Exclusive Interview
Julian Winters Enters His Adult Debut Era: Inside ‘I Think They Love You’s Queer Romance
There’s nothing to think about when it comes to Julian Winters’ rom-coms. We know we love them, and his adult romance debut, I Think They Love You, out now, is just another pitch-perfect romance to add to your TBR. Following a slate of contemporary YA romances that feature young Black boys falling in love, Winters is now turning his attention to the adult audience.
I Think They Love You centers on Denz Carter, a necessary piece in the empire his family has built. Following a devastating breakup with his college boyfriend Braylon, Denz doesn’t do serious relationships. It’s his flighty relationship history that leaves his family questioning if he’s ready for commitment of any kind, including stepping up to run the business after his father announces his retirement.
With a desire to prove he has what it takes and Braylon suddenly back in town, the pair agree to fake date to resuscitate Denz’s reputation, which, of course, only means that starting with something fake must reveal something true. Swooon spoke with Winters about making his adult debut, why we all can’t stay away from the fake dating trope, and what to expect next.
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Let’s talk about this new age range! This is your first time writing an adult romance novel. What made you feel ready for this change, and what were the major differences from writing YA?
Julian Winters: I was super excited about writing about what it’s like to be an adult, especially in your 20s, where everything is super messy. Everyone says teenage years are the messy three years, but it’s always in your 20s. Because there’s a lot of expectations when you hit that adult world where you’re supposed to know your career path and what you’re gonna do for the rest of your life. You’re supposed to pretty much have everything figured out, even though you’re just coming out of college. And also exploring the mature themes an adult romance has and those different emotions. You’re not a teen anymore, so everything’s not your first anymore. You’ve already generally had that first heartbreak. You’ve had that first love. You’ve had these different experiences, whether with intimacy or with connecting with people, and I was just really looking forward to exploring what kind of impact that has on you and how you continue this journey of love, because after you get hurt that first time, it’s like, “Oh no, I just want to give up. I just want to sit here in this corner and cry. But the expectation is you have to get back up and give it another try. This book was a lot of fun exploring what it is like to have that first real heartbreak as an adult, and how do you navigate life past that.
What inspired the idea behind I Think They Love You?
Winters: I grew up heavily consuming rom-coms. That was my jam, that was my comfort, that was my space, so I was obviously influenced by a lot of those. I really wanted to write a second chance romance, partially for myself, because I’ve had a lot of really fantastic heartbreaks in my life, and this was a chance to rewrite my own history, give myself a second chance, and say, “From these things, you gained this different part of yourself, so don’t always look back at it as this terrible, awful thing that ruined your life.” The other part was I just really love the fake dating trope, and I could not find a way to do it in young adult like I did in an adult romance.
Let’s talk fake dating. What do you think makes fake dating such an appealing trope?
Winters: I wish I could figure out what they put in fake dating! It’s some secret magical energy that no one’s telling us what is in there. You know how it’s going to start. You know how it’s going to end, and yet, you go on that journey all the way regardless because it just feels so good. I don’t know if it’s the absurdity of it, just that wildness of that romantic trope where I feel so fulfilled by doing the most unbelievable thing that no one would ever do. But for me, I think it’s especially as a queer person, the fake dating space is a safe way of exploring these big, unbelievable ideas about romance that oftentimes, as a queer person, I cannot fathom happening for me. It’s almost so big and so absurd that it allows for that vulnerability and for that “what if?” to creep in there that I have never really felt in any other kind of experience with romance. What if I allowed myself to believe for once this could happen for me and that someone could see me as the perfect person for them, and I could be as flawed as I want to be, because, guess what? We’re in this contract together, so you have to deal with how awful I am, but then they get to see that real side of you that oftentimes you don’t see when you’re just dating someone the regular way.
At the beginning of the story, Denz is struggling with being taken seriously by his family because of their dating history and reputation for being the king of the one night stand. What made you want to tap into writing about that experience? Why does monogamy equate to seriousness?
Winters: I feel like society places these rules on what is a great example of being the ideal adult. It’s holding down this great job and continuously getting promoted and being seen as someone who is so dedicated, so focused on work, and they are in a steady relationship. I don’t feel like any that necessarily fits me in a lot of ways. I wanted to explore that, especially with Denz, in the sense that, why is it that even though I’m great at my job, and I’m a great person and I care about people, and I do these wonderful things, I’m not necessarily taken seriously because I had my heart broke in college? Because he doesn’t check off these boxes of what we consider an “ideal adult” or the perfect business person or CEO? I wanted readers who are like me, who are not taken seriously by everyone else, to understand that other’s opinions should not have any effect on how well you are living your life. If doing the things that you enjoy makes them miserable, that’s not your fault.
Family is a huge part of this book. Can you talk about the role family plays in our relationships? How did you balance writing a family that is both loving but also the source of Denz’s insecurities?
Winters: Family is complex. Family is never an easy place to navigate. I wanted to try to show both sides of Denz’s family, so that people understand that sometimes you’re not going to like them. Sometimes you’re going to think they’re the worst people in the world. Sometimes they are going to have you on the floor laughing. And that’s a part of the family experience.
Braylon and Denz’s fake relationship offers them a second chance at a scenario they failed at before. What’s different about both of them the second time around?
Winters: The difference is definitely from Braylon’s side. The younger part of him wasn’t very secure in anything, even though he was this star athlete and a great academic, and so loved by his dad and whatnot, he just never felt fully confident in his skin. Writing adult Braylon was showing that he’s still not 100%. He’s not like Denz. He’s not the most outgoing person, but he’s feeling more comfortable in his skin, especially now that he’s been reunited with Denz to the point where he’s able to stand up for himself. He’s able to speak his mind. With Denz, I feel like the younger Denz was very much doing what his family expects right until he gets to college, and then getting the hell away from here so he can try to be who he thinks he’s going to be. But when he graduates college, he lands right back into that repeated pattern of being who his family expects him to be. Denz is trying to regain some of that confidence, because he spent so much time since the breakup, since college, trying to again be the Denzel Carter the public expects of him, but also his family. Writing those flashbacks really helped me to explore this dynamic between them and understanding of what they give to each other. They give to each other what they wanted when they were younger, and now this is how they push each other towards what they need to be as adults.
What’s the swooniest scene you wrote this book? (For me, it’s the movie night with the baby.)
Winters: The scene between Denz and Braylon at Braylon’s apartment, when Braylon is cooking Denz the French toast grilled cheese. That moment was just [showing] the ways that they were really being vulnerable to each other for once, instead of having their guards up, because, hey, we broke up, and it’s still messy. The other scene that now that I think about it is the scene between Denz, Braylon and Denz’s nephew when they’re cooking the French toast grilled cheese together. There’s a lot of scenes between Denz and Braylon and the grilled cheese, from the scene that happens in college, to Braylon’s apartment. to the scene that happens in Denz’s apartment with his nephew where Denz is finally pulling Braylon fully back into his world. That was like a full circle moment.
Denz and his best friend Jamie are romance movie experts. You’re hosting your own romance movie night, what are your top three movies?
Winters: I have to have a Julia Roberts movie there. If I don’t, I would feel like I failed the world. So While You Were Sleeping. I’m going to go To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and 27 Dresses. James Marsden, he is just so charming in this very human, natural way where it doesn’t feel like it’s forced at all. In that movie, he is a classic example where he’s the snarkiest person in the world, but yet I feel like he would take care of me!
What’s next for you?
Winters: I can tell you that I do have a second adult romance coming up. It is a book set in the same universe. It’s about two characters that you meet in I Think They Love You, and that I’m pretty sure people will fall head over heels with and will want their romance story!
