Elle Kennedy The Chase Interview: Her Hockey Team is…
A 2018 Elle Kennedy The Chase interview about Briar U spin-off with Summer, Fitzy, and the series she had no idea would keep going.
I met Elle Kennedy in person for the first time in 2017 but got my first picture with her at Apollycon on March 26, 2018. By then I’d already read The Deal, covered every Off Campus book as it released, and watched this series go from Elle’s first self-published experiment to something none of us had fully anticipated. Meeting her in person felt less like meeting an author and more like meeting a family member that had allowed you to be part of a conversation with other people you love that had been going on for three years.
Five months after Apollycon, this Elle Kennedy The Chase interview ran. I’ve left it exactly as it was as one of my must read authors talks about continuing her journey through the Briar world.
This post contains affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.
About The Chase
The Chase is the first book in Elle Kennedy’s Briar U series, a spin-off of the Off Campus series set at the same university with a new group of hockey players and the women who are completely unimpressed by them, at least initially. Summer was introduced in The Score, and if you read that book you already know exactly why Elle couldn’t leave her story untold. Fitzy is the introverted, tattooed nerd-jock counterpoint to every loud, confident hero in the Off Campus lineup, and the contrast is everything.
If you’re mapping out the full Briar world before the Amazon Prime show drops, The Chase is where you go after finishing the original Off Campus four books. Here’s the complete Off Campus and Briar U reading order so you have the full picture before you start.
Elle Kennedy The Chase Interview
By the time this interview ran in August 2018, I’d already been covering Elle’s work for years. From her romantic suspense titles through the entire Off Campus series. The Chase felt like the same world, same university, but Elle was clearly stretching into something new with Fitzy and Summer. The roommate dynamic, the slow burn, the fact that Summer is one of the most genuinely fun heroines in the entire Briar universe. I knew from The Score that this book was going to be something. I was right.
Before we get into it, here’s my full review of The Chase if you want my take alongside Elle’s.
It is no secret that we are huge fans of Elle Kennedy’s work, no matter the genre she’s writing in. But the Off Campus series still holds a place in our hearts and finally we have the spin off! Lets hear it from Elle herself now and find out more about THE CHASE.
Welcome back to Under the Covers, Elle! We’re beyond excited about your new series Briar U. This is a spin off of the Off Campus series, for those that don’t know. Can you describe each of the main characters in 3 words?
Summer: Headstrong, fun-loving, vulnerable
Fitzy: Introverted, cautious, sweet
Can you share with us a bit about how this story came to be and what was your inspiration?
I knew I wanted to write a story for Summer since her introduction in The Score. There was just something about her carefree whatever-happens-happens personality that reached out to me and said ‘write this story!’ And her interactions with Fitzy? I just knew I had to pair them together and I was dying to write their story.
Did you always know this spin off would happen or was this something that organically came up while writing Off Campus?
The decision to write the spin-off was something that surprised me, to be honest. My intention was to give the original 4 roommates their stories and move on. But sometimes certain characters stay with you, and once I introduced some of the other guys on the hockey team, I knew I wanted to write more stories.
Do you have any idea yet how many books can we expect in this series?
That’s a secret I’m not letting out of the bag just yet. I’ve already announced The Risk, so I can say for sure that there will be at least two books.
Editor’s note, May 2026: The Briar U series ultimately gave us four books: The Chase, The Risk, The Play, and The Dare. Elle then launched Campus Diaries, the next generation Briar series, with The Graham Effect, The Dixon Rule, and The Charlie Method. And the Amazon Prime adaptation of Off Campus premieres May 13, 2026. So that’s how many books, as it turns out.
Since this is all about hockey, what team would we find you rooting for in real life?
Would you like to save this?
Enter your email below, and we’ll send this post straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll join fellow readers and receive my book recommendations each week!
The Bruins! I know I live in Toronto, but I’m not a big Leafs fan LOL.
Summer is in full swing. What are one or two of your summer read recommendations this year?
I haven’t read anything in AGES. But I finally have some reading time! I don’t have actual recommendations yet, but I’m currently reading The Accidentals by Sarina Bowen, and The Naked Truth by Vi Keeland. I’m going to assume I’ll love both, since I love both authors.
Would you rather have dinner with your favorite author or with your favorite character? And who would it be?
I mean… there are so many to choose from! Author vs character… I think I’d love to have dinner with my hockey boys—Garrett, Logan, Dean and Tuck. As for authors, I recently had a lovely dinner with Sarina Bowen and Karina Halle, as well as lunch with Nikki Sloane while I was in Denver for Book Bonanza, so that’s pretty close to a meal with my favorite authors.
What can we expect from you next?
There’s more Briar U coming! I’m super excited to be working on The Risk right now – I’ve found the inspiration in Summer & Brenna that I think I’ve been missing for a while. Also, unlike the Off-Campus series, where the Briar boys were the main focus, I think this time around it’s the ladies we’re rooting for!
Editor’s note, May 2026: The Risk did come next, and Elle was right, the Briar U ladies absolutely owned the series. Campus Diaries continued that tradition with Hannah’s daughter Gigi in The Graham Effect. The Briar world Elle thought she was wrapping up after four Off Campus books is now 11+ books deep and counting.
Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Thanks for having me!
About Elle Kennedy
Elle Kennedy is the author of the Off Campus, Briar U, and Campus Diaries series, with millions of copies sold worldwide. What started as her first self-published project in 2015, a college hockey romance that felt like a genuine departure from her earlier romantic suspense work, became one of the defining series in new adult romance. The Off Campus series is being adapted for Amazon Prime, premiering May 13, 2026.
Read the Full Briar U universe
If this Elle Kennedy The Chase interview sent you straight to one-click territory… correct decision, no notes.
The Chase is the beginning of a four-book series that connects directly to the Off Campus world and feeds into Campus Diaries, the next generation Briar series. If you want the complete reading order across all three series, spicy chapters for every book, and the honest answer to whether you need to read Off Campus first, the complete Elle Kennedy Briar world reading order and series guide has everything in one place.
The Amazon Prime adaptation of Off Campus premieres May 13, 2026. The Chase comes after The Goal. You have time. Probably.
Pin It for Later
