extra-special Never Enough swag, or a book of your choice from Book Depository!)
Keep your eye on my blog in the coming days, as there will be lots of chances to enter to win these great gifts. If you see @shanasilver around Twitter, make sure to pass along your thanks and congratulations (at time of writing this, she has not gone into labor, but it could happen AT ANY MOMENT!). 
And don't forget to come back! All the fun will be happening right here, between July 3-15th, as Shana welcomes her new bundle of preciousness and  I welcome my new book baby into the world!

Never Enough Secrets: On the Topic of Sex

I know I'm sticking my toes in some pretty fiery waters here, and I don't want to start a heated debate. I just wanted to share another secret with you from my new book Never Enough.

There's sex in it.

It's true, and many of you may be shaking your heads, thinking, "okay, where's the big secret?" Because there are plenty of YA novels out there with sex scenes in them. The difference is, this is the first one of mine.

And so, rather than debating the topic, I just wanted to share a little of my own personal thoughts on the subject. To me, sex is a very private thing. Maybe the most private thing. I've never been one to talk to girlfriends about intimate details of my relationships. It's just not me. To be honest, it makes me uncomfortable reading a sex scene in a book or watching a movie with a vivid sex scene in it (though for some reason I always seem to rent those kind of movies when my mom is coming over!). To me, it feels like the act is meant only for those involved, and not for me.

So why did I write a sex scene into my book then? I'm not sure what to say to that, except that the story and the characters come first. The integrity of the story matters to me. I want my stories to be reflections of true human existence. I write, in part, because it helps me sort out my own thoughts and feelings about the world, and so if I'm not being true to my characters, I don't feel like I learn anything. The places Never Enough went are where the characters took me, and while I got lost and caught up in character during the writing of the sex scene, I admit, it still makes me uncomfortable every time I read it.

Coming up to the launch of Never Enough, I've had some feelings of trepidation about this. If it makes me uncomfortable, how uncomfortable will it make others?  I think of certain friends and family reading this scene and I wonder if they'll look at me differently or be offended or have trouble meeting my eye after reading this book. But the truth is, the same with every other thing that happens in this book, I was telling Loann's story the best way I knew how. The most honest way I knew how.

And, like I said, I'm a very private person when it comes to sex, but here's one more thing that I didn't plan, but that just came out of the end product: this book is a book I wish I'd read when I was a teen, sex and all. No, I wouldn't have been comfortable reading it, but it would have helped me think beyond my preconceived ideas about sex and made me feel like I wasn't alone.

So I hope if you're reading this and you're a blog reader or a friend or a parent, or all of the above...I hope you'll give Never Enough, a chance and know that the story is not about me, the author. It's about Loann and Marcus and Claire, and I hope you will love the brief glimpse I was able to give into their lives.

Local Launch Party!

I finally have the details for my local launch party! If you're not from the area, not to worry. I will be doing a big online launch as well with LOTS of prizes! More coming on that soon, but for now, this...

(Click on picture to go to the Facebook Event Page and let me know that you're coming!)


I hope to see lots of you there!

GCC Presents Myra McEntire and TIMEPIECE!

Isn't that the coolest cover? I love it! I'm welcoming another girlfriend from Girlfriends Cyber Circuit, Myra McEntire, and her new release, TIMEPIECE!  ABOUT TIMEPIECE:

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples—cracks in time. Are Kaleb’s powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before Kaleb can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?
 
In the wake of Landers’s return, the Hourglass organization is offered an ultimatum by a mysterious man. Either they find Landers and the research he has stolen on people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered—with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most.
 
Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their extraordinary powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? Even if they succeed, just finding him may not be enough. . . .
 
The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science-fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

CONTEST:

Myra has a contest on her site - http://myramcentire.com - that will run from June 18th to June 25th. She’ll be giving away signed copies of HOURGLASS and TIMEPIECE, signed posters of the covers, a goodie basket inspired by her characters, and signed books from other authors!

ABOUT MYRA McENTIRE:

[image error]Myra McEntire knows the words to every R&B hit of the last decade, but since she lives in Nashville, the country music capital of America, her lyrical talents go sadly unappreciated. She's chosen, instead, to channel her "mad word skills" into creating stories. She's an avid Doctor Who fan and will argue passionately about which incarnation is the best. 
You can find her at:
http://MyraMcEntire.comhttps://twitter.com/#!/MyraMcEntire

Myra stopped by for a short interview. Welcome, Myra! Can you tell me about your book in seven words or less. Boy changes, falls in love, corrects mistakes  
Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why? I love love love Lily. I never ever had to struggle with what she was going to say or do, because she’s one of those that just sprung up fully formed!  
What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors? Read. Read. Read. And then, read.  
What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether? I wrote terrible, terrible poetry. I just found some, and I’ll be posting on the blog soon.  
What's the last book you read that you really loved? Everneath by Brodi Ashton. It surprised me, because I didn’t expect the level of emotion it achieved. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t know it would rip my guts out. In a nice way.  
Thanks, Myra, and congratulations on your release!

I LOVE Fan Art!

I apologize if these fan art pieces are getting old to me, but they will never get old to me. I seriously LOVE being able to get glimpses into how readers connect with my books. Remember my young friend Kaylie, who sent me this beautiful poster a little while ago? (I especially love the shofar down in the right hand corner!)







Well, Kaylie just send me another awesome piece of fan art! Her very own book trailer for Losing Faith. Have a look...


Don't you just love Tessa?!

Thank you so much, Kaylie, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed Losing Faith!

Teen Author Tuesday Presents Laura Bowers and JUST FLIRT!

 A secret blog and an off-limits go-cart racer? I'm in! JUST FLIRT by Laura Bowers is out this month. Watch the ultra-cute trailer to see what it's about!


Laura Bowers stopped by for a short interview about her book. Welcome, Laura! Can you tell me about your book in seven words or less?
A secret blog turns everything upside down.

Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why?
I love all my characters, but my heart is most smitten for these two grubby, rebellious twins called the Cutson brothers who are always getting into trouble! They also say my favorite line from the book:
“We ain’t seen nothing, puppy hater.”
What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?
Always put craft before publication.
Sometimes new writers—and old ones like myself—get so wrapped up in social media or their efforts to sell a book that they forget to concentrate on what’s most important: Improving their craft and continually writing, reading, and learning because the best way to sell a book is to write an amazing, powerful manuscript.  
What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?
Despite getting an A in Creative Writing, (my only A in high school,) I never wrote much as a teen and I never thought it was possible for someone like me to be an author—someone who wasn’t on the newspaper committee, never made honor roll, or had big college plans. This preconceived notion followed me to my late twenties, until I finally realized that everyone had a voice worth sharing . . . even me.
What's the last book you read that you really loved?
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED this book! I literally couldn’t put it down.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Laura!

You can pick up a copy of Just Flirt from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or from your favorite independent retailer. Find out more about Laura and her books at http://laurabowers.net