Denise Jaden's New Release: NEVER ENOUGH

I love the fact that my 2k10 pals are releasing their next books, and I get to host them here! Last week Kristina McBride...and this week I'm featuring my friend Denise Jaden, and her new novel NEVER ENOUGH. Keep an eye out for her collaborative video, which is such a cool idea; I'll feature it here when it's out. Here's Denise:

Congrats on your new release, NEVER ENOUGH! Please give readers a synopsis of the story.

Loann’s always wanted to be popular and pretty like her sister, Claire. So when Claire’s ex-boyfriend starts flirting with her, Loann is willing to do whatever it takes to feel special… even if that means betraying her sister.

But as Loann slips inside Claire’s world, she discovers that everything is not as it seems. Claire’s quest for perfection is all-consuming, and comes at a dangerous price. As Claire increasingly withdraws from friends and family, Loann struggles to understand her and make amends. Can she heal their relationship —and her sister—before it’s too late?

LOSING FAITH was such a terrific debut. Did you find the second novel harder to write? Easier? How about your writing process – has that changed?

I had actually written many drafts of NEVER ENOUGH before I’d even come up with the concept for LOSING FAITH. NEVER ENOUGH has been a work in progress for about eight years, and has gone through many extensive revisions. I have since discovered NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which has taught me a lot about fast drafting and moving forward to find my real story, rather than getting caught up for months on one section.

How about the publication process now – do you feel more comfortable with it?

Yes and no. Everything takes FOREVER in publishing, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that. Also, being a figure of public scrutiny is hard to get used to. But I’m at the point now where I have so many projects on the go, it keeps me from getting too caught up in any of the more difficult parts of publishing.

You are great at publicity. Would you mind sharing what you think works best?

Thank you! I don’t enjoy selling myself, but I do enjoy social media very much. Maybe too much! So I’ve learned to put my time into the things I enjoy (read: Twitter) and not so much into the things that I don’t (read: sitting behind a table in an empty bookstore). I’m always trying new things regarding publicity, and I say yes to pretty much anything that comes my way (time-permitting), but I spend less of my time seeking out opportunities now. One new thing I’m trying with the release of NEVER ENOUGH, is a collaborative author video on self-esteem. It should be out soon and I’m really excited about it!

Has anything in your writing or personal life changed that you’d care to share?

Plenty has changed in my life since the publication of my first book. I actually had a pretty rotten year in 2011, lots of tragedies, including the sudden loss of my dad. All these things have really given me a dose of perspective. I love writing, and I’m back to a place where I’m doing it because I love it. Family is certainly my priority, though, and where my life got swept off course with the release of LOSING FAITH, I feel much more balanced coming up to this release.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a couple of projects I’m excited about. One is another YA contemporary novel with strong romance/mystery elements. It’s called FOREIGN EXCHANGE, and is about a girl who has to sneak away from her class trip in Europe, along with her crush, to find her missing best friend.

The other is my first attempt at non-fiction. I’m working on a book called WRITING WITH A HEAVY HEART: USING GRIEF AND LOSS TO STRETCH YOUR FICTION. This book is the result of a workshop I taught earlier this year on writing grief in fiction. It should be out later this year.

That sounds amazing - I look forward to both of those! Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

I try to keep my website up to date at http://www.denisejaden.com

You can also find me on Facebook or Twitter under denisejaden.

Thanks so much, Denise!

Thank YOU, Janet!!