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

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

Nicole wrote: "1. I kind of imagine myself as the main character... or at least in their place, but still from an outside perspective. Does that make sense? Probably not. Like, I see firsthand everything that is ..."

Hi Nicole!
Totally makes sense - everyone has a different way of imagining things, and sometimes it's difficult to articulate :)
I never thought about it, but being in Cecile's situation would give one a lot of free time to write. Think of how many novels I could write in a year if I was kidnapped by trolls :)

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 choice,” I said, eyeing Anaïs’s elaborate black mourning gown. “If a touch dramatic.”

In answer, she lifted the hem of her skirts to reveal the sturdy boots and black leather trousers she typically wore for combat training. “I’ll be less than twenty paces from the platform, but if anything happens, I need to be able to move. The twins are checking the route you’ll take for any traps, and Marc will shadow you during the procession. He’s ensured those loyal to us are scattered through the crowd, so if anyone makes a move against you, someone will notice and give the signal. And then we’ll get you and the girl out of there.”

I tugged at the fabric knotted at my throat, feeling strangled. “I doubt there’s much risk until after the ceremony is finished. Not even your father is likely to jeopardize a chance at freedom for the sake of seeing me in an early grave.”

She bit on the tip of a curled lock of hair, then shook her head. “I don’t like this. You should be shielded. When was the last time you walked about in public without some form of protection in place?”

“I can’t,” I said sourly. “It’s tradition to approach the ceremony exposed.”

“As if it isn’t bad enough that your entire mind will soon be exposed to a stranger.” Her gaze flicked to the open doors and the long path leading to the gates beyond. “I need to go. My father will be expecting me.”

I started to drop the magic blocking our conversation from unwanted watchers and listeners, but she lifted a hand to forestall me. “Tristan, after this is done and the curse is broken, I’m going to leave for a time. That is, if it’s all right with you.”

My stomach tightened at the thought, because it wouldn’t be just Anaïs wandering free on the Isle. “You’d leave me undefended?” I’d meant for the words to be lighthearted, but my trepidation found its way into them.

Pain flashed in her eyes, and I caught her hand, hoping to undo the damage. “You know I’d miss you horribly, but you also know I wouldn’t stand in your way.” Hesitating, I asked, “Where will you go?”

“As far from Trollus as I can get.” She pulled her fingers free of mine. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Your Highness, I think it’s time I was gone.”

I watched her go, nearly as sick for the hurt I was causing her as I was for what was about to be unleashed on the world. But short of falling on my own sword, which I wasn’t prepared to do, I had no idea how I was to stop it.

“Whatever is going on between you and that one needs to be finished.”

At the sound of my father’s voice, I turned to see him approaching with my mother on his arm.

Instead of acknowledging his comment, I said, “What is your plan once the curse is broken? Will you move on Trianon immediately?” The twins had reported that my father’s soldiers were armed and ready, but that could be as much to control Trollus’s population as anything else. And frankly, it wasn’t as though much preparation was needed: my father could take Trianon himself, if he felt inclined to walk the distance.

“I’ve long had plans for this moment,” he replied, and I wished desperately that I knew what they were. But since Marc’s father had died, my father kept counsel with no one but himself. “You concern yourself with bonding the girl and breaking the curse, and leave the rest to me.”

“As though bonding a human were no small thing,” I muttered.

Dropping my mother’s arm, he took hold of the front of my coat and gave me a little shake. “It is nothing compared to what you’ll gain. Once you’ve broken the curse, no one will dare contest you. The people will love you for liberating them even as they fear your power, and you’ll be free to shape the world to your will.”

“You are king, father,” I said. “Not me.”

Threads in the fabric of my coat snapped beneath his grip as his eyes searched mine. “But you are my heir.”

“Thibault.” There was a warning tone in my aunt’s voice, and my father’s jaw tightened before he released me. Me: a tool to be used at his discretion. Always, I hated him, but hearing him describe how he’d use me to cement his control over our people made me want to strike him down where he stood.

My mother chose that moment to step between us, fixing my coat so that it hung straight and smoothing my hair. “Such a handsome young man,” she said, and a second later, my aunt shouted, “Turn around so I can see him, Matilde.”

She dutifully rotated, and my aunt gave an approving nod, before casting a sly glance my father’s direction. “He looks the spitting image of you at that age, you wheezing old hog.”

He scowled. “Remind me why I haven’t yet cut out your tongue, Sylvie?”

She cackled with laughter, and I turned to sit on a bench, the hopelessness of the situation abruptly making me weary. But I had barely a moment’s respite before the sound of heels clicking against tile filtered into the room, and Marc appeared with Cécile on his arm.

I’d intended to ignore her. Instead I found myself on my feet – the backs of my legs aching from where I’d banged them against the heavy stone bench – because once my eyes had landed on her, there had been no looking away.

Dropping into a deep, if somewhat unsteady, curtsey, she said, “Your Majesties,” then to me, “Your Highness.”

My aunt was speaking, and my father as well, but their voices made about as much impression on me as the distant roar of the waterfall, and I scarcely noticed when they departed.

Say something.

“You look exceptionally… ” I searched desperately for the correct word, then blurted out, “Colorful.”

Idiot.

Her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. “I didn’t choose the dress, my lord.”

Do not say another word, I ordered myself, but my mouth had other ideas. “I wasn’t talking about the dress. I’ve only seen human hair that color in paintings, and I was certain the artists were being fanciful. It’s more noticeable now that you’ve cleaned up...” I shifted my weight, knowing that I was making a fool of myself but unable to stop. “And it’s somewhat brighter in here. See the lamps?” I bit my tongue. “Of course you see them. I just meant... Your hair is very red.”

Your hair is very beautiful. You are very beautiful, was what I’d intended to say. What I wanted to say.

What I couldn’t say.

Not without risking everything.

“Your Highness.” A half-blood servant held out a tray with two crystal glasses filled with Élixir. I focused on his face, using it to recall my purpose and to push myself back into character.

“Do you suppose it would be inappropriate,” I asked, “for me to top them up a bit with some whiskey?”

The half-blood appeared horrified at the notion, though he knew better than to say anything. Especially to me. “I suppose you’re right,” I said in response to his expression, then plucked up the glasses and handed one to Cécile. “Cheers!”

“What is it?” she asked. “Not some sort of poison, I hope?”

A quick painless poison might have been preferable, because being bonded to me would inevitably be the death of her. And, conversely, the death of me. “I call it Liquid Shackles. It has another name, but I prefer to use my own inventions. As to its nature, well...” I shrugged, considering how far I could push the truth. “I wouldn’t say it isn’t harmful, but it certainly won’t kill you. At least it shouldn’t – we’ve never had a human drink any before.”

“Why do you call it Liquid Shackles?”

“Because it is a clever metaphor.” Because it will bind you to someone you hate for the rest of your life.

“And if I refuse?” She lifted her chin and scowled at me. “I suppose you’ll just force it down my throat.”

If only she knew the truth – that if we resisted, my father would force it down both our throats.

“Certainly not,” I said. “It is always better to delegate nefarious tasks. You know, to keep one’s reputation intact. Keep in mind that I have to drink it too.”

“What does it taste like?”

“Having never been bonded before, I haven’t the foggiest idea. But I expect quite vile.” I clinked my glass against hers, wondering how I was going to keep her safe. “Bottoms up!”

It tasted like sugar water, but burned like whiskey, and I immediately felt the presence of the foreign magic flooding my veins.

“Quite lovely, really,” Cécile murmured, and her voice sounded like music in my ears. “Are you certain there was no liquor in that?” she asked.

“Quite.” Only magic greater than even my own. And infinitely more permanent. “Though I see it has made you rather punch-drunk.”

“You mean it hasn’t affected you at all?”

On the contrary, the world around us seemed too bright, everything but Cécile’s face a blur unworthy of my attention. A different sort of tension replaced that which had been plaguing me, and all I wanted to do was touch her, if only to prove she wasn’t a vision or a waking dream sent to tempt me from my path. “I expect I have a more resilient constitution,” I said instead.

She lifted her hand, her fingers brushing against the side of my throat, and though they were cool, her touch seared through me like fire. I wanted her, this human girl that I’d only just met. And it was not just desire, but something greater than that. A desire to know her. An involuntary shudder ran through me, and I closed my eyes, hoping that blocking her from my sight would ease the sensation.

It did not.

It’s only the magic making you feel this, I told myself. It isn’t real. And to take advantage of her in this moment was a cruelty I refused to consider. Catching her hand, I pulled it away from where it had remained pressed against my skin.

“I think, Mademoiselle de Troyes,” I said, “that you are not yourself. This all seems like a dream now, but like every dream, eventually you must wake.” And because I couldn’t help myself, I brushed back a tendril of hair that had fallen across her face, careful not to touch her.

Because though I badly wished it could be otherwise, I knew I never would.

Robandbecky wrote: "I thought the concept of bonding in the books was really interesting. It honestly reminds me of being married in real life, perhaps a little less specific and intense. The longer I've been married,..."

Hi Becky!
You raise a good point! The real-world connection between couples can be pretty intense, and losing someone can be a hard thing to recover from, even without fictional magical bonds.

M. wrote: "I 100% absolutely imagine myself into the books I read. For some I am myself, and others I am one of the existing characters. Sometimes, I identify so much with a character that it becomes a mix of..."

Hi M.!
That makes me so happy to hear you connected so deeply with Cecile :D Making her realistic and relatable was really important to me while I was developing her character.

Jen wrote: "1. I usually picture myself as the main heroine. Well, unless I can't connect to her or I truly wouldn't want to be in that world - like The Hunger Games haha. For those situations usually I visual..."

Hi Jen!
Yup - what happened to Marc is sort of a warning about the negative aspects of bonding. Hidden Huntress delves into the darker aspects of bonding. One of my favorite few lines from HH are in a conversation between Tristan and Marc when Tristan says "there are times I question why we do this to ourselves. Why we tie our fate so closely to one person that everything we are, everything we do, hangs upon them. It seems a cruel thing that we lose not only the one we love most, but also the opportunity to endure. To finish the things we’ve started."

ShinHyunRin wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Uggg! That's a hard question. I want to say Gansey (Raven Cycle), but for OBVIOUS reasons, I'm a little worried he's going to die. So he might be a bad choice. I'm going to say Bel..."

That's a good question! Stolen Songbird's characters were already created when I started watched the show, but I'm trying to think whether he inspired anyone in my WIP. I don't *think* so, but certainly some of my characters have similar attributes, because obviously I gravitate towards them.

Karim wrote: "1. Yes I love imagining myself into the books I read it's a way to connect with the characters. Usually I'm my favorite character but sometimes I like to immagine myself as a new one just for the f..."

Hi Karim,
Are the characters you invent always sort of the same, or do they change depending on the book?

Christa wrote: "1. I usually picture the story I'm reading as a movie in my mind. If the story sucks me in I usually picture myself as the main character.
The last book I had mental fan fiction for was Earths End..."

Hi Christa!
Elise Kova is a good friend of mine, and she LOVED hearing that EE inspired your imagination!
I LOVE Rhysand from ACOTAR - the sequel comes out the same day as Warrior Witch, and I'm almost as excited for it as I am for my own book :)

Nicole wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Mi-Mi wrote: "Whether or not I imagine myself into the book and how I do it really depends on the novel itself. For instance, if the heroine just had a really good line or if her f..."

I'm Canadian, and we love our hot tubs, especially when it's really cold out :)

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..."

YES, there were a few reasons so it's a bit of a longer explanation. I'm rushing to finish the last round of edits on WW, but I will answer this (good) question later this week!

Pili wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Pili wrote: "#1.- I do love imagining myself in books sometimes! As clearly as I wouldn't last a bloody day in some worlds, I've been thinking I'd love to visit the different Londo..."

I'd be so nervous to write something for TV... I'd need A LOT of coaching!

Lillian wrote: "3.) If I were in Cecile's situation, I think I would be too stubborn to fully embrace all the opportunities. It would feel as though I'm giving in to my captors. Although, I might explore a little ..."

Stubbornness can be a good thing!!

I really enjoy writing Tristan when he's in a witty mood, but it takes me a long time to figure out what he's going to say, because I'm not particularly witty in real life O_o I always think of good comebacks an hour after the conversation ends ;-/

Erika (The Nocturnal Fey) wrote: "1. I don't particularly imagine myself inside the book, well, there are times certainly. But most of the time, it's more of the opposite. I imagine the book (characters, the rules, magic, etc) into..."

ERIKA!!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you are such a talented artist. I love your Instagram account so much. Because I'm GREEDY, I can't wait for some Warrior Witch art from you :D

ShinHyunRin wrote: "1. I usually imagine myself as the main character. I think it because usually the story telling from the main character POV, so I always kinda felt 'That was so me!' and be emphaty to her.
Usually ..."

Uggg! That's a hard question. I want to say Gansey (Raven Cycle), but for OBVIOUS reasons, I'm a little worried he's going to die. So he might be a bad choice. I'm going to say Bellamy from The 100 (the show, not the books!), because he is gorgeous and brave and I'm a little bit obsessed with him.

Once 8 more people have answered my super fun questions *winks* I will post a brand new chapter from Tristan's point of view :D Thanks so much to everyone who has participated so far - you guys are AWESOME!

Perla wrote: "Danielle wrote: "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! Also, please feel free to talk to each ..."

Hi Perla!
I LOVE first kisses between characters :D
I chuckled reading that you improve upon the main characters to make them the best they can be – I also do that. My mental fan fiction characters are almost always superstars ;D

Patricia wrote: "I'm not quite to chapter 11 yet but ahhh there's been so many great bits so far! I loved Cecile and Tristan's first meeting. Tristan was so mean and moody yet wise and witty, I really loved him fro..."

Hi Patricia!
Tristan's father is actually one of my favorite characters. One of the best things about writing Warrior Witch was revealing more of his backstory :) That's probably why I included him in the new scene that you are all working to unlock !

Nicole wrote: "Thanks for posting the youtube link too! For some reason when I open videos on Goodreads they never load. Oo"

My phone has the same problem! I'll make sure always to post the YouTube link :)

Adriyanna wrote: "1. It depends on the book. I love world-building, so if that's done really well or the world itself stands out a lot I'll imagine myself into the story, perhaps as the MC. Usually when I imagine my..."

Hi Adriyanna!
I guess I should answer my own question! When I was younger, I wrote mental fan fiction for all of David Eddings stuff (I think Sparhawk was my first crush!), The Dragonlance novels, especially the Chronicles, and Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern novels. More recently, The Infernal Devices (Will is my one true love), Divergent (Four!!!), The Raven Cycle (Gansey <3), and The Wolves of Mercy Falls (LOVE Cole). For television I'd say The 100 is a big one for me.

I TRY not to do it too much, because my writing depends on me immersing myself in my own worlds.

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 bonding is amazing, I now want ..."

Hi Nicole! Horror movies TERRIFY me. I'm such a wimp... I watch them peeking through my fingers, and I'm always plagued with bad dreams afterwards. I guess that's the curse of an active imagination.

There is a scene in Warrior Witch that was directly inspired by the dwarves escaping from the elves in The Hobbit - you will know it when you read it :)