Author Interview with Jade Varden

1. Why do you write?

I wouldn't know how to not write. It's just a part of who I am. 

2. How many books have you written?

That depends on how loosely you want to use the term "book." Counting the stuff I wrote when I was still in middle school, the number is somewhere around 10. Now, are they all fit to read? That's another question.

3. What inspired you to write your (latest) book?

Well I've always wanted to write a mystery. And I was inspired by the idea of suddenly discovering that you were born into a different family than the one you've always had -- what would happen if suddenly you were put back into that first family? Somehow, the two ideas came together and the Deck of Lies series was born. 

4. What is your favorite genre to read?

YA novels, definitely, but I also love horror and mystery novels. 

5. Is your writing style at all influenced by those of your favorite authors?

I'd like to think so, because I read so many wonderful writers. It's a nice wish that perhaps their talent will somehow rub off on me. 

6. Which is your favorite book that you’ve written?

The one I'm working on now, The Tower. It's the second book in the Deck of Lies series, and it's been giving me trouble. But I think the harder it is to write, the better it will be in the end. 

7. What is your opinion of the art of writing?

It's difficult, and it's easy. It's painful, and it's healing. It's frustrating, it's soothing. It's always something different. And usually, it's all those things at once.

8. What advice would you give someone who is just beginning their own novel?

Write your outline, do your research, and keep track of your characters. Know who you're writing about and the places you're writing about.

9. Do you have any funny and / or interesting stories about how you’ve come up with plots or characters?

My characters are almost always taken from exaggerated characteristics of people I've known, including me, which isn't all that interesting. I can tell you that I named one of my locations after a character in The Lying Game. Sometimes I sneak in little shout-outs to other writers I like or admire. 

10. Coke or Pepsi?

Pepsi, but only if it's diet and cherry-flavored. I'm a bit of a soda snob. 

You can find Jade's book here, follow her on Twitter, and keep up with her on her blog.