Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Australia & NZBooksInterviews

Meet Colin Dereham, the Sydney author of spicy novels.

Luka Musicki

Forget Goldilocks – Aussie bears have more than enough fun without her. So says Colin Dereham on his perspective on mainstream media and how we should have my interesting stories about lives and loves of burly, furry men.

Colin’s unique blend of gritty realism and explicit erotica has developed a cult following on both sides of the Pacific and the Atlantic. The bears in his books face all manner of contemporary challenges both inside and outside the bedroom (or wherever the urge may strike them.) Topics like domestic violence, sexual assault, mental health issues, suicide, and grief and loss, are woven into stories which are jam-packed with hot, sweaty and detailed bear sex. A self-described homebody and former opera singer, Colin lives in a big old house in country New South Wales with his bf, his bff, his trusty seeing eye dog, and two pampered Italian greyhounds. Colin was glad enough in his busy schedule to have an interview conducted about his life and adventures so far.

Luka Musicki (L.M.): Colin, welcome to the interview. Tell us about how you became an author/writer? Where was that passion? How did you get ideas for what to write, based on experience?

Colin Dereham (C.D.): I didn’t come to writing till my mid-forties. During early COVID-19, I stumbled across a site called Lush Stories, where people submitted their amateur erotic writing. I thought, “Hang on — I have a lit degree I never made any use of. I could do better than this.” So, I began tinkering with the idea of a short story, which kinda grew and grew. During this period, my terrible eyesight deteriorated into legal blindness, and I had to quit my day job, which meant I suddenly had extra time on my hands. After endless rewrites, I had a whole novel. By then, I had waded through enough trial-and-error that I spewed out a second book in a small fraction of the time. I sent them to three different publishers, and one got back to me very quickly, accepting them both. 

As far as inspiration, I had a lifetime of slutty experiences to draw from, and very little filter when it came to being expressive about sex and intimacy. I see no reason to hold back here — why shouldn’t we be candid about our dirtiest desires, our most explicit actions? I knew how to capture all the details that happen when men come together in lust and passion — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. 

On top of this, I had always been obsessed with realistic human dramas: in movies and TV as well as books. When I was a little kid, everyone was madly into Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, while I was fixated on movies like Ordinary People, Monkey Grip and Terms of Endearment.  As well as quaffing down a ton of contemporary gay fiction all my adult life, I’ve voraciously read authors like Helen Garner, Andrew McGahan and Christos Tsiolkas. These Aussie literary icons have been described as proponents of a movement called “Grunge Lit”, — which basically involves warts-and-all depictions of urban Australian life. So, I decided to combine all these obsessions — sexy bears and otters, erotic writing, and contemporary Aussie literature — and form some kind of hybrid as my writing focus.

L.M.: You have written six books so far, and you have six social media accounts. How do you get around to doing them all? What is the daily plan?

C.D.: I am completely chaotic as far as both go. When I was signed to my first publisher, I hadn’t used social media in five years. So it was a crash course in learning how to navigate multiple platforms, and I’m still fairly basic at it. 

Of course, the promo and publishing side of things chews up huge amounts of time, so my writing is always affected. I certainly don’t have the discipline of romance authors, who seem to put out a book every month. I tend to spend weeks rehearsing scenes in my head, then I eventually sit down, tell everyone to bugger off, and regurgitate my action and dialogue into a manuscript.

L.M.: I will ask you about each book, but what is the Bondi Bears Novel and its universe? Is Bondi another world in Australia, like bears, beach and bums?

C.D.: Perfect summation! Can I steal that and put it on a t-shirt? It’s an inner-city beachside ghetto where all these bears and otters reside, who are — as you pointed out — obsessed with hairy arses.  It’s not a series, per se. The books are all totally different stories, so they can be picked up and read in any order. Sometimes there are characters who I just love too much and I have to bring them back in smaller supporting roles.

L.M.: Tell us more about Hound (from the Bondi Bears Novel Series)? What is it about? What was the inspiration for this novel?

C.D.: Hound was my first book, and the initial inspiration for it came from some of the serialised amateur gay erotic stories I’d read. Often these writers would develop a significant connection between their characters, only to squander it in subsequent instalments. 

I wanted more than just a string of hot sexual encounters. I wanted to explore what might happen if two long-term fuckbuddies could eventually turn their sizzling, filthy chemistry into a loving long-term relationship. 

In Hound, Gary, the main character, navigates life with mental health challenges that mirror my own lived experiences. Jeff, the fuckbuddy, has sworn off relationships after escaping a highly abusive partner. These barriers prevent the two fuckbuddies from acknowledging the feelings that are growing between them. As for the title? While there may be a couple of beautiful bassets in the book, it’s actually the nickname Jeff gives to scent-pig Gary.

L.M.: Tell us more about The Lookout (from the Bondi Bears Novel Series)? What is it about? What was the inspiration for this novel?

C.D.: The Lookout was actually written for a publisher’s specific Call for Submissions. They wanted erotic novellas about gay throuples, so I set about writing one starring two bears and an otter who all move in together and spend a whole summer fucking each other’s brains out before things go to absolute shit. 

While there is a strong romantic element to it, it’s also a book about devastating loss, which got me into trouble with some female MM addicts who picked it up expecting a mushy formula gay romance.

L.M.: Tell us more about Nervous Kid (from the Bondi Bears Novel Series)? What is it about? What was the inspiration for this novel?

C.D.: While there are often large elements of my own life experiences in my books, I can safely say that the events in Nervous Kid are all fictional. It’s my most popular book, and that’s almost entirely due to female readers. They seemed to like the taboo tale of a teenage boy who discovers he has a half-brother he never knew about. This half-brother moves in with the family, and the two boys become instant best friends. However, they haven’t had a chance to develop a proper brotherly relationship, their teenage hormones are running wild, and they spend a year secretly fucking each other. Of course, all good things come to an end, and they are estranged for twenty years. When they meet again by chance, it’s all back on, but they have a ton of baggage to sort through.

L.M.: Tell us more about One Night Stand (with three stories in the Bondi Bear Universe)? What is it about? What was the inspiration for this novel?

C.D.: One Night Stand is my best-selling physical book, and the most popular with male readers. It contains two short novellas that star characters from Hound and The Lookout, and another unrelated novella called Blinder, which is about a recently-blind bear who finds himself in the midst of a scorching foursome that promises to change his life. It’s kind of a sampler, with all the filthy bear sex of the longer novels, plus a good dose of the emotional drama and romance.

L.M.: Tell us more about Three Heart Junction (A Haunted Hearts Series Book)? What is it about? What was the inspiration for this novel?

C.D.: Three Heart Junction was written as part of a series called “Haunted Hearts”, which featured paranormal romances by ten gay authors. Of course, mine was the filthiest. Murray is a depressed workaholic bear who runs into an old hookup, Vincent. Their reunion sex is so hot it leads to more, and soon sexy daddy Vincent wants Murray to meet his hippie otter partner, Darrin. The three men form a passionate throuple, and they complement each other so perfectly that the lines of reality start to become blurred. Three Heart Junction is my kinkiest novel and ventures a little further into some fetishes. I’d tell you more, but I’m sure I’m not allowed to talk about those things in this interview.

L.M.: Tell us more about Bradford, Bru and Brendan Too? What is it about? What was the inspiration for this novel?

C.D.: So much blood, sweat and tears went into this book. It’s longer and with a more complex plot than the others. Bradford’s experiences with legal blindness are closely based on my own. Bradford is a legally blind teddy bear who is in an open relationship, but his partner, Jarrod, is abusive, and it’s getting worse. Bradford’s life is quite isolated, and his only close companion is his seeing-eye dog, Brendan. Enter Bruno, a big, burly bear, who steps in when he sees Bradford being harassed by Jarrod at a bear bar. Jarrod has already taken off, but Bruno and Bradford start talking, which leads to an amazing night of fucking, and then a clandestine affair. 

L.M.: Now with the Bradford, Bru and Brendan Too book, on the front cover it features the sexy Maltanese furry bear, Mark Buttigieg. How did this happen to get him involved as a front cover, like the other bears? Do you think that I could be on front cover of one of next bear books – it could be able the fantasy fiction of a Vers Top Twank who is terrorises the bears in Sydney with his bear puns…..oh wait that is non-fiction, s**t. Anyway, what are the requirements to model your books?

C.D.: Yes, you’re gorgeous and you’d be perfect, plus your self-description gets me all hot in my Aussiebums. However, I wouldn’t be able to afford your appearance fee — this gay lit game doesn’t pay well at all! Fortunately, Mark worked for beer and books, bless him. I also would have thrown in a threesome with me and my boyfriend if he’d wanted it.

L.M.: Going back to the books, you have an audiobook version! It’s so great that people with reading difficulties can still enjoy your books. This is so thoughtful. What are the other ways that we can enjoy your books, other than reading or audiobooks?

C.D.: Well, if you’re a gorgeous bear or otter, I could come read them to you as bedtime stories, though I couldn’t guarantee I’d behave myself.  I have two audiobooks so far — Hound is narrated by Aussie actor Stephen Multari, and I narrated Nervous Kid myself. I was in the unique position in that I had a professional voice background, plus my boyfriend is a sound recordist for film and TV and has a studio setup in our spare room. We are currently working on the audiobook for Bradford, Bru and Brendan Too. Other than that, I’m still waiting for Netflix or Prime to come knocking. Though it’s highly unlikely — you couldn’t tame down the level of gay fucking in my books nearly enough.

L.M.: What are some recommended books and audiobooks that you would suggest our readers to enjoy?

C.D.: If you’re asking for authors of gay bear fiction, they are few and far between. I can think of only a few examples off the top of my head:

Hank Edwards has collected all the hot erotic stories about furry men he wrote for those old porn mags like “American Bear”, “Honcho” and “Inches”, and released them in four awesome Dirty Dozen volumes. Jole Cannon has written a gay romance called Larger than Love based partly on his own lived experiences, about two large men dealing with insecurities about their self-image and their place in the gay world of the nineties. Irish author Glenn Quigley writes historical and contemporary novels that usually star bearish gay lead characters. A few gay MM authors like Ryder O’Malley and Dylan Drakes have written sweet bear romances for the predominantly-female market. However, they inject their sex scenes with a refreshing authenticity. 

L.M.: What do you do when you are not writing books? Beach, travel, snow trip, fishing, bear wrestling, Grindr…….whoops, I was getting too deep here. Hobbies?

C.D.: Ha! I’m too blind to be getting on hookup apps and trying to find my way to random apartments. Plus, turning up on some trade’s doorstep with a guide dog or a cane?… Speaking of dogs, I have currently been training in Melbourne with Seeing Eye Dogs, and if I graduate successfully, I will have my own. Getting around with a cane has become more difficult lately, so I’m pretty excited.

L.M.: Is there anything else that you would like to add about yourself as an author, are the Australian version of a Bilbo Baggins but with bears, wizards and elves, dwarves and dragons?

C.D.: Nothing that colourful, I’m afraid. I’m just a homebody who writes books about emotionally messed-up bears who fuck constantly and in great detail.

L.M.: Would you say being a bear has helped or hindered your career? Is your audience primarily bears?

C.D.: To date, my readers are 80 to 90% women. They’re wonderful, and I consider myself so fortunate to have their support. However, it surprises me that they want to read my books, because I don’t write MM romance. I’m far too interested in presenting things in a true-to-life way, and life doesn’t follow a romance formula. Plus, the sex I write is very much like what you’d see in gay bear porn, not the stylised lovemaking you’d read in a typical MM romance. It’s always a big thrill for me when I gain readers from the gay bear community. I wrote my stuff thinking you’d be the only ones reading it, so it’s incredibly validating. As does being a bear myself — well, it’s given me a wealth of hot experiences and inspiration for the things I write about. And writing about it is almost as good as actually doing it, isn’t it?

L.M.: Is there any advice that you would give someone (like a bear) who is interested in starting in the literature industry, like being a writer/author, and what is involved?

C.D.: Don’t be fooled into thinking there’s gonna be money. Even successful authors have day jobs. Do it for the love of it, and any money you make will be a pleasant bonus. Remember you’ll need an editor and you will need to listen to them. That means either paying for one yourself, or cabbing your finished manuscript round to publishers till you find one that accepts it. And before you even get to that point, prepare yourself to go over what you’ve written countless times. There will always be areas to improve, mistakes to fix, cuts to make. Finally, don’t underestimate the amount of time you’ll have to spend on social media and promotion.

L.M.: What are your career goals for the future?

C.D.: Finish writing the next book. I can’t look further ahead than that, things are way too changeable in my life!

Thank you, Colin, for answering the main interview questions.

And now some quick-fire questions:

For more interviews and Australian/New Zealand Content be sure to check out our dedicated content here!

Luka Musicki

Luka is the Deputy Editor for Australian content for Bear World Magazine, part of Gray Jones Media. Luka is producing interviews with Australian and international bears, producing Australian city guides and interesting fun articles. His vision is to create a vibrant and supportive platform that celebrates the diverse spectrum of human bodies and experiences. His mission is to foster a community where individuals feel empowered to embrace their authentic selves, share their stories, and recognise the bear beauty in vulnerability and feeling great pride in themselves. Luka is also a resident writer for Konnect with Data (an Australian Data company).

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