Bad Reviews: A New Perspective

With my debut novel, Losing Faith, I was pretty nervous about how I'd handle harsh reviews. They say authors need to have thick skin and not defend their writing, but after so much hard work, I worried that I'd be one of those loose-cannon authors, or one that never writes another book because I was so depressed over reactions to my book.

I'm happy to say I didn't go either of those routes! And while I did have a really positive response to Losing Faith, there were certainly people who didn't care for it as well. That happens with every book--I'm still surprised when I find it happening with some of my favorite novels.

What shocked me with Losing Faith was what kind of negative reviews got to me the most. Surprisingly, I wasn't bothered much by a reviewer who didn't think I could write terribly well, or who thought the plot was lacking. Instead, what bothered me most were the lukewarm reactions I received from a few. Things like, "this book didn't really do anything for me," or, "I don't think I'll remember this one." After all my blood, sweat, and tears, I found that kind of reaction quite devastating. And it took me a long time to realize that it was really nothing personal against me or my characters or my book. They just didn't connect with it. And it can happen with ANY BOOK.

With my second novel, Never Enough, in some ways I felt more prepared for harsh reviews--I had been through them before, plus, with this book, I could see from the start how it would likely affect some readers differently than others. But in some ways I felt less prepared--Loann and Claire and Marcus had been a part of my life for eight years. They were very real to me, and I feared that people criticizing them would be like me standing around listening to someone criticize one of my good friends.

But we're supposed to have thick skin, I reminded myself. And it would probably be better to get reactions of either loving or hating it, than the ones who just felt meh about the whole thing and would never think of my book again.

So--I guess--it was a pleasant surprise that so far I haven't had any lukewarm reactions! I have, however had some readers that had some major problems with the book. I've handled this by telling myself over and over again, "Remember, Denise, you expected this!" And it helps. A little. I still feel somewhat over-protective about my characters and like I want to insert little defensive comments about them to retaliate against critical reviews. But I don't.

However, a couple of cool things have happened too. For one, I've noticed other bloggers standing up for my story and my characters in the comments of the blogs who are criticizing it. Let me tell you, as an author, that is a truly great feeling, to know that some of your readers care enough about your books and characters that they will fight for them.

And another cool thing that happened...before publication, while I was acting a little stalkerish on GoodReads and checking out all the people who were "currently reading" Never Enough, I came across two bloggers who were both very vocal about their thoughts while they were reading through it. One loved the book, while the other was taking issue with some big parts of the book. Being a fly on the wall as I watched the two very different reading experiences of the same book really helped put things into perspective for me. And every time I'm struggling with something I'm reading in a review, I will think back on that moment.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that for any of you who might be struggling with hearing criticism on your work. I do consider myself as having pretty thick skin, but when you pour your heart into something, I think you'd have to be a robot to not feel anything when it gets attacked.

This is a growing process for me too, definitely, and even with all the wonderful things that are being said about Never Enough, (which thankfully far outweigh the negative ones) I wonder if that feeling of bracing myself will ever completely go away.

How about you? Do you have to take criticism in a creative area of your life? How have you learned to deal with it?

New Release: SEAWEED by @Elle_Strauss

Don't forget about the blog tour and plethora of prizes I'm giving away for the launch of Never Enough. It's going on through July 15th, and I'll start awarding prizes after that, so there's still lots of time to follow along and comment at all the tour stops or highlight Never Enough on your own blog.

But today I'm excited about another new release from my good friend, Elle Strauss! And here's the great part... You can read it for FREE! Read on to find out how...

 A teen swim athlete discovers a merfolk world that threatens to keep her out of the ocean forever.
 

Dori Seward can’t wait to get out of Eastcove, a sleepy fishing village on the border of New Brunswick and Maine. She bides her time by hanging out with friends, attending swim club, and holding her biggest competition, Colby–who wants more than just friendship, at arm’s length. Then Tor Riley comes to town and he has everything Dori dreams of in a boyfriend–looks, athleticism and mystery. But Tor also has a tantalizing secret and Dori is determined to find out what it is. The truth is crazier than her wildest imaginations and more dangerous, too. Dori has new fantastical enemies , and they will do anything to get to her. Her life, her dreams and her love for Tor are all weighing in the balance. Will Dori risk it all in order to have it all?

 SEAWEED is FREE for a limited time on Amazon! It's also free on itunes and smashwords.



Elle Strauss writes time travel and merfolk chic-lit, light SF and historical YA fiction. To ward off writer's butt she does a bit of hiking, biking and yoga. Elle is married with four children and divides her time between British Columbia, Canada, and Germany.

Something Very Special For Release Day!

Never Enough is in the wild! Of course I'm very excited, but I'm almost as excited about this special video I get to share with you today.

Self-esteem is an issue very close to me. I definitely didn't feel good enough as a teen, and still struggle with those feelings of inadequacy sometimes today. Several of my author friends took the time to chime in and talk about how they didn't feel good enough during their teen years.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch it. And again I'd like to say thank you to all of the authors involved and to all of those who have been so supportive of this video and of my new book, Never Enough.

Do you feel like you have trouble measuring up? See if your feelings match any of the authors in this video...


Share this video around and come back and tell me about it, and I'll enter your name to win some awesome boxes of books!

TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW!!!

Yeah, I'm a little excited. If you check the Never Enough widget off in my right-hand sidebar, you'll see that there's a big 00 where it tells you how many days until Never Enough comes out.

If you haven't stopped by the blog tour yet, you should definitely do that. Besides telling you all of my deep dark secrets along the way, I'm also giving away some wonderful boxes of books.  Also, I've gone through and fixed up the links for all the tour posts so far so that you can quickly and easily click through to them and comment, entering yourself for the fabulous prizes.

You will get extra entries for finding other blogs that are spotlighting Never Enough, or even MORE entries for spotlighting it on your own blog or Facebook.

And...if you can find a copy of Never Enough in the wild (bookstore, library, etc) take a picture of it and email it to me at d (at) denisejaden (dot) com and I will throw your name in that hat an additional TEN times!

Besides that, come back tomorrow, on launch day, as I have a very special video to show you to commemorate my release.

Also, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all those who have been supporting Never Enough so much already. I'm honestly overwhelmed  and thrilled by all of your kind words.

See you back here TOMORROW!

GCC Presents Jessica Brody and 52 Reasons To Hate My Father

Don't forget about the blog tour and gigantic giveaways for Never Enough. Keep hunting for blogs highlighting Never Enough and mark them down! But for today, we're celebrating the launch of a different book...

Summary from Amazon:

Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.

Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteenth birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

 I'm excited to welcome another author from the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit! Jessica Brody's new book, 52 Reasons To Hate My Father, released July 3rd from Farrar Straus Giroux/Macmillan Publishing Group.

Here's what people are saying about 52 Reasons...

“The #1 reason you’ll love this book? Because it’s tons of fun.”
-Bestselling author Meg Cabot

 “Famous and spoiled teenage heiress Lexington Larrabee could give the Kardashians a run for their money in this opulent and fast-paced story…sharp writing and over-the-top scenes will appeal to readers looking for a fun summer read.”
-Publisher’s Weekly

“This unusual riches-to-rags tale is fun and interesting…the mysteries layered throughout, as well as the depth of the main characters, draw you in. Lexi is an obnoxious but lovable character you’ll root for!”
-Romantic Times Book Review (4 Stars!)

Jessica stopped by for a short interview about the book and her writing...

Welcome, Jessica! Can you tell me about your book in seven words or less?
Spoiled heiress works 52 low-wage jobs.

Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why?
I know it’s cheesy to say that you’re in love with your own love interest but I really am! Luke is the 20-year-old college intern who Lexi’s father hires to keep tabs on Lexi while she’s completing her 52 jobs. He’s kind of an arrogant jerk at first but he has reason to be. Especially when he’s around Lexi who’s a spoiled brat. I have to say, I kind of fell for him as I was writing the book. And so the best part about filming the book trailer was being able to cast Luke. During the auditions, the actor who I ended up casting walked through the door and I knew immediately that he was Luke. He fit the part SO perfectly! And the fact that there was a shirtless scene in the script didn’t suck either!

What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?
Learn to let go. If you get too attached to a specific scene, storyline, character, etc, it will be far too hard for you to be able to revise your manuscript effectively. Sometimes stories have to change in order to get them to where they need to go. If you hold on too hard to something that’s not working, you’re not helping the story at all. Sometimes you need to let go of what you think you want the book to be and embrace what the book is destined to become.
What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?
I wrote a lot of short stories as a teen but I wasn’t as “into” writing at that age as I was when I was much younger. When I was seven I published my first novel (with cardboard, wallpaper and electrical tape). It was called the Puppy and the Kitty and it was about a puppy and a kitty who ran away from home and got the chicken pox. So to me, the moral of that story is crystal clear: “Don’t run away from home, kids. Or you will get the chicken pox!”

What's the last book you read that you really loved?
I really really loved STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth, which just released in May. It’s about a girl who’s a lightening addict and she’s the key to saving or destroying the world. Jennifer and I are editor sisters (we have the same editor at our publishing house) and we became very good friends because of that. But we had become friends before I had ever read anything she wrote. So when I first got an ARC for STRUCK earlier in the year, I was a little nervous that I wasn’t going to like it and then I was going to have to lie to my new friend! Fortunately I LOVED it so there was no problem.

Jessica Brody is the bestselling author of The Karma Club and My Life Undecided, as well as two books for adults: The Fidelity Files and Love Under Cover. In researching this book, she took on several minimum wage jobs, her favorite of which was working the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. She splits her time between California and Colorado. Visit her online at: www.jessicabrody.com

Also, to celebrate the release this week, Jessica's doing a fun giveaway for an “heiress prize pack.”

http://www.jessicabrody.com/2012/07/change-your-profile-pic-become-an-heiress/

You can pick up a copy of 52 Reasons To Hate My Father at one of the following links. Thanks for visiting, Jessica, and congratulations!

Amazon Purchase Link: http://amzn.to/MOlEla

Barnes and Noble Purchase Link: http://bit.ly/P13hw8

Indie Bound Purchase Link: http://bit.ly/KWtXvv

Blog Tours and Entries and Prizes Oh My!

This contest is now officially closed. I'm busy slowly tabulating and will be back drawing names soon! I hope you will nevertheless keep spreading the word about Never Enough. It will come back to you, I promise :-)

If you missed my Prize Vault Post from this morning, not to worry. I'll tempt you all over again at the bottom of this post!

The excitement is starting, friends! My blog tour officially starts today. Thanks so much to Kari from A Good Addiction for organizing it! And why should you care about following this blog tour? Good question! First of all, because many of these blogs will be sharing my brand new book trailer for Never Enough! But more importantly, because for each of the following blog posts that you comment on, I will enter you into my Enormous Super-Spectacular Prize Draw!

Monday, July 2: Kari at A Good Addiction(Author Interview)

Tuesday, July 3: Crystal at My ReadingRoom (Into the Past)

Wednesday, July 4: Oops, this day is missing, but I've seen lots of wonderful posts today!

Thursday, July 5: Tara G at Hobbitsies (Tens List)

Friday, July 6: Zoe at Zoe’s Book Reviews(Author This or That)

Sunday, July 8: Jamie L at Bookmarked (When I’m Not Writing)

Monday, July 9: Angela at Reading Angel (Author Interview)

Tuesday, July 10: Tara G at Hobbitsies (Review)

Wednesday, July 11: Lauren M at 365 Days of Reading (Tens List)

But wait! There are also more ways to win! There are many other blogs who will be featuring Never Enough between July 2-15th! Comment on ANY OR ALL OF THEM and then come back here and share the links to the blogs spotlighting Never Enough, and that will earn you TWO entries--one for commenting, and one for sharing the link.

Highlight Never Enough on your own blog, and then come back here and share the link in the comments, and that will earn you FIVE entries! Tweet and spread the word about this giveaway, using @denisejaden or tag denisejaden in your Facebook post and I will add an entry for every time you do that!

So the thing is, there are plenty of EASY ways to win. And if I haven't convinced you yet, let me just remind you of The Prize Vault...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Simon Pulse has been extremely generous in donating a whole lot of books to my prize vault to celebrate the release of Never Enough. It's time for a look at what's up for grabs...

Prize Pack A includes:

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Black Heart by Holly Black
Lifted by Wendy Toliver
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins











Prize Pack B includes:

Being Friends With Boys by Terra Elan Mcvoy
Dust Lands by Moira Young
The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

Prize Pack C includes:

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Torn by Margaret Petersen Haddix
Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
Wrecked by Anna Davies
The Limit by Kristen Landon






In case you missed it, that's THREE packs of five books. But that's not all! I have one grand prize box of books, and this is a very special box because it includes TWO celebrations! Half of the books are from Simon Pulse, or from my own bookshelf, and are celebrating the birth of NEVER ENOUGH. The other half of the books have been donated by my most amazing critique partner, Shana Silver, and I'd like to include those to celebrate a much more precious birth...the birth of her first baby!

Here's what the Grand Prize Pack includes...

White Cat by Holly Black

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Paper Towns by John Green

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

The Season by Sarah MacLean

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

A Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Red Glove by Holly Black

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Golden (audiobook) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 

(not pictured because I'm sneaking in a quick read!)

I'm very excited about these upcoming couple of weeks and my chance to give away these fabulous prizes! The box sets can only go to someone with a U.S. mailing address, due to exorbitant international mailing costs, but because I SO HIGHLY VALUE my international readers as well, if I draw one of your names, you will still definitely get a prize (some extra-special Never Enough swag, or a book of your choice from Book Depository!)

There's plenty of incentive! So go get busy, learn more about me and my new book, and help spread the word! I'll also have other extra-special things to share with you, like a video highlighting different authors and how they never felt like enough as teens. I can't wait to share this and much more with you!!!

Never Enough Prize Vault!

Bookmark this page! You'll want to come back here over the next two weeks to swoon and dream and decide which prize pack you would most like to win! As I mentioned in an earlier post, Simon Pulse has been extremely generous in donating a whole lot of books to my prize vault to celebrate the release of Never Enough. It's time for a look at what's up for grabs...

Prize Pack A includes:

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Black Heart by Holly Black
Lifted by Wendy Toliver
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins











Prize Pack B includes:

Being Friends With Boys by Terra Elan Mcvoy
Dust Lands by Moira Young
The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

Prize Pack C includes:

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Torn by Margaret Petersen Haddix
Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
Wrecked by Anna Davies
The Limit by Kristen Landon






In case you missed it, that's THREE packs of five books. But that's not all! I have one grand prize box of books, and this is a very special box because it includes TWO celebrations! Half of the books are from Simon Pulse, or from my own bookshelf, and are celebrating the birth of NEVER ENOUGH. The other half of the books have been donated by my most amazing critique partner, Shana Silver, and I'd like to include those to celebrate a much more precious birth...the birth of her first baby!

Here's what the Grand Prize Pack includes...

White Cat by Holly Black

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Paper Towns by John Green

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

The Season by Sarah MacLean

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

A Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Red Glove by Holly Black

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Golden (audiobook) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 

(not pictured because I'm sneaking in a quick read!)

I'm very excited about these upcoming couple of weeks and my chance to give away these fabulous prizes! The box sets can only go to someone with a U.S. mailing address, due to exorbitant international mailing costs, but because I SO HIGHLY VALUE my international readers as well, if I draw one of your names, you will still definitely get a prize (some extra-special Never Enough swag, or a book of your choice from Book Depository!)

Keep your eye on my blog in the coming days, as there will be lots of chances to enter to win these great gifts. If you see @shanasilver around Twitter, make sure to pass along your thanks and congratulations (at time of writing this, she has not gone into labor, but it could happen AT ANY MOMENT!). 

And don't forget to come back! All the fun will be happening right here, between July 3-15th, as Shana welcomes her new bundle of preciousness and  I welcome my new book baby into the world!