Jamie Wesley is the author of A Legend in the Baking, Fake It Till You Bake It, and the “One-on-One” series. When she’s not writing or reading romance, Jamie can be found watching TV, rooting for her favorite sports teams, or planning her next trip to Disney World. She talks with LJ about the appeal of romance, athletes as protagonists, and favorite tropes.

What drew you to romance novels?

Looking back at my life, I realized I’ve ALWAYS loved romance. I love that feeling at the end of a book or movie when the protagonists look at each other and know that other person is their person. That other person has their back and loves them for who they are, warts and all. They’ve been through hell and back, made it through all the drama, through all the mishaps, and that other person has been by their side the whole time and always will be. It’s the absolute best.

In the late ’80s, I loved watching kids’ movies like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Even though it’s mostly an adventure movie, my favorite part was the romance, which is the C story at best. In Adventures in Babysitting, the romance is even smaller, but it was always my favorite part.

I’ve always been a reader. I went from The Babysitters Club to Sweet Valley High. Before I started reading adult romances, I read teen romances. There was a series of books called “Sweet Dreams” published monthly, very much like Harlequins. I checked out as many as I could from the library and then convinced my mom to get me a subscription.

When I was younger, I read all kinds of romance—contemporary, historical, science fiction, romantic suspense. Now I mostly read contemporary romance or rom-coms, but I want to get back to the other subgenres. When I do read a non-contemporary romance, I’m always like, “I need to read more of these.”

I gravitate toward contemporary and rom-coms because I love watching people I could know in the here and now fall in love.

What inspired you to start writing your own novels?

I’ve always loved writing. In high school, I wrote for the school newspaper and thought my future career would be in journalism or public relations. It didn’t occur to me to try fiction, even though I was a voracious romance reader, until after I graduated college in December 2001. It was right after 9/11, and the economy went into the tank. I had a hard time finding a job, and then an idea for a book popped into my head. I thought, “Hey, you have all this free time. Why don’t you write it? You love romance. You can do it.” So I started writing it, but I had no clue what I was doing. LOL. The hubris of youth. I got about halfway through it when I realized I had no idea what happened next.

I then got a job and didn’t finish the book. But I never forgot about it. Fast forward to 2008, when I finished grad school and the economy was once again not in a good place. I had a hard time finding a job. But I had figured out how to end the story I’d started in 2002. So I did. And I’ve been writing ever since.

A Legend in the Baking features a second-chance romance. What do think the appeal is for this trope?

It’s all the what-ifs that flow through your brain. We couldn’t make it work then, but what if we can now? What would happen if you did meet up with the one who got away? It wasn’t the right time the first go-round, but now maybe it is. We’ve all screwed up before. What if you could make it right and correct that wrong and live happily ever after?

What other tropes do you enjoy writing and reading?

Fake dating! I love reading and writing it. I love how they lie to themselves. “Oh, we’re just pretending.” As the reader, you get to cheer them on and watch them realize, sometimes very slowly, their perfect match is RIGHT THERE! 

Workplace romance is also a fave. There’s an inherent conflict there because both leads might want the same promotion or have differing ideas on how to achieve the same goal, but they also can’t avoid the other person because they work together.

Forbidden romance is terrific. When they’re not supposed to be together, but they’re drawn to each other (think parents are mortal enemies, best friend’s widow). That tension and angst is right up my alley.

You’re a football fan, so it’s no surprise that a trio of football players are protagonists in the “Sugar Blitz” series. There has also been a huge explosion of interest in sports romance. Why do you think that’s the case? Do you plan to write more in this subgenre?

Athletes are rich and famous and good-looking. And really good at their jobs. They’re heroes, modern-day gladiators, but they’re also just people. They fall in love and get married like the rest of us. It’s so much fun to see rough-and-tumble, physically fit, and very attractive men go soft as marshmallows when they meet their loves.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce effect. They’re both in the public eye and very good at their jobs. Travis winning a Super Bowl is total hero behavior. Taylor sells out concerts all across the world. The fact that we can watch their romance play out publicly is so much fun for the romance lover. And then, if we want more, that we can read books about people like them is the cherry on top.

Oh yes, I definitely plan to write more sports romance. Did I forget to mention that my master’s degree is in sport management? LOL. I love sports as much as I love romance. Combining my two loves is the best.

What do you think will be future trends in the romance genre?

Wow. I wish I knew. It’s so hard to know what will resonate with the public. I will say, I’ve talked about men athletes, but I do believe we’re due for a rise in women athletes taking center stage in romance. I love the surge of interest in women’s sports over the past year. Let’s keep that going in books.

On another note, the resurgence of rom-com movies makes me so happy. I think the interest in rom-com books and movies plays off each other. With the rise of romantasy, I’m really curious to see if/when that makes its way into Hollywood.

What have you enjoyed reading lately?

I’m behind in my reading, so I’m reading books that came out a few years ago. I’m a Synithia Williams fangirl. She writes the best messy drama. I just finished The Secret to a Southern Wedding. It’s so great! [And] The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa. When I think of rom-coms, I think of Mia. Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur was also great. I’m a fan of hers.