When I wrote Heated Rivalry, I wasn’t specifically thinking about Shane being neurodivergent because I wasn’t particularly informed about that sort of thing. He was just uptight/anxious/focused etc. I then went through the long and complicated journey of getting my neurodivergent oldest child diagnosed, and I learned a lot then, and since. So by the time I wrote The Long Game, I had a better understanding of Shane, I think, and I realized that, yeah, he’s probably autistic. But I also doubt he’ll ever realize it himself. My approach to the two MCs in my book Time to Shine was more deliberate. Casey has undiagnosed ADHD, and Landon has undiagnosed autism. Again, they may never look into getting diagnosed, but I knew going into that book that it was a love story between someone with ADHD and an autistic person.

1. Maybe...

2. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you or anyone else haha.

3. Oh I think right away. Like, when Shane is having a mild panic attack right after his parents learn about their relationship, Yuna and David see Ilya comforting him. That's probably the moment right there.

4. Shane would be, like, a personal trainer. I like to think that Ilya would work with kids. Or dogs. Or both.

Echoing the second question!!! Before picking Heated Rivalry, I couldn’t have told you what a puck or a slap shot was — and now, a few seasons in, you could probably quiz me on the NHL 🙃.

I would love to write something else. I love writing stories about hockey players falling in love (obviously), but I do feel like a break from that would be nice. I’d actually like to try to write something that isn’t a romance (though I think anything I write would probably have a romance plot in there somewhere).

Jenn Burke, the wonderful Ottawa-based author of MM paranormal romance (check out her Not Dead Yet series!) told me about Taffy Lane. It was EXACTLY what I was hoping for when I was looking for a ridiculous festive activity for Harris and Troy. It looks so nuts.

Re: Connor and Hudson

Not at all. No advice was needed. Connor and Hudson already had very knowledgable guidance from Jacob Tierney, plus they both just really understood their characters right away. I can’t even tell you how perfect they are in these roles.

I've learned I am a very slow writer lol. But more importantly...

Who is best at building an IKEA Billy Bookcase:

1 - Kip (helpful, capable, experienced in manual labour)
2 - Ryan (I think he has basic handyman skills)
3 - Harris (probably has at least 6 in his apartment, all messy)
3 - Eric (very smart, grew up poor, probably hasn’t touched an IKEA product in years, but still knows how to build a cheap shelf)
4 - Scott (same as Eric, basically, but slightly less smart)
5 - Fabian (not a huge fan of IKEA aesthetically, but it’s affordable. More likely to grab a shelf someone else left on the curb)
6 - Shane (probably has never had to assemble IKEA furniture, but would enjoy the challenge)
7 - Kyle (capable, but not interested)
8 - Troy (no patience for it)
9 - Ilya (would never)

I think the moment he fully realized he was in love was when Rose broke up with him. I think he started to realize during the tuna melt scene, then panicked and ran. Then he started dating Rose and thought he could maybe have a “normal” relationship, but then when he saw Ilya in the nightclub, it was like a truck full of feelings hitting him. He was still trying to deny those feelings until Rose basically forced him to acknowledge them. That was the turning point for Shane. He’s still afraid and anxious about being in love with Ilya, but he at least can admit to himself that it’s true and that it might be worth fighting for.

how do you have your tea?

My go-to is Earl Grey with milk, but I’m open to all tea. I’m more of a coffee drinker, though.

I really appreciate that. Thank you. I answered this question somewhere else, but I'll just say again that I listened to a lot of real Russian NHL players and paid attention to their vocabulary and how it evolved over the years.

1. Can't answer, sorry!

2. Do you have any thoughts on Ilya’s obsession with Shane being boring? I love how much Ilya references Shane being boring yet loves him more than anyone or anything?

It’s just easier for Ilya to roast Shane for being boring than it is for him to admit that he is head over heels in love with him. And later, after he has admitted it, it’s still just fun. And I think Shane loves it.

3. How has your experience been seeing this tv show adaptation? For any future works would you like to continue with a tv show approach or would you ever like to see one of your work turn into a movie?

My experience has been incredible. Maybe I’m biased, but I think this show is the best adaptation I’ve ever seen. I would really love to see more seasons of Heated Rivalry, obviously, and I would love to see Ryan and Fabian’s story brought to life. I think The Shots You Take would make a good movie 🙂

4. How have you felt with all the new press and fans that have risen since the news of the tv show was released? Any thoughts you would like to share on Shane and Ilya’s relationship with existing and new fans?

I’ve been pretty overwhelmed, to be honest, but not in a bad way. It’s been amazing, seeing all the love for the characters. Truly a dream come true. But it’s always a little stressful to have so much attention. Writing is generally a pretty lonely occupation, so I feel like I opened a door and there was a giant stadium full of people holding Ilya and Shane signs on the other side. It’s very cool, but, yeah. Overwhelming.

I can't answer the first questions, sorry. But as for the second one: Oh god. Maybe? Are the tweets good? I’m embarrassed about everything I’ve ever said ever. Share one here so I can judge.

I wouldn’t say there’s a meaning. I picked 24 because it’s a good hockey number, and one of my favourite numbers generally. Ilya’s number was actually chosen during a discussion in my Discord server (while I was writing TLG). I thought a number in the eighties felt right, because it’s kind of obnoxious. 81 was decided on because it’s aesthetically pleasing, and because it looks like the word “BI”. The hotel room numbers were definitely just pulled out of the air haha.

I’ll start by saying that I’d love to make changes to all of my books. It’s hard for me to read my own books because I desperately want to tinker with them and make them better. I’ll talk about HR specifically here, though. My biggest regret with that book is that I was overly concerned with length. It was my second book, and I knew Game Changer had been overly long (I could talk about changes I’d make to GC if I wrote it now but we’d be here all night). So with HR, for whatever reason, I was obsessed with making it less than 90k words, even though is spans many years. Because of that, I think the middle section is too short. I don’t like that Shane’s parents disappear for the whole middle of the book, I don’t like that I didn’t show Shane winning his first Cup, etc. And guess what? If my fantastic editor, Mackenzie Walton, hadn’t gently suggested that the book could be longer, the Vegas hotel scene wouldn’t have been in there either. I’d cut it for length before sending the manuscript to her.

But here’s a small thing I wish I’d done in HR: At the All-Star weekend in Tampa, when they’re in Ilya’s hotel room, Shane should have apologized about bolting out of his apartment after the tuna melt scene. I don’t blame him for not (he was kind of a mess in that hotel room), and maybe he did off page, but I wish I’d shown him apologizing.

And, yes I have seen a few people guess the tite of episode 3 correctly :)

1. Were you consulted during the screenwriting process or did you just see the finished scripts?

Jacob sent me a very early version of the script for the first episode. He was very excited to get my feedback, which was really touching. All of the scripts are so good, and I loved reading them. I thought it would feel weird, reading someone else’s take on my characters/story, but it was honestly thrilling. I really didn’t have any notes.

1. Was there any part you were nervous about being adapted until you read the scripts or visited the set?

I was nervous about the producers finding the right actors to play Ilya and Shane. I tried to manage my expectations about that in advance because it just didn’t seem likely they’d find actors who checked all the important boxes for both characters. But I also knew that Jacob understood how important all of those boxes were. And in the end, he found two perfect actors for the roles! Like, beyond my wildest dreams. I’m so grateful.

1. Has the renewed interest in HR changed the way you view it and your other earlier works? Did it make you wish you could go back and change anything?

Yes. I'm going to answer another similar question about changing things, but going back and changing things, but as for how I view it, this whole year has made me think a LOT about Ilya and Shane specifically. I’ve seen so much deep analysis of the characters and the stories, which is touching and also really wild because I never expected these books to be reread and discussed and analyzed. They’re romance novels, so you expect, as an author, for the books to be read quickly and forgotten about. It’s really thrilling to have created characters who stick around in the imaginations of readers.

I can't share but thank you!!!!!