Dria Andersen on Creating Thrilling Shifter Romances that Defy Expectations

What makes a romance novel truly captivating? Join host Alesia Galati as she sits down with bestselling author Dria Andersen to explore the vibrant world of Black paranormal romance, where love, loyalty, and supernatural excitement collide.

Dria Andersen is a paranormal author and photographer who draws inspiration from stories and legends. Her passion lies in writing about Black love and exploring the diverse concept of family.

In this episode, we're discussing:

• Writing Journey: Dria began her writing career while pregnant, using self-publishing to bring her stories to life
• Representation Matters: Creating stories with predominantly Black characters that reflect her own community experience
• Unique Shifter Dynamics: Developing shifter worlds where supernatural beings integrate seamlessly into urban settings
• Trauma and Healing: Exploring found family and character growth through nuanced storytelling
• Genre Diversity: Spanning multiple paranormal genres from shifters to vampires and fantasy

Whether you're a romance enthusiast or new to paranormal fiction, Dria Andersen's books offer an immersive experience that celebrates love, community, and supernatural adventure. Dive into her world today and discover why readers can't get enough of her unique storytelling approach.

CONNECT WITH DRIA ANDERSEN:

Website

Instagram

Amazon

BOOKS/AUTHORS MENTIONED:

The Friend Contract (Amazon)

Haven (Amazon)

Devon (Amazon)

For Her Protection (Amazon)

Claiming April (Amazon)

To Her Rescue (Amazon)

A Destiny Awakened (Amazon)

Running list of books mentioned (Doc)

Thank you for listening to the We Read Smut Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag @WeReadSmut. Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast.

Connect with Alesia:
Storygraph

This podcast was produced by Galati Media.
Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Chapters

• 0:00 Dria Andersen's Writing Journey and Early Works
• 5:29 Writing for Personal Satisfaction and Reader Engagement
• 9:40 Hierarchy and Social Structure in Dria's Worlds
• 15:54 Exploring Different Genres and Future Plans
• 19:50 Dria's Writing Process and Upcoming Events
• 25:30 Connecting with Dria and Her Books

Transcript

Alesia Galati: 0:00

Get ready for a conversation that will leave you breathless. We're talking with Drea Anderson about their thrilling shifter romances, where love loyalty and suspense collide. Listener discretion is advised. This podcast contains mature content intended for adult audiences only. Drea, I am so excited to have you on the podcast today. I love your books. I am obsessed. And I told you in the green room that you are one of the first authors that I read that had black shifter romance. And I was like, wait a minute, I am here for all of this. So tell us a bit about you and how you got into writing.

Dria Andersen: 0:45

So I've always been writing, but it took me getting pregnant with my son and having to sit down to finally take the stories that I had on my little thumb drive, a little travel with me everywhere and even through the different types, right? It used to be a CD, and then it was a floppy disk, finally, a thumb drive. I'm sitting down, and I'm like, You know what? I got all these stories, nothing to do but, like, bake my son, so let me sit down and write. And so that's what I did at the time, too. Self publishing was just coming out, and people were like, Oh, you can just upload your book. I'm like, Oh, I don't have to go through all the because that gives me anxiety and all the querying and all that kind of stuff. And so I was like, Oh, let me just try it. And so that's how that started.

Alesia Galati: 1:30

What was your first one that you released? So

Dria Andersen: 1:34

the first one I released, and this is before I knew anything about anything, is the destiny series. I'll say the series, because I released it out of order, because I was just like, This is what I finished. So this is what you get. So it was very flat together. But that was my first series. I

Alesia Galati: 1:52

don't think I've read that one. So can you tell us a bit about it? So it

Dria Andersen: 1:56

was my first story into paranormal at all. I wanted to do something that felt very like mythical and like Legend wise, and it's about these lion shifters. They had been banished from their temple because they allowed one of their artifacts to be stolen, and so as a punishment, their goddess sent them away and told them they had to find the artifact, but also keep the vampire population under control. And so you start the series with their punishment, ending with them finding the artifact. Wow. Was very world dense, if that makes sense,

Alesia Galati: 2:34

yeah, having to do a lot of world building. I started with your knight brothers series, and what I loved about that is you've got more of the less world building, right? Like, I'm here for world building, yeah, when it's a series, but this one is more of urban fantasy, where it's fantastical, and it's got the fantasy elements, but it's in our world as you know it now, and you've got it where there are and you mentioned lion shifters, and I'm glad you did, because I love that aspect of that there are different types of shifters where it's not just your typical wolf shifters. You have so much variety. You've got Panthers, you've got lions, yes, you've got some wolves, but you've got so many different elements to the shifter community that it made it way more intriguing than the typical, yes, more intriguing than the typical shifter romance, and it's set in our world. So it's didn't feel like I had to be like, Wait, who's what, and what's going on, or any of that. Let's talk about that series. Because one, it's just delicious and sexy, but you've got some faded mates, mild suspense. And we were talking about this before. You don't consider your book suspense, right? So let's talk about that. Because when I think about your books, I think you have the couple, and they're fated mates, and they're like, Okay, we're gonna be together. Of course, there's a little bit of push and pull there. Do I really want you? And I like that you have that element of autonomy still, that it's not just, oh, well, you're my faded mate. And so it doesn't matter that I hate you. I have to be with you. Right, right? There's, still that waiting period almost slow ish burn, right? It's not slow burn, but slow ish burn where one of the characters is maybe fighting it. So let's talk about how you maybe didn't consider it to be suspense.

Dria Andersen: 4:36

Yeah, when I think of suspense, I think of you Nora Roberts and Jane and Krantz, like even Brenda Jackson has to spend. You have an art right? You find out there's this kind of crime, and then you're wondering throughout the book, who did it? But I feel like mine are just more messy. I just want a little bit of mess in it, and I want to not have to have because I want drama, right? But I don't want it to be between the. Mates. I would rather the love be low angst. I want you to fall in love. I don't need all that. And so you also don't want to read a book that's just, oh, it's squishy. Thank you. No, I want some drama on the outside. So I want I have all my drama be outside of the couple. And so it feels like drama, just drama to me. And so when you said it was suspense, I was like, me, suspect, like, just considered a little messy. That's what we got.

Alesia Galati: 5:24

I love it, and I love that you take that approach of making sure that the couple have that lovey dovey kind of time. Why is that important for you specifically?

Dria Andersen: 5:33

So I write specifically towards my anxiety, right? The things that make me anxious in books, I don't read books that make me anxious. And so when I write, I write to read. I read my books over and over, like I have comfort books that are mine. I write specifically for myself. And so I know what I like. I like squishy. I want babying. I want that rough guy. I want all those different elements. And I don't really want to read about you guys arguing. I argue in my real life. I don't want to. We don't need that in the book. Like I was just fighting my husband yesterday. I don't want to deal with that. You know, I'm saying I want to deal with the squishy. So, yeah, I try to keep my drama and angst outside of the couple. Yes,

Alesia Galati: 6:16

that makes sense. I don't think that, especially because you've been writing for so long, I think that some authors can lose that of like, I'm writing for me, where it becomes like, what's the next best seller? What are people wanting? What is my readership asking for? And so staying true to yourself and also being successful too, right? Like, I found your books and was like, Yes, I'm binging all of them, as many as I can get. And when is the next one coming up. And so I love that you're able to still hold true to that without feeling, and obviously you might feel some of that influence externally, yeah, but still staying true to that. You mentioned your favorite comfort read. Can you tell us what it is and a little bit of backstory about it? My

Dria Andersen: 6:59

so it's a little embarrassing, but my favorite comfort read is a short story that I wrote called claiming April. It's just really short and really squishy. And grant is he's such a typical like Wolf shifter, and I just I eat it up every time. So if I need a book to settle my nerves, I read it in the night brother Series. I love Rocco. I think I've read Rocco a million times because he's just quiet bear and he's just and Jalisa is like, you know, in his ear, yep, yep, yep. And he's just so stoic. And I just love it so much. And so those are my two that I read over and over again, but Devin has been at it. But just because I'm really love Devin a lot. So yes, those are the ones that I read over and over

Alesia Galati: 7:42

um, so good you have some like urban fiction elements to your book, meaning it's like on the streets, it's almost entirely black cast. And so why was it important for you to showcase that aspect in your writing?

Dria Andersen: 8:00

I can't speak to the urban aspect. I think it's just I got into urban books, and I really loved it, but I don't live that life, so I can't really immerse myself in it. So I could add a few elements that I liked to like I said, because I like to read my books, but them being Black was very important to me because I have a huge family, and so outside of like school and work, we don't really deal with anyone else. And so that's my I'm used to just it being black. People, like our electrician is black. Everyone in our world is and so I just wrote true to that. Do you know what I mean? I may work with a few different type of co workers, but for the most part, my family is ginormous, and so we're very insular, and so everything is blind, and so that's just, that's how I grew up. And so I want to it reflects that in the book. I think, yeah,

Alesia Galati: 8:54

Alexandra House said the same thing. So she goes on the podcast, and she was like, the way I grew up and the community. I grew up when it was like, Romy, you was entirely black, and I wanted to have a space where I could just showcase that, where I don't have to describe the person because they're all black,

Dria Andersen: 9:17

they're like, Yeah, because I have black, yes, unless she's wearing has a different color, unless I say otherwise, probably black. So yeah, that's just how it is. And then, plus, you don't have again. I don't like angst and trouble. I don't want to bring trouble to my world. So if I don't have to introduce an element where they have to deal with a racism like I won't do that because I don't want to deal with I don't want to read it. Do

Alesia Galati: 9:40

you know what I mean? Yeah, you have a hierarchy in the knight brothers and the Devon what's the one Edwards brothers series? Can you talk a little bit about that and how you came up with that element of it? Because I think that it's something that's teased throughout that you're like, Ooh, wait. Me more. I want to know more about these, like higher characters and what they're doing.

Dria Andersen: 10:04

Yeah. So when I sit down to write a world, I always try to figure out how to because I like contemporary so I like it to be in an urban setting. So I want to figure out how to do it in a way where you won't blink twice if you see it will shift her if you see a wolf walking past. So I have to make their world in a way that it's normal, right? It's not over hiding in the corner. I only want to hide nothing. Everybody is out. If you see a vampire, you see a vampire, right? And so to me, the motsie was that, like, it's okay. They were part of this. How do they live in a world with humans nicely? And so I was like, oh, maybe they had this war, and now there's this peace treaty, and then we have the motzi to keep them under control. And then when I started my reading journey, hundreds and 1000s of years ago, I used to read historicals, right? And they used to have the ton, and that is so fascinating to me. And I was like, Oh, what if we could have something like that, and so that's what the Mozi is. They're like, they're like the 10, they're high society, and they have their balls, and they have their different social hierarchies. That really interested me. Yes,

Alesia Galati: 11:11

yeah. I love that you brought that element and the correlation too, because it makes sense when you think, when having read the books, right? That is very similar, like you mentioned the balls and the parties and like the get togethers and the showboating that happens a bit.

Dria Andersen: 11:30

Yeah, exactly,

Alesia Galati: 11:32

yeah. You also have some trauma elements to your stories that I think are important to read. Can you talk through some of those and why you came up with them, or why you wanted these characters to have those arcs, thinking specifically about, let's go with Devon's book. I believe it was where she had grown up in an orphanage. Is that the right one? All right, I'm mixing books. I think that's Dina. Dina grew up in an orphanage. Okay, so, yeah, so let's talk about Dina growing up in an orphanage. And kind of like, you have it where the MOT they're caring for these kids coming in, and they're bringing things, and it's such a community where, like, maybe they can't keep one of the kids or take care of one of the kids themselves, but they still bring in a lot of community support because they're like, we're all shifters. It doesn't matter that you're a panther and I'm a lion, like we're all shifters, and we all need to look out for each other. So can you talk through a bit of that element? I

Dria Andersen: 12:35

think family is such a huge deal for me that the thought of someone not having a family, like eats my heart up right in a perfect world, to me, we would take care of everyone in our community, no one would be left behind, and it would include kids that, like you said you can't take into your home. And so I wanted to be my, my little perfect world. Okay, yeah, I grew up in an orphanage, but we had all these things. People were always coming up, like, I still wanted to feel like a family, because even within that orphanage, like Rocco was there and Devin and Declan were there, and they were all together, they formed their own little family. And so I think that's at the basis of it. I just I love everything about family, and I want everyone to have family, even if you have to make it yourself.

Alesia Galati: 13:20

Yeah, that found family aspect, I think, is really important, especially in books, because a lot of us might feel alienated, right? Whether that's because something happened with our families and we don't feel like we're safe with them, or maybe we don't have families. I know for myself, my found family is the most important thing, having grown up the way I did, and then I lost both my parents by the time I was 31 and so it was like one, who am I anymore? Right? But then also needing to have people that I could lean on, that I could get support from, was so important. And so I think that found family aspect. I love reading found family because, like saying life is messy, I get it. It

Dria Andersen: 14:10

is and not everyone that's blood is not. They're not reliable all the time. And then when you talk about writing traumas, I feel like there are so many different types of people. A book can't be too perfect, because then it starts to feel unrealistic, and then you can't really depend on it to soothe those aches. Do you know what I mean? Like I read and I write certain things and so you want to soothe the loneliness ache, so your character needs to be lonely, so that your reader can go through that, so they understand, yeah, there is light at the end of the tunnel, that type of stuff. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, the trauma is just as important to me as a story.

Alesia Galati: 14:42

Yes, it's so beautiful. I love that you said that because it is and I think that's one of the beautiful things about romance, is that we can explore so many of these different elements. We can explore our own lived experiences or. The lived experiences of others, and it can soothe us. Then it's not just people fucking Yes, they'd be doing right too, yes.

Dria Andersen: 15:08

But we do love that part as well.

Alesia Galati: 15:12

But it's so much more than that. It's the feeling less alone. It's the light at the end of the tunnel. It's the having someone who you can rely on, who can support you and hold you up and is there for you when you need them. And so I love, uh, love that element to it. It's so beautiful. I love romance so much.

Dria Andersen: 15:34

Same, same. Oh my gosh. I could talk about it all day long. So, yeah, I'm telling that same book. Tell

Alesia Galati: 15:43

us a bit more about some of your other books. You have some other ones that I have not read, but I want to know all about your other ones that you've got. For anyone who's like, I want to know more.

Dria Andersen: 15:52

I try to do a little bit of everything. Like, you have your destiny series, and that is very, like I said. It's very world heavy. So is my haven series, which is another one that is like, dear to me. It's when I started to get a little more into the swing of what I wanted to do as a writer. And it is about three brothers. They are a part of this, like security team. They protect the world from these creatures. It's more fantasy, like a little, not high fantasy, per se, but a little more fantastical. And like, humans don't know, I just really love their world. And then they have it where there's other dimensions. So it's just really, like, really world intensive. And the men are the men, like, I really love a good, strong, like, about his shit, man, you know what I mean. So, yeah, so the three of them are fantastic. That one has your suspense and like the world is about to end, you don't know it, but they know it, and they're trying to protect everyone from it. And I just love the Haven series, but the rest of them I love, I so I wrote Destiny series, right? And then I wrote The Haven series. I was like, oh, yeah, this is fantastical. Legends are Made of this, right? And then I discovered shifters. I was like, and so I got stuck in shifters for a while, because I just really love them. But this year I'm gonna go back to my vampires. I'm gonna do another world heavy series that I'm like, super excited about. So very excited about it, because it features creatures that are not traditional to me, for sure, and then to like black paranormal. So I'm really excited to explain it, because I'm sure there are, I'm sure there are Black Mages, but I haven't read any that I liked. So yeah,

Alesia Galati: 17:36

that's where we're going. Ooh, I love that. You mentioned strong men. Why is it important for you that these men have their shit together before they're like, actually find their fated mate? Because a lot of these characters have either known each other for a while or kind of have an inkling that the other person might be their faded mate. But then it's not like, Hey, we're definitely right. It's not this, like, huh, moment that they get and so why is it important for you that these men have that kind of I have my stuff together. I am who I am, and they're so sure of themselves before they step to their mate. Why is that important for

Dria Andersen: 18:18

you? So it's important story wise, because, again, I don't want the angst, right? But in general, I think it allows the female protagonist to be a little messier, right? It allows her to still have that security net that, okay, my life's a little messy, but this guy has his together. I just feel again, back to just what I like to read, and so that's what I end up writing. Like. There are some instances where I may have a No, I like a man with a shit together. That's how that goes. I just really, I just think it's important, because it allows me to explore a little bit more on the female side, right? I'm a woman, and so it allows me to explore myself a little bit as well as I'm writing Yeah, and

Alesia Galati: 19:02

I think, too it's important to see black men reflected that way, like, yeah, they have, they can have their shit together,

Dria Andersen: 19:11

yes, and they can be good men, yes. Let's push stereotypes like, I don't even it's so funny that you say that because I literally, I don't even consider that when I write, I don't consider any outside stereotypes at all. When I write like it's just not No thank you. You know what I mean. I feel like it bogs it down, and I don't want to bog down the story with to me things that are unnecessary. Like I don't feel like we have to be a stereotype. We can just exist, and then if you invite yourself in that existence, you'll see that it's not stereotypical

Alesia Galati: 19:45

going to your shifters. So this is something I was thinking about as we were prepping for this interview, is that your shifters are different. Yes, they're different in that there's so a lot of variety to them, like we've mentioned already, but I. How they move with their animal is different, too. And what I mean by that is, when I typically read shifter romance, it's almost this two person together ness to the shifter, whereas yours, it feels like it's one. Was that intentional? Okay, let's talk about it.

Dria Andersen: 20:24

Because I read a lot of shifted romances. I really love them, but I just am fascinated with the idea that you have the second spirit, but you are so together again. No angst, right? There's no inner tug of war. You're going to have the tug of war between the man and the animal, or the woman and the animal. They're two different things, but it feels so less lonely, if that makes sense, if you're perfectly melded with that animal, you always have this friend with you like I think that's why I did it. I just I don't like that push and pull if I don't have to deal with it, if that makes it and it feels more realistic to me, yeah,

Alesia Galati: 21:05

I like that too. Because, yes, you've got the moments where the woman's like, I am not giving him the time of day, and the animal's like, yes, we are,

Dria Andersen: 21:13

yeah, yeah, that's ours. Like, you need to get on board. Yeah. I love those moments like just reading them, like, kicking my feet and being like, yeah, yeah, I do. I love that, yeah. If you think about it, I try to think about what a person would do, I would be like, No, I don't really like this man. Your animal instincts are just like, No, I'm feeling him. I don't know if you feel these warm and fuzzies, but that's all, you know. I mean, like, we fight in our daily lives, right? You see a guy you're attracting you're like, Oh, I'm attracted to him, but mentally, you're, like, dealing with the gym saying, so this like that. You already have that push and pull. And I think it's cool for it to be in your animal instinct that it's like, yeah, we really like him. We would like to open our legs to him. So, yeah, I really

Alesia Galati: 22:02

know the animals always like, we eat and we do that, yeah, that's

Dria Andersen: 22:06

pretty much, this is how we survive.

Alesia Galati: 22:10

And it's true, that is how we act as humans, right? It's just very like, all right, they're hot, obviously, we're not gonna act on it, but moving on, because

Dria Andersen: 22:19

then your brain gets involved and you overthink, and it's just now you've missed your window, and it's all nevermind, you know what I mean. So you've missed that opportunity. Whereas if you had an animal, they'd be like, I'm gonna move your leg. We're gonna get a little closer. You know what I mean? So this, I think that's cool.

Alesia Galati: 22:33

Yes, all right, tell us more about your some of your other books, because we got through some of them, and I stopped you, but LED. What about some other ones? Um,

Dria Andersen: 22:41

yeah, I have a lot of short stories, because, again, my attention span is in the dumps, and so I like a quick little pick me up as I call. But yeah, I have the Hamilton brothers series, which I love. It started from, I tried to explore a poly romance as a prude, mind you, I tried to explore it, and I really liked the world that I built, and so I tapered it off into the Hamilton brothers. They're two bear shifters, again, very urban. They're lawyers, and they find their mates. I got to introduce witches in that world. I really love that world. I just, I got so trapped in the night series. I'm just like, I love that world so much. So I focused in on there, even with the Edwards brothers, like Declan is coming out here in a couple of weeks, and then we're still going in that world, like I have another one planned from that world where I introduced tigers. I'm just, like, really excited about,

Alesia Galati: 23:34

yes, that's what I love. Though, we've got those exciting new elements coming up. There's new characters coming in and new cats coming in.

Dria Andersen: 23:44

Oh my gosh. I'm so excited. I am so excited because Lucky was introduced in Devon's book. She's Keisha cousin. And my friend was like, It's lucky getting a book. And I was like, You know what? I think so, so I do take outside influences, yeah, you want lucky. I'll give you lucky, and I can give you lucky this way. So it's I enjoy hearing outside input, because then it gives my brain something to think about. Ooh, I didn't think about that. And so now I get to explore another facet of this world. So yes, that's exciting. Ah, I love

Alesia Galati: 24:15

your process. Oh, my God,

Dria Andersen: 24:19

yes. I tell people all the time I'm a mood writer, and so I do write where the wind takes. That's how you Oh, you want to book on frogs. Okay, let me see how I can integrate a frog. That's pretty much how I go because at the end of the day, it just has to be something that I can read over and over. That's my only requirement. So you can tell me all you want to and I will take it in and then match it into Adrian. Is basically how that goes. It is so

Alesia Galati: 24:48

fun. So you mentioned a few things we can look forward to. Is there anything else? Maybe some events you're going to this year that we can maybe see you at, or anything like that. So

Dria Andersen: 24:58

I'm going to be in Atlanta. For the black romance reader fest. I'm working on Orlando. There's a romance Fest in Orlando as well, because that's right up the street, and so I'm working on that. But those are the only two events I told my husband. I figured it out that two is pretty much my limit, because if I go more, I did three last year, and my writing get screwed up, like it's just I don't have time to write. I can't get my brain together, because I'm getting because I'm getting so two is my limit. And so, yeah, so Orlando and Atlanta, Atlanta and the end of May, and then Orlando, I think, is in August, so I still have to confirm that. But yeah, yes,

Alesia Galati: 25:34

for anyone who is watching or listening or like, I need to know more about these books and wants to binge your entire backlog, because I highly recommend doing that like I remember I found one of them, and I was just

Dria Andersen: 25:48

like, when I find new writers, because I do the same thing. Well, let me just see

Alesia Galati: 25:53

Yes, and you have quite an expensive backlog. So where can people find you? Get to know you hang out with you all that fun stuff.

Dria Andersen: 26:02

So online, you mean, yes, because I am the person who is always in the house, I like to be in my little cave, honey, because I have, believe it or not, social anxiety, so I get to, like, a little squirrely. But my website is Drea anderson.com you can find me on Instagram at author Draya Anderson, and my Facebook page was hacked, so I had to work on that. But I do have a reader group that is private, and so it's Drea gold gang thing. If you find it, say hello. I'll let you in so you can see all my little secrets,

Alesia Galati: 26:42

and we'll make sure we have links for that in the show notes, in the description as well, for anyone who's doing other stuff while they're listening or watching. Then that way they can make sure to snag those. Drea, this has been so much fun. I had a blast hearing about your process, hearing about your books, and now I need to just go back through and read all of your short stories and your other series, because I

Dria Andersen: 27:03

love my short story so much. You should definitely read one night one bite, because I'm coming out with the rest of that world this year. So yes, it's my vampire world. Very excited about it. By the time this airs, I'll probably have either have Levi out or be working on him to come out. So, yeah,

Alesia Galati: 27:22

sweet. So yeah, that's next on my list. TBR, okay, rearranged. It's fine. You.