Who is Dani Francis?

If you regularly indulge in fantasy or romantasy books, by now you’ve probably seen the new novel that was released in May of this year titled Silver Elite, by Dani Francis.  What was surprising is that no one has ever heard of this author, yet there has been a giant marketing budget around this book.  It’s leading everyone to assume that Dani Francis is a penname for a more well-known author.  I have scoured the bowels of Booktok and have compiled some of my favorite theories about who Dani Francis really is.

Why Would an Author Use a Penname?

Authors use pen names, also known as pseudonyms, for a variety of reasons. Some want to separate different genres they write in, keeping their cozy romance persona distinct from their gritty thrillers. Others prefer anonymity for personal privacy or to create a name that better fits their brand or target audience. In some cases pen names help authors avoid bias related to gender, ethnicity or previous work. Whatever the reason, a pen name allows writers to shape a unique identity that aligns with their creative goals.

Theory 1: Dani Francis is Stephanie Meyer

This is a fun theory.  At the end of Silver Elite in the acknowledgments section there are some remarks about “Team Edward vs. Team Jacob.”  (Stephanie Meyer has said multiple times that she is firmly team Edward.)  But why would the well-known Twilight writer use a pseudonym if she doesn’t need to?  She could sell millions of books even if it was terrible because she has such an enormous fanbase.  Her book The Host doesn’t seem very different in genre from Silver Elite, so I’m not sure how writing under “Dani Francis” would have been helpful to her. 

Theory 2: Dani Francis is Colleen Hoover

This theory makes a little more logical sense.  Silver Elite is far outside of Colleen Hoover’s genres, and with her recent decline in popularity (especially after she supported Blake the Flake in her Amber Heard-esque legal endeavors), it would make sense for her to redesign herself as someone else.  However, the only book Hoover has ever written that I actually liked is Verity. While I still haven’t read Silver Elite yet, the writing has gotten far too much praise for me to believe that CH wrote it.

Theory 3: AI wrote Silver Elite

This theory would be a fun social experiment.  Get everyone super jacked about an exciting new book with no real author?  If you go to Dani Francis’ Instagram page it’s quite impersonal, so based on that alone this theory is believable.  However, I just don’t think that our AI is there yet.  I can’t even get ChatGPT to spell words correctly on the t-shirts for my trailer mockup.  If this is true, then the “handler” is doing a far better job than I.

Theory 4: Dani Francis is Danielle Jensen

I saved my personal favorite crackpot theory for last.  If you have been living in a hole and haven’t heard of Danielle Jensen, she wrote the popular Bridge Kingdom series and the newer Saga of the Unfated series.  A Fate Inked in Blood was book 1 and A Curse Carved in Bone, also released in May 2025, was book 2.  This theory makes more sense for four reasons.  One, you wouldn’t want to have two books in the same month to release and compete with each other.  It would be weird.  Writing under a pseudonym would solve this problem.  Two, the first name Dani-Danielle makes the most sense.  Three, both authors have an unusual section in their books called “About the Type” where they discuss the specific typeface used in their books.  And finally, Dani Francis has the exact same PR and marketing team at Del Rey books as Danielle Jensen.

Since the author didn’t intend this book to be a stand-alone, readers can expect more novels in the series.  It is unlikely that we’ll receive signed copies or be able to attend book signings.  I’m excited to read Silver Elite as the book currently has a rating north of four stars on Goodreads.  It’s high on my TBR so I’ll keep you posted!

Until next time,
Happy reading & happy wandering —
𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓲
Owner & Book Curator of the Wanderlust Wandering Book Bazaar