Jade Varden Official Blog

When Interview with the Vampire was penned, everyone was still wearing polyester. The book wouldn't become a film for nearly 20 years. When the film was released, vampires weren't even cool. But if you were around back then, you know that Interview was the Twilight of its day...minus the werewolves. The Book Interview with the Vampire was the first book Anne Rice wrote. It began as a short story around 1969, but soon blossomed into a multi-book series. The first book in The Vampire Chronicles, Interview , was published in 1976.  The story opens with Louis, a vampire who's 200 years old. He's telling his incredible life story to a reporter, referred to as "the boy." Louis lived in New Orleans in 1791 when he met the vampire Lestat, who turned Louis. The two became companions of a sort on the plantation. Louis hates himself. He cannot stand his own nature, so he feeds only from animals (remind you of anyone?), while Lestat gives in wholehearte...

 " This book is full of twists and turns. There is never a dull moment and Justice really keeps you guessing." "That is what is so great about Jade's writing. She is fresh, original and makes you think!" Justice has been reviewed at Little Hyuts. Find out what the reader didn't like when you read the full review . Sign up for one of the giveaways (look to the left!) to get a free copy of the book, and see if you agree with the review! 

The Deck of Lies Diva Challenge is now open!  Use the button on the right to sign into Fashion Fantasy Game with your Facebook account and start designing an outfit for Rain. You'll get a chance to win a copy of the first book in the series when you play!

I've written a great many blog posts on punctuation and grammar, word usage and various ways to self-publish. What I haven't written much about is marketing, though it is a huge part of self-publishing. Some experts say that marketing is most of self-publishing; I read somewhere that many advocate spending 80% of your time on marketing and only 20% on the actual writing. But I believe in fundamentals. Build a book from a strong foundation of good grammar and perfect punctuation, and it'll all work out. But let's face it, you're going to have to think about marketing sometime. Before you launch your strategy and start spending time on promotion, you've got one important task to complete. You've got to know your audience. Picking Labels Readers like to read, and most readers enjoy many different genres. But if you write a sex-soaked historical drama with a love-heavy bent, you've got to realize your words are going to attract mainly female reade...

"Justice was well written, had a good pace, and had so many twists to the plot it was really hard to work out what might happen next." Kelly at Have Book Will Read has kindly reviewed Justice on her blog, and I want you to read the whole thing. While you're there, make sure you sign up for the giveaway to win a free copy of the book.

Sometimes, the dream of becoming a published author feels like a silly fantasy. Repeat rejection letters have a way of taking their toll, and everybody's got their limits. Well, maybe not everybody. One author you've definitely heard of was rejected 800 times before selling any of his writings. Today, his books are among the most popular fiction ever written.  Clive Staples Lewis, more commonly known as C. S. Lewis, lived in a world of words. He was on the faculty at Oxford University's English Department and belonged in a literary group called the Inklings (cute, right?). Whether he was working or socializing, words were everywhere. One of Lewis's closest friends was J. R. R. Tolkein, who famously wrote the Lord of the Rings books.  No, Thank You C. S. Lewis also wanted to be an author. He began writing while working at the University, but every manuscript he sent to editors came back with a rejection slip...by the hundreds. Lewis didn't publish h...

"It's a great read, filled with life-like, credible characters, and to be honest, I found it impossible to put down." After you read the newest review for Justice at Today in Shenaya , keep going to get a look at an in-depth interview where I discuss the other books in the Deck of Lies series and my writing process in general. While you're there, sign up for the giveaway to get your own copy of Justice, and see if you agree with the review!

You wouldn't be wrong if you called me an author/blogger...unless you do it in a book. I'm a big fan of brevity, a point I've made clear in several past posts, but I am not a fan of the slash key. When you're writing your books, forget it even exists. / The slash serves a very important function on the Internet, and it's a fantastic little device for shorthand purposes. Lots of people and items are more than one thing. Gene Kelly was an actor/dancer, Marilyn Monroe a pinup girl/movie star, new Kindles function like ereaders/tablets. It's common to see the slash in product advertising, online and print articles, commercials -- you can find it everywhere. That doesn't mean I want to find them in your books. The novel is one of the last vestiges of civility society still has. Each book is a tribute to, and an expression of, the written word. Start substituting those words with handy little symbols like the slash, and you're on a slippery sl...