AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Denise Jaden

Denise Jaden is the author of LOSING FAITH, a contemporary YA novel coming out from Simon Pulse on September 7, 2010.  That's in just a few days, you guys!  I already got a chance to read the ARC and it was a really great read.  I had taken it with me to work one day and was very, very tempted to read a page or two during the workday.  :-D

Denise is currently doing a really fun online launch party with lots of great interviews and prizes for you!  Check out her blog to get the scoop each day.   

And now, here are her answers to my Magic 8 interview!

1. At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

At eight I probably wanted to be some kind of dancer. I still am a professional Polynesian dancer, performing regularly with a very fun dance troupe, so I got that part right!

At eighteen, I wanted to be an actress. I went to the University of Victoria and majored in Theatre (and parties).

By twenty-eight, I just wanted to be a mom. It took me several years to make it happen, but now I have one very adorable little boy (adorable most of the time, anyway!)

2. Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?

I was the Drama Geek. And the girl who got along with everyone. I’m probably still kinda that girl.

3. What are some of your superstitions and/or phobias?

I’m not terribly superstitious and I’m constantly trying to break myself of my fears. Like my main character, Brie, I do have an ongoing fear of heights I can’t seem to shake though.

4. Without giving away too much from your book, which character or scene are you the most pleased about having created, and why?

I LOVE Tessa Lockbaum. Even though she wasn’t in my outline, she appeared during the writing of the first draft and pretty much took over the story. As for a favorite scene, I really like the one when Brie and her mom are making pasta together. It always makes me cry. I can’t say any more than that without spoilers.

5. Was there any certain music that inspired you while you were writing this book, or is there a song that could serve as your protagonist’s theme song?

You know, I love music, and have very eclectic taste, but I’ve never really felt a connection between music and writing. I need silence to write. One of the activities on the LOSING FAITH Discussion Guide on my website is to create a playlist for my book, and I hope one day to be able to see some of those playlists. I’d love to see what music other people would choose for LOSING FAITH.

6. What’s up next for you as a writer?

At the moment I’m working on another YA book, this one about a teen archer who’s battling some family problems and falling for the wrong guy. It’s titled PERFECT AIM.

7. And now, the most important question of all: Beatle or Elvis? Please support your answer. ;-)

This is a tough one! Elvis has the moves. But then again, who can compete with… Hey, Jude…
I plead the fifth!

8. Okay, your turn. Do you have a question you'd like me to ask my Magic 8 Ball on your behalf? (I'm telling you, this things is scarily accurate! Well, except for when it's lying.)

Will I be bigger than John Grisham? (Now we’ll KNOW if it’s lying!)

T
These pictures are getting harder to read every time!  Sorry!  What it says is, "Better not tell you now."   I guess it thinks that we CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.  Ha!  Thanks so much, Denise!

Seriously.

Every time I try to upload pictures on LJ, a Photobucket page hijacks everything.  What gives?  Can I make it STOP? (By the way, I have a sort of plan to blog every day in September. This totally counts for today's because LJ is effing up the entry I've tried four times to finish!)

Goodreads giveaway.

There is a Freefall ARC available on Goodreads for one lucky winner in the U.S.!  The best news is that all you have to do to enter to win is click! 

And, I think, provide a mailing address. 

Oh, and be a registered member of Goodreads.

But other than that, it's totally simple!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Freefall

by Mindi Scott

Giveaway ends October 01, 2010.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Best of luck!

New Vlog: Silversun Pickups totally saved my revisions!

I've posted Vlog #3.  Hooray!

Fun facts about this one:

1.  There is a Dark Secret about my revising for my editor revealed.

2.  We were going to include bootleg footage from the Silversun Pickups concert I attended, but it didn't work out.  However!  You can view the awesome footage here if you'd like.

3.  Not all of this was shot on the same day.   You might or might not be able to guess which parts were from a few weeks ago and which were from today!

4.  On the video, I say that revising for my editor was the first time I'd ever had to make changes and be accountable to someone else.  That is actually not true!  I did a round of revisions for my agent about two months before the book sold.  

What's up.

Look!  It's been an entire week since I posted!  It doesn't feel like a week has passed.  Which explains why I think the date every day is August 19th.

I booked the hotel in NYC for my upcoming trip.  It was a Priceline name-your-own-price thing.  I check in there and throw in a few bids -- which are never accepted -- and then I do it again a couple of weeks later.  But today it accepted my fourth (I think it was) offer), so we're set. 

And . . . I'm wondering if that fourth bid was a mistake.  Maybe I could have gotten a better deal if I'd stopped and tried again in a couple of more weeks.  :-(  I'm just not going to think about it.  What's done is done.

ANYWAY!  I'm going to New York in October!  I think you all knew that, though?  I'm going to be having a joint signing at a super-cool store with about a dozen other super-cool authors.  It's all confirmed, but the details are still being worked out, so I'll wait to tell you the stuff until I know everything that there is to know. 

But I do know the date:  October 10, 2010!  Mark you calendars and BE THERE.  Yeah!

Other than that, I ordered postcards today with the info for my October 17 launch party in Seattle.  I'll be passing those out to everyone I've ever met when they arrive in two weeks.

And.  Hmmm.  Other than that, I have nothing.  Except a headache.  I tried to wear my glasses today and my eyes were killing me.  Last time this happened, it went on for about two months and I had to have my prescription changed because my eyesight had improved.  The too-strong prescription was causing headaches galore.  This is not a thing I'd like to go through again, so I hope it stops soon.  Immediately would be better.

Er... bye for now!