Dylan Drakes on Writing Sweet & Spicy Romance Novels for Bears

6th September 2024 John Hernandez

Dylan Drakes joins us to discuss his bear-centric romance novel Cubs & Campfires.

“The afternoon was as warm and yielding as the thigh that Luca dozed upon. They were both on a blanket, still naked. Luca was laying in the crook of Artair’s knee. In the breeze was the height of the hot season, cooled by the spray that misted the tranquility, loud enough to frame the space, but not so roaring as to overwhelm it. In Luca’s vision was a straight-up view to the treetops, moving like waves over a gentle shoreline, peppermint leaves on a backdrop of cornflower blue. And by his ear was the gentle strumming of a master at work. A master who didn’t even know how incredible he was.”

The above excerpt from Cubs & Campfires perfectly encapsulates the tone of this sweet and sexy bear romance that is being described as emotional, engrossing, rich in atmosphere and driven by character development. The novel follows the story of Luca Torres, a journalism graduate who pitches the idea of an article on celibacy to a potential employer. Much to his surprise, the employer takes him up on the offer and thus Luca is forced to deliver the story or lose his career before it even gets started. Striving to maintain celibacy for the duration of his writing assignment, he takes a position as a fire lookout in the mountains of Washington State. Naturally, fate intervenes. Enter Artair Osmond, a sexy and flirtatious musician and nature enthusiast who takes up camp nearby. Sparks fly and, spoiler alert, Luca falters on the celibacy front. What ensues is a hot and sexy summer romance for the ages.

Bears the world over are celebrating this book for its unapologetic and body positive portrayal of the main characters who spend no time feeling ashamed of their bigger bodies or their desires, a true novelty in the world of queer romance. It’s so rare that us bears get to see ourselves so beautifully portrayed as the central figures of any story, never mind a romance novel. That in and of itself is worth celebrating and that’s just what we intend to do. We sit down with author Dylan Drakes to find out all about Cubs & Campfires and to see what he has planned for us next.

John Hernandez (JH): Hi Dylan! Bears the world over are crazy for Cubs & Campfires and eagerly awaiting your next book. What led you to kickstart the Sweet & Stocky series of books? What is the inspiration behind them?

Dylan Drakes (DD): Thanks for asking, and for having me on your platform!

A few years back, I became obsessed with cozy romances: stories that forgo angst and melodrama in favour of good things happening to great people. These stories don’t have third act breakups or silly misunderstandings. They’re sweet and sexy and heartfelt–with supportive relationships and lots of love.

Cubs & Campfires was me creating my own cozy summer. Warm sun through swaying leaves. Bare feet in cool rivers. The crackle of a campfire under starlight. And a stocky man to frolic with–one that’s equal parts dad-joking goofball and insatiable horn bag.

A key part of “coziness” to me is body positivity. That’s why both my main characters are bigger boys–and, importantly, why there is zero body shaming or self-doubt in my Sweet & Stock series. My boys don’t need to overcome anything or grow to accept themselves. They are hot as hell and loved just as they are.

JH: Yes to all of that!!! Do you consider yourself to be a part of the bear community and if so how did you discover it?

DD: 100%, although I was a relatively late arrival! I was a 6’4″ bean pole through most of my teens and twenties and it wasn’t until my thirties that I really started embracing both my natural body shape and the fact I didn’t need to change to be hot.

I think a lot of us suffer from “the bear paradox”: where we find chonky men hot as hell, but simultaneously assume that our own thickness makes us unattractive. It’s totally illogical but something we all deal with. A big part of identifying with the bear community (for me) is trying to break down that paradox and just letting ourselves be loved for who we are.

JH: Wise words indeed. You’re very much onto something there.

Tell us about your Myth Shifters series – are more books coming and will there be a crossover with the bears?

DD: Writing is a funny thing: you often don’t know what sparks joy until you do it. Growing up I was much more of a fantasy reader than a romance reader, and I gravitated to big complex series with lots of worldbuilding.

Our Satyr Prince (which was my debut novel book back in June 2023) was my attempt to create something like that, with a shapeshifting hunk seducing a calculating twink. It wasn’t until after publication that I realised my brain wasn’t wired to write an epic series. The ADHD was too strong to spend a decade on a single story!

That’s why my Sweet & Stocky books are a “standalone series”. Each book has a new romantic pair and can be read independent of the rest. But they have similar themes and vibes and continuing readers will get some fun cameos from previous books.

JH: And for us newbies – how spicy do the novels get? Would you describe them as queer romance novels or erotica?

DD: I would say that Cubs & Campfires is super spicy if you’ve only read more commercial queer romances, like Red, White and Royal Blue. I know it’s taken a lot of my readers by (positive) surprise by how naughty it gets, because the cover looks so darn sweet.

That said, it is still very much a romance rather than erotica (with zero shade to erotica, which is an amazing genre that takes lots of skill to write). The spicy scenes in Cubs are still focused on driving home the romantic storyline, showing the growing affection, love and closeness between the characters.

JH: Woof! Love that! What is your writing process and where do your ideas come from?

DD: Routine is everything. I wake up at 3am every day, hit the gym, then grab a few hours writing before work. Writing a book isn’t like making a rock album: you can’t just lock yourself away for a crazy week and come up with something great. It takes months of gradually chipping away at a project.

On the ideas front, I’m lucky that my brain comes up with them very easily. I think a lot of aspiring writers get hung up on ‘originality’, which means they spend too much time ideating and not enough time writing. Rather than shooting for originality, most successful books take something familiar and add a fun new twist. I think that’s why Cubs & Campfires struck a chord: it takes the familiar (campfires and toasted marshmallows and long summer days) and adds a fun twist (chonky men making each other moan).

JH: (Laughs) Indeed!! And what are you working on next?

DD: Bears & Bakeries will be the second book in the Sweet & Stocky series, coming out next May. Readers can expect some very sticky and cream-filled buns.

JH: Mmmm can’t wait! Thank you, Dylan, for creating body positive literature for us big boys and bears out there. And thanks for joining me. Best of luck with Bears & Bakeries!