Thankful Thursday: Book Bloggers, Teachers, Librarians, and Booksellers

I was going to add this to yesterday's post, but thought that post would get far too long. Because I have plenty of thankfulness when it comes to bloggers, teachers, librarians, and booksellers. In fact, you're even in my acknowledgements for NEVER ENOUGH (I wanted to put you in big flashing neon lights, but that was vetoed at higher levels because of cost). I'm now moving into publishing my second novel. I'm not Sarah Dessen or JK Rowling. And yet, I'm seeing support already, all over the place, for NEVER ENOUGH. My gratitude is huge.

Let me start with Book Bloggers, because you hold a very special place in my heart. You gave my debut book a chance before it was even released, before you had even heard of me, and not only that, but you plastered it all over the Internet, telling others they should read it too. Whenever anyone questions the value of book bloggers, I want to punch them in the nose.

Teachers: I feel for you. You get a bad rap a lot of the time, and I feel worse, because I gave you a bad rap for many years. It's the same kind of regret I feel for not noticing how great my parents were when I was at that age where everybody sucked. You deal with that age--that suck rep--every day. You shape the next generation, and open their eyes to so many great things (like books they might not pick up otherwise). You deserve a medal for putting up with ungrateful kids like I was.

Librarians: Let me just say, that as a profession in general, you are some of my favorite people in the world. There is nothing more refreshing to me than to walk into a building (a library) where I *know* I will end up running into someone passionate about books. I could hang with you people all day long.

Booksellers: Of anybody on this list, I feel a kinship with you. You have to mesh what you love with what sells every day. And sometimes you don't get to sell what you love. But when you do, you make sure everybody knows about it. I'm so incredible thankful for the many bookstores that carried my first novel--that took a chance on me--and even put extra care into displaying my book and hand-selling it to your customers.

This is why, when I received an extra galley of NEVER ENOUGH this week, all of you were first on my thoughts. I wanted so badly to get my next book into your hands. If you fit into the list above, or even if you don't, but you really want to read and help spread the word about NEVER ENOUGH, make sure to sign up and get on the ARC Tour. I hope everyone who wants to gets a chance to read it and I hope you love it!

Thank you again, all of you, for everything you do!

Thankful Thursday

To be hones, I've been a bit of a grump lately. So I thought I might be due to count my blessings. And already it is putting a smile on my face. Besides, Canadian Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

1. As always, I'm so thankful that I have a happy, healthy family who loves me.
2. I'm thankful that my mom sold her house.
3. I'm thankful for the community of writers I know and how generous everyone is with sharing their wisdom and experience.
4. I'm thankful for blogging. Yes, it's true. There's something about blogging that makes me feel happy, and I love to see comments and know there are people listening, and I love hearing from old friends as well as seeing brand new names show up in the comments.
5. I'm thankful that I've had a new gym to workout in lately. Before I went there, my husband told me, "yeah, but it's really warm and spread out in this new place." How little he knows me! If there are two things I LOVE warmth and spaciousness!!
6. I'm thankful that my edits on NEVER ENOUGH are practically done. All I have left is a read-through of first-pass pages, which I'm really looking forward to.
7. I'm thankful that LOSING FAITH is still receiving so many glowing reviews, and awards nominations too!
8. I'm thankful for my son and husband's lightheartedness and sense of humor (remind me of this on April first).
9. I'm thankful for all the new, amazing books I've been blessed with lately.
10. I'm thankful for steadfast faith, even through a difficult year.

How about you? What are you most thankful for?

Thankful Thursday: Perspective From Lisa

I wasn't going to put time into writing up any kind of lengthy blog post before I finished my revisions. However. Yesterday, I read this post by L.K. Madigan.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I don't know L.K. Madigan. I've read and loved one of her books, I've seen her around the blogosphere, but I've never actually met or exchanged emails with her. In fact, I know her so little that I did not even know her first name is Lisa.

Still, her post hit me really hard. It makes me angry when any life is cut short, but especially one that has been attacked repeatedly. The kicker in all this, is that Lisa is the person who originally started the idea of Thankful Thursday on her blog. Her first one is here. I've been using the idea of Thankful Thursday for a long time, not even knowing where it had been started.

Today I have a brand-new perspective on the idea of thankfulness. Lisa, being thankful all along the way, even in the midst of her horrible circumstances...she inspires me. I've always believed that thankfulness breeds more things to be thankful for, and I still believe that. I still believe in miracles and I still believe in prayer. I'm thankful for all of these things and I'm especially thankful I've had this glimpse into Lisa's new found perspective.

Today I'm not thinking about books or sales or if my revision will be good enough. I'm not thinking about how messy my house is or how lame my homeschool lessons have been lately. The whole thing makes me realize how deceptive and distracting everyday life can be from the things that really matter.

I'm a person of faith, and I will be sending up prayers of healing and peace and comfort for Lisa. Even if that's not something you feel you can do, I hope you'll spend some time just being thankful for what you have in Lisa's honor today. I wonder...if thousands of people around the YA-lit blogosphere all switched their perspectives to being thankful at the same time...I wonder if it would make a difference in the universe.

And what a legacy that would be for Lisa!

Thankful Thursday: Give back where you can!

LitWorld’s annual Holiday Book Drive is running 

Dec 1 to Dec 31

The idea is simple: people donate children’s picture books, mailing or bringing them to one of three drop-off points in New York. LitWorld, in partnership with The International Book Bank, will fill a 20ft container with the books (around 3,000 are needed) and ship them to Liberia and Sierra Leone. There, the books will be put straight into the hands of children. Some of these children will never have seen a picture book before; the majority are used to sharing what they do have: one book is shared among 75 children, on average.

Below you’ll find the addresses where books can be brought or sent, as well as more information about LitWorld, The International Book Bank and about the situation in Liberia.I'll be mailing a box of picture books this week. I hope you will too!

WHERE TO MAIL OR BRING BOOKS

http://litworld.org/holidays/bookdrive/

LitWorld is a non-profit organisation that advocates for global literacy. LitWorld believes stories are life-changing and sharing stories will create connections that have the power to change the world. LitWorld works closely with teachers all over Liberia, providing professional development around reading and writing. We also provide schools with much needed books, supplies and school materials. Currently the ratio of children to books is 75:1. Our dream is to change that to 1:1!
About The International Book Bank: An organisation that has been delivering free books and educational materials to developing countries since 1987, with the goal of increasing literacy and advancing education.

About Liberia: As you may know, thousands of people were killed in Liberia's 16-year civil war, leaving the nation in economic ruin. Many places are still without electricity and running water. Unemployment and illiteracy continue to be endemic. The country is attempting to rebuild and recover from this long and arduous war. A large part of this effort is rebuilding the educational system. In order for that to be successful they need an increased supply of books and materials.
About Sierra Leone: Though Sierra Leone is well known for its diamond industry, it was ranked as the poorest country in the world in 1998. The dispute over the control of the diamond mines erupted in an 11-year civil war, which began in 1991 and ended in 2002. Sierra Leone faces the intense challenges of reconstruction, with poverty and unemployment leading the major issues. The Civil War deconstructed 1,270 schools, leaving 67% of children in 2001 without an education. Today, two thirds of the adult population in Sierra Leone are illiterate.



CONNECT WITH LITWORLD!
litworld.org
facebook.com/litworld
twitter.com/litworldsays

An Exttra Thankful Thursday: Acknowledgments Exposed!

I'm Canadian, so we celebrated Thanksgiving just over a month ago. But I'm of the opinion that you can never be too thankful, and extra days throughout the year to highlight that are always welcome! Happiest of Thanksgivings to all of my American friends, and really, to all of my friends!

The great and awesome Hannah Moskowitz did a cool thing on her blog a while ago, where she took her acknowledgments from one of her books and expanded on them for her readers. I thought that would be terribly fun--it's like expanding on the thankfulness! So here are my acknowledgments for LOSING FAITH, with expansion/explanation in red.

Dedication:

To Shana,

My ever-present sounding board and friend.

In case no one has told you this yet today, Shana, you are brilliant.

 If you've been around for ANY amount of time, you know that my main critique partner, the girl I always go to first with ideas and questions, or when I'm second-guessing myself, is Shana Silver. And she really is brilliant. And no, you can't have her.

Acknowledgements:

Many writers say they couldn’t do it alone, but WOW, I really could not. There are so many people who have helped me, mentored me, encouraged me, even kicked me in the butt, and this book wouldn’t have been possible without them. Completely true. Maybe some writers are one-man/woman shows, but I am not.

First, thank you to my best friend, Shelly Shelly's been one of my closest friends for many, MANY years. Twenty? She has been nothing but supportive, from reading really lousy writing to helping me plan every aspect of my launch party. I hang out with Shelly and her husband Harry every Saturday night, and they are the funnest people in the whole world! I’ll always remember that you read the first (ie. really bad) stuff, and kept loving me anyway. (How many times did you read Trev again?) Without your support, I would never have found the confidence to get here. And to go along with that, thank you to my awesome home group Our home group is really just Harry, Shelly, Duane, Ginny, and absentee Kim (living in Alberta). And we really are nothing like Reena's group. In fact, mostly we just play a lot of cards. (nothing like Reena’s home group, I swear!) for giving up so many nights to talk about my writing struggles.

Thank you to my wonderful agent, Michelle Humphrey. Agent awesome has been so supportive and knowledgeable every step of the way. Plus, she loves to talk about yummy food. She's working at ICM Talent and IS open to queries (look back through my blog for details). I couldn’t ask for a better advocate, advisor, cheerleader, and friend. I hope whatever’s on the lunch menu today is extra special!

Thank you to Anica Rissi I'm seriously in awe of this woman's editing skills. I never once wondered why she said something or what she meant or how to make suggested changes. A true Rock Star of her profession. and the team at Simon Pulse I met a few of these ultra-cool people while in New York last year, including Annette Pollert, Venessa Williams, and fab-publicist Bernadette Cruz. for putting so much thought and care into my book, and offering stellar suggestions to make it shine. Many thanks to Cara Petrus for creating the beautiful cover for this book. I can't even count the amount of people who agree with me here. Cara Petrus is amazingly talented, and I hope, hope, hope that she will work on my next book's cover!

To my incomparable critique partners and friends: Extra special thanks to Sharon Knauer, who gave me the perfect mix of encouragement and brilliant suggestions in my early writing days. Enormous thanks to Shana Silver I already told you about her - we first met on Critique Circle, Elle Strauss Long time friend from long before either of us were writers, Craig Pirrall Another ongoing critque friend from Critique Circle, Jennifer Hoffine-Hoffman And yet another ongoing critique-friend from Critique Circle, Amy Brecount White Fellow Tenner and all-around awesome lady, Tara Kelly Another Tenner friend, so incredibly insightful!, Caroline Starr Rose Caroline and I share the same agent and have become great friends through swapping work, and Pendred Noyce Another Critique Circle writer-friend for your boatloads of help with multiple manuscripts. Thanks to Maria, Rick, Lorrie, Pam, Liz & Brandy These are all friends I've met and mostly kept in touch with from Critique Circle, and the rest of the cool people at Critique Circle whose advice can be seen in the pages of this book.

A big thank you to The Tenners www.thetenners.com - over 90 awesome authors and Class of 2k10 www.classof2k10.com an awesome group of 23 authors whom I would not have wanted to do this journey without! , not only for their co-promotion efforts and support, but also for being just plain fun to be around. A great big shout out to all my Blueboarder, LiveJournal, Twitter, and Blogger friends. And YA Book Bloggers WAY too many awesome people to name! – you ROCK!

Thanks to a few of my early readers for great advice and confidence-building: Mom, Dad self-explanatory, I think?, Jody sister-in-law, Kathryn friend and client of my husband's, Kim home group member (the one from Alberta above), Harry Saturday night bartender, Norm Elle Strauss's rockin' husband, Duane Saturday night cohort, Natasha, Mandy, Michelle all three of these are my good friends from Polynesian dancing, and all others I’m probably forgetting (feel free to make me feel guilty – I deserve it!) Also thanks to Jason Goertzen Haven't talked to this friend in several years, so I doubt he even knows he's in here.  who gave me the book Kane & Abel by Jeffrey Archer that sparked my love for reading, and to Paul Latta Polynesian dance guru and friend of over thirty years who continues to inspire me creatively.

A few great websites I need to mention and thank the proprietors of: www.critiquecircle.com I think you can tell why from above!– this is where I met most of my amazing critique partners; www.nanowrimo.org Just finished my fourth year of NaNo - Wahoo! – Losing Faith was a “Nano” novel, and I completed the first draft in 21 days during Nanowrimo 2007; http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com With a different novel, I actually won the first Secret Agent contest. I still have no idea who anonymous Authoress who runs the website is... – wonderful educational contests where I learned about the art of hooking a reader.

This book would not have been possible without the amazing support of my friends and family. Thank you all, especially Ted hunky husband and Teddy the cutest 7 year old in the world, for giving me the time and space to find my stories.

And most of all, thank you to The Great Author and Perfecter of faith These are not just words. I know at the Academy Awards, your supposed to thank God, it's kind of expected, but I truly am thankful to Him every single day., for making me who I am, surrounding me with such awesome people, and quickening my mind to so many stories to tell. I can’t wait to find out what the next one will be about!


That's it! I hope you enjoyed that little inner-look. I fear the acknowledgments in my next book may be even longer... But I am truly blessed to have so many people to be thankful for!

Thankful...um...Wednesday

I planned to wait with this post until Thursday, but just could not hold myself back, since I have so much to be thankful for this week.

What am I thankful for, you ask?

Well, YOU, for one! I put a call out for help spreading the word about LOSING FAITH, and WOW!!! My inbox is full of not only willing helpers, but excited ones! Do you know how much it means to me that so many of you are excited and willing to help spread the word about my book before it's even out?! More than what I can put into words.

I haven't counted exactly how many are on The Official Street Team yet, but it includes high school teachers and librarians, awesome book bloggers, and plenty of readers. Rest assured, I appreciate every single one of you, and will be sending swag your way very, very soon.

But that's not all I'm thankful for this week....

Have you heard about The Contemps? We are a group of 21 YA authors who are Keeping it Real with Contemporary YA Fiction and a new website sharing about ourselves. I say "We" because (and I still can't believe this!) I'm a part of this amazing group of authors. I'm so honored to have been invited to such a great group, filled with several authors who I've admired for years. If you haven't dropped by our website, please do. It's brand new, just launched yesterday,and there's lots happening over there, including this:



The Contemps Challenge offers you the chance to win all 21 of our books, by committing to read 18 of them this year. I've already started, and absolutely LOVE the ones I've been able to get my hands on early.

So yes, I'm very, very thankful this week. (and if you didn't get a chance to sign up for the Street Team yet, just email me at d (at) denisejaden (dot) com and I'll get you on there right away!)

Thankful Thursday

I haven't posted a Thursday Post in a while and I'm way, way overdue!

1. I asked my publicist for a few Simon Pulse books I could give away during my online launch party. She sent me a HUGE box of awesome, awesome books. Very thankful.

2. I'm going to Oklahoma!! A few authors from various 2k classes proposed a panel of New Voices for the Encyclomedia educators conference in Oklahoma this October, and our panel was chosen! I've never been to Oklahoma and I'm very, very excited!

3. Losing Faith has been getting some amazing and thoughtful reviews. A really great one came out today on Good Books and Wine blog. So, so thankful.

4. I've had a heck of a time booking a location for my local launch party, but I think it's finally working out. I can't announce the location until it's absolutely finalized, but it's looking like Sunday, Sept. 19th at 3 P.M.

5. I'm so thankful that my family and friends have been so incredibly understanding about my busy, stressed-out state lately. I will make up for it in October. After Oklahoma :-)

Hope you're all having a great week! What are you thankful for today?