Five minutes with JL Collins
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Canberra isn’t the setting you would normally picture for a contemporary romance suspense series – but for author JL Collins, it was the perfect choice.
After all, he grew up here.
The mastermind behind the Love of a Lifetime series – a multi-book romance that spans nearly three decades – he knew that several key scenes and plotlines only made sense in one location: the city he knows best. Also unfolding in Sydney and Bathurst, the series follows the passionate, complicated, and evolving relationship between Alison and Canberra local, Christian.
The series blends erotic scenes with explorations of desire, jealousy, secrecy, and (of course), love.
We sat down with JL Collins to talk about being a romance writer in Canberra, how living here shapes his work and the importance of sex-positive writing.
Tell me about yourself – did you grow up in Canberra? If not, what brought you here?
I’m a proud Canberran through and through. I grew up in North Belconnen, went to local schools, often felt cold in our uninsulated house during winter and took ACTION buses around town. The highlight was to travel into Civic to the movies (Centre Cinema or Electric Shadows) during school holidays, even if it meant an hour or more on the buses.
I later graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Economics. Canberra has always been home – its rhythms, its secrets, and its unique character have shaped both my life and my writing.
Where does your love of writing come from, particularly romance?
I’ve always been an observer. Even as a student or in meetings, I mentally noted minor scenes from life or imagined how everyday moments might play out in a story. I still do.
My love of romance stems from a fascination with human connection – the tension, vulnerability, joy, and sometimes pain that comes with deep intimacy. I’m particularly drawn to writing about relationships that feel honest and complex rather than idealised.
What inspired the Love of a Lifetime Series?
The series began when I rediscovered some old handwritten pages tucked away in a box under my bed. What started as a simple rewrite quickly grew into three chapters, then 30,000 words. I realised I was doing what so many people say they want to do but few actually finish – writing a book.
The original draft of The Night We Met ended on a rather sour note, much like real life often does. But I couldn’t leave the characters there. I wanted to give them a chance at closure and redemption, which led to the epilogue and eventually the full series arc. Film, history, and my own studies provided the broader canvas for the later books.
Why did you choose Canberra as a location in the series and how does living here influence your writing?
Canberra was a natural choice because it’s the city I know intimately – its geography, its political heartbeat, the quiet intensity of its suburbs, and the annual influx of ambitious young graduates.
Living here gives me an insider’s perspective on both the everyday rhythm of the capital and the hidden layers that outsiders rarely see. It allows me to ground the emotional and sensual moments in authentic Australian settings rather than generic ones.
How do the locations and the ‘Canberra experience’ inspire those exciting and emotional moments?
Many of the books draw on real Canberra stories and the unique atmosphere of federal politics – the long hours, the power dynamics, the sense of being at the centre of national decisions while still feeling like a small town.
The difference between Parliament House’s formal appearance and the real, sometimes chaotic lives of the people inside offers a lot of emotional depth and passionate moments. The annual arrival of bright, driven young professionals also creates natural tension and opportunity in the narrative.
What is the experience like being a romance writer in Canberra, particularly as someone focused on creating sex-positive works?
It can feel a little lonely but also liberating. Romance, especially sex-positive romance that treats female desire with respect and agency, is still somewhat niche in Canberra’s more buttoned-up professional circles.
However, I believe healthy sexual expression within loving relationships is something worth exploring honestly. Sex in my books is never gratuitous – it’s an integral part of character growth, emotional intimacy, and power dynamics.
What challenges do you face as a romance writer, especially as a man in a very female-dominated genre?
The biggest challenge is probably the perception that a male author can’t authentically write female desire or emotional complexity. I attended a romance convention in Sydney recently and was the only man in the room – it was both intimidating and enlightening.
The genre is overwhelmingly written by and for women, which I respect deeply. My aim is never to speak over female voices but to contribute stories that celebrate mutual pleasure, consent, and emotional honesty from a slightly different perspective.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Only that I’m genuinely grateful to Canberra readers who will embrace stories that are both steamy and emotionally layered. The Love of a Lifetime series is ultimately about the resilience of first love, the messiness of actual relationships, and the courage it takes to choose each other again, sometimes decades later.
I hope readers find something relatable, entertaining, and perhaps even a little liberating in the journey.
