Jade Varden Official Blog

Have you ever loved reading a book so much that you didn't want to finish it? Sometimes, writing a book can inspire the same sort of feeling. Writers spend a ton of time inside the world they've creating, looking into the minds of different characters, and ending the book is a very bittersweet experience. Sometimes, maybe too bittersweet. Getting to the end can be so difficult, authors end up putting it off...and ruining the story.  All Good Things... Once an author is really into the story and into their characters, the writing flows naturally. The dialogue style of a particular character, specific thought processes -- it all becomes second nature. Putting an end to all of that can be really heart-wrenching and difficult. Sometimes, authors may not even realize that they're having trouble getting to the end of the story...they just keep inventing more and more and more story.  Getting that deep into a particular story can create a one-way flow of creativity; ...

Lots of writers, even the most famous ones, advocate that if you're a writer you ought to be doing it every day. It's a good way to exercise your creativity, they say, and how else can you get finished with a book otherwise? Should you be writing every day? Habits, Hobbies and Obsessions I found a quote online where even Mark Twain himself advised writers to writer every day. Easy for him to say, right? Writers in the 1800s didn't have to think about tweeting, or blogging, or checking their own sales figures. It may come as a surprise to know that Mark Twain self-published, but you can bet he wasn't spending an hour wading through emails every day or digging through book blogs to find reviewers. And then there's the fact that Mark Twain became pretty famous in his own time, and his books sold quite well. So naturally, Twain had time to write every day because he was getting paid to write books. Lots of self-published authors aren't getting paid (at...

 "I loved the development of the story line right from chapter one."  "I would recommend this book to any young adult because it's the perfect amount of high school drama for any adolescent." Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) has been reviewed at The Rise of a Novelist. Go and read the whole thing , and get an inside look at how I get my reviews!

"This is a suspenseful, mystery book that has you gripping every lie as they multiply in the palm of your hands." "This book felt real and I will recommend it to everyone I come across." Addicted to Novels has reviewed Justice (Deck of Lies, #1). Read the whole thing to find out where to get your copy of the book!

It's hard to believe The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was published just 62 years ago, in 1950. It feels like it's been a part of children's literature for ever. It's certainly been part of TV movies, miniseries and  films for a long while, but then things move pretty quick in the movies. It's the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, and one of Times All-TIME 100 Novels. C. S. Lewis nearly didn't get it published, and now it's one of the most beloved children's books ever written. The Book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is set in war-torn 1940s Europe...and in a mythical land called Narnia. It opens with the four Pevensie children, of whom there are two boys (Peter and Edmund) and two girls (Susan and Lucy). They've been forced from London due to WWII and into the country home of Professor Digory Kirke.  While exploring his large home, Lucy goes into an old wardrobe...and all the way through it into a magical, s...

"It seems like on every page you are learning something new, more truths revealed." "Another breathtaking, fast-paced, eye-opening and jaw-dropping novel from an Awesome author!" The Tower (Deck of Lies, #2) has been reviewed at Keepin' up with the Joneses. Read the whole thing to find out how to enter a book giveaway and get some new reading material (after you buy The Tower, of course!)

If you follow the blog, you already know how to comb through book blogs to get reviews . You know how to approach reviewers in order to get them to read your work. You know how to deal with review exchanges, and how to handle the inevitable criticism. But if you're not also following up, you're doing yourself a disservice. The follow up is one of the best tools you can use for getting reviews.  Are you using it? Remember Me?  If you're committed to being an indie, you're probably going to self-publish more than one book (or maybe you already have). Whether you're writing a series or several stand-alone books, you can't neglect all your follow ups. So if you're asking, what's that, you already have been. It's okay, you can still catch up.  Keep track of your reviews. If you're going to properly follow up on the reviews you get, you've got to keep track of your reviews. I'm a big advocate of organization , so my first sugges...

"An exhilarating ride, and once I started the book, I just couldn’t stop." Justice (Deck of lies, #1) has been reviewed at Keepin' up with the Joneses. There are some spoilers, so feel free to read the whole review if you've already read Justice, and see if you agree with the reviewer!