Yesterday, we talked a little bit about Alex’s portion of the allegorical chapters of Dagger’s Sleep. Today we have Rosanna’s chapters 20 and 22.
Warning: Major spoilers for Dagger’s Sleep ahead if you haven’t read it yet.
Chapter 20
Okay, this chapter is pretty much me experimenting with killing off a major character. Of course, well, there’s chapter 22, but for this chapter Daemyn ends up (mostly) dead.
Chapter 22
Have you ever spent a lot of time in the woods just listening to the breeze in the trees? When it is still in a forest, you can hear each creak of moving branch, each whisper of a leaf. You can even hear the snow hiss as it hits the ground when it is quiet enough.
From the time I was 14 until last year, my parents owned a hunting cabin deep in the woods of the upper Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It was pretty much Narnia minus the talking animals. I spent hours tromping through that forest, learning how to track and hunt and recognize the different trees.
I actually wrote chapters 19-22 of Dagger’s Sleep out in that forest while deer hunting. The singing trees were inspired by my own love for the deep woods, and it was quite the moment to write that scene surrounded by beeches and maples and oaks.
When I sign copies of Dagger’s Sleep, I usually write Ps. 96:12 below my name. That verse in the KJV is “Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.” Some Bible versions translate this as “let all the trees sing.” (the NIV, for example).
The Psalms are filled with examples of poetic language describing the Creation as singing or praising God. I just made it a bit more real in this chapter of Dagger’s Sleep.
And, yes, this chapter ends where Daemyn doesn’t stay dead. To everyone’s great relief, lol.
Do you have a piece of land or a forest or mountain that is special to you? Do you like to go hiking? What did you think about the singing trees in Dagger’s Sleep?
Tricia Mingerink 
I can totally relate to this… “Have you ever spent a lot of time in the woods just listening to the breeze in the trees? When it is still in a forest, you can hear each creak of moving branch, each whisper of a leaf. You can even hear the snow hiss as it hits the ground when it is quiet enough.
Often that creak scares me half to death while I’m in the quiet peaceful wood and then
…CREAK
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LOL. There is that. That’s what bear pepper spray is for.
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First of all, I love the singing trees in Daggers Sleep, and the way Rosanna hears their song. It’s so, so cool. Second of all, 20 and 22 are two of the best chapters in the book, although I do love it when Zeke shows up. And some of the other future chapters.
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I loved writing Zeke’s entrance! He’s so much fun. 🙂
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Some of the scenes from my story were inspired by camping at Lake Tahoe and being blessed by the quiet of the trees and birds. I totally relate to writing in the woods.
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