Monster Meet-Cute: Q&A with Author Dakota Cockaday

Come for the Smut, Stay for the Self-Discovery

May 02, 2025

The following profile was made possible in partnership with Monsterotica Book Con.

You can meet authors such as Dakota Cockaday at this year’s Monsterotica Book Con, which will take place on May 8-10, 2025 in Baltimore, MD.

Quick Monster Bites

Meet the Author: Dakota Cockaday

The mastermind behind: Wild Hare Ranch Series, Underworld Wolves Series, Dvergar Gold Mine Series

First monster crush: Mothman (that ass, tho)

Describe your books in three emojis: 🥰😏🐷

Team claws, team horns, or team tentacles?: #teamclaws4life... I'll take a man who can gut my enemies any day.

Your ideal writing soundtrack: It depends on the book. I used to listen to 90's country and soft rock because I could tune it out, but when spicy scenes are hard I usually pick a theme song to help me build the vibe and play it on repeat while I'm writing. Lately, I haven't had any music. I'm weird. It's totally mood based.

Favorite writing fuel: I'm horribly addicted to Coca Cola, but I also love hot tea and sweet iced tea.

The Monster-Maker’s Secrets

How did you fall in love with the monster romance genre?

I was a voracious reader as a child and young adult and have always, always loved fantasy and scifi so monster romance probably is in my blood. Depression and grad school kinda took my love of reading from me in my late 20s and 30s. I finally decided several years back to get into reading and started straight out with the queen herself, Ruby Dixon. My first "monster" romance was IPB and I haven't looked back since.

Do you prefer writing scary, swoony, or sassy monsters?

Swoony....they I love a hot sarcastic asshole who only has eyes for her.

What’s the weirdest or most surprising monster you’ve written about?

I've gotten into writing sentient object romance lately and I wrote a sweatpants man and t-shirt shifter.

Monster romances often challenge romance norms—what’s one trope you love to reinvent?

I really love to write awkward first time sex encounters between my MCs. Sex is a big part of the story in my books...it's not just something I tack on. And I think there's a lot to learn about my characters in seeing how they tackle the awkward things that can happen the first time you're with someone. I also write a lot about sex workers from what I hope is a more realistic pov. Lots of writers like to romanticize what is essentially a job that comes with all the jobby things--boredom, annoyance, being burnt out, doing something you don't want to do, but doing it anyways to pay the bills.

Who would play one of your favorite monster MCs in a movie adaptation?

Pedro Pascal

If Your Life Were a Monster Romance…

Your monster alter ego would be?

Bigfoot...I'm always hiding or not there...or I was there for a second, but I went home or am hiding.

Who’s your ride-or-die fictional monster BFF?

I've written a character named Darla into my first two series (she's about to get her own book, finally) and for a while I toyed with the idea of her being the Deer Woman, and even had characters who came from that tradition joke about that possibility. (The Deer Woman or Deer Lady comes from several Native American traditions and is a woman with the legs of a deer who seeks vengeance for abused women and children, among other things). I'm not native American (well, maybe waaaay far back according to my aunt's 23 and me because I'm half Mexican) but I don't come directly from the people that speak of her, so that felt disrespectful. However, I loved the idea of the Deer Woman--a spirit who sought vengeance on behalf of abused women and children. That is who Darla has become. She is a single, witchy woman living in the middle of a trailer park quietly staging her own rebellion against the patriarchy that surrounds her while still supporting the men and women around her trying to get by in a world where that isn't always easy. She is always there to care for others, to protect them, and hide them, if necessary. And once even she killed for them.

The craziest date you’d go on with your favorite monster?

So at the end of my Goldilocks and the Three Gobelins book, my FMC finally talks her man into showing her exactly what the mating chase Gobelins have been known for is all about... and yeah, that'd be my idea of a good time.

What advice would your favorite book character give about surviving love (monster or human)?

Darla would say that building a life you're happy leading alone would be the first step.

Behind the Pen

What brought you to Monster Romance?

Ruby Dixon

What’s the biggest challenge of writing monster romance?

Trying to get my characters into bed. Sometimes they have their own ideas and issues and I just have to wait for them to work them out on the page.

What do you hope readers take away from your stories?

That finding love isn't more important than finding yourself.

What’s next for you in the world of monster romance?

Gremlins and Fae

Monster Speed Round

Favorite monster from pop culture: Werewolves

Go-to comfort read: Anything Diana Wynne Jones

Book trope you’ll never get tired of: Enemies to Loves

Dream book con destination: I need them to be closer to me in Texas...but is that likely, sadly not.

What’s next?

What do you want to plug for your fans and wannabe readers right now?

The Sentient Object Holiday Series! I wrote two novellas for it and there will be 14 total by me and some hard core amazing talent. We've got Thea Masen, Unfortunate Reads, Holly Wilde, Sylvia Morrow, Luna Cantrip, Nicole Parker, Biblio Barbie, and Vera fucking Valentine. You seriously could not ask for a more creative group of people.

Where do you want readers to find you?

I'm mostly on Insta at @dakota_cockaday and I also have a much neglected website at www.dakotacockaday.com