Meet Terrene Davenport | Author & Inspirer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Terrene Davenport and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Terrene, what inspires you?
Struggle and perseverance. There nothing that will push you to your mental and physical limits like desperation. I think comfort makes a lot of people content, and they slow down, no longer push themselves, procrastinate, and overall lose the drive. Its when we are most stressed that our brains never shut off. And it’s in those moments, we find our greatest ideas, most inspiring stories and characters, and beautiful plots seem to emerge because they reflect life’s struggles. Overcoming struggles builds relationships that sometimes would not have formed had it not been for that, which makes for inspiring stories. Life is so full ups and downs, it’s the downs that make the ups feel so amazing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started writing when I was 14. Nothing I ever worked on ever made it. In fact, I’d almost forgotten that I’ve pursued it repeatedly because tragedy had always struck, erasing most of the memory. After the birth of my son, I had a recurring dream that drove me to pick up the metaphorical pen and try writing again. Only this time, my life was calm, I was happy, and the words flowed like water. I then wrote 125k words in less than two weeks. It took some time to refine it but the first draft involved so much.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the pitch. In a world that wants werewolves, vampires, and witches…. still… so how do I convince literary agents that my story was worth their time? That my story, about angels, demons, a spin on mythology and religion, was effectively MORE worth their time than any Twilight wannabe or Harry Potter knock off? That it had Game of Thrones meets Constantine potential? I have to do everything myself for the time being. I’m still ironing out the kinks in how to market myself and get my story into more hands. The more feedback I have, the greater the claim I have to reaching author success.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Seeing as we just moved into the area we live in now, we’d build an itinerary together to get the best cowboy experience possible. Riding horses (fast), eating the most decadent steaks, buy a cute cowboy hat and boots, maybe even milk a cow, visit downtown Fort Worth, and have a up and coming photographer to capture every moment so we can relive it. Once it’s all done, we’d probably get a massage!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are quite a few people that have been there but I have to say, Edward! He was such a beacon of hope for me in the fragile beginning of my writing that I don’t know if I would’ve pursued it further had it not been for his encouragement and devotion. He pushed me on how to best express the series when pitching, summarizing, and smoothing out my words. I also want to thank my husband for allowing me the time to do what I needed to do.

Website: www.tadavenport.com

Instagram: /t.a.davenport

Twitter: @TADavenport

Facebook: /pasclo.tadavenport