Best Friends with Denise Jaden

One great thing about being an author is being able to meet other authors! Denise and I met a few years ago before either of us were published. Since then we run into each other from time to time (we're both CANADIAN eh!) and we keep in touch online. Denise is also one of the first people I send my first few raw chapters to, I love her critiques so much.  Denise also writes deep poignant contemporary YA books that I love so much!!! In addition to her fiction, Denise also wrote a craft book I highly recommend called WRITING WITH A HEAVY HEART.... 
 

Denise Jaden enjoys writing craft books for writers and fiction for young adults.

Her first novel for teens, LOSING FAITH, was released from Simon Pulse, fall 2010. The first draft was written in 21 days during NaNoWriMo. NEVER ENOUGH, her second novel, was released July 10, 2012. A companion group of stories--NEVER ENOUGH STORIES is available for free at Smashwords.com. WRITING WITH A HEAVY HEART: Using Grief and Loss to Stretch Your Fiction is her latest release in 2012. FAST FICTION will be out from New World Library in 2014.

Denise lives just outside Vancouver, Canada with her husband and son  

Denise in HIGH SCHOOL!!

Okay, on to the questions...did you have a best friend in high school? If you did, are you still in touch in any way?

DJ: I did have a best friend. I actually had a few, but there was one girl that I hung out with more than anyone else. I’m still in touch a couple of times a year now. For a while, when I had my own dance studio, she took lessons in the adult class, so we saw each other weekly, but now we don’t live in the same town, so we don’t see each other as often.

I love that you taught dance to her, you are so FIT! So tell us about a time when a best friend betrayed you.  
 

DJ: I don’t really remember a betrayal by any of my friends. I think I had some pretty awesome friends! I did, however, have a good friend of mine die in a car accident when I was sixteen. It’s not a betrayal from her, personally, of course, but in some ways it felt like a betrayal of...the way life should work.

Wow. That is super sad and yes, understandable that it felt like life betrayed you. I'm sure that experience makes its way into your writing.  Well, on the other side, what is something your best friend did for you, that probably no other person would ever do.

DJ: I had lots of ups and downs in life, sometimes hanging out with friends that weren’t necessarily healthy for me, but my friends stuck by me regardless. As I said, I had a good group!

 Well, I guess like does attract like. :) So, what did you love most about you teenage best friend?

DJ: She was a good influence and kept me (mostly) on track. We also had some great conversations.

Man, so true, right? I remember those long long heart to hearts with girlfriends when I was younger. Even today, girlfriend heart to hearts just can't be beat!  So all in all, what did you learn from your best teen friend?

DJ: We learned together how to really think for ourselves, I think.

Interesting. I guess we all grow and learn at our own rates. You definitely sound like you and your friends were well grounded teenagers. Which makes sense knowing you!

Thanks so much for stopping by to chat.  Looking forward to more DENISE JADEN books in the future!