We chat with author Timothy Janovsky about New Adult, which is a charmingly quirky LGBTQIA+ romance that’s one part 13 Going on 30 and one part One Last Stop.
Hi, Timothy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, everyone! My name is Timothy Janovsky. I’m a multidisciplinary storyteller based in Washington, DC. I’m the author of the Boy Meets Boy series, which includes Never Been Kisesed, You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince, and New Adult. I’m a rom-com connoisseur, a lover of cotton candy ice cream, and a die-hard Swiftie.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I discovered my passion for writing in elementary school. It was around the time I got my first laptop and was chosen for a creative writing “challenge” program. We’d steal away to the library for an hour every Wednesday and workshop story ideas and read fun books. At the end of the fall term, we’d have a tea party where our parents would come to school and we’d read our work aloud while having snacks. One of my stories in the fifth grade (a very depressing tale of a despondant orphan!) made all the parents cry. At first I was concerned that I’d done something wrong, but then I reconsidered and thought, “Wow, stories can make people feel such big emotions.” I knew I wanted to continue doing that for a long, long time, and here I am!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Diary of a Worm by Doreeen Cronin. I remember picking up this picture book in one of my elementary school classrooms during story time and actually laughing out loud! It was the first moment I consciously thought, “Huh…books can be funny?!”
Simon Vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I knew as soon as I read this book that I wanted to become an author because it was the first time, as a queer teen, I saw my own lived experience reflected truthfully within the pages of a book. It brought me so much comfort and joy. I wanted to be able to do that for someone else.
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun. Dev and Charlie live forever and ever in my heart!
Your latest novel, New Adult, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Whimsical. Heartwarming. Sweeping. Joyful. Honest.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a friends-to-lovers romance, a New York City setting, and a corgi named Milkshake. They can also expect time-travel via a set of magical healing crystals gifted to our protagonist by a sketchy wellness company. Kissing and shenanigans ensue!
Where did the inspiration for New Adult come from?
New Adult was inspired by the 2004 rom-com classic 13 Going on 30. I wanted to take the tropes of that charming, time travel story (which I’ve personally seen a million times!), modernize them and make them queer! It’s also inspired by celebrity “wellness” brands and how their products rarely do the miracle work they claim to do in their marketing campaigns. My mind ran off with the question, “But, wait! What if they actually did…?”
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There’s a scene early on in the book in the present-day timeline between Nolan, our main character, and Drew, his best friend and love interest. Nolan has suffered an Uptown Girls “swinging door” moment at work, leaving him with a fractured nose. Drew has taken it upon himself to “play nurse” for Nolan, going so far as to burst into his room wearing a skimpy nurse costume, holding a tray of aspirin. He’s got Drake’s “Take Care” playing loudly from his phone. It’s goofy and over-the-top and reminiscent of their favorite show, RuPaul’s Drag Race. It’s the scene in the book where I honestly felt like at any moment these two characters could be kissing their faces off or confessing their love or jumping each other’s bones by the end of it and yet as the author, I knew they both had too many reasons not to.
When editing, I had to turn off my reader brain that was screaming, “Kiss, you fools!” It was the scene that solidified Nolan and Drew’s chemistry for me. I knew I had to carry that energy throughout the whole book.
Also, any scene with Milkshake, Nolan’s corgi in the future timeline was fun to write! Who doesn’t love a corgi?!
This is your third published novel! What are some of the key lessons you have learned when it comes to writing and the publishing world?
I’ve learned that writing is equal parts discipline and chaos. You can’t have one without the other. Some days, try as you might, you sit down at your blank document, and the words don’t come. Those days are just as important in the process of crafting a book as the days that you bang out 3,000 words in a couple hours and you feel invincible. I’ve learned to (mostly) embrace both!
As far as publishing, I’ve learned that books are such positive tools for connection. I never imagined when I was writing my debut novel, Never Been Kissed, that I would become friends with the owner of the drive-in movie theater that inspired it or go to a concert with two lovely, kind bookstagramers who came to one of my book signings! Publishing a book is like putting out the world’s most vulnerable Craigslist ad (am I showing my age here? LOL) and then attracting such a wonderful community of like-minded people because of it.
What’s next for you?
2024 is going to be a busy one! I’m helping to launch a brand new line at Harlequin called Afterglow Books. My first book out of the gate will be a fake-dating romance that takes places on the set of a Supermarket Sweep-style game show. It’s high heat and high stakes. It’s called The (Fake) Dating Game and it hits shelves January 23, 2024. It will be a followed up by a grumpy/sunshine, sommelier/mixologist romance titled You Had Me at Happy Hour. Check that one out sometime in the summer!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
A couple of books that I read and loved recently that you can grab now are: The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith which is a contemporary fiction novel about a daughter and father on an Alaskan cruise; Boyslut by Zachary Zane which is a spicy memoir and manifesto; and Pas de Don’t by Chloe Angyal which is a romance that takes place in the world of professional ballet. A pair of romance books that I read early and you NEED to preorder right away are Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander and For Never and Always by Helena Greer.
