I’m the reader that will get really excited when someone announces a dystopian romance and then falls down a hole of the subgenre for months. So when Dana Sweeney announced her debut late last year, I was thrilled! I devoured Nina and Tom/Alpha’s story (Lust for Tomorrow) the minute it was out and absolutely loved every minute of it. Dana’s writing is smart and fun, not to mention sexy. Plus, there’s all this worldbuilding that she’s done that makes you want to be there, but also avoid it at all costs.
I also really like Dana as a person, even though we don’t know each other very well. But in reading this interview, you’re going to feel the same way. She writes on her blog regularly and covers everything from her books to off-topic things like recipes, while also giving you insight into her method of storytelling and so much more.
The second book in her series, Trust in Tomorrow, released in November and I cannot wait to dive into it. Both her books are currently available in Kindle Unlimited.
BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
I have been a writer as far back as I remember. I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t writing something, whether it was a story, poem, or song.
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
The best part is absolute control over my art. The worst part is absolute responsibility for every aspect of the business side.
Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?
I have a whole series of blog posts about this, but the TLDR is: I listened to some publisher reps talking about their rights over the books they choose to take on vs. what they considered the authors’ rights and responsibilities. The amount of control I would be relinquishing was disproportionate to the support I could look forward to. The sticking point for me was the cover art. I didn’t want to “be on trend for my subgenre.” I didn’t want to settle for anyone’s vision but my own.
When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?
The moment I settle in to try to watch TV, I will probably think of something I desperately need to jot down. When I actively need to juice the creative flow, I turn to either a craft book or a beloved classic I haven’t revisited in a while.
If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?
The books I have probably recommended most throughout my lifetime, in reverse order: Little Deaths by Nenia Campbell, The Monster Keeps Me Safe by Kitty Thomas, Tanked by Mia Hopkins, Moist Actually by Ash Dylan, Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas, Love & Capes by Thom Zahler (superhero rom-com graphic novels–legitimately such a hoot and very sweet, cannot say enough good things about these books), The Hunger Games series, The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius by Judd Winick, Astro City by Kurt Busiek, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein, The Long Walk by Stephen King, Watership Down by Richard Adams
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
Don’t rush anything about the process. It takes as long as it takes.
Don’t ask people in your life for feedback unless they know what the hell they’re talking about. Ask fellow writers or at least devoted readers, preferably fans of your genre. You might be excited to share your art with someone you love, but if they don’t know how to give you useful feedback, their reactions could do more harm than good.
Learn the rules. You’re allowed to break them if you understand them. If you simply opt out of knowing them, it shows in the work.
There’s no one right way to be a writer. Find your own methods and processes, and play as you go. I write entirely out of order, and I don’t question anything until the revisions phase. You can always fix it later; just concentrate on getting your story onto the page in whatever shape it takes for that first draft. Everything is fixable until the moment you publish.
Publishing is phase two, not the final step of phase one.
ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
I’ve been through a lot. I don’t have the stomach for pain and horror that I did in my youth. The comfort of the HEA is everything to me as a reader. As a writer, it’s that feeling times ten. Creative constraints can be oddly freeing, and none more so to me than the HEA. I can write whatever I want to write, explore whatever ideas are interesting to me, and I’ll never have to question if I’m copping out by letting my characters have their happily ever after. It’s not a copout; it’s the promise of the genre. No one is going to roll their eyes and complain about “plot armor!” Being a main character in Romancelandia is the ultimate plot armor, and I love the freedom that gives me.
If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?
I have always had a passion for science fiction, obviously!
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
I love a protective MMC. I simply can’t get enough of that. My least favorite trope is the 3rd act breakup. It can be done well, but there’s this misapprehension that it is a hardcore requirement with a rigid definition. When a writer considers it something that simply has to happen by any means necessary, that can feel inauthentic to the characters and their story.
What are some tropes you want to write in the future?
I have an enemies to lovers in my back pocket inspired by one of my favorite unjustly cancelled TV shows. (Ugh, yes, Google spellcheck, I did in fact mean to spell cancelled with two L’s, because when I learned to spell, American English still cared about phonetics!)
What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?
I’d like to see more acknowledgement of reproductive rights. I think authors tend to play it very safe, like 90s TV shows where a character might have a pregnancy scare but get their period at minute 37 of the 44, or maybe get pregnant but have a miscarriage in the final act just as they were on the verge of making a decision. We’re indies, though. If we don’t tell these stories, who will?
If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?
There are so many reasons! Sex is a natural part of an intimate relationship, and it tells us so much about the characters. The way they treat each other, the way they express or resist expressing their feelings and needs, their areas of confidence or insecurity which are laid bare in these incredibly vulnerable moments. You can accomplish so much in a good sex scene. In Lust for Tomorrow, the entire relationship develops during sex scenes. It’s a very honest story, because we do sometimes fall in love accidentally when we only intended to have a casual friends-with-benefits situation. Some relationships develop not over the course of several proper dates but in a series of refractory periods.
YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
I have a blog post about this too! I heard a voice actor perform some dialogue I’d written. It made me start thinking about the power of a voice all by itself. I pushed at the edges of the idea, imagining the helpless confusion of being drawn to a man when all you knew about him was his voice. It basically started as a sexual fantasy with such specific plot points that I had to do a whole lot of worldbuilding to support it, and then I didn’t want to let it fade from memory, so I started writing it down.
Can you briefly tell me about your books?
Lust for Tomorrow introduces a dystopian setting, The Stronghold, which is a safe haven during the zombie apocalypse but only for those deemed worthy by its pre-apocalypse residents. There’s a bit of a Handmaid’s Tale vibe–just trade out religion for capitalism, which might as well be a religion anyway. I love dystopian fiction and soft sci-fi in general because they are so rich with room for allegory.
Book two, Trust in Tomorrow, just released on November 1! Tom and Demetri’s friendship happened off-page in book one, because it was outside POV character Nina’s awareness. I initially wrote those scenes for myself, but their bromance was too good to hoard, so book two starts a few chapters before we left off. It goes a lot more into how The Stronghold became what it is and the kind of people who run it. Stella and Demetri’s love is a slow-burn, which was exciting to write after doing the exact opposite the first time.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
Alpha/Tom, the hero of Lust for Tomorrow (and best friend/mentor in Trust in Tomorrow). He always surprises me! His voice is so distinctive, and I have loved just listening to him talk and transcribing his words. He once monologued in my head for hours. There are bits of that sprinkled throughout the book, but it came in one big flow, a gift from the universe.
If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
I decided on Ferdinand Kingsley for Tom, because I loved him so much in Sandman, and Lindsey Morgan for Nina (The 100’s Raven Reyes). Stella’s easier, because I’ve pretty much always envisioned her as a slightly older Danielle Rose Russell (Hope from The Originals & Legacies). Demetri is the most stunningly attractive man you’ve ever seen, with undeniable smolder and charm, and that’s obviously Charles Melton. A couple of people have told me they picture Ben Barnes for Tom, which may have more to do with my cover artist’s gorgeous work than anything else. Don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing! A little tall though… one of the only physical characteristics I actually do establish outright is that Tom and Nina are about the same height.
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
Every main character gets a piece of my soul. Nina is submissive. Tom is insufferably certain he’s the smartest person in nearly every room. (He’s right, though…) The characters at the center of book two dial up the angst a bit thanks to what they inherited from me, poor sods. I put a lot into mental health and neurodivergent representation in this book.
What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?
At my day job, I write whatever is required. In my off hours, I follow my fire. The stories I’m telling are the ones I really want to tell.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
I’m in love with allegory. It’s such a rich and malleable part of storytelling.
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
I have always figured on three books for this story, but to my joyous surprise, there’s been vocal interest in a new character introduced in Trust in Tomorrow! So Monica’s story has begun unfurling in my brain, and then I have my fun new unplanned project to work on… I may just play with both interchangeably until one takes over.
When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?
Wow, that’s hot. Whoa, I think I just fell in love! Hmm, maybe that kink is something I haven’t given enough consideration to in the past… Argh, eat the rich!
AUTHOR’S CHOICE
Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks—Ebooks to read, paperbacks as trophies, hardbacks as special edition trophies, audiobooks as a way to experience a book over again immediately when the book hangover is extreme but I at least want to feel like I’m doing something new. Only paper formats when it comes to comic books, as I have never been able to enjoy those digitally.
Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspenseSingle or Dual POV—Whatever makes sense for the story
Standalones, series or standalones in a series—All of the above? My favorite books of all time include The Hunger Games, Chasing Cassandra, and The Monster Keeps Me Safe (series, standalone in a series, standalone)
Open door, ajar door or closed door romances—I like to follow the lovers the whole way, including their intimate moments. I don’t need all 5 chili peppers or anything, but I prefer at least 2.
Music or silence when writing
Plotter, pantser or plantser
Water, tea, coffee or….wine?
Cold or warm weather
Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?—Write in the light, edit at night.
Illustrated or photo cover?—Illustrated, the more detailed the better. I love the classic style!
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