Ask the Author: Danielle Bryan
Answered Questions (14)
Danielle Bryan
The mystery I’ve never been able to explain is the feeling of déjà vu — those sudden moments when everything feels hauntingly familiar, like I’ve stood in the same place or spoken the same words long before this life. It happens often, and each time it leaves me wondering if I’m remembering something I once lived. When I was younger, I dreamed of a Native American girl standing in a forest. She looked toward me as a wolf stood quietly beside her — wild, but loyal. I’ve always felt deeply connected to her, as if she was a part of me from another time. Maybe that’s why my stories always return to the same themes — memory, identity, and the echoes we carry from life to life.
Danielle Bryan
Balance? That’s adorable. I mostly just juggle chaos and hope the coffee doesn’t run out. 😂
In reality, it’s about finding small creative moments wherever I can—writing on lunch breaks, brainstorming in traffic, or jotting notes at midnight because my brain refuses to clock out. I’ve even started using a recorder while I’m driving to organize my thoughts when inspiration hits (which, thanks to Spotify shuffle, is always at the most inconvenient time).
Some days I balance it beautifully. Other days, I just let the stories win.
In reality, it’s about finding small creative moments wherever I can—writing on lunch breaks, brainstorming in traffic, or jotting notes at midnight because my brain refuses to clock out. I’ve even started using a recorder while I’m driving to organize my thoughts when inspiration hits (which, thanks to Spotify shuffle, is always at the most inconvenient time).
Some days I balance it beautifully. Other days, I just let the stories win.
Danielle Bryan
With caffeine, playlists, and mild personality disorder 😂 — just kidding (mostly).
I really have to be in the right mindset for each of my worlds. Until I’m ready, I use music to set the tone.
Everley Starr’s world is built from lived experiences—beautiful, but sometimes painful to revisit. Celestine Quinn’s world is pure adrenaline, intrigue, and dangerously attractive MMCs—so she gets her own playlist, some candles, and a glass of red wine.
And the fantasy realm? I practically live there. It’s way more interesting than going to work every day.
Each name is a different frequency. I just tune in to the one that’s calling loudest.
I really have to be in the right mindset for each of my worlds. Until I’m ready, I use music to set the tone.
Everley Starr’s world is built from lived experiences—beautiful, but sometimes painful to revisit. Celestine Quinn’s world is pure adrenaline, intrigue, and dangerously attractive MMCs—so she gets her own playlist, some candles, and a glass of red wine.
And the fantasy realm? I practically live there. It’s way more interesting than going to work every day.
Each name is a different frequency. I just tune in to the one that’s calling loudest.
Danielle Bryan
I maintain the balance between beauty and darkness the same way I maintain my caffeine levels—barely, but with style.
For me, darkness isn’t just there to scare you; it’s there to make the light feel earned. Mirrorborn is full of scars and starlight—because beauty means more when it’s survived something.
For me, darkness isn’t just there to scare you; it’s there to make the light feel earned. Mirrorborn is full of scars and starlight—because beauty means more when it’s survived something.
Danielle Bryan
Music doesn’t just inspire my writing—it instigates it.
One night I was listening to Sleep Token, heard the chorus “The night comes down like Heaven,” and my brain said, “Cool. Guess I’ll start an angelic rebellion, a cosmic love story, and an existential war.”
That line became the seed for When Heaven Fell.
Then another song (that I absolutely cannot remember—thanks, shuffle mode) decided to expand it into a six-book multiverse that all collides in The Immortal War: When Realms Collide.
So yes, music inspires me. But it also keeps tricking me into writing new universes. At this point, my Spotify should probably get co-author credit.
One night I was listening to Sleep Token, heard the chorus “The night comes down like Heaven,” and my brain said, “Cool. Guess I’ll start an angelic rebellion, a cosmic love story, and an existential war.”
That line became the seed for When Heaven Fell.
Then another song (that I absolutely cannot remember—thanks, shuffle mode) decided to expand it into a six-book multiverse that all collides in The Immortal War: When Realms Collide.
So yes, music inspires me. But it also keeps tricking me into writing new universes. At this point, my Spotify should probably get co-author credit.
Danielle Bryan
All the time. Sometimes it’s just a person — their basic description, a gesture, or a turn of phrase that stuck with me. Other times, it’s an actual event that really happened. For example, there’s a part in one of my new books (still in edits) where the main antagonist uses a homemade device to cause confusion and chaos. That scene was inspired by a real incident that happened not too long ago.
Danielle Bryan
All the time. Some of the cheeky bastards have a mind of their own. I’ll be planning something fun or dramatic, and suddenly they decide to go completely off-script and do their own thing instead.
It’s like those memes about having your ducks in a row—except I have no ducks. I have squirrels. And they are everywhere.
It’s like those memes about having your ducks in a row—except I have no ducks. I have squirrels. And they are everywhere.
Danielle Bryan
My favorite part of writing is when a random funny thought hits me and I go, “Ohhh, I can have so-and-so say that!” Next thing I know, I’m off on another creative tangent that somehow leads to six or more hours of editing and tweaking—because that one line changed everything.
The other part I absolutely love is reading reviews from people I don’t know. I always appreciate the feedback from friends and family, but there’s a little voice that wonders if it’s biased. So when readers I’ve never met share how much they enjoyed a story or how deeply they connected with a character—it’s the best feeling. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy that part of the journey as much as I do.
The other part I absolutely love is reading reviews from people I don’t know. I always appreciate the feedback from friends and family, but there’s a little voice that wonders if it’s biased. So when readers I’ve never met share how much they enjoyed a story or how deeply they connected with a character—it’s the best feeling. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy that part of the journey as much as I do.
Danielle Bryan
Chaotic, Funny. Lucky.
My stories usually start as fragments—one vivid scene, a few lines of dialogue, or just a feeling that refuses to leave me alone. I’ll flesh out that piece first, then work around it until the rest of the story grows to meet it. Sometimes I’m organized and methodical, other times it’s pure chaos held together by caffeine and late-night inspiration.
The “luck” comes in when all those scattered pieces finally click into place—when I realize the chaos was leading somewhere all along.
My stories usually start as fragments—one vivid scene, a few lines of dialogue, or just a feeling that refuses to leave me alone. I’ll flesh out that piece first, then work around it until the rest of the story grows to meet it. Sometimes I’m organized and methodical, other times it’s pure chaos held together by caffeine and late-night inspiration.
The “luck” comes in when all those scattered pieces finally click into place—when I realize the chaos was leading somewhere all along.
Danielle Bryan
The name Everley Starr came to me through reflection—and a happy accident.
When I was little, I wanted to be a famous actress. I used to sign things “Star,” because that’s what I dreamed of being. But after everything I went through, I felt like my scars had stolen my star—that bright, fearless part of me that used to dream without limits.
Years later, while writing Scars into Light, I found myself thinking about how I still get up every day. How I’ve survived, kept going, and grown stronger than I ever believed I could be. I was typing a line meant to say “every light,” but I got ahead of myself and combined the words—accidentally typing Everly.
When I saw it, something clicked. I adjusted the spelling to Everley and added an extra “r” after Star, creating Everley Starr.
It felt right—like a quiet reclaiming of what I’d lost. For me, the name means every light I’ve found again after the darkness. It’s a reminder that even when the stars fade, we can become our own.
When I was little, I wanted to be a famous actress. I used to sign things “Star,” because that’s what I dreamed of being. But after everything I went through, I felt like my scars had stolen my star—that bright, fearless part of me that used to dream without limits.
Years later, while writing Scars into Light, I found myself thinking about how I still get up every day. How I’ve survived, kept going, and grown stronger than I ever believed I could be. I was typing a line meant to say “every light,” but I got ahead of myself and combined the words—accidentally typing Everly.
When I saw it, something clicked. I adjusted the spelling to Everley and added an extra “r” after Star, creating Everley Starr.
It felt right—like a quiet reclaiming of what I’d lost. For me, the name means every light I’ve found again after the darkness. It’s a reminder that even when the stars fade, we can become our own.
Danielle Bryan
Scars into Light began as a personal healing journey. I started writing it just to get everything out of my head—to put my experiences somewhere outside myself. I wasn’t sure if I would keep it or burn it when I was done.
One day, I was talking with a friend who’s also a trauma survivor, and I mentioned the book. I told her it had been cathartic for me to put it all down on paper—well, “paper” in the modern sense. She asked if she could read it, and I warned her that it contained some very triggering stories. She said she was okay with that.
After reading parts of the ARC, she told me I had to publish it. She said it helped her in several ways—first, by reminding her she wasn’t alone; second, by helping her realize it’s okay to feel uncomfortable with someone’s behavior or unwelcome advances; and third, that the poems, songs, and “letters” inspired her to start writing her own letters to her scars.
That conversation stayed with me. I thought long and hard about what she said before deciding to publish the book. I chose to release it under my pen name, Everley Starr, partly to give the work its own space and partly to protect my privacy. I didn’t want people who knew me personally to see me differently or treat me differently if they ever picked it up.
My hope is that readers will find comfort in these pages—that they’ll know they aren’t alone, that healing is possible, and that there is light beyond the pain.
One day, I was talking with a friend who’s also a trauma survivor, and I mentioned the book. I told her it had been cathartic for me to put it all down on paper—well, “paper” in the modern sense. She asked if she could read it, and I warned her that it contained some very triggering stories. She said she was okay with that.
After reading parts of the ARC, she told me I had to publish it. She said it helped her in several ways—first, by reminding her she wasn’t alone; second, by helping her realize it’s okay to feel uncomfortable with someone’s behavior or unwelcome advances; and third, that the poems, songs, and “letters” inspired her to start writing her own letters to her scars.
That conversation stayed with me. I thought long and hard about what she said before deciding to publish the book. I chose to release it under my pen name, Everley Starr, partly to give the work its own space and partly to protect my privacy. I didn’t want people who knew me personally to see me differently or treat me differently if they ever picked it up.
My hope is that readers will find comfort in these pages—that they’ll know they aren’t alone, that healing is possible, and that there is light beyond the pain.
Danielle Bryan
Too many to list. When I'm not writing, I usually read about 5 or more at a time, alternating back and forth. I have them laying all over and just pick up whichever one is in the room I'm currently in.
Danielle Bryan
A Paranormal‑Infused Wilderness – perhaps a forest or otherworldly realm where the supernatural is alive and sentient. I’d explore, test the boundaries of magic, encounter mystical beings, and maybe get pulled into a romance or thrilling chase.
Danielle Bryan
In the still of the night, she heard the door creak open. But it wasn't until she saw her own face staring back from the killer's eyes that she realized the true horror of her fate.
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