Farrah Rochon is the author of several romance and YA books including The Boyfriend Project trilogy, The Holmes Brothers and Almost There. Farrah graciously gave her time to answer my questions about football, romance and Louisiana atmosphere. Enjoy!

1.  You started out with a Bachelors in Science before getting your Masters in Arts. With how notionally difficult it is to break into writing, what prompted you to pursue your dream to write? 

I started writing my first book during my sophomore year as an undergrad. I was a psychology major, which required a significant amount of writing. It segued nicely into a writing career. And it was the encouragement of one of my professors that prompted me to pursue writing as a career. She read many of my psychology papers and always had such wonderful things to say about my writing. It was the push I needed.

2. What draws you to the romance genre in particular? 

I love the idea of a happily ever after. Despite what the characters may go through, knowing things will work out in the end is a comfort.

3. With the growing prevalence of African American authors in romance, you can argue it’s no longer a niche subsection of the genre. What are your thoughts on the increasing levels of representation? 

Strides have been made in representation, but there is still such a long way to go in publishing. While more African American authors have been picked up by major publishers, I can still name each of the authors on their list. I’ll be satisfied when there are so many African American romance authors published that I can’t keep up with them.  

4.  Several of your series take place in your home state of Louisiana. Bayou Dreams and The Holmes Brothers especially take advantage of the location till it becomes a supporting character in itself with its unique culture/traditions etc. What is it about Louisiana that shapes your characters and echoes the passions of the romances?

Louisiana, and particularly New Orleans, is so atmospheric that it just lends itself to being a great setting. As an author, it gives me so many different places in which to set unique scenes. Instead of a conversation taking place in a restaurant, my characters can be on a swamp tour, or strolling through the French Quarter. As you mentioned, it becomes another character.

5. Football is a popular sport but in your New York Sabers series you delve into the inside world of sports celebrities, endorsements and more. How did you do your research for the series?

In the South, football truly is king. From Friday night games at my old high school, to college games on Saturday, and NFL games on Sunday, weekends are for football. I come from a football family, with an uncle who was both an NFL player and a coach for over thirty years. When writing the New York Sabers, I consulted him multiple times.

6. You’ve also contributed to several anthologies, is the process different since you’re writing a short story that fits into a collection with others? 

Short story and novella writing is very different, for the simple fact that you have to still fit a complete story in such a short amount of space. The anthologies and short stories I’ve written haven’t been closely connected to the other stories within the collection, but the themes are often the same, so understanding what the other authors are writing is very important.  

7. Your latest series, The Boyfriend Project is as much a series about sisterhood/female friendship as it is romance when the three protagonists bond after being swindled by the same man. How did the overarching theme of friendship influence the arcs of the books?

The friendship was actually not supposed to play such a prominent role in the series, but after I wrote the first scene where the girls get together I knew this sisterhood needed to play a bigger part. The chemistry between the three women popped off the page, and it made it so easy to tell their stories.

8.  What is your favorite romance trope to write? Or one you’d like to explore?

I absolutely love to read and write the enemies-to-lovers trope. There’s something about the banter and the tension that calls to me. Of course, the opposite, friends to lovers, is also a favorite. I love the sweetness of that trope.

9.  Last fall you embarked on your YA debut, Almost There for the Twisted Tales series. The editor said Tiana is your favorite princess so how did it feel to create this alternate universe where she makes a deal with Dr. Faciliar? 

It was truly an honor to bring Tiana’s Twisted Tale to life. She is such a strong-willed character and such fun to write. It was somewhat intimidating to rewrite the story of such a beloved Disney princess, but I tried my hardest to make sure she was authentic and as true to character as possible.

10.  In the book, you also gave the mysterious Dr. Facilier some backstory highlighting some of the traditions of the Santeria/voodoo religion and historic inequalities of the 20s. Were you given a lot of leeway in creating Dr. Facilier’s POV or were there guidelines to fit Disney’s canon?  

Disney gave me much more leeway than I first thought they would. It was important to me to treat the Vodou religion with the respect and care it deserves since it is often villainized in pop culture. The same goes for the racism Tiana experienced. It’s glossed over in the movies, but my grandparents grew up in 1920’s New Orleans, and I’ve heard first-hand accounts of some of the issues they faced. I didn’t want to gloss over those issues and am very grateful that Disney gave me the freedom to explore it in the book.  

11.  If you’re able to, please tell, What you’re writing next? 

My next two projects will release in the spring and summer of 2024. My next Twisted Tale, Fate Be Changed, which is a twist on the movie Brave, comes out in April. And I have a brand-new romance series, set in New Orleans, comes out in June. The first book, Pardon My Frenchie, is a romantic comedy that is centered around a doggy daycare.

If you want to contact or learn more about Farrah an her books, go to her website https://www.farrahrochon.com/ and follow her on all social medias.