SARTELL — When Dana Hawkins was a child, she would fall asleep telling herself stories. Today, the Sartell author has two novels published, with another to be released in April.
“That story sort of evolved over time and matured,” Hawkins said. “And then, over the pandemic, I wrote that story down that was in my head. And it literally just took on a life of its own. I was completely bit by the bug.”
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Hawkins, a native of St. Cloud, writes primarily romance stories. She also co-hosts the “Author(ish)” podcast and has a day job in the tech industry.
Initially, Hawkins wrote heteronormative stories about men and women falling in love. But more recently, she’s moved into the queer romantic-comedy sphere, writing about women loving women.
“I kind of write in a range. And some of them are Hallmark-sweet, and some of them are too steamy that I cannot have my parents read it,” Hawkins said.
In January, she released “Not in the Plan,” a story about a free-spirited barista in Seattle trying to save her sinking coffee shop when she meets a best-selling crime novelist who’s secretly using that barista as a muse.
In March, “In Walked Trouble,” she writes about two competing bartenders in the same universe and using side characters introduced in the previous book.
In April, another publisher will release “Serving Love,” a Hallmark-style love story set in Duluth, where a cafe server forgoes romantic relationships to provide stability for the autistic nephew she’s raising until she meets a new chef.
That third book was actually Hawkins’ first publishing deal, but took a little longer to release than the other two. It’s being released in April to coincide with National Autism Acceptance Month.
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Hawkins has personal experience with a neurodiverse family member, but not specifically autism. So she asked her friend and podcast cohost, who’s an autism activist, to review the book.
Moving from heterosexual to queer romances was a conscious decision, Hawkins said. It was partly a business decision and partly because Hawkins is a member of the queer community.
“It felt very natural. I could do either/or, and so I think the publishers and the agents were really hungry for more diverse stories,” Hawkins said. “Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm gonna go back to writing straight romances. I think I found my love.”
Queer romances are also seeing a rise in popularity. In 2019, the novel “Red, White & Royal Blue” hit The New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into a film by Amazon.
“I think it's just more mainstream. It's more celebrated in society, in our culture, and it's just not as taboo as it was,” Hawkins said.
She writes from what she calls “queer joy.” Many works by queer writers focus on the dark aspects of being LGBTQ, facing an intolerant and homophobic world.
“I wholeheartedly understand people that have to write their trauma stories. It's very therapeutic,” Hawkins said. “I do not want to write that. I want to write a fantasy world where homophobia and hate and bigotry just doesn't exist.”
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So in her books, while the characters are human with messy lives and conflicts, the problems don’t stem from their identity as an LGBTQ person.
“It is always a celebration and affirming space for identity,” Hawkins said.
Another project she has underway also focuses on joy. Hawkins is coauthoring a young adult queer story, not a romance but one that follows an ensemble of kids who are competing to get into a Pride parade.
“It’s just like a fun, sparkly (book). That's what I call all my books — sparkly — like sparkly books make you feel good,” Hawkins said.
She plans to keep on writing.
“It's really unlocked this piece of me. … Sometimes I wish I would have known this in my 20s and 30s,” Hawkins said. “It literally fills me in a way that I've never thought possible. It is my passion. I love it. It is my therapy. It is my best friend.”
More information
- For more about Dana Hawkins, visit danahawkins.com, instagram.com/d.hawkinsauthor and twitter.com/DHawkinsAuthor.
- For more about “Author(ish)” podcast Dana Hawkins cohosts, visit amynielsenauthor.com/author-ish-podcast.
- For more about “Not in the Plan,” visit a.co/d/eSmTS9B.
- For more about “In Walked Trouble,” visit a.co/d/aRJzzwJ.
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