Q&A with Author Fiona Davenport
I think most readers are familiar with authors who write under multiple pen names. But when I first started reading Romance novels, the concept of multiple authors writing under one pen name was pretty new to me. There are several in the industry, and I’ve been incredible fortunate to get to know one of these remarkable pairs pretty well.
When I first met Elle and Rochelle, I was struck by how close they are as friends. I mean, I guess you would have to be pretty close to write cohesive novels together. And they do an amazing job of doing just that. They’re the creative brains behind over 150 stories as Fiona Davenport, and nearly another 150 individually as Elle Christensen and Rochelle Paige. And boy do they run the gamut of romantic subgenres. Look for paranormal? They got it. Rockstars? Yep. Military romance? Absolutely. Sports romance? Hell, yeah. So many HEAs!
And beyond writing, they’re really spectacular humans. They instantly put everyone they meet at ease, happy to chat about everything from kids to pets to travel to books… you name it. They have such a wealth of knowledge between them. And it’s fascinating to watch them play off of each other and pull everyone around them into their orbit.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to know Elle and Rochelle. And the more I learn about them and spend time with them, the more I absolutely adore them.
Whether they’re new to you as a reader or not, the Q&A is sure to shed some light on who they are and what they do.
How did you get started writing?
We were friends and critique partners long before we started writing together. Back in late 2015 when we had the idea for Fiona, pregnancy was a hot topic because Elle and her hubby had been struggling with infertility for fifteen years. IVF is incredibly expensive, and Rochelle mentioned to Elle that she was “gonna get you pregnant" with the Fiona project. It’s probably a big reason why there are so many pregnancies/babies in our books...and that we named one of our first series Yeah, Baby.
We finished the 9th book (which we found to be quite a coincidence because 9 months...get it??) in that series at the same time that Elle finally underwent a successful round of IVF and now has a beautiful daughter.
Where do you recommend a new reader start in your backlist?
It depends on what romance subgenre/tropes are their favorite. Here are some suggestions. :)
MC Romance - Mac
Sports Romance - Sacked
Paranormal - Her Wolf
Obsessed Billionaire w/ Age Gap - His Love
Military Romance - Rescued by the SEAL
Fake Relationship - Not-So Temporarily Married
Mafia - The Mafia Boss’s Nanny
Do you have a favorite/most memorable scene/ part in a novel you've written?
The first memorable scene that popped into Rochelle’s head was from I’m Yours, Baby when the hero comes back from a CIA mission and discovers the woman he’d fallen for right before he left had his baby while he was gone. For Elle, it was a scene from Baby, Don’t Go (same series lol) where the heroine is on the phone trying to cancel a date, and the hero gets possessive and hilariously obnoxious and eventually just takes over the task for her.
Is there a part of your career as an author you thought was going to be difficult but has wound up being really wonderful?
A lot of authors have told us that it must be hard to co-write, but working together as Fiona Davenport has been so great!
Are there specific themes, tropes, or subgenres you’re more drawn to as an author, reader, or listener?
As Fiona Davenport, most of our stories are instalove with age gaps and possessive heroes who really want to knock up the heroine.
What is your favorite part about being an author?
Getting to live inside our heads! No, but really…we’re both huge romance readers, so being able to share stories that live inside our brains is absolutely amazing.
What do you like to read/listen to? Any favorite authors you want to send a shout-out to?
We both love Aurora Rose Reynolds, Suzanne Wright, and Abbi Glines…and so many other authors LOL. But they’re some that we both avidly read.
Is there someone(s) who’s been influential in your life as it relates to your career?
Answering as a duo is tough for these, but we were definitely inspired by Alexa Riley back when we first started writing as Fiona Davenport. And then we even wrote a book with them!
How have your life experiences influenced your career as an author?
We love when we’re writing a story/character that can pull upon our areas of expertise. Whether it’s Elle’s background in music or my years as a hockey mom (and so many other examples), those life experiences definitely come in handy.
This or That: 7 random questions that may or may not be book related:
Kindle or Paperback - (Rochelle) Kindle; (Elle) Paperback, but I usually resort to kindle since I can’t buy every paperback or carry them with me everywhere I go… 😂
Beach or Mountain Vacation - (Rochelle) Mountain; (Elle) Both. lol.
Dogs or Cats - (Rochelle) dogs (Elle) dogs
Ice Cream or Cake - (Rochelle) ice cream (Elle) cake
Action Flick or Rom-Com - (Rochelle) it depends on my mood (Elle) ditto
Tea or Coffee - (Rochelle) tea (Elle) tea
Road Trip or Air Travel - (Rochelle) Yes please as long as it’s travel lol, but mostly by air. (Elle) Inlove a good road-trip. But I mostly fly. However, I should mention that a train trip is also AWESOME.
Connect with Fiona, Elle, and Rochelle:
You can find more information about Fiona, Elle, and Rochelle, their books, and how to connect with them on social media here:
Fiona Davenport: http://www.fionadavenport.com/books/
Elle Christensen: https://www.ellechristensenauthor.com/
Rochelle Paige: https://rochellepaige.com/
