We chat with author Joshua Hortinela about Hate You to Love You, which is a heartwarming queer romance debut about two exes forced to work together on a whirlwind book tour, from a beloved bookseller and influencer – for fans of Cara Bastone, B.K. Borison and Alexis Hall.
Hi, Joshua! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m an author as well as a bookseller. I’ve been working in the world of books for ten years and truly enjoy connecting with customers through bookselling. I’m a big romantic at heart, so it’s no surprise that I adore romantic comedies. Besides that, I can tell you where to find the best cosmopolitan or coffee in town.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Probably as a teenager. I loved the way reading books made me feel. They were safe and comforting, whether I was reading Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic books or crying over Looking for Alaska by John Green. Looking back on that chapter of my life, I’ve realised that I wanted to write stories that would make people feel less alone.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Window by Jeannie Baker
- The one that made you want to become an author: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: One Day by David Nicholls
Your debut novel, Hate You to Love You, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Nostalgic, heart-breaking, relatable, sweeping and hopeful.
What can readers expect?
They can expect all the warm and fuzzy feelings you get when watching romantic comedies from the 90’s and 2000’s. Think the tenderness of Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally. Think of the joy and whimsy from 13 Going On 30. I wanted to put everything I love about that genre into this book. But at it’s core, this is also story about facing change, grief and whether you can ever really turn back time.
Where did the inspiration for Hate You to Love You come from?
It came from a time in my life when I was really struggling with change. I’d hit a wall, and the only way I was able to work through my complicated relationship with change was through writing. Writing about a character, Carlos, who was afraid of change, was a cathartic way for me to process everything at the time. His journey and the story was born from the idea that if he could have his own happily ever after, so could I.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I found the process of writing about Carlos struggling to deal with his change very healing. He’s not based on me, but his thoughts and feelings are sketches of my own relationship with change. I feel like this book was something I needed to write as part of the coming of age in my twenties. On another note, a lot of this book takes place overseas and I love travelling. Carlos and Elliot travel to London, Dublin and Edinburgh. It was so much fun getting to revisit some of my favourite places in the world on the page. And while it wasn’t intentional, I found that some of the locations I love in Sydney’s Inner West (where I reside), ended up on the page. Paying tribute to them was a whole lot of fun as well.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I was working full-time when I first started writing this book, so I struggled with time. I had to develop a very strict morning schedule to get words down on the page before work, and I’m not a morning person at all. Yet I knew that if I didn’t put in the work and time, the book would never be finished. The first round of structural edits were also tough. All the feedback was brilliant, and ultimately shaped the book into something better than I ever could have imagined, but I had to do a lot of work to balance the two timeline threads and my brain definitely hurt after that. Overcoming that was a balance of taking a lot of time to think and simmer with the story. Sometimes the best writing you can do is no writing at all.
What do you hope readers might take away from Hate You to Love You?
I hope that people will carry with them the comfort of knowing that even though change is hard, they’ll make it through. And to tell the people in their life that they love them.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
I worked on the manuscript for a few years, getting feedback and beta reads from a couple writer friends. I ended up signing with an agent, Dan at The Pilkington Agency. He gave me two options at the time: we could either go out on submission right away, or we work with an editor and refine the manuscript to the be in the best shape it could be. I went with the editor route, because I wanted to make a good impression with any publisher we showed it to. That involved a couple months of refining what I had. I’m really glad I followed his advice, because what we ended up using for submission was so much sharper than what it was originally. After that, we went on submission when Atria Books Australia ended up giving us a pre-empt offer. A pre-empt is rare so I am incredibly grateful that they really saw potential and believed in my words. It was one of the most exciting days of my life but also a blur. I’m so thankful. The offer was to good to refuse, so we signed with them. Plus, my editor there, Anthea, was my dream publisher. She understood me and my story right away, and has a sharp eye for the industry and what’s hot at the moment.
What’s next for you?
I’m in the middle of structural edits for my second book, which is due out sometime next year. I can’t say too much about it other than it’s another rom-com. I’d say Hate You to Love You is filled with a lot of hope, but it’s also got a lot of angst and heartache. The next one focuses a little more on that swoon-worthy feeling of falling in love for the first time. Think summer holiday… and that’s all I’ll say for now.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I just finished Just A Girl, Actually by Karina May. It’s an enemies to lovers rom-com and the banter is so good. That’s out in December. I’m about to start Love Your Enemy by Natalie Murray, another enemies to lovers outcome which is out in February 2027. It’s got a really high concept hook that I won’t spoil, it’s best to go in blind. I’ve loved all her previous books, she’s Australia’s answer to Emily Henry. My favourite book of the year has been Good Intentions by Jessy Wu. It’s a campus love story that develops into a corporate thriller, and the romance in that book is so deliciously addictive. I’d say it’s One Day meets Erin Brockovich. Followed by Quite The Pair by Tobias Madden. It’s about two friends living together in New York, and reminded me so much of New Girl and Sex & The City. There’s some wonderful Australian books out this year!
