Danielle’s
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(group member since May 19, 2014)
Danielle’s
comments
from the Danielle L. Jensen's Reader Group group.
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Kelsea wrote: "Ohhh loving these questions!!#1: I dont really imagine myself in the book more so I imagine the story itself coming to life. It sort of plays like a movie in my mind and I love it so much more th..."
Hi Kelsea!
It's been super interesting to hear about the different ways people think about books, and how books stimulate the imagination! I'm glad I thought of this particular topic!
Femia wrote: "2. I would take it because once I love someone, I won't let him go away so I think being bonded with him is something awesome (of course if he feels the same). I would like to be bonded with Trista..."Hi Femia! The scene where they are in the boat on the lake is my FAVORITE in the entire novel, because it's both tragic and romantic :D
Pili wrote: "Ooooh, we're going back to the glass gardens in Warrior Witch?? HOORAY!"YES!! And since you are so excited about it and I like you so much, here is a teaser from WARRIOR WITCH ;D
I entered through the hidden gate at the rear that Tristan had once shown me, the glass brilliant with the unearthly beauty of troll-light. I dreamed of them often, but even the limitless bounds of imagination had failed to capture their beauty. It was a place one needed to be in order to experience, and though I’d explored them countless times during my time in Trollus, I knew that if I spent the rest of my life walking through them, there would always a new detail to discover. The curve of an unknown flower. The vaulting height of a tree. A dewdrop balanced on the tip of a leaf.
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 friend just made a hilarious jok..."Hi Mi-Mi!
That part was fun to write! Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be for Cecile?
Dreaming yourself into the action of a fantasy novel is fun. I wish all my dreams were like that... The other night, I dreamed I was at the store trying to purchase a hot tub, which wasn't nearly as exciting. Especially since when I woke up, there was no hot tub in my backyard :(
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 Londons in ADSOM by V.E. Schwab! Li..."Pili, I forgot to mention... Isn't ADSOM being made into a tv show or a movie? I thought I saw something about that on Twitter!
Femia wrote: "1. I always am #TeamTristan but I love Marc too. Tristan is really kind and cute. He's my type of a boy anyway. I love how Tristan protect Cecile and his love to her makes me jealous lol2. I love ..."
Hi Femia! Thanks so much for participating! My Indonesian publisher recently released the eBook of Hidden Huntress, and I believe they now have print copies available :)
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 Londons in ADSOM by V.E. Schwab! Li..."Hi Pili!
Nooooo! I hate hearing about heartbreak :( I'm sending you all the virtual hugs!
The glass gardens is the place readers seem to love the most, which is why I knew I HAD to go back there for Warrior Witch :)
Abby wrote: "1. I love imagining myself into the books i read. I feel like it makes it more real, like I'm really there experiencing everything. :)2. If i had the opportunity to be bonded to someone, I think I..."
Hi Abby!
That is a funny scene – I wanted it to seem like he was throwing a big temper tantrum :)
Makenna wrote: "#1 I actually do imagine myself as the main character a lot as I read. I think it's really fun to try and find a character in a books that I can relate to or looks like me in some way. It helps me ..."Hi Makenna!
I almost always choose side-kicks as my ride-along characters, as I like to call them. For Stolen Songbird, Anais would be my girl. IDK what this says about me, but I like to imagine myself as the female character who suffers the most. That's probably not a good thing! O_O I promise I'm not so tragic in real life!!!
I'd also take every advantage, but I'd probably be less pleasant about it than Cecile is ;-)
Caitlyn wrote: "1. I don't truly imagine myself as characters but rather feel as though I'm along for the ride, tucked into some part of them as I watch the events unfold. A little like donning characters as coats..."Hi Caitlyn!
Totally makes sense!
One of my favourite series is The Sundering by Jacqueline Carey, and I think I mentally wrote an entire third novel in my head because the ending is pretty abrupt. Love those books.
I like that scene, too! Writing Tristan when he's feeling snarky is really fun :D
Zoe wrote: "1. The last book I read that mentally made me write "mental fanfiction" was Glass Sword (partly because that's the most recent book I have finished). I don't usually imagine myself in books. I norm..."Hi Zoe!
It's a pretty big commitment... Can you imagine being bonded to an ex boyfriend or girlfriend. That would be the worst O_o
Red Queen/Glass Sword have such gorgeous covers... I love my covers, but I love those covers more :D
The bonding scene was interesting to write, because Cecile goes into it with no idea what's going happen. I think I wrote about a dozen variations of her reacting to Tristan's emotions in her head before landing on what's in the book.
Ellie wrote: "1. I love imagining myself in books! Usually it's something like "what would I be in that world? Who would I be?" Usually it's not the main character lol2. I don't think I would bond! It sounds s..."
Hi Ellie!! IT IS SCARY! I'm not sure I'd do it, either. I love that sort of thing in fiction, but that's not how I roll in real life :)
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 other! This is meant to be a discussion amongst all of us :DTO UNLOCK EXTRA CONTENT #4 (The bonding scene from Tristan’s POV) I need 20 different people to answer at least one question!
REMINDER: Everyone who participates (answers a question) in the read-along is entitled to receive a Warrior Witch swag pack. The details are in the swag thread.
EACH WEEK, Angry Robot Books will select ONE participant to receive a SIGNED copy of Warrior Witch. Penny, my publicist, will post the winner on the thread each Thursday :)
1. In Extra #3, I talk about imagining myself into the books I read. Do you imagine yourself into the books you read? Are you yourself, one of the existing characters, or a new character that you create? What was the last book you read that inspired you to “write” mental fan fiction?
2. If you had the opportunity to be bonded to someone, would you take it? Why or why not? And is there a fictional character you’d like to be bonded to?
3. The Duchesse says the following to Cecile: “In my opinion, there are two ways this can go for you: either you curl up on the floor and wait to die, or you live each day for all it can give you. Little will be denied you here. Clothing, jewels, delicacies from the continent are all yours for the taking.” She tilted her head. “An education, if you desire. Perhaps further training in the arts. You can become a great woman, Cécile. Or you can remain a prisoner. The choice is yours.”
What would you do in Cécile’s situation? Would you take advantage of the opportunities? Focus your energy on escape? Dedicate ever minute to annoying your captors?
4. What has been your favorite part of the novel so far?
FUN FACTS!Chapter 6: This was a big chapter, so I’ll give you two! So Prince William and Kate Middleton were married while I was working on the first draft of Stolen Songbird, and I actually had a variation of her dress in mind when I wrote this scene. Which is a bit funny, because obviously the dress on the cover looks nothing like that!
The bonding scene was one of the handful that was very vivid in my mind long before I wrote it, and it even has its own theme song! Lux Aeterna - Requiem For A Dream (Full Orchestra) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLJll...
Chapter 7: The use of mutton in Tristan’s conversation with his father is, of course, a nod to the trolls of The Hobbit.
STOLEN SONGBIRD: “Yes. You’ve bonded her, and now you shall bed her. I can’t say I relish the idea of a bunch of half-bloods running about the royal nursery, but quite frankly, I’d breed you to a sheep if that is what it took to break the witch’s blasted malediction. You’re seventeen years old, time to man-up.”
“I don’t care for mutton.” Tristan crossed his arms. “It’s too tough.”
“Well then count your lucky stars that your dear Cécile isn’t a sheep,” the King said, climbing to his feet. “I’m certain you’ll find her markedly more tender.”
THE HOBBIT: “Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it don’t look like mutton again tomorrer,” said one of the trolls.
“Never a blinking bit of manflesh have we had for long enough,” said a second.
CLEVER, RIGHT?!!
Chapter 8: This chapter was a late edition to the manuscript… I think it came from around the third or forth round of edits I did with my agent. She wanted a chapter from Tristan’s point of view earlier in the manuscript, and she also wanted me to make it clearer for the READER how the bond worked. Several plot points were dependent on Cécile slowly learning how the bond between her and Tristan functioned, so the only way to give the information to the reader, but not to her, was to provide it in a Tristan chapter. So two birds with one stone!
Chapter 9: I don’t have one for this chapter! But it is one of my favorite scenes. I love creating misunderstandings between characters, and having the pair able to sense each other’s feelings actually allowed for MORE misunderstandings.
For example: His face twisted in disgust that matched the emotion pounding in the back of my head. “You can take the bed,” he said, spinning away from me. “I’ll have none of this.” And a few paragraphs later, when he says, “I will take his punishment before I compromise my standards in this. Of that, you can rest assured.” What Cécile takes from the exchanges is that he’s disgusted by her (which she recognizes a good thing as it means he won’t force himself on her), but the truth is that he’s disgusted by the situation and what his father has asked him to do, and refuses to compromise his moral standards no matter what the consequences.
Chapter 10: Some more references to The Hobbit! The names of Cécile’s guards are Guillaume and Albert for The Hobbit trolls William and Bert. In The Hobbit, the trolls are very preoccupied with what they’ll have for dinner, and in Stolen Songbird, Cécile says, I was flanked by two hulking guardsmen whom Elise called Guillaume and Albert, but they ignored me as well, seemingly content to discuss what they’d eaten the prior evening and what they hoped would be served at tonight’s dinner hour.
Chapter 11: The glass gardens are my favorite setting in the entire series, and for those of you looking forward to Warrior Witch, I made a special point of spending some time there!
Chapter summaries for those who need them!Discussion questions are in the third post down.
Chapter 6
Marc leads Cécile to her chambers where she will wait until she is bonded to Tristan. When she reaches the beautiful room, she is reminded of the going away party in her honor that would have been happening that night. Cécile readies for the bonding with the maids, Zoé and Élise, and they reveal that their mother was human, which makes them half-bloods. After bathing, Cécile examines the green wedding dress that she is expected to wear. She considers what will be required of her once she’s wed, panics, and decides to escape immediately.
She excuses the maids, claiming that she needs to lie down for a while. Once alone, she picks the lock on the door leading to the hallway. As soon as she opens the door, she stumbles into Tristan, who mocks her for trying to escape in her dressing gown and bare feet. After agreeing that neither of them wants to be married to the other, Tristan asks her to return to her room lest she risk his father’s wrath coming down upon her. She relents and returns to her maids.
After Cécile has been fully dressed and adorned in beautiful jewels, Marc escorts her to the King and Queen. Marc leaves once they arrive and Tristan takes his place. Cécile and Tristan are handed glasses filled with blue liquid, which Tristan calls Liquid Shackles. After they each drink it, Cécile feels tipsy and dreamy, but Tristan pretends to be unaffected. Together, they make their way to a glass altar in the middle of the river, and Cécile can’t help but notice the hopeful expressions of the trolls they pass.
The moon appears in the small opening in the rock above Trollus, bathing the altar and the two of them in light. As it passes out of sight, the cavern is left in darkness and Cécile is bombarded with emotions that are not her own. She collapses on the altar.
Chapter 7
Tristan’s emotions invade Cécile’s mind as she kneels next to the altar, shocked by what has just occurred. Before she can demand answers, the King hurries to her side and examines the silver lace pattern that has appeared on her hand. Tristan confirms the bonding worked, and the King rushes away, ordering his followers to check the road. Tense moments go by, and then a collective groan of dismay passes through the trolls waiting at the far end of the cavern. Despite everyone else’s disappointment, Cécile can feel Tristan’s relief, which strikes her as strange.
Fighting breaks out and Tristan helps Cécile get away from the crowd for fear they might harm her. Once they reach Tristan’s room, Cécile demands to know what is going on. Tristan explains that five centuries ago, a witch cursed the trolls to remain within the confines of Trollus. All their prior efforts to break the curse have failed, but the Duchesse has the gift of foresight and she foretold that when a prince of night bonded a daughter of the sun, the curse would be broken. Yet despite them doing just that, the curse remains in place.
Sensing his father’s approach, Tristan hides Cécile in a closet. The King and Tristan debate whether to set her free or to kill her. But it is to be neither. The Duchesse told the King that it is premature to believe that this union will not end the curse, so it is agreed that Cécile will stay and be Tristan’s wife. Tristan leaves Cécile locked in the closet where she sits and contemplates how she will never be free of Tristan’s emotions and how she will be forced to stay here with a husband who is disgusted by her. But as she falls asleep, she questions why, given the trolls have been trying to break the curse for so long, that Tristan had felt happy when they failed.
Chapter 8
Tristan waits impatiently for Marc. When he arrives, he reports that the fighting in the city caused several casualties, and that it took time to restore the curfew. The subject quickly turns to Tristan’s recent bonding. He refers to his new wife as “the girl” and is frustrated by the situation. Marc reminds him that the girl has a name, and that although circumstances are inconvenient for Tristan, they are far worse for Cécile.
Tristan assures Marc that she is not fearful but inquisitive, which he considers worse. He wonders how he will be able to control his emotions and keep her from betraying his feelings, because if anyone learns the truth, it will be his undoing. Marc suggests that instead of trying to control the situation, perhaps Tristan should try to win Cécile over. Tristan dislikes the idea and believes that there has to be another way.
Chapter 9
Zoé and Élise release Cécile from the closet. The maids start to leave but realize that Cécile does not have a light like they do, so they leave an orb of magic, suggesting that Tristan will provide a more permanent solution. Cécile examines the contents of her new husband’s room in the hopes of discovering more about him.
When Tristan finally arrives, they are both cold toward each other. Tristan rejects the idea that they should consummate their marriage, intimating that he wants nothing to do with her, which Cécile finds both insulting and a relief. Although she knows Tristan can feel her fear, she is resolute in not letting him see her breakdown. He tells her to take the bed and then turns out his troll light. Walking in the dark, Cécile collides with a table, breaks a vase, and then steps on a piece of glass. In what she perceives as uncharacteristic kindness, Tristan assists in taking out the glass. He then gives her wine glass filled with magic that will light at her touch.
Before he heads back to his make-shift bed he tells Cécile that tomorrow she will have to lie about consummating their marriage. She asks why he doesn’t do it himself, and he reveals that trolls cannot tell lies. If she doesn’t deceive his father, it will be trouble for both of them. Despite the situation, Cécile feels hope as she sets aside her glass full of magic. Tristan has given her what she needs for escape.
Chapter 10
Cécile wakes up to Tristan throwing a fit about his clothes being moved from one closet to another to accommodate Cécile’s new wardrobe. He continues to complain and riles Cécile up to the point where the Queen and Duchesse come in to see what the commotion is all about. They tell him to get over it and he storms out of the room. As he leaves, Cécile notes that she hadn’t sensed any anger from him – that instead, he had felt satisfied. This strikes her as odd. The Duchesse lectures her about the futility of thinking about escape, and advises her to embrace life in Trollus for all it can give her before she leaves the room.
Cécile goes out with Élise and her guards into the city. She notices that everyone is ignoring her and Élise tells her that they are waiting to see how the great houses react before making any moves themselves. Élise tells Cécile about the magic protecting Trollus from the rocks above. They stop the conversation when they enter a shop and meet another human named Esmeralda, whom Cécile learns is Élise’s aunt.
Esmeralda asks Cécile to help her. She is part of a faction that hopes to bring equality between the half-blood and full-blooded trolls. Esmeralda believes that with Cécile married to the prince she might be able to help them accomplish their goal. Cécile is wary of becoming involved, but says that she will see what she can do.
Once they are back outside, Cécile finds herself incensed by the idea that the half-bloods are considered property, and her anger is made worse when she catches sight of Tristan in the distance. Her guards make fun of her behavior, and she loses her temper and runs. Making her way down to the river, she decides to jump into the rapids in the hope they will sweep her to safety. Élise stops her with magic, but falls in herself. Shouting at her guards to help Élise, she uses the distraction to run into the market, where she hears a familiar voice. It is her friend Chris. She runs to him for help, and when he tries to give it, one of the guards attacks him with magic.
Tristan arrives right before the guard is about to kill Chris and spares his life. Chris and his father leave, but not before providing Cécile with the cryptic advice that actions speak louder than words. Out of earshot, Tristan admonishes her for almost getting herself killed, and explains the rules humans must abide by while in Trollus, two of which she caused Chris to break. He then sends her off before reprimanding her guards for tormenting her. She ponders the disconnect she’s noticed between his professed hatred for humans and half-bloods and how he actually behaves and feels. Back at the palace, Cécile snoops around Tristan’s room, learning that he has a younger brother. Zoé catches her, and the conversation turns to a further explanation of the half-blood’s plight.
Chapter 11
Zoé tells Cécile that she came to the room to give Cécile an invitation to Marc’s party. She also suggests Cécile go take a walk in the glass gardens while she removes any trace of Cécile’s snooping. When Cécile arrives in the gardens she starts to sing to make herself feel better, closing her eyes to shut out the world. When she opens them, the gardens are illuminated with magic and are more beautiful than anything she’s ever seen. Tristan is there, and he compliments her voice, causing her to wonder how long he’d been listening.
Cécile thanks him for saving Chris’s life more as a means to pry into his true feelings about humans, but he evades her questions. Instead, he tells her that he used to dream of escaping Trollus. But now those dreams have become nightmares.
Zoé comes to find Cécile and Tristan leaves. One of the guards follows closely behind and wonders who lit up the garden and who was talking to Cécile. Zoé deceives Albert into believing it was her magic that lit the gardens. Cécile wonders why Zoé would cover for Tristan and what they could be hiding.
Irena wrote: "Desi wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Desi wrote: "5. my favorite fantasy novel all the time is The Mortal Instruments 7 years a go I teached 5 yo girl. Her mom was a fantasy books lover, She found out th..."
I feel like I see a pattern in your taste in fictional men ;-)
Emma wrote: "Hi Danielle! I'm super super excited for this read-along! It sure is fun! :D So thank you very much for doing this! Cannot wait to do more!!!! :D"Hi Emma! I'm also excited to be doing this read-along. I was super busy finishing Warrior Witch in the last part of 2015, so it feels good to reconnect with readers.
Funny how finding a favourite book can seem like fate! One of my favourite novels, Dragonsbane, I found in the library discard bin when I was maybe ten or eleven. I was lucky enough to get it signed by Barbara Hambly at World Fantasy Con years later. https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...
Desi wrote: "5. my favorite fantasy novel all the time is The Mortal Instruments 7 years a go I teached 5 yo girl. Her mom was a fantasy books lover, She found out that I never read a fantasy book other than T..."
Hi Desi! I know you're a big Mortal Instruments fan from your tweets :) It always makes me glad to hear about books helping people through challenging times, so I'm glad to hear TMI did that for you.
I'm personally a bigger fan of The Infernal Devices, because I really enjoy the historical elements. #TeamWill
Caitlyn wrote: "1. I'd say Tristan. His and Cecile's chemistry, their witty banter and shared scenes, are quite tangible/romantically charged; theirs is a romance which sparkles as bejeweled roses and flows as son..."Hi Caitlyn!
I'm a huge fan of villains as protagonists, which is why The Young Elites is on my to-read list :) I'd love to write that sort of book one day, but until then, I'll have to satisfy myself with giving my villains good backstories!
