Denise Jaden's Blog, page 30

Who's Going to WWA SCBWI?

I've been crazy busy lately...but all good stuff. I'm trying to get through a first draft of this manuscript, which I'm very close to finishing. (When I get it done, I'll have written two first drafts of two novels in two months!) Aside from that, I have several projects just hanging in the valences, waiting for me to get to them: workshop prep, interview, guest posts, and a revision for my agent.

Whew! So my apologies for not being around here more. I hope to be back with some other NEVER ENOUGH secrets next week, as well as a recap of the Western Washington SCBWI Conference from this weekend.

I'm very excited to get away and hang with some other writers! Who else is going? Please, please, please say hi if you see me :-)[image error]

Book Trailer for Joelle Anthony's THE RIGHT AND THE REAL!

It's an exciting day! Not only is it Joelle Anthony's birthday, but today is the day that she's launching the book trailer for The Right and the Real! This looks like such an intense book, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy!



I love book trailers. They're such a quick and easy (and fun) way to find out quickly not only what the book is about, but also the tone of the book. Let me know what you think of this one, or stop by Joelle Anthony's site, as she's doing lots of celebrating and giving goodies away (Shouldn't she be getting gifts for her birthday?!)

Congrats, Joelle! Great trailer and I can't wait for the book![image error]

Vancouver LitFest

I had a great time over the weekend presenting at Vancouver LitFest. It's a great event, held at Douglas College, which was a perfect venue. I presented a panel with authors Danika Dinsmore and Alison Acheson, and was just sent a picture, so I thought I'd share it.

 (Danika, me, and Alison)
Next weekend I'll be at the Western Washington SCBWI conference. I'm very excited! Will I see any of you there?[image error]

Blog Hop Winners and Vancouver LitFest!

Holy cow, this week has gotten away from me! But I'm very excited to announce TWO lucky winners from my recent Hoppy Easter Blog Hop, as well as tell you about Vancouver LitFest which is FREE and is this weekend, and I will be there reading from my novels and answering your questions!

First of all, the winners!

Daniel Thornton will receive his first book of choice, and Sarah will receive her first book of choice!

Congratulations to both of you!!!

 
2nd Annual Lit Fest New West ~ April 12-14, 2012
Douglas College Campus

Sponsored by the Arts Council of New Westminster, Lit Fest New West is a three day literary arts event culminating in an all day MARKETPLACE and SHOWCASE on APRIL 14.

 I will be reading from LOSING FAITH and NEVER ENOUGH, and participating in a Q&A with two other local children's authors:  Danika Dinsmore and Alison Acheson
Sat, April 14 from 10 AM - 11 AM in Lecture Hall Two

ALL Saturday Lit Fest events at Douglas College are FREE to the public!
I hope to see you there!!!

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Blog Hop & #Giveaway

Welcome to the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Blog Hop! This hop has been organized by I'm a Reader Not a Writer blog.

Over 250 participating blogs are offering a book related giveaway and we are all linked up together so you can easily hop from one giveaway to another.  The hop runs from April 6th through April 12th.

I'm opening up one of my bookshelves for you to pick a book from. I will give books away to up to THREE winners (for every 50 entries I will add another prize winner). Some are advance copies, some are gently used, a few are even signed copies!

My Bookshelf Choices:

THE HOURGLASS DOOR by Lisa MangumDESIGNATED FAT GIRL by Jennifer JoynerA LOVE STORY STARRING MY DEAD BEST FRIEND by Emily HornerVIRGIN TERRITORY by James LecesneTHE DIVAS INDIA by Victoria Christopher MurrayTHE DIVAS DIAMOND by Victoria Christopher MurrayI LIKE IT LIKE THAT by Cecily von ZiegesarSIENNA SUMMER by Ann ChandlerJUNGLE CROSSING by Sydney SalterTHE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE AND DEATH by C.K. Kelly MartinHUSH by Eishes ChayilTHE EYES OF ALISSA RILEY by Lisa Ponto REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN by Stephanie HaleHEARTS AT STAKE by Alexandra HarveyALL UNQUIET THINGS by Anna JarzabPLAYING FOR PIZZA by John Grisham THE SWEETNESS OF SALT by Cecilia GalanteFASHIONISTA by Micol OstowROOM by Emma DonoghueTHE TALE OF JULIET by Jhet Torcelino-van RuyvenJULIET by Anne FortierCOOL CACHE by Patricia Smiley
Giveaway Details:
To enter giveaway please follow this blog, then fill out the form below.
Last Day to Enter is 4/12/12
Open to US mailing addresses only

Optional Extra Entries:
 +1 Follow this blog (click Follow on the right hand sidebar)
+1 Be or become my friend on Goodreads
+1 Follow on Twitter

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Book Recommendations!

I've been wanting to do a book recommendation post for a while, because I've been reading some awesome books lately. Because I have so many, I'm not going to go into too much detail about what I loved about them - just a summary and some really quick thoughts. Some of these books have recently been released and a few are still to come.

If you have others you'd recommend, I'd love to hear about them!


Let's start with Wanterlove by Kirsten Hubbard. This is one of my favorite books so far this year. If you want to hear more of my thoughts on this one, I recently posted over on The Contemps site about it. Here's a little excerpt of my thoughts...I guarantee this book will make you want to jump on a airplane without a plan. It'll make you fall in love with more than just the hot young man. Besides the writing that makes you feel like you are enveloped in her setting, Kirsten Hubbard also shares her drawing talents, which are incredible.

And here's the summary from GoodReads...

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan's found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

I'm not alone in loving this book. It gutted me and made me think of life in a new way. Even though I knew early on what would happen in this book, it didn't prepare me for the heartache I would feel. It most definitely changed me...in a very good way.

Here's the summary from GoodReads...

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

 Wow, I loved this book. The narrator is self-deprecating, which can be difficult to pull off without making the main character unlikeable, but I was in Amanda's (aka Zero's) court the whole way through this one. She had such a natural, loveable, and unique voice, plus I loved experiencing her journey as a growing artist.


Here's the summary from GoodReads:

For aspiring artist Amanda Walsh, who only half-jokingly goes by the nickname Zero, the summer before college was supposed to be fun—plain and simple. Hanging out with her best friend Jenn, going to clubs, painting, and counting down the days until her escape. But when must-have scholarship money doesn't materialize, and she has a falling out with Jenn that can only be described as majorly awkward, and Zero's parents relationship goes from tense to relentless fighting, her prospects start looking as bleak and surreal as a painting by her idol Salvador Dali. Will life truly imitate art? Will her new, unexpected relationship with a punk skater boy who seems too good to be real and support from the unlikeliest of sources show Zero that she's so much more than a name.

Unbreak My Heart was interesting in its structure, told between the past that wrecked Clem's life and the present day trying to get over it. Melissa Walker did a masterful job of drawing me into both stories, and the setting, living on a boat, was so incredibly interesting to me.

Here's the summary from GoodReads...

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams' heart. She fell for her best friend's boyfriend and long story short: he's excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents' plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he's just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem's walls and heal her broken heart? Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem's heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.

There are so many other great books I've read lately too, but I just wanted to pick a few of my absolute favorites today. I'm always on the lookout for awesome reads, so  I'd love to hear of any books that you can't stop talking about.

March Madness Final Prizes! #wipmadness

Congratulations to all the winners we've had for the March Madness prizes so far, and thank you so much again to all of the March Madness hosts for generously donating them!

We have two left! And as much as I would LOVE to keep these for myself...sigh....I'm not going to. Here are the remaining prizes:

UNRAVELING ISOBEL by Eileen Cook (Courtesy of Shari Green) OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL by K.M. Weiland (1 e-copy up for grabs!) (Courtesy of Deb Marshall)And our awesome Kim Baccellia has donated another ARC: THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT by Jennifer Smith (US mailing only)
I've drawn two more names, and whoever emails me first will get first choice. (d (at) denisejaden (dot) com)

The two new winners are...

Tonette dela Luna
and
Mary Ann!
The fact that Mary Ann is the last name I drew is very appropriate, since Mary Ann will be taking the baton and running with us (aka giving us check-in points) for the month of April.

I hope everyone has had as much fun and productiveness as I have this March Madness! I'll be doing it again next year, plus a few other writing challenges throughout the year, so I hope to see you all again.

March Madness Check-In Day 27 #wipmadness

I know I keep saying this, but I cannot believe the month is almost over! I'm happy to report that I've seen all sorts of "I'm finished" and "I've completed my goal!" comments around the hosting blogs and on Twitter. To that, I say CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

And even if you haven't completed your goals? Guess what? You're still here!!! You ARE diligent. You are committed. We LOVE having you here with us, and you've been an integral part of OUR processes. And to that I say: CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU!

As for me, I've made tremendous progress this month, much more than I would have had if I hadn't had anyone cheering me on. Not only am I nearing the end of my novel, which was my goal for this month (and I still plan to complete it by the 31st!), I've also been pretty quiet about a secondary project I've taken on. I'm not sure why, but somehow it felt like I was cheating while working on this project, even though I always put my novel first.

Earlier in the month, I taught a workshop on the subject of Grief in Fiction. It went well, and a couple of people encouraged me to put my notes together as a book, as they'd like to be able to buy it. So I've done just that! It still needs editing and probably a few additions, but I've finished a working draft of my first very first mini non-fiction book! I'm very excited, and to celebrate, I want to show you my mock-up cover.


It's still a work in progress, of course, but I think the pic fits the theme perfectly!

Annnddddd I have another prize to give away today! Congratulations to our previous winners. There are still plenty of great prizes left...

 Advance copy of ARTICLE FIVE by Kristen Simmons
(Courtesy of Jaye Robin Brown)

UNRAVELING ISOBEL by Eileen Cook
  (Courtesy of Shari Green)

Query and 10-page critique (Courtesy of Anne Hale)

OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL by K.M. Weiland
(2 e-copies up for grabs!) (Courtesy of Deb Marshall)

DARWEN ARKWRIGHT AND THE PEREGRINE PACT by A.J. Hartley
(Courtesy of Laura Taylor - Laura kindly offered to get this one signed if you're willing to wait for it!)

 And today's winner is...

Kiperoo!!!
Congratulations Kip! Please email me your choice of prizes at d(at)denisejaden(dot)com. And for the rest of you...don't stop checking in! I'll be drawing more names this week and it's not too late to win.

Tomorrow, don't forget to stop by Angelina Hansen's blog. Now...go forth and finish that goal!

14 Ways To Make Mediocre Art

Thank you Emily for this! (If you, like me, needed to hear this, you should really drop by Emily's blog and read more about it!)

March Madness Check-In Day 20 #wipmadness (& Prizes!!!)

I'm so impressed with everyone's progress and dedication to checking in that I've decided to start digging into our arsenal of prizes EARLY. Like, as in, TODAY!!!

I've been seeing people exceeding their goal word counts, cheering each other on, even finishing entire novels! This calls for some serious celebrating, folks! I, for one, have dug into the red wine and dark chocolate on your behalf, but I want to make sure you're starting to celebrate your successes as well. So, first, let me remind you of our awesome prize contingent:

First page critique by agent Katie Grimm from Don Congdon Associates
(Courtesy of Angelina Hansen)

Ten page critique by agent Michelle Humphrey from Martha Kaplan Agency (Courtesy of Denise Jaden)

Advance copy of ARTICLE FIVE by Kristen Simmons
(Courtesy of Jaye Robin Brown)

UNRAVELING ISOBEL by Eileen Cook
  (Courtesy of Shari Green)

Query and 10-page critique (Courtesy of Anne Hale)

Copyedit critique of 50 pages (Courtesy of Laura Taylor)

OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL by K.M. Weiland
(2 e-copies up for grabs!) (Courtesy of Deb Marshall)

DARWEN ARKWRIGHT AND THE PEREGRINE PACT by A.J. Hartley
(Courtesy of Laura Taylor)
Wow! Amazing stuff. I (and probably all of our other co-hosts) am jealous! I've drawn one winner's name for today, but before I tell you who it is, here's how the prize draws will work: The winner today will have his or her choice of all of these prizes. So long as they let me know by email at d (at) denisejaden (dot) com of their choice, plus any pertinent mailing info, I will get it sent/arranged for them. Next week, if we continue to have such great participation, I'll have taken one claimed prize off of this list and will announce a second winner. Unfortunately I do not have time to chase around winners to let them know, so you'll want to keep an extra close eye on this (and other host blogs) from now until the end of March. If you don't claim your prize, they will all be left on the list for someone else to claim. As we near the end of the month, I plan to give prizes away at a much quicker pace, so you will want to be checking in!!!

Don't forget to leave your progress in the comments today, and congratulate our first winner...

Jennifer Pickrell!!!
Congratulations! Jennifer, please email me with your prize selection, and everybody else, have a great writing day! I'll see you on Twitter under #wipmadness or at Angelina Hansen's Blog tomorrow!!