Author Interview with Denise Jaden

Today I have the pleasure of having Denise Jaden, author of Losing Faith and Never Enough, here on the blog to answer a few questions. Here is what she had to say.

Never Enough is your second book. How was the process different from writing your first book, Losing Faith? What were somethings you knew to expect from the first time around?

I think I had it relatively easy with my first book, so, to be honest, my expectations probably hindered me more than anything on working with my second one. Never Enough was a work in progress long before I had written Losing Faith, it had been through many, many drafts, and so one of the most difficult things was finding new ways to see the manuscript with my editor. I thought I'd already studied it from every anne, but apparently not so! Never Enough included much more intensive revisions with my editor (rewriting large portions of the book over and over again) whereas with Losing Faith, the changes were much smaller and easier to wrap my head around. With Losing Faith, I had worked from an outline, whereas Never Enough was very much a muse-led book.

Both Losing Faith and Never Enough deal with tougher subjects. Is there something in particular that draws you to writing about those subjects?

I like reading about tougher subjects because it helps me sort out my own thoughts and feelings, and I guess that's the same reason I write about tougher subjects. With Never Enough, I had a personal reason for attacking the difficult subject matter, and I have an author's note at the end of the book that goes into some detail about that.

Similarly, both Losing Fatih and Never Enough revolve around a relationship between sisters that is less than perfect. Is there a reason you choose to write about sisters that have misconceptions about each other's lives?

To be honest, I'm surprise that my first two published books are about similar sisterly relationships. That is not all I write about! When first coming up with a story idea, rather than getting a character or plot point in my head, I often get a relationship in my head. With both of these books, the sister relationship was the first part that came to me, but each plot definitely developed very differently in my mind. I couldn't tell you exactly why I'm drawn to writing about sisters, except that growing up I fantasized about what it would be like to have a sister.

I've seen in your biography on your website that you have had many other jobs/careers before becoming a writer. What ultimately made you choose writing over those other occupations?

I've always had it in my head that I wanted to try lots of different things in life. A thirty-year career never interested me. With writing, I feel like I have the ultimate career, because I can pretend I'm anything I want as a writer. It's a wonderful creative outlet for me, and I can't imagine a time in the future when I won't be writing.

How would you describe Never Enough in a sentence or two to encourage people to read it?

Since I'm ore of a character than plot lover, I would say this: Loann and Marcus have a sweet and deep friendship full of growing perspective, and you'll want them to be a part of your lives.

Thank you so much to Denise Jaden for her answers, and I couldn't agree more with the last one about Marcus and Loann. Be sure to come back tomorrow for my review of Never Enough and for a small giveaway!