About Denise Jaden:
Denise Jaden is a co-author of the Rosa Reed Mystery Series by Lee Strauss, the author of several critically-acclaimed young adult novels, as well as the author of several nonfiction books for writers, including the NaNoWriMo-popular guide Fast Fiction. Her new Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Mystery Series will launch throughout the year, and you can add the first book to your reading list on GoodReads right now. In her spare time, she homeschools her son (a budding filmmaker), acts in TV and movies, and dances with a Polynesian dance troupe. She lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, son, and one very spoiled cat.

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What inspires you to write?
I'm inspired most from conversations I either have with others or overhear in a public place. It's usually just a tidbit or two that sparks my mind with the question "What if…" and then I tend to get lost in my own thoughts with the launch of a new story or plotline.

What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
There are so many, I don't know where to start! But off the top of my head, I love Stephanie Perkins and Molly Fitz.

Tell us about your writing process.
I usually spend a month or two brainstorming and building a loose outline for a new novel. Then, usually at the beginning of a month, I launch in and start fast drafting the first draft. I outline in Scrivener, but do most of my writing in a linear way in Word. I don't create character sketches in advance, but sometimes I spend a fair amount of time focusing on character relationships–their similarities and differences, what causes conflict between them, that sort of thing. After the fast draft comes what I consider the hard work of revising. This can take anywhere between a month and six months, depending on how sure I feel about what needs work.

For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I can hear my characters in my head. This is the main reason that dictating my books on speech software has never worked for me. As soon as I start saying the words in my voice, it knocks me out of my story because I do not sound like my characters.

What advice would you give other writers?
Spend some time analyzing what you love in books you enjoy, or what, specifically, rubs you the wrong way in books you don't enjoy. Figuring out how and why things work will help you navigate using these things to your advantage in your own work.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
I'm still deciding as I go! I have published my books with large publishers, small publishers, e-only publishers, audio publishers, and I have also self-published. I see value in all of these options, and so I take each book or series as it comes and decide from there which avenue will best suit the work as well as my lifestyle. Working with professional agents and editors has taught me a lot about evaluating my own work, but I also love the freedom of choice that comes with publishing my own work.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
It definitely seems to be moving toward self-publishing, with the popularity of new works being decided by readers themselves.

What genres do you write?: Cozy Mystery, Young Adult, Romance, Nonfiction

What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print

Website(s)
Denise Jaden Home Page Link
Link To Denise Jaden Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on BookBub

Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.