D.W. Gooder writes character-driven romance with a touch of mystery, where love is rarely simple and every choice comes at a cost. Drawn to flawed people, impossible circumstances, and emotional tension, their stories explore the messy space between longing and logic.

Research Purposes is a contemporary slow-burn romance about Mia Parker, a screenwriter who spent years treating first dates as research. Convinced she’s finally sworn off love after a painful breakup, she’s assigned to a writers’ room where she meets Henry James—a charming actor who refuses to fit into any of her carefully constructed theories. As the lines between observation and connection begin to blur, Mia is forced to confront a question she’s spent her entire life avoiding: is it possible to truly understand someone without letting them change you?