Interview with Patricia Leavy, PhD, Author of Shooting Stars Above

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than fifty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book honors. Recently, her novel The Location Shoot was featured in Ms. Career Girl's “10 Perfect Books to Get Your Fall Reading List Started” and She Reads in “Novels to Read if You Love Classic Movies” and was the 2024 Best Book Awards First Place Winner in Women’s Fiction. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Patricia lives in Maine and serves on the board of the London Arts-Based Research Centre. In addition to writing, she enjoys movies, art, reading, and travel.

Website: https://patricialeavy.com

Order the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4hzcJVe

Where did you grow up? 

Brookline, Massachusetts.

When did you begin writing? 

I’ve loved writing more than anything else for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I would orally recite stories for an adult to type. Then I would title and illustrate them, and then I would bind them with old wallpaper, glue, or staples. My mother saved a few of my earliest “books.” I have one in a plastic storage bag in my desk. It says I was six years old when I made it.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments? 

I write during the day. I write every single day—weekends, holidays, vacations. I don’t write all day every day, but I do write every day. On vacations I get up early just to have time to write in the hotel room and I often find coffee shops or museum cafés where I can sit and write.

What is this book about? 

It’s a love story. Really, it’s about the power of love to help us heal our visible and invisible wounds, and the struggle to balance darkness and light in our lives. The story follows world-famous inspirational novelist Tess Lee and counterterrorism agent Jack Miller. Both have given so much to others, but haunted by past violence, neither has been able to find personal happiness. The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” The two embark on an epic love story.

What inspired you to write it? 

When I was ten years old, I tried to write a novel. I don’t remember all the details, but it was a love story about two people who help each other heal. I wasn’t able to finish it at the time. I think the seed lived inside of me my entire life. One night several years ago, I stepped out onto the balcony of my home office and looked up at the stars. Like a bolt, Shooting Stars Above came to, as a complete book. I wrote the first draft in only ten days. It was magical. I believe Shooting Stars Above is the book I tried to write when I was ten. There’s a saying that “hurt people hurt people.” Sometimes that isn’t true. Sometimes people in pain are able to love others in extraordinary ways. That’s the core inspiration behind the book.

Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?

It was mostly smooth sailing because it’s my fourth novel with this publisher. I absolutely love working with them and have learned their processes pretty well at this point. The one difficult thing is that I’ve dealt with several major personal challenges in the months leading up to the release—several deaths including my mentor and my beloved dog who I had for fifteen and a half years. It’s really hard to get into a promotion mindset when you’re experiencing deep grief and loss.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

It's available everywhere books are sold. Readers ordering online can look at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, or they can visit the She Writes Press or Simon & Schuster webpages for the book to see a range of options. You can always try your local independent bookstore too, and if they don’t carry it, they can order it.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere? 

Develop a relationship with your work that is not dependent on anything external—positive or negative.

What is up next for you? 

I fell so deeply in love with the characters in Shooting Stars Above that it became a series called The Celestial Bodies Romances. There are six books written to date and I genuinely love each more than the one before. We’ll be releasing one each spring. Shooting Stars Above includes the first chapter of the next book, Twinkle of Doubt. Each novel takes place a year after the last and follows the same characters, although some fun new characters are introduced across the series too. Each series title explores love and a different theme. The first book is about love and healing. Other topics include doubt, intimacy, trust, commitment, and faith. While there are different kinds of dramatic events that happen in each book, I can promise you each is filled with love, a few laughs, and hopefully a bit of inspiration. While each novel is a contained stand-alone book, and there are no cliffhangers, if you read the entire series there is also a larger narrative arc. Really, the series is about learning to balance lightness and darkness in our lives so that we may live in full color. Before the next series book comes out, I’m releasing a different novel called Cinematic Destinies on September 2, which is already available for preorder. It’s a romance with multiple love stories and a fun film shoot in Iceland. It’s a total feel-good for readers who enjoy Hollywood love stories with heart. I loved writing it.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Shooting Stars Above has held my hand and wrapped me in the warmest embrace for quite some time. I hope it does the same for readers. I hope it brings a sense of hope and love, and a reminder that kindness matters. Including be kind to ourselves.

Patricia Leavy will be awarding

a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway