Crystal J. Stranaghan

Denise Jaden lives just outside Vancouver, Canada. When she’s not writing, she can often be found homeschooling her son or dancing with her Polynesian dance troupe. Losing Faith is her first novel. Find out moreat denisejaden.com or check out Denise’s blog.

What advice would you give to new writers/illustrators starting out in the industry?

Write for yourself. Write because you love it. Don’t devote all of your hopes and dreams to getting published, but if that’s part of what you want, dedicate part of your time and part of your heart to it. Keep learning. Go to conferences, join critique groups, and remind yourself regularly to keep loving your characters and stories. Don’t let anyone steal that love away from you.

What are you working on right now?

At the moment, I’m working on another YA novel called PERFECT AIM. In this story, teen archer, Lex Chambers, attempts to unite her bitter father and dying grandmother, but shoots way off target, instead instigating family war. She finds solace in two contrary places: in the arms of a young and understanding teacher who helps her deal, and with her archery club cohorts…who happen to have a secret  mission of digging up dirt on the school faculty.

What is your favourite part of the writing/illustration process?

My absolute favourite part of the process is discussing my stories with my critique partners, my agent, or my editor. It’s so cool to talk about my characters as though they’re real people, with friends who are also concerned about their lives. I also really adore those rare times when I sit down and write three thousand words without even thinking about it, because they seem to already be there, already composed, but I just have to get them onto the page somehow.

What is your debut book about?

Here’s a short synopsis of LOSING FAITH: 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.

What’s the last book you read that you really loved?

BAD APPLE by Laura Ruby. Her writing makes me want to work so much harder at my craft. The quick-wit, the perfect sentences and metaphors – they’re truly inspiring. I have two of her other books on my to-be-read shelf, just waiting for me (they’ll be my reward for finishing my latest revision).

Being a born and raised Canadian girl, why do you write stories set in the U.S.?

When I first became attracted to reading (much later in life than most of my peers), I couldn’t get enough of novels set in small town America. I don’t know what it was about those books, or the feelings of the towns in them, but I wanted to be there. I was there when I read.

Honestly, I love my hometown and I love Canada. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, but for some reason, my writing naturally gravitated to U.S. soil, mostly to places I’ve visited over the years. That said, one of my latest works in progress is actually set on a fictional island just outside of Vancouver, B.C. Though I admit, this has been my most difficult setting to write so far.

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NOTE FROM CRYSTAL: It is great to celebrate with Denise as she throws herself into the promotion of her debut book. We met at the Surrey International Writers Conference when she was pitching her book to agents and publishers, and Simon Pulse picked it up. Way to go Denise – we writers LOVE success stories!