Diurna Times

↳ The Story Behind the Story ~ Danielle Talbury

Written by mminecraftbees

Hello and welcome to the Interview column, in which I catch up with Wattpad's hottest and rising stars. I'm MB, and for my debut scoop, I'm chatting with Danielle Talbury [danielletalbury], author of Wattpad's Editors' Pick for April The Heartbreak Hypothesis, its ongoing sequel The Christmas Theory, and the award-winning stand-alone Sweet Like Revenge. Read on for our talks on her encapsulating books, the stories behind them, and what it's like to be a published Wattpad author.

Hi Danielle, it's great to talk to you! My first question is: what inspired you to publish on Wattpad?

When I graduated law school and started my first full-time job, I felt a real sense of loss for the creative side of myself that I've always valued so much. Then the pandemic hit, and I suddenly had a lot of free time to revive that side. I'd heard about Wattpad in passing, so I decided to upload a few chapters of a story I had sitting on my laptop for years and see what happened. I very quickly fell back in love with writing, and finally found a place where I could share the characters and stories that have been sitting idly in my head for far too long.

How long have you been writing?

It's super cliché, but I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing! Like lots of writers, I have dozens of diaries and notebooks filled with all kinds of stories that I wrote when I was younger. Upon entering university, I was lucky to get some experience writing for journals and other academic publications, and I've also written copy in various legal and corporate settings. So my professional background is in scholarly writing and copywriting, but creative writing is my passion.

Why write romance?

It's funny—I never set out to write romance. I actually find it quite difficult to write, which is why I always end up pulling inspiration from my real-life relationships and partners. I think I'm just very private when it comes to those sorts of things, so I cringe out a bit when I think about other people reading what I have to say about them.

That said, I struggle to read books that don't have a romantic subplot. I always say that you should write what you love, and I guess I love love!

You mentioned in a THH chapter that you enjoy writing morally grey characters. Why? What makes them so interesting to you?

I really enjoy the process of deconstructing characters—unravelling their values, experiences, motivations, and objectives to figure out why they do the things they do. I hope doing so encourages my own readers to question their own definitions of 'good' and 'bad', and maybe move away from those basic classifications altogether. Maybe people can be both, maybe they can't be either. But, for me, the fun is in the process; how far can I push a character before they're unredeemable?

Speaking of characters, THH revolves hugely around Madison's (the main character's) philosophies on love and relationships. Do they match with your own? Are you a cynic like her or a love-fanatic like Dex?

I would like to think that I'm a little more balanced. There have been times in my life when I've swayed closer to the love cynic side or the hopeless romantic side, but right now I think I'm somewhere in between.

I'm sure we all go through a Madison stage at one time or another. It can be easy to become disillusioned with love, especially after your heart takes a beating. But the lows come with the highs, and the highs can be just as magical as Dex believes them to be.

How did it feel when THH was chosen by Wattpad's own team as an Editor's Choice?

Surreal! I'm always trawling through the Editor's Choice list for new reads, and it's very humbling to see my little story alongside stories by bigger writers on the platform.

But Madison's story doesn't end with this novel though! You've also got a sequel out, The Christmas Theory. Why Christmas? What inspired a festive spinoff?

Even as I was drafting the end of the first book, I knew without a doubt that it wasn't the end of Madison's story. In a lot of ways, THH was about her journey to find herself, whereas TCT is about her journey to find love. While I was satisfied with the ending of the first book and the message it conveyed, I wanted to give Madi the love story she deserves.

I've always thought that there's something so magical about the month of December—to me, at least, it feels like the one time of year where anything's possible. I tend to feel quite reflective about the year that was, and hopeful about the one upcoming. Ultimately, I think that's exactly how Madi felt during the epilogue of THH; reflective, grateful, and hopeful. Christmas just fits the ambience that I was going for perfectly!

You also have a novel named Sweet Like Revenge, give us some info on that! How is it different to THH?

SLR is my Wattpad baby; it was the first story I started posting on the platform when I joined this time last year. Set in an elite private school, it tells the story of a scorned ex-student, Anabelle, who returns to her hometown to crush the powerful clique that exiled her.

Like Madison, Ana (or 'Elle') has to keep her motives and secrets hidden, especially as she gets closer to the students she vowed to destroy. The main difference is that SLR is a lot darker and deals with themes like sexual assault, bullying, and substance abuse. But if you enjoyed Madi's journey, I think you'd enjoy Ana's, too. Both characters share a lot of similarities, and both learn a lot of tough lessons about life and love as the dust settles.

And finally, can we expect to see any more Danielle Talbury books in the future?

Absolutely! I find inspiration everywhere, and I'm always writing and plotting. Like, always. It's a problem. So, yes, I have a bunch of sequels, spinoffs, crossovers, and all-new stories up my sleeve.

My current work in progress is a Young Adult mystery with thriller and romance elements. It has more morally grey characters than any of my other works, and TWO romantic subplots which might just rival Jadison's! Right now, I'm envisioning it as a Pretty Little Liars meets American Horror Story, and it should be available on Wattpad very, very soon.

That's exciting to hear! Thanks for chatting!

You can read Danielle's novels on her profile page danielletalbury and keep up to date with her latest works on her social media accounts. Because Wattpad doesn't allow links, any links below will be linked in the side comments as well:

Linktree (also in the external link): https://linktr.ee/danielleteebooks

Instagram: @danielleteebooks

Spotify: @danielle.tee

Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/danielleteebooks