The Write Stuff Featuring Contemporary Romance Author Tracey-Ann Beckett
Interviews with Amazing Authors!
Welcome to The Write Stuff, a feature on Substack offering you a chance to get to know new authors and understand more about some of your favourites too. This week we are chatting with Contemporary Romance Author Tracey-Ann Beckett who has kindly agreed to share her time with us as we talk about inspiring research trips, the piece of work she is proudest of, where it all began for her and the culinary creation which converted her from millionaire’s shortbread!
Let’s do the part that makes all interviewees uncomfortable… Stand up, please, and introduce yourself to the class!
My name is Tracey-Ann Beckett, and I’m an independent author of contemporary romance. Born in the sixties, grew up in the seventies, originally from the seaside in Essex but over the years I’ve gradually migrated with my husband (also from the seventies!) northwards, via London where I worked for many years as a legal secretary, eventually landing in a coastal town on the colourful Cumbrian coast.
Reading has always been a passion for me, especially romance, and I always knew that it was romance that I wanted to write. I finally got started in 2023 and now I’ve well and truly got the bug! I still work from home, typing for solicitors and barristers, but only part-time these days. We live in a beautiful part of the country and when not working or writing I enjoy exploring the buzzing local area, going to the gym - always followed by a coffee shop visit, naturally. But mostly I love to be outdoors and I’d say I’m at my happiest when walking on a windy beach, dreaming up my next scene.
Wonderful! What’s your latest project?
I’d like to talk about my three books, please.
Please do!
They’re standalone titles, each with a different set of characters and theme, but similar in that they’re escapist stories involving real people in some unexpected places with plenty of action!
The first is Talking To The Turtles, a will-they-won’t they romance in the Lake District with a mystery sub-plot. The second, After Dark in Greenwich Park, is a slow burn romance set in London, with a psychological twist where a divorce lawyer falls for his celebrity client. I published my third novel, Mist Over Meadowland, in January 2026 and this is a sweet coming of age romance that takes place in the Yorkshire Dales, another favourite place of mine. It’s packed full of teenage angst and self-discovery along with a turbulent plot that I hope will keep readers turning the pages. Although not intended to be a series, as soon as I finished Mist Over Meadowland, I knew I wanted to write a sequel. As well as romance, the book is about family and friendship, and so I’ve decided to keep going with the side characters and that’s what I’m working on right now.
How wonderful when one book turns into another!
What book is on your bedside table at the moment?
Since becoming an author I’ve discovered some exciting independent authors, and I’ve developed a love of cowboy romance. I’ve read three books by author Ann Dunbar, the Evanston series: Starting Over In Montana, Aine’s Salvation and Bet’s Christmas Gamble. Set far away in the Midwest of USA, reading them has allowed me to truly get lost in a book. I also like reading autobiographies of famous people, and I’m in the middle of the first instalment of Cher’s, which is quite an eye opener.
Tell us about a favourite book or piece of work you’ve written.
Of my three books, I would have to choose the first one, Talking To The Turtles, as my favourite, because it was the one that got me started. Plus, it’s set in the Lake District, and since I’ve been taking my books to craft markets in the area, this one always sells the best. People love a bit of local interest!
They do!
Tell us about your favourite book/s by other people.
My favourite book of all time is The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough. It’s such a powerful story. I also like to read multiple genres and my second favourite is a book called A Pin To See The Peepshow by F Tennyson Jesse, a chilling novel based on a true story about a murder case. I took the paperback on holiday to read, twenty years ago, and it affected me so much it’s stuck in my mind ever since – I remember more about the book than the holiday! I also love reading the classics and devoured them all when I was younger – Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, DH Lawrence, especially The Rainbow and Women in Love, and many more. But anything with a strong emotional pull.
Tell us about the best, or worst (!) research trip you’ve taken.
For my book Talking To The Turtles, a trip to Bowness on Windermere in the Lake District provided inspiration, spotting places and people and getting ideas. This included a fantastic boat ride on the lake and visit to the wonderful lakeside aquarium – hence the turtles. The heroine of the story, Louisa, is a lover of all things aquatic and her life revolves around her job as manager of a marine wildlife sanctuary, which could possibly be a dream job for me, if a bit messy. As for the main male character, Alec, well, let’s just say there’s a handsome cruise boat skipper out there who has no idea he’s landed a leading part in a heady romance novel! When I started writing the book, I moved the action to Derwentwater and created a fictional village, but going to Windermere gave me all the vibes.
What a great story!
So now, tell us, in your opinion what’s the hardest thing about writing?
Wrangling the plot. I know the beginning, the middle and the end, but it’s all the whys and wherefores in between. I don’t really find making notes helps either. I have to just figure it out in my head.
So what’s the easiest thing about writing?
For me, it’s dialogue. I find it easy to write pages and pages of conversation – which sometimes leads to a plot twist, always a good thing.
And what’s the best thing about writing?
Creating characters, living their ups and downs, solving their problems and ultimately giving them the ending they deserve.
How did you start out?
I always dreamed of writing romantic fiction and initially, I had made up my mind to write a pocket novel as a practice piece. But as soon as I’d written the first chapter of Talking To The Turtles I knew it was going to turn into something big. The characters started to speak to me and my story grew from a simple idea into a heartfelt romance with mystery and a rich cast of characters. The initial draft was 160,000 words, but finally ended up 130,000 words after some drastic editing! I spent a lot of time researching and reading author blogs and advice, joined a writing group on Facebook for feedback which was really helpful, and found some fantastic beta readers for the manuscript through that group. I also took time away from the computer screen and started drafting my second book, After Dark in Greenwich Park, in a notebook. So I had two on the go at once, which is why I published them close together (October 2024 and February 2025).
Any advice for budding authors?
It’s an obvious one, but try to write every day. Even if it’s only a few sentences, keep pushing through. If you get stuck on a scene, try writing one you’ve planned for later on – it can always change in the next draft.
Excellent advice!
Now on to the important questions…
In your opinion, what is the best biscuit/ cookie/ snack in the world?
I would have said millionaire’s shortbread until my friends in the local coffee shop brought out their latest creation: Biscoff cheesecake. Enough said!
What drink do you prefer when writing?
My writing sessions are usually in the afternoon so it’s tea, lots of it, without milk.
Silence or music whilst you write?
I always have music on. It’s usually current chart stuff on the radio keeping me company, but if I’m at a particularly emotional stage of the story it’s old seventies favourites, like James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac.
Describe your writing room for us.
The spare bedroom is my office where I both work and write and it’s a haven, overflowing with plants, cushions, soft toys, CDs and books, and my favourite painting, Roots by Frida Kahlo, on the wall.
And lastly…
Where can we find you?
https://traceyannbeckettbooks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564872689965
https://www.instagram.com/traceyannbeckett/
And where can we find your books?
Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
TALKING TO THE TURTLES
https://books2read.com/u/br8kRM
AFTER DARK IN GREENWICH PARK
https://books2read.com/u/3kqxJR
MIST OVER MEADOWLAND
https://books2read.com/u/mVGpB2
And Fin! Many thanks to the marvellous Tracey-Ann Beckett for taking the time to chat with us today and to all my readers I hope you will check out the works of this amazing author!
I love The Thorn Birds too!