Danielle’s Comments (group member since May 19, 2014)

Danielle’s comments from the Danielle L. Jensen's Reader Group group.

Hannah wrote: "2. I liked Anais from the beginning - I thought the other love interest would be Marc for Cecile, not one for Tristan so it didn't bother me that they had a history. I like that Tristan has one per..."

Hi Hannah!
Were you disappointed that Marc didn't turn out to be a love interest for Cecile?

Melissa wrote: "1. My bookshelf's organization isn't that great but I love the way it is. Most of my hardcovers are on the top shelf, along with my HP collection going left to right (books 7-1). On the second shel..."

I NEED A FONDANT TRISTAN!!!

Makenna wrote: "#1 I actually have two bookshelves one if for my favorite book of all time and the other is for books I collect over time. I have had to do some reorganizing and place them in alphabetical order by..."

Hi Makenna!
What books have you reread the most?

Lillian wrote: "1.) I have 5 shelves on my bookshelf. I put most of the book series on the middle one, so I deem this shelf as most important. If there's no room on that shelf for a new series or another book, the..."

Hi Lillian!
Sounds like you have a good system for your books - I should rearrange mine based on all the feedback everyone is giving me.

One of the reasons I've put that disclaimer that people should wait until after chapter 12 before reading extra #2 and #4 is that they don't just spoil Tristan's true intentions, they spoil the reveal of Anaïs's intentions. I wanted people to dislike and distrust her through most of the novel :)

Janelle wrote: "#2 - I'm not crazy about Tristan and Anias relationship, I think it takes away from Cecile and Tristan building their relation. BUT their friendship and Anias devotion to Tristan plays such a huge ..."

Hi Janelle!
Anaïs is certainly the most contentious of the 'good' secondary characters. I think that's one of the reasons I like her so much - she provokes a more interesting conversation than a character like Marc, who readers typically only have positive things to say about.

Also - and I know this will drive you bunch INSANE - I don't care if I have a series all in the same format. I'll mix hardcover, paperback, and ebook. And sometimes I borrow part of the series from a friend or the library, so I'll be missing books on my shelves.

I AM SUCH A REBEL!

Al wrote: "Danielle wrote: "If you haven't read STOLEN SONGBIRD before, I'd advise you to wait until after you read CHAPTER 12 to read this extra :)


Tristan Prepares for the Bonding Ceremony

“Interesting ..."

That's so pretty! Love it! Thank you so much for sharing it with me :)

Rachmi wrote: "I was wondering, did you make this scene from Tristan's POV just now, for this extra or was it there since the beginning but then cut out in the editing process?

I love these extras from Tristan'..."

Hi Rachmi,
These extras have all been written just for this event, although I have a couple that *might* have a future purpose... It is time consuming, of course, but I enjoy providing extra details that I wasn't able to include in the novel.

Perla wrote: "Did the Élixir emphasize what was already there between them, or rather their feelings for one another, or did it help their feelings progress much more rapidly? I know it did not create feelings o..."

Hi Perla
Good question! The Élixir starts building a connection between them the moment they drink it - that is what its purpose is. It also has the side effect of making them a bit high/happy/buzzed on magic, which is why they are both a bit loopy. It doesn't create feelings, so what develops between them is their own making.
As to whether they would have fallen in love without it to help them over certain obstacles... I'd like to think so, but who can really say? I'll leave that up to readers to decide.

Frida wrote: "."

It JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. I started watching it right after I had my baby, and even though my brain was total mush, it totally sucked me in.

Rachmi wrote: "1. I almost always imagine myself into the books I read. Usually I’m myself having an adventure or telling the stories with the characters in the books. It’s something I cannot help to not do, espe..."

Hi Rachmi
I ALWAYS wonder how many people dislike Tristan at first, and how many change their mind about him once they start to realize there might be more to him than they originally thought. As a writer, it's hard for me to know, because I already know all his secrets and motivations.

FUN FACTS!

Chapter 12 – Anaïs’s character was inspired by that of Éponine from Les Misérables, both in the sense of her unrequited love for Tristan and that she plays a key part in the revolution they are planning. I wrote a big blog post about the similarities between the two girls that you can read here (some Stolen Songbird spoilers)
http://cuts-of-paper.blogspot.ca/2015...

Chapter 13 – So I’ve never admitted this one before, but Victoria used to be Victor! After some discussion with my agent, I ended up making Victor/ia a she for a couple reasons. One, the twins felt like they were the same person and this allowed me more options for differentiating them, and two, we wanted Cécile to have a strong female friend in Trollus. The twins have a significant role to play in Warrior Witch, which I’m really excited for everyone to read.

Chapter 14 – As you know from the chapter 1 fun fact, I met my agent via an online contest. But she didn’t sign me after she read Stolen Songbird the first time, instead asking me to make a few revisions and then resubmit. One of her requests was for an expansion of the political situation. In the first version she read, there was no stone tree – all Tristan was trying to accomplish was to overthrow his father. So all that stuff in Marc’s basement and her run-in with Angouleme was added during my revision, as was Cécile going into the conversation in the stables with blackmail material. In the original version, she accuses him of being a sympathizer, and after a little bit of argument, he concedes fairly easily. By adding in the plans for the stone tree and everything that went with it, I gave her the power to force the information out of him, which makes the exchange much more powerful.

Chapter 15 – This is another chapter that came into being during revisions. When I’m writing a novel, the part I always have the most trouble with is what I call “The Passing of Time”, which is when I’m trying to encapsulate a relatively long period into a small amount of text. “The Passing of Time” in Stolen Songbird is the time period when Cécile is learning to do all sorts of different things while Tristan is a big (pretend) jerk to her. In the original version, all of that happens in a summary a few pages long. During revisions, it was decided that I should show some of those moments, because it would help the reader see how their relationship and romance was growing. So I came up with the painting scene (which I find hilarious), and the ill-considered gift scene.

Chapter 16 – Another chapter that came from revisions! I suppose that this is an opportune moment to mention that Stolen Songbird grew from about 86,000 words to 120,000 words in the revision process.
LESSA. Oh my goodness. Lessa did not exist until the very final round of edits before Stolen Songbird went on submission to editors. Which is CRAZY, because she totally altered the direction of this trilogy. What would HIDDEN HUNTRESS be without her? And WARRIOR WITCH? You will be seeing A LOT of Tristan’s half-sister, because she is a villain!

Chapter 17 – This chapter is obviously a continuation of the changes I made with chapter 16, but from Tristan’s POV. What to say… What to say… Well, there is a big hint that the King has more backstory than has yet been told, all of which will come out in Warrior Witch. All of it.

Chapter summaries for those who need them!

Chapter 12
Tristan leaves the gardens and makes his way through the streets to the poorer area of Trollus known as the Dregs. He is angry with himself for following Cécile into the gardens like a lovesick puppy, especially after he had to intervene earlier to save Chris’s life from her guards. He needs to maintain minimal contact with Cécile so that people won’t question his sympathies or try to use her against him.

Anaïs greets him at the front door of an empty home. Anaïs’s father, Angoulême, ordered her to seduce Tristan to determine his true loyalties, so they’ve been pretending to have an affair in order to feed him false information. Tristan is also using the fake affair with Anaïs to create opportunities to meet with the rebel half -bloods.
Before he meets with the group, Tristan asks how his younger brother, Roland, is doing. Anaïs says that Roland did not respond well to learning Tristan bonded a human. Roland has become very violent and she suggests that they should kill him. Even though Tristan knows how dangerous Roland is, he refuses to contemplate murdering his brother. He leaves Anaïs and meets with his followers.

Chapter 13
Cécile wakes up alone. However, Tristan has been to their rooms in the night and left her a magical device for light, along with a snide note. The Duchesse and the Queen enter the room to discuss the upcoming party, as they don’t want any problems like the day before.

At Marc’s party, Cécile is waylaid by the King, who is angry that Tristan is absent. He mocks her for being afraid of him, but she stands her ground, informing him that she knows he can’t harm her without harming his heir. The King tells her to remind Tristan that he isn’t his only son.

Cécile seeks refuge outside of the party and runs into Marc and the twins, Vincent and Victoria. Marc instructs them to keep her entertained. Tristan arrives with Anaïs on his arm and interrupts their fun. Anaïs picks a quarrel with Cécile, but she gets the better of the troll girl, and passes on the King’s warning to Tristan. Though she can sense his unease, he brushes off the warning and suggests she rejoin the party.

She doesn’t want to go back to the party, so she wanders around Marc’s basement. She comes across a locked door, which she picks, and discovers a room with a table covered in books on famous architecture. Tristan’s coat is draped across one of the chairs, and there are signs that he’s spent some time in here. She hides when she hears someone coming. Tristan, Vincent, Victoria, Anaïs, and Marc enter the room and look at papers Tristan takes from a hidden compartment in the table. Magic hides their conversation, but Cécile can feel and see Tristan’s excitement about whatever the documents contain.

A frightened servant comes in, informing them that Prince Roland has escaped and is hunting half-bloods. Tristan orders Marc to find Cécile and keep her safe, then departs with the rest of his friends. Once they are gone, Cécile takes Tristan’s papers out of the compartment. But before she can figure out what they mean, she hears someone approaching. Shoving the documents in her skirt, she hides under the table and Angoulême enters the room. He is angry to discover the secret compartment empty and departs.

Cécile sneaks out when she thinks it is safe, but is caught by Angoulême. He demands to know what Tristan is up to, offering safe passage from Trollus after Tristan’s death if she tells him the Prince’s plans. Marc intervenes and tells her not to trust Angoulême, explaining that because of the bond, if Tristan dies, she is likely to as well. She sees the black bonding marks on Marc’s hand and learns that the girl he was bonded to his dead, and he says he only lived because stronger powers intervened Back in her rooms, Cécile hides Tristan’s documents, deciding to use them to force Tristan into telling her the truth about what side he’s really on.

Chapter 14
In the morning, Cécile tracks down Tristan with the intention of learning the truth. Before she can say anything, he asks her if she has come to spy on him for her new friend. Convincing him to speak to her somewhere private, she accuses him of being a sympathizer. When he refuses to admit that’s the case, she tells him she has his documents. When he accuses her of being backstabbing, she tells him that she took them to protect him from Angoulême. She tells him that if he explains to her what the documents represent, she’ll return them to him.

Tristan agrees and reveals that he is a sympathizer and that he plans on killing the King. He is leading the group of revolutionaries and plans on taking the crown. The papers that Cécile found earlier are building plans to create a structure that will replace the magic supporting the rock, which will eliminate the half-bloods’ dependency on the aristocracy. She asks him what the point of building it is if he intends to break the curse, and he evades the question, suggesting that it is unlikely the curse will ever be broken. But he tells her once he is in power that he’ll release her from Trollus.

Once Cécile understands Tristan’s alliances and plans, he tells her that they must remain antagonistic to each other. He must pretend to agree with his father, which means he can’t sympathize with humans or half-bloods. If anyone suspects anything, the revolution and their lives would be in jeopardy.

Chapter 15
After meeting with Tristan she seeks out Duchesse, intending to take advantage of the opportunities the woman offered her now that she’s secured her eventual freedom from Trollus. Cécile tells her that she wants to know more about the arts, history, literature and other subjects.

The next few days are spent doing all sorts of activities. Cécile rarely sees Tristan, and when she does, they always pretend to quarrel in order to keep up the pretense.

In a rare moment when they are alone together, Tristan makes an offhand comment about her brother, and reveals that he has spies watching her family. He offers to fake her death so that her family can receive some closure, and she agrees, giving him her mother’s necklace so that the corpse will be identified as hers.

He gives her a diamond necklace, but the moment is tarnished when he tells her it’s a gift from the troll jewelers, not from him. Upset, she informs him it is a cold gift, and meaningless given how alone she is. They quarrel, and he tells her if it’s warmth she seeks to find it with his friends, not him.

Chapter 16
Cécile is enjoying the afternoon teaching Marc, Vincent, and Victoria how to fish. They ask her many questions about her home and eventually the conversation turns to the fights between her and Tristan. They only see each other in public and often argue.

However, he leaves her gifts and information about her family in the bedroom, which Marc tells her is against the King’s orders.
The twins are bored with fishing and they all decide to leave. The twins are pulled away by a sculptor who wants to be paid. Marc is also detained for a moment, leaving Cécile alone. She comes across the Dowager Duchesse d’Angoulême and her servant. The servant accidentally bumps into the Dowager Duchesse and drops a package. Cécile tries to protect the girl by purchasing her, but the law prevents her from buying the servant herself. Cécile does the only thing she can think of, and steps in the way, taking one of the lashes intended for the servant herself.

Chapter 17
Tristan is with his father when he senses Cécile has been injured, although not badly. A messenger arrives to tell the King that Cécile has quarreled with the Dowager Duchesse, and after hearing the explanation, Tristan is immediately concerned that Cécile will ask him to intervene on the servant’s behalf. The messenger reveals the servant’s identity as a girl named Lessa, who is a Montigny bastard, and the King erupts in a violent fit of temper. Cécile and those in question soon arrive. Instead of begging for the servant’s life, as Tristan and the King expected, Cécile remains quiet as the Dowager Duchesse nervously explains that the conflict would not have occurred if Cécile better understood the laws before conceding that her behavior was rash.

Before Dowager Duchesse can leave, Tristan goes over to Cécile and reveals an injury on her arm. The King is ready to punish the Dowager Duchesse for breaking the law against harming Cécile, but Cécile intervenes. Instead of having the woman punished, she wants the servant to be gifted to the royal family. The King is impressed that she found a loophole in the law and informs the Dowager Duchesse to either give up the servant or her life.

The King orders Tristan to remain as everyone departs, and expresses his pleasure that someone finally caught the Angoulême house in a plot, although he was surprised that it was Cécile to do the catching. He discusses the politics of their relationship with the Angoulêmes, revealing that he’d fostered Roland with them in order to secure a betrothal between Tristan and Anaïs, which was subsequently broken when it was discovered the Angoulême bloodline was afflicted with hemophilia. After he is dismissed, Tristan wanders over to the gardens because he is drawn to Cécile’s singing.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS!!!

Here are the discussion questions! You can answer as many or as few as you want, and you can also pose questions about these chapters to me!

TO UNLOCK EXTRA CONTENT #6 (A new scene) I need 20 different people to answer at least one question!

One participant on this thread will win a signed copy of WARRIOR WITCH, courtesy of my publisher, Angry Robot Books

All participants are entitled to a WARRIOR WITCH swag pack. Details here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

1. In extra #5, I talk about my bookshelves, how I organize them, and my reading habits. How do you organize your bookshelves? Do you ever get rid of books? Do you reread books?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PLyA...

2. How do you feel about Tristan’s friendship with Anaïs? Does it bother you that they had a history, of sorts? Do you like her or hate her, or are you indifferent to her character? Would you be interested in learning more about her?

3. Chapter 14 has a moment between Tristan and Cecile that is HEAVY with physical chemistry. Despite Cecile suspecting Tristan’s behavior is an act, he’s still been pretty nasty to her so far. Do you think it was too soon for the chemistry to develop between them, or do you think the moment was right?

4. Did you think Cecile was brave to intercede on Lessa’s behalf or foolish to get involved? What would you have done? Were you curious as to how Lessa was related to Tristan or did you not care?

5. Why do you think the King chose that moment to reveal that Tristan had been betrothed to Anaïs? What do you think he intended to accomplish?

https://www.goodreads.com/videos/9899...

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PLyA...

Part of the chapters 12-17 discussion thread

Caitlyn wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Nicole wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Nicole wrote: "First of all, I'd like to say that the references to The Hobbit made me love Stolen Songbird even more, which I didn't think was poss..."

Hi Caitlyn!
Yes! This thread is for having a nice chat about books and other things, and no one should worry about being judged. Especially not by me!

I actually really struggle with the need for my work to be perfect - or at least as perfect as I can make it. That's why I'm not a particularly fast writer compared to many authors. I *need* what I've written to be good before I can progress with a novel, so I spend a lot of time writing and rewriting, especially the first 30-40% of my novels. And if I think what I'm writing is bad, I can get really frustrated and upset trying to fix it. Recently, I've tried pushing through bad chapters, because often times, the solution to what's not working occurs to me as I get further into the plot. But it's hard. Writing and writers tend to be plagued with self doubt, and I'm no exception :)

Frida wrote: "1. I pretty much always imagine myself into the books I read, but never as myself. Sometimes I’m the main character and sometimes I create a new character, but most of the time I get this feeling t..."

Hi Frida!
YESSSSSS! A fellow lover of The 100! Who is your favourite? I love Bellamy, but I'm actually shipping Clarke and Lexa, because they are both so intense. And I LOVE Octavia, which is funny, because I couldn't stand her for the first 6 or so episodes. I watched the last episode last night, and now I'm worried about Raven. OMG. That show... it consumes me!

Cynia wrote: "1. I don't imagine being a character in a book, though I do see the scenes unfold in my mind's eye if the author is good at describing the characters etc.
2. Bonding only if it is someone I love an..."

Hi Cynia!
I frequently think about scenes for a long time before I write them down, and I tend to see them happening like a movie in my head, so I get what you are saying :)

Eileen wrote: "I'm finally doing some catching up! XP

1. If the book is in First Person POV, I try to imagine myself in the main character's shoes. Afterall, I am using "I" ;) I usually prefer to read in Third P..."

Hi Eileen! <3

I ALSO prefer 3rd person! Which is a bit funny, because obviously this series is written in 1st person. I chose to write it in 1st because so much of the story is internal to Tristan & Cecile's thoughts, and 1st is a better medium for capturing that.

Nicole wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Nicole wrote: "First of all, I'd like to say that the references to The Hobbit made me love Stolen Songbird even more, which I didn't think was possible! And the theme song for the..."

Hi Nicole (I think we have two Nicoles participating!)

So the reason I made Cecile a singer is a bit convoluted, and I'm probably a bit inconsistent in all the places I've answered this question, because I don't *really* know why. My characters often spring out of the depths of my mind with certain characteristics determined by my subconscious. This was the case with Cecile.

If you haven't read Hidden Huntress, don't read any further. SPOILER ALERT.

That said, there are a few reasons why I chose to develop and focus on that particular talent of hers.
1. I wanted her to have come from a very modest upbringing (the farm), because I wanted to make her as much a fish out of water as I possibly could once she was in Trollus. However, I needed her to have a reasonable education in order for her to satisfy certain aspects of the plot - and that level of education would not (realistically) have been provided to a girl destined to live life on a pig farm. Having her be the daughter – and heir to the stage – of a famous opera star (and if we are being fair, courtesan) allowed her education to be realistic. Also, keep in mind that Anushka – who, having lived 500+ years, is very educated – intended to take over Cecile's life, thus needed her daughter to be educated enough that no one would notice the transition. (Would be pretty crazy if she learned how to read in the space of a night, right?)
2. I needed her to have a talent that would link her to all those who came before her, including Anushka.
3. I needed something unique (ish) about her that would allow the trolls to identify her via the foretelling
4. I wanted her to be in a moment of transition before she was kidnapped. Cecile was already planning to leave home, so it's realistic that she found it in herself to move to Trianon after she was freed from Trollus. Her career also gave her the vehicle to do so.
5. Making her an opera star gave her access to both low and highborn people in Hidden Huntress, which was necessary for the plot.
6. Her singing becomes important in Warrior Witch. But that's all I can say about that.