Exciting News!

I promised some exciting news, and I can finally share it:

New World Library (my publisher for FAST FICTION) will also be publishing my newest nonfiction book for writers: STORY SPARKS: FINDING YOUR BEST STORY IDEAS, AND TURNING THEM INTO COMPELLING FICTION!

This has been a few years in the writing. It will make a great companion book to FAST FICTION, and so I am thrilled that New World Library is interested in publishing it. There will be more to come, in terms of what sorts of things it will include, but for now I can tell you that it is being fast-tracked to be out this fall. Very exciting!

Anyone who has been hamster-wheeling a story idea for years or has hundreds of pages exploring various approaches on their hard drive knows there must be a better way. There is. Successful young adult novelist Denise Jaden shows exactly how to create the captivating stories that prevent dispiriting wasted time. Busting the “visitation from the muses” myth, she shows that inspiration is a skill that can be learned by understanding how story ideas work (or don’t), fertilizing the ground for fresh and sound ideas, and moving swiftly through stuck points. Practical and inspiring, Jaden’s approach celebrates the imaginative sparks that make innovations of all kinds possible while pinpointing the precise tools writers need to fan their unique creative flames.


And to help celebrate this exciting news, my generous publisher has offered a giveaway of a book that I'm sure any writer would love to have on their bookshelves:



Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents:
Who They Are, What They Want, How to Win Them Over
By Jeff Herman

Still the Best Guide for Getting Published - If you want to get published, read this book!

Comprehensive index lists dozens of subjects and categories to help you find the perfect publisher or agent.

Jeff Herman’s Guide unmasks nonsense, clears confusion, and unlocks secret doorways to success for new and veteran writers! This highly respected resource is used by publishing insiders everywhere and has been read by millions all over the world.

Jeff Herman’s Guide is the writer’s best friend. It reveals the names, interests, and contact information of thousands of agents and editors. It presents invaluable information about more than 350 publishers and imprints (including Canadian and university presses), lists independent book editors who can help you make your work more publisher-friendly, and helps you spot scams. Jeff Herman’s Guide unseals the truth about how to outsmart the gatekeepers, break through the barriers, and decipher the hidden codes to getting your book published.

Countless writers have achieved their highest aspirations by following Herman’s outside-the-box strategies. If you want to reach the top of your game and transform rejections into contracts, you need this book!

“When you get to the ‘finding the agent’ stage, check out Jeff Herman’s Guide. I found it very useful because it gives more background on agents. Keep in mind that publishing is very personality driven.”
— Emily Giffin, New York Times–bestselling author of First Comes Love

“I got my agent by using this guide!”
— Meg Cabot, New York Times–bestselling author of The Princess Diaries

“I highly recommend Jeff Herman’s Guide. It was the most helpful book I bought about how to get published.”
— Nicholas Sparks, New York Times–bestselling author of The Notebook

This contest is for a hard copy of this huge resource, and is open to anyone with a US or Canadian mailing address. Simply leave a comment below to be entered, or enter on my Facebook Fan Page. 

Even if you're not a writer, and not interested in this prize, I hope you'll raise a glass of virtual champagne with me :)

Young Adult Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the Young Adult Giveaway Hop! I'm super excited for this hop because I've recently revealed my new cover for my upcoming YA novel, A CHRISTMAS KERRIL, and as part of this giveaway hop, I'm giving away an early digital copy of this book!

Here's a little about the book:

In this modern take on a holiday classic, high school junior, Kerril, faces her past, present, and future to be reminded of the good in others, and in herself.

Haunted by the memory of the worst of her divorced parents’ public Christmas blowouts, Kerril, will do almost anything to avoid the upcoming tinsel-filled season. Unfortunately, a teacher with a grudge casts Kerril as the lead in the school’s holiday production. To add to the misery, she will star alongside ultra-awkward Adam as her love interest. Wanting to ditch the play, Adam, her parents, and Christmas altogether, Kerril accepts an invitation to take off to a cabin with her ultimate dream crush, Perry – only Perry may not be the guy she hoped he was, and it’s not until she’s left Adam behind to fend for himself onstage that she realizes he might just be the guy of her dreams.

"Denise Jaden’s talent for creating believable and compelling characters shines in A CHRISTMAS KERRIL. I stayed up way too late reading this contemporary YA take on the classic Christmas story, completely caught up in the characters’ challenges, secrets, friendships, and romances. Highly recommended!" - Shari Green, author of Following Chelsea 

Coming to online retailers everywhere October 13, 2015.


Enter the Rafflecopter below to enter to win an early copy of this novel!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don't forget to follow the Linky to the next blog:

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Want a #FREE Audiobook?

My LOSING FAITH audiobook has just gone live at Audible.com! To help promote this title, Audible is offering a couple of free copies of the audiobook!

Here's a little about the book:

A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but. 

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger.

Click her to listen to a sample of the audiobook, read by the awesome Becca Battoe!

The whole idea of this giveaway is promotion, so to enter to win a copy, all you have to do is tell me in the comments how you would be willing and able to promote it. Do you have a review blog where you can review it? Do you like to spread the word about books on Twitter or Facebook? Do you attend a youth group that might be interested in hearing about it?

This contest is open internationally. Make sure to leave a way I can get in touch with you if you win, and good luck!

#Free For #Writers

Hey, Writer Friends!

I have a 3-day promotion going on for my book WRITING WITH A HEAVY HEART: USING GRIEF AND LOSS TO STRETCH YOUR FICTION.

It's absolutely and totally FREE! I'm doing this to help spread the word about this book, and my writing, and to garner reviews. For those of you who are not aware, the more reviews a book has, the more visible it will be in searches.

So if you're interested, please download your free copy here. I would offer you my undying gratitude and multiple cyber-hugs if you would post a review once you've read it, or if you spread the word about this promotion.

Here is a little more about the book...

 

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-With-Heavy-Heart-ebook/dp/B009DRLA32

In her first non-fiction book, Denise Jaden explores the stages and outlets of grief and how to implement them into your fiction to create more interesting characters and a more engaging plot. Some topics of this book include: grieving before the loss, spiritual matters, and how grief affects different ages, personality types, and genders. Find out how to implement heavy emotional scenes authentically, without crossing over into melodrama. Learn which authors have done this well, and how they did it.
Denise Jaden's first two YA novels are infused with grieving and loss, and she'll explain some of the revision process of getting to the depth of her stories.

Here is some of what others are saying about Writing With a Heavy Heart...

  "Jaden's Writing With A Heavy Heart is a must-have for any writer's craft shelf. The combination of clear guidance and practical exercises allow writers to take their manuscripts to a deeper level."
- Eileen Cook Author of Unraveling Isobel and The Almost Truth

“Writing With A Heavy Heart absolutely nails the grieving process. I love the exercises included, because, to me, they make the whole thing a tangible help in applying it to a work in progress.”
- Janet Gurtler, author of If I Tell and Who I Kissed

"Writing With A Heavy Heart has a lot of really good insights on grief and suggestions on how to incorporate them to fiction."
- Lee Strauss, author of The Perception Series

"Jaden's Writing with a Heavy Heart helped me add layers to my characters who experience loss. The tools provided in this piece make it practical in my writing projects."
- Cindy Callaghan, author of Just Add Magic and Purses, Palaces and Photographic Proof