On Sequels and Meta-Romance, a guest post by Rachel Lynn Solomon

I never thought I’d write a sequel.

My books are contemporary romance, meaning at the end of the last chapter, the couple has slain metaphorical dragons on their quest to be together, overcoming every obstacle and ultimately declaring their love for each other. This is the sole requirement of romance as a genre: a happily-ever-after (HEA) or happy-for-now (HFN). It’s a promise you make to the reader, that no matter what torment you throw at your characters for the first 350 pages, you’ll make it all worth it by the end. I couldn’t bear the thought of breaking up any of my characters to create conflict in a sequel—because I assumed that would be the only way to do it.

Today Tonight Tomorrow released in July 2020, entering the world at a strange time. The pandemic had begun a few months earlier, and none of us were certain how long it would last. I signed copies in an empty store, celebrated with virtual events. Every author who released a book between 2020 and 2022 knows what this is like, along with the staggering sense of fear that this piece of art you poured years of your life into may not find an audience. I’m not sure any of us have truly recovered from it.

Rowan and Neil felt special to me from the very beginning, and I’ve been beyond lucky that readers have embraced them. Often I feel I can’t put my gratitude into words, because this is a book that changed my life in more ways than one. And yet every time someone asked me if there would be a sequel, I said no—because I thought Rowan and Neil’s story was over.

The book ends with an HFN, a meta-commentary on romance novels, given Rowan’s desire to become a romance novelist. I had no idea what the characters would do in the sequel, since Today Tonight Tomorrow takes place in 24 hours on the last day of senior year, and Rowan and Neil are going to different colleges in the fall. I felt it wrapped up on a hopeful note, and I always joked to anyone who asked what happened to Rowan and Neil after “the end” that they died together in their sleep in their late nineties, because in my mind they were definitely going to last forever.

Then something changed. It started with the title—Past Present Future popped into my head one day, and I couldn’t ignore it. I’m a sucker for parallelism. I realized I’d never read a YA novel about an established couple navigating a long-distance relationship in college, and while I was certain Rowan and Neil would be the ones who make it, there was a story there. Rowan in Boston, unsure why she’s struggling in her creative writing program when writing is the only thing she’s ever wanted to do. On top of that, why is she suddenly unable to write about romance now that she’s in love? Shouldn’t that make it easier? And Neil in New York, overwhelmed by a sense of freedom he never had at home, quickly making friends but unsure why his past won’t let him go. Feeling guilty about the sudden darkness in his mind when he’s supposed to be having the time of his life.

Tying the two halves of this story together: their love for each other, and all the visits, phone calls, and adventures they have over the course of the school year. In a way, that love is almost the third main character of the book. Rowan and Neil have individual arcs, and so does their relationship. I was able to give it space to mature and grow in a way I didn’t have the space to in book one, due to the 24-hour timeline.

Because Rowan is an aspiring romance author, I was also able to make a connection between fiction and what she’s experiencing in real life—which is, of course, fiction manipulated by me as the author. (Too many layers, or just the right amount? Is Past Present Future my Inception?)

As Rowan panics about her writer’s block, she wonders if the reason she can’t write about romance is because she’s in love—because she and Neil already had their epic romantic moment in Today Tonight Tomorrow, and there’s no blueprint in any of her books for what happens to the couple at that point. “We gave the speeches that characters deliver in all my romance novels,” she muses to herself. “The declarations of love. Period, underlined, THE END in big bold letters. What comes after that?”

And that’s exactly what Past Present Future is: a romance novel about what happens after THE END.

Meet the author

Rachel Lynn Solomon (she/her/hers) is the New York Times bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow, The Ex Talk, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Originally from Seattle, she’s currently navigating expat life in Amsterdam, where she’s on a mission to try as many Dutch sweets as possible. Learn more at RachelSolomonBooks.com.

Book’s purchase link

About Past Present Future

They fell for each other in just twenty-four hours. Now Rowan and Neil embark on a long-distance relationship during their first year of college in this romantic, dual POV sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow.

When longtime rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different places.

In Boston, Rowan is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She’s just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice.

In New York, Neil embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health—or how to talk about it with the girl he loves.

Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits, and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They’ve spent so many years at odds with each other—now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?

ISBN-13: 9781665901956
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date: 06/04/2024
Series: Today Tonight Tomorrow
Age Range: 14 – 18 Years

Filed under: Guest Post