If you’re new from the Secret Santa giveaway — welcome.
If you’ve been with us since the early days — we’re so glad you’re still here.
If you joined us anywhere in between — we’re so lucky to have you.

Pull up a blanket (or a cup of something warm). Here’s a relaxed look into the two writers behind Willa Drew: DL Croisette (aka Willa on the left) and Gala Russ (aka Drew on the right): what makes us tick, how we write, and what makes our books feel the way they feel.

What we’re currently obsessed with in romance

DL:
“From a writing perspective it's second chances. I've always loved the concept of getting a chance to right the mistakes of the past and to me there is a beauty in the honesty of forgiveness.”
Gala:
“Slow, slow, slow burn. The kind of tension where you’re practically begging the characters to finally act on what’s been simmering for chapters.”

What’s sparking our creativity right now

DL:
“Beautiful images. Before I even start writing a scene I ‘see’ my characters in the setting and creating that world is a passion. It comes through in my love of creating our covers, or social media, and now, with my new Cricut, more fun projects. (And there is beauty everywhere, from a droplet of water to a cold winter's day sunset)”
Gala:
“K-dramas. I’ve been fascinated by how they portray attraction: micro-emotions, tension, slow zooms. I’m experimenting with how to translate that emotional fire onto the page to make romance even more unputdownable.”

How we each started writing romance

DL:
“On a dare. A friend of mine had recently finished a romance book and was bored with reading alpha males and weak women. She turned to me and dared me to write a story with a feisty, strong woman. I went home that night and wrote the first 3 chapter so Ruby Red, my debut novel.”
Gala:
“I started in women’s fiction. An editor asked whether my book was romance or women’s fiction, and I realized romance requires a happily ever after! That’s what I wanted for my characters.

But the deeper beginning was translating my mom’s writing after she passed away. That opened the door.”

What we love most about writing together

DL:
“There are so many things and honestly they change depending on the project. For example, I adore that I have a partner to spark ideas with or pull me out of a well when think that idea well is dry, Then on other days, I love that I can be creative on my own and Gala will enthusiastically listen/read the drama I put our characters through and vice versa.”
Gala:
“The moments where we spark ideas back and forth. It feels like improv with a lot of ‘yes, and…’ as the story unfolds between us. Some days it’s pure momentum: one of us throws out a wild idea, the other builds on it, and suddenly we’re off in a direction neither of us would’ve found alone. Other days, it’s simply knowing the other person will catch whatever emotional or creative thread I’m holding.”

Our individual writing quirks

DL:
“I never know how to answer this. I can tell you I'm bound to name a character then spell their name two different ways in the same document. Does that count as a quirk?”
Gala:
“So many! I need to know the character at a soul-level first, so I dig deep to get to know them. I write linearly, without skipping chapters to see how the story develops. My chapters usually start as pure dialogue. Then I build the world around it.”

One thing about us that shows up in our writing

DL:
“Well, I recently came to understand that I have a bartender addiction. Seriously, I think my readers are going to have to make a drinking game out of when in a book a bartender will show up. Readers should also know drama is like sugar to me, so expect a strong dusting of it in my storylines. Lastly, I guess they should be aware the men in my romance books are cinnamon rolls.”
Gala:
“Family trauma, sibling dynamics, complicated parents, and emotional messiness. I read Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky and Les Mis at twelve, so I gravitate toward the harder parts of being human: grief, sorrow, struggles that break characters open. At the same time I watch all the soap operas, so my writing became a fusion of big feelings, messy families, and the kind of drama that keeps you turning pages long after you meant to stop.”

What makes a Willa Drew book feel like a Willa Drew book

DL:
“One part international character, one part family drama, two parts found family, all shaken up with angsty, BIG feels and topped with a dollop of drama.”
Gala:
“A core of sweetness, optimism about people, and the belief they can grow, change, and choose good.”

Which characters we relate to the most

DL:
“If forced to choose, I'd say Sarah from Kisses, Lies, & Us. She is our Canadian character (at least until Callum gets his own book) so I get to share some of my world with our readers through her. She's movie obsessed, like me and she was inspired by a wonderful woman in my life.”
Gala:
“I’m a mix of Will from WE Blend and Alek from Not a Fake Chance. The immigrant experience, family wounds, ambition, and wanting to build something positive in the world. Those themes bleed from my personal life onto the page.”

Where you’ll find us when we’re not writing

DL:
“Dreaming of my next trip, planning my next trip or on my next trip.”
Gala:
“Most likely with a cat, a coffee, a spreadsheet, and a backdrop of a K-drama or an audiobook.”

What we love most about indie publishing

DL:
“Well, as an admitted control freak I have to say that the ability to write the stories I want to write without bending to a corporations sales goals make me a very happy indie author.”
Gala:
“The freedom to make mistakes. To iterate. To try, adjust, grow without waiting for permission. I work best in motion.”