Episode
A Debut Romance Set at the US Open You Need to Read | The Open Era by Edward Schmit
- Published
- Jun 1, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1561
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- http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com
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Summary
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when the first openly gay man competes in a Grand Slam — and falls for his opponent across the net? Debut author Eddie Schmit joins the show to talk about The Open Era , his queer tennis romance that's equal parts heart-racing competition and sweet slow-burn love story. Eddie shares how a mental health journey led him to tennis, how tennis led him to a book deal with Penguin Random House, and why the US Open — right in his Queens backyard — became the perfect backdrop for a story about identity, anxiety, and falling in love at exactly the wrong time. We also dig into his reading list: the Andre Agassi memoir that gripped him from page one, a practical mental health survival guide, a quirky queer literary novel about a mountain lion in the LA hills, and a cozy paranormal romance that reads like a warm hug. 📚 Books Mentioned The Open Era by Edward Schmit — Buy on Amazon | Queer Romance / Sports Romance | Audio ✅ Open by Andre Agassi — Buy on Amazon | Memoir / Sports Nonfiction | Audio ✅ Where to Start by Mental Health America, illus. Gemma Carrell — Buy on Amazon | Nonfiction / Mental Health | Young Adult crossover; also available in Spanish The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey — Buy on Amazon | Nonfiction / Sports Psychology | 50th Anniversary Edition | Audio ✅ Dearly Departed by Chip Pons — Buy on Amazon | Queer Paranormal Romance / Mythology Romance Open Throat by Henry Hoke — Buy on Amazon | Queer Literary Fiction | Short / great for gifting | Audio ✅ ⏱️ Timestamps [00:00] Welcome & introducing Eddie Schmit [00:30] Eddie's background: acting, PR, and New York City life [02:00] Finding tennis as a mental health tool [04:30] How tennis becam…