Turning Up the Heat
Romance author Timothy Janovsky ’19, whose third novel in two years will be released on August 15, recently made a deal with the famous publisher Harlequin.By: Meghan Kita Monday, July 31, 2023 08:49 AM
Timothy Janovsky ’19 and the cover of his latest novel, “New Adult”This summer, Timothy Janovsky ’19 will publish his third novel in less than two years. Janovsky, who writes LGBTQ+ romantic comedies, released his debut, Never Been Kissed, with the publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca in May 2022. A Christmas rom-com, You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince, came out last October, and New Adult, an ode to the 2004 Jennifer Garner movie 13 Going on 30, will be released August 15. Meanwhile, a second publisher — the famous romance outlet Harlequin — approached Janovsky about producing a series of more explicit novels with queer characters that will debut in 2024. Here, the prolific author, who was a theatre and dance double major at Muhlenberg, explains his writing process and his career journey.
Muhlenberg Magazine How does your background in the performing arts translate to your writing?
Timothy Janovsky ’19 I write mostly in the first-person present tense, which is a lot like when we would do journals as our characters in acting classes at Muhlenberg. I put myself in the shoes of the character and I say, “What’s the character’s objective? What obstacles are in the way of achieving that objective? What tactics do they have in their tool bag?” I think becoming an author was my little trick to getting to play all the roles that don’t exist in the world or that I would never be cast in.
MM How did your existing books come about?
TJ During and after Muhlenberg, I’d put writing on the back burner. I was teaching dance when the pandemic hit, and I lost that job. Auditions weren’t happening, so I had a lot of time. I wrote what became You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince during COVID. I wanted a comfort project to write, something that would be warm and fuzzy. I worked with a literary agent who found a publisher who wanted to buy it. They said, “We don’t think your debut novel should be a holiday story because that won’t reach as many readers. What else do you want to write about?” I was quarantining with my partner in Pennsylvania and we’d just been to Shankweiler’s [Drive-In Theatre]. I wrote Never Been Kissed, which is set at a drive-in, on contract.
MM How has your work opened doors for your future projects?
NF After writing Never Been Kissed, I was approached by Harlequin — they’re known to a lot of people for their bodice-ripper covers. They were like, “We love that you’re reaching a younger audience. Would you be interested in writing ‘high heat’ stories for us? We think younger queer readers really deserve stories like that.” What I’m writing currently is more “closed door” — anything spicy happens behind the scenes. With my agent, we worked out a deal. In 2024, I’ll be launching another series of novels that will have higher heat and pretty wacky premises: The first one, The (Fake) Dating Game, is a male-male romance that takes place on the set of a Supermarket Sweep-style reality show. I get to expand my voice and my audience. They’ll also be mass-market novels, which are the tiny ones you stick in your beach bag. It’ll be fun to play around with a different format.
