GCC Presents: Denise Jaden (with a contest!!!)

I'm proud to present another interview with one of my author pals from the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit. Denise Jaden has a new book out and since powerfully written contemporary YA is my favorite reading material, I am really looking forward to picking this one up! Here are the details as well as an awesome contest from Denise!

About NEVER ENOUGH:



From the author of Losing Faith, a novel about two sisters and the eating disorder that threatens to destroy their family.

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. And Loann is frightened she could lose the sister she’s always idolized.

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?



About the author:
Denise Jaden spent her high school lunch hours trying to tame her frizzy/curly hair in the bathroom, or playing freeze tag in the drama room. She attended the theatre program at college, and then enjoyed a variety of occupations, including stage production, mushroom farming, and Polynesian dancing. The first draft of her debut novel, Losing Faith, was written in 21 days during National Novel Writing Month. This is her second novel. She lives just outside Vancouver, Canada with her husband and son.

The Interview:
Q: What inspired you to write this book?

Denise: A good friend of mine struggled with eating disorders for many years, and as I got closer with her, I found myself wanting to understand her more and wishing I could help. I wrote Never Enough because I always felt like I was saying or doing the wrong things, and I wanted to understand what would help, rather than hurt.

Q: The main character of my first book, I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE, is the kind of girl I wanted to be (a rock star!), the MC of my second book has a lot more in common with teenage me. Is your main character someone you wish you could be, someone a lot like you, or your total opposite? How so?

Denise: My main character in Never Enough, Loann, is definitely close to the teenage me. We both have frizzy/curly hair, a sometimes inappropriate sense of humor, and we’re both very introspective.

Q: If there was a soundtrack for your book what are three songs that would be on it and how do they relate the story?

Denise: I had such a hard time with this question with Losing Faith, but I consciously thought about it while working on Never Enough.

Things I’ll Never Say by Avril Lavigne is the song that makes me think of Loann and Marcus’s friendship. It’s sweet and innocent, with lots of missed or too-shy moments of saying how they really feel. My Stupid Mouth by John Mayer totally reminds me of Loann, because she has the habit of saying the wrong thing and then trying to backtrack or fix her mistakes. Sick Cycle Carousel by Lifehouse is what I refer to in my head as “Claire’s Song.” Claire is on a constant carousel of ups and downs, of trying, and then not having it in her to try.


Q: In addition to writing books, I also write for a website for teens called Rookie, which has a regular feature called "Literally The Best Thing Ever," wherein we write about a thing that we think is super mega awesome (even if it is the type of thing that others might call a guilty pleasure, we believe there is nothing guilty about pleasure!) and explain why we think it is literally the best thing ever. It's generally a kind of unexpected thing, for example I wrote one about the soap opera, One Life To Live. I don't expect you to write a whole essay obviously, but can you briefly tell us what either you or your character (or both!) would say is "Literally The Best Thing Ever" and why?

Denise: Loann would say the best thing ever is her camera. It gives her freedom and helps her see the world in new ways. It constantly gives her perspective and photography is something she’s really talented at. I would say the best thing ever is dark chocolate with almonds.

Q: What are you working on for us next?

Denise: I’m working on another YA contemporary romance/mystery, tentatively titled FOREIGN EXCHANGE. It’s about a girl who sneaks away from her class trip in Europe, along with her crush, to find her missing best friend.

The Interview:
Denise holding a contest on her blog for four boxes of great books! Anyone who comments here will automatically be eligible to win. Here are all the details, so leave a comment and enter!