We chat with author Nia Davenport about Love Spells Trouble, which is You Should See Me in a Crown meets Black girl magic–literally–in this enchanting rom-com about a reluctant witch caught up in a faking dating scheme.
Hi, Nia! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m an extreme fantasy nerd across all mediums, including books, TV, movies, anime, and video games. I’ve always been drawn to the fantasy genre. Stories that combine rich lore, extraordinary magic, and heartfelt protagonists have always enchanted me.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved stories and writing my whole life. My grandmother was a teacher and she used to always tell this story of 4-year-old me sitting beside her and scribbling on a sheet of notebook paper while she wrote up her lesson plans. This was back before I could read or write actual letters. But she says that whenever she’d ask me what I was writing, I’d tell her I was writing a story. I’d then relay a whole imaginative tale to her with a vivid beginning, middle, and end. I really think a love of writing and stories is something I was born with and that was ingrained in my DNA from Day 1. As I got older, fell in love with narratives like Goosebumps, Fear Street, Baby-sitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Avatar The Last Airbender. These stories only fueled my love of storytelling and made me dream of creating my own characters and world.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, where the Big Bad Wolf claims he is innocent and was framed.
- The one that made you want to become an author: L.A. Bank’s Vampire Huntress Legend. It’s a paranormal romance series featuring a Black woman who is a vampire hunter and the smooth-talking vampire she shares a past with and falls back in love with—even though they’re on different sides of a supernatural war.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: My answer is the same as above! Damali Richards, the heroine and vampire hunter, and Carlos Rivera, the hero and master vampire, are such compelling, delicious characters that they’ve stayed with me for over a decade. I re-read the Vampire Huntress Legend books at least once a year, and they never lose their magic.
Your latest novel, Love Spells Trouble, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Swoony, cozy, hilarious, fun, and enchanting.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect cozy fake-dating swoons; a ton of juicy friendship drama, family drama, and drama with a shady ex; a contemporary fantasy world that spotlights BIPOC witches; and discussions about the significance of preserving historically Black neighborhoods and schools.
Where did the inspiration for Love Spells Trouble come from?
I am a HUGE fan of series like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and The Originals. All of these are YA coming-of-age stories that have romance too. But none of these spotlight a Black girl as the main protagonist, nor do they spotlight Black Romance. I am as huge a lover of Black Romance as a genre as I am a lover of Fantasy Romance. So I wanted to write a story that’s a love letter to other Black girls and women who are fans of the above properties but who also yearn to see ourselves in more coming-of-age stories. I aimed to write a Black girl who gets to have extraordinary magic, who gets to exist in this cool magical world, and who gets to be the center of her own coming-of-age tale and romantic tale.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Everytime Cayden and Khy, the local Coven It-Boy who Cayden is fake-dating but is trying hard to not actually fall for, were on page, my heart soared. I enjoyed writing these two so much. They’re adorable together and they let me experience the same magic I felt when watching the recently released Forever adaptation of Judy Blume’s iconic novel on Netflix. I enjoyed exploring the dynamic of Cayden being a girl who is only looking for a summer fling not a happily-ever-after, who doesn’t put up with anyone’s crap, and who has vowed to forever hate coven witches because the group ostracized her mom. When she collides with Khy, he challenges the way she sees the world—and covenfolk– in a lot of ways. Khy, who is outlandishly rich and coven-royalty, isn’t anything close to the classist, elitist, and pretentious person she expects. He’s authentic and charming and he deeply cares about using his wealth and privilege to empower his community. He’s also the “prince charming” Cayden never expected to fall head over heels for.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Some books are more challenging to write than others. Love Spells Trouble was a breeze because of how excited I was to write Cayden and Khy’s story from the very beginning. It’s a contemporary fantasy romance whose world and character dynamics have lived with me for a long time.
What’s next for you?
Love Spells Trouble releases on July 8th! Afterward, I have an adult dark fantasy romance that with Black fae, Our Vicious Oaths, that released October 28th.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
My favorite books that I’ve recently read have been Tigest Girma’s Immortal Dark, Tracy Deonn’s Oathbound, and Gabi Burton’s Drown me With Dreams. I am SUPER looking forward to Eternal Ruin, the follow-up to Immortal Dark that releases this year. It’s a dark fantasy with Black vampires and reading it changed my whole life. I’m also looking forward to Kamilah Cole’s An Arcane Inheritance, which is a modern-day dark academia fantasy that releases in January.
