Tracey Livesay: On the Challenge of Writing a Romance Sequel

A former criminal defense attorney, Tracey Livesay finds crafting believable happily ever afters slightly more challenging than protecting our constitutional rights, but she's never regretted following her heart instead of her law degree. She has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, the Washington Post, and CBS Mornings.

Tracey lives in Virginia with her husband—who she met on the very first day of law school—and their three children. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Tracey Livesay

In this post, Tracey discusses how writing a sequel romance novel differed from her usual single-book romance novels.

Name: Tracey Livesay
Literary agent: Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates
Book title: The Duchess Effect
Publisher: Avon
Release date: July 11, 2023
Genre/category: Contemporary Romance, Royal Romance
Previous titles: American Royalty, Like Lovers Do, Sweet Talkin’ Lover, Love Will Always Remember, Along Came Love, Love On My Mind, Pretending with the Playboy, The Tycoon’s Socialite Bride
Elevator pitch for the book: It’s the sequel to last summer’s American Royalty, which evoked the real-life romance between Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle, if Meghan was Megan Thee Stallion. For Prince Jameson and Duchess, falling in love was the easy part. But under the scrutiny of the international spotlight, when the doubts, compromises, and secrets begin to take their toll, will their love be enough?

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What prompted you to write this book?

This is the sequel to American Royalty, which was published last summer. I knew halfway through writing the first draft of that book that Duchess and Prince Jameson’s story had the potential to go beyond that initial offering.

Writing a true sequel in that way is new for me; in the past each book featured the complete story of one couple. But this world I’d created was so extra and required quite a bit of set up…I realized I’d need more time to explore the relationship between these two characters AND how they’d exist in this larger-than-life world.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I talked to my editor while I was writing American Royalty, to see if she was on board with a sequel. She was and that was important, because it affected how much I’d dive into their internal character arcs and how I would end the book.

I started writing The Duchess Effect at the end of 2021 and it’ll be released in July 2023. The idea for what the sequel would contain did not change once I began writing it although I played around with a couple of concepts during the planning stage.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

The entire publishing process was uncertain this time around. I think the industry is in a different place, post COVID and the quarantine. From supply and labor issues to how books are marketed and consumed is quite different from four years ago.

Additionally, my publisher was coming off a strike at the beginning of the year. It meant a lot of uncertainty in the lead up to release, especially with regards to marketing, promotion, and the book’s reception by readers.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I mentioned before that The Duchess Effect is a true sequel and writing it was a new experience for me; one that wasn’t always pleasant. I found this book extremely challenging to write. Not because of the characters, because I truly love them. But I had to figure out how to write a compelling journey with people who’d already met and fallen in love.

That’s the story I usually write, and their internal and external arcs are based on two people who don’t know each other intimately, getting to know one another. But Duchess and Jameson had already done that. How do I write another story that’s not just plot, but that also delves into the internal issues and conflicts they still have to face.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

First and foremost, I want readers to have a good time! I want them to get swept up in the world that I created and cheer Duchess and Jameson on as they work towards their HEA.

I also wouldn’t mind if reading this story will highlight the need for people to question the source of the information we’re taking in. All of it contains some sort of bias and the time for assuming material labeled as “News” can be taken as fact has sadly passed.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Never stop learning. Take workshops, read books and articles. Craft is not a bad word. I’m writing my 10th book, and I’m still striving to hone my technique and sharpen my voice and point of view.

While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

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