Romance was already the most bankable thing in lit. Then the genre was catapulted into the stratosphere when two books from author Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series were adapted into the phenomenon that is Heated Rivalry. Fans of the franchise rejoice: the next chapter of Shane and Ilya’s saga is slated for 2027.
What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?
The Coen brothers’ Barton Fink is a film I’ve watched many times that I find oddly comforting as a writer. It’s a brilliant screenplay about, among many other things, someone who is struggling to write a screenplay. I like to watch it when I’m really having a hard time getting words on the page.
What keeps you up at night?
Lately it’s been so many things, but mostly it’s my own fictional characters. They love to talk to me when I’m trying to sleep and then ignore me completely when I’m actually trying to write.
What’s something people get wrong about you?
Believing that I think actual male hockey players are hot.
What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?
The hardest part was finding the courage to submit my first manuscript to publishers. I had to get over my fear of other people reading fiction I’d written. It’s terrifyingly vulnerable to create fictional characters and to ask people to love them. To ask people to spend time with them and think about them. I mean, the ego you have to have to expect anyone to do that! I still don’t know how I got past that first hurdle.
When you were little, what were you known for?
I think I was a very forgettable child. I do remember other kids at school playing a game where they tried to make me mad, and they were never able to do it. So maybe I was known for that? Suppressing my emotions? Oh god, I think I just unlocked something that I need to tell my therapist about.
Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.
I am a huge Roger Miller fan. My dad loves his music so that got me into it at a young age. I’ve always admired Miller’s approach to songwriting. His songs are funny and sometimes philosophical. Some have incredible wordplay, and some are just delightful goofy nonsense. He was unique, and his songs and his persona were charming and sweet and laid back. It takes a lot of confidence to be that silly, and I’ve always found his music very comforting. As a writer, I’m inspired by that confidence. Write for yourself and don’t be afraid to be different.
What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?
I want to see way more queer stories with happy endings, and fewer romance novels with misogynistic undertones.
What would you like the headline of your obituary to be?
“The Coolest Person Who Ever Lived Dead at Age 300.”
To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.
in your life?
