Edward Schmit Enters His 'Open Era'
The first-time novelist, who has served up an exciting MM romance, talks about his tennis journey, how he got published & why his characters are so damn hot together
July 1, 2026
For my eighth podcast episode, I finally spoke to novelist Edward Schmit. I write “finally” because I first asked about speaking with him five months ago, we had two postponements (both on my end) and when we finally sat down June 25 my platform was so buggy I feared we were doing a live session without recording.
All in all, it had the same excitement as the sport around which he has crafted his debut, the dizzyingly romantic gay love story The Open Era (Berkley, out now), which takes place in the world of pro tennis.
In the book, out tennis player Austin Hardy navigates the complicated experience of becoming the first gay man to compete in a Grand Slam tourney. Dealing with mental health struggles (Schmit is himself a mental health professional), he is also juggling a flirtation with his pal Diego, an absolute star in the sport.
Yes, yes, Heated Rivalry. But The Open Era was well on its way to publication by the time that novel blew up as a TV series. Great timing for handsome Mr. Schmit, who will benefit from the added interest — because the novel he’s got lives up to any expectations.
Please check out the podcast episode on Spotify or below:
Or keep reading for a lightly edited version of our Q&A, which at times had a nice back-and-forth to it …
