Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid says getting free desserts in restaurants, especially with her kids, is one of the best perks of fame.
“Dairy Queen has little ice cream cakes, and somebody brought over a tray of them for my whole family. And that was the first time my kids were like, this is great,” Reid told The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Canada event in Toronto on Thursday.
Her sudden fame for penning the Heated Rivalry book series that has been adapted into the popular Crave and HBO Max romance drama about gay hockey players has also extended to when she leaves the house. “It’s crazy. Authors aren’t supposed to be recognized on the street. Actors, this is what they want. I’ve been getting definitely more attention than I thought I would. I like some of it,” Reid revealed.
Her fame may only grow with the second season of the Heated Rivalry TV series, which Reid teased ahead of the 2027 premiere. “I’m excited for Troy and Harris. Can I say that?” Reid blurted out as she pointed to hockey player Troy Barrett and Harris Drover, his love interest, who will have raised profiles in the next cycle of the queer TV romancer.
The Heated Rivalry TV series success, besides seeing Reid’s books translated into 35 languages worldwide, has also allowed the stigma around romance novels, especially with gay storylines, to fall by the wayside. “I personally don’t have to defend what I write about anymore, which is a great feeling. Now I can say I wrote Heated Rivalry and people are very familiar with it. That’s really nice,” she said.
