Off Book with Jacquelyn Middleton: Hockey Romance, ’90s Nostalgia & Hopeful Romantics

genredpodcast

21 hours ago

4 min read

A hockey romance where she’s the fan. Answering machines doing their best to sabotage a slow burn. And a conversation that somehow becomes a very passionate defense of Grease 2.

This week on Genre’d Off Book, Katy and Elyse are joined by author Jacquelyn Middleton to talk about Love Wants Us to Win, her romance set in early ’90s Toronto, and why she writes for hopeful romantics.

We get into women in sports fandom, the freedom of indie publishing, romance misconceptions, and the comfort of knowing a book will give you a happy ending. Plus, Jacquelyn brings a stack of recommendations, we discuss our evolving relationships with second-chance romance, and Katy makes another case for the misunderstood bad boy

with a heart of gold.

Pacey Witter, your legacy remains intact.

Love Wants Us to Win: She Knows the Hockey Stats

Jacquelyn describes Love Wants Us to Win as Fever Pitch vibes, but with hockey—and a woman at the center of the fandom.

Georgie is a devoted Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and her love for the team is a real part of her life. She knows the history. She knows the players. She is absolutely capable of winning the hockey pool.

As a longtime Leafs fan herself, Jacquelyn wanted to write a heroine whose enthusiasm and knowledge never needed an explanation. Women love sports. Sometimes it really is that straightforward.

We talk about Georgie and Oliver’s romance, the hope that connects loving a person with loving a frequently disappointing hockey team, and why Jacquelyn wanted this story to feel fun, flirty, and full of nostalgia.

When the Miscommunication Trope Was an Answering Machine

Before texting, read receipts, and checking someone’s Instagram, there was calling their house and hoping they were actually home.

And if they weren’t? You left a message and trusted a tiny cassette tape with your romantic future.

Elyse loved the chapters built around Georgie and Oliver’s answering-machine messages. The missed connections make the slow burn feel specific to the time period, when getting in touch required a little more patience, and occasionally staying home because someone might call.

We also discuss handwritten hockey-pool scores, music shopping, and a Toronto muffin shop that inspires some very real mourning. Jacquelyn’s affection for the city runs through the conversation, from teenage weekends downtown to her years working in television.

From a Difficult Querying Experience to Ten Years of Indie Publishing

Jacquelyn always wanted to write a book, but getting started meant moving past the fear of putting her feelings on the page.

After working in television and writing for newspapers, magazines, and websites, she decided she didn’t want to look back and regret never trying. Her early experience querying an agent helped her realize that she wanted a different path.

She shares why she withdrew her manuscript, chose self-publishing, and has continued publishing independently.

With seven novels and a novella behind her, Jacquelyn talks about enjoying creative control and why readers should give indie romance authors more attention.

Hopeful Romantics, Happy Endings, and Giving Romance Its Due

Jacquelyn’s preferred phrase is “hopeful romantics,” and that distinction says a lot about her books.

There can be angst. There can be heartbreak. There can be characters insisting they’re completely fine without love. But underneath it all, there’s still the possibility that something good is coming.

We also get into the assumption that romance is easy to write or lacks substance. Jacquelyn discusses the work involved in writing complicated emotions, the research behind characters’ careers, and the importance of seeing different experiences represented on the page.

Elyse points to Georgie’s migraines as an example of how a love story can also help readers understand an experience outside their own.

Romance gives us plenty to swoon over. It also gives us plenty to think about.

The Recommendations Are Not Helping Our TBRs

Jacquelyn came prepared with actual books to hold up, which is exactly the energy we appreciate.

Her favorites include:

London, With Love by Sarra Manning
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Her recommendation for someone new to romance: Love Lettering, for its immersive setting, fully developed characters, and beautiful writing.

Her advice for longtime romance readers: Explore indie authors. There are plenty of excellent stories beyond the books already filling your feed.

We also discuss the pleasure of discovering an author with a whole backlist waiting for you, buying multiple editions of a favorite book, and trying a little magic in your romance before committing to an entire fantasy world.

Second Chances, Pacey Witter, and the Grease 2 Detour

Jacquelyn’s comfort tropes are friends to lovers and second chance. Elyse explains why those stories appeal to her more now than they did when her position was essentially: you had your chance.

Katy, meanwhile, remains committed to a misunderstood bad boy with a heart of gold. Preferably with a leather jacket.

Naturally, this leads to Pacey Witter, Thornbird, and Grease 2. Jacquelyn reveals that Grease 2 is also a favorite of the characters in her novel A Smile in a Whisper, and suddenly we have a lot to discuss.

The soundtrack. Michelle Pfeiffer. “Cool Rider.” The childhood urge to turn any available ladder into a performance space.

A completely reasonable place for a romance conversation to end up.