Returning to the Author Spotlight this week is Patricia Leavy, here to chat about her latest novel
Author Name: Patricia Leavy
Book Title: Shooting Stars Above
Book Genre: Romance
Release Date: March 18, 2025
Publisher: She Writes Press
Welcome back, Patricia! How would you describe your latest release?
An emotionally charged and very loving contemporary romance about an internationally best-selling novelist and a federal agent fighting to heal past wounds.
What inspired the idea for this book?
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, hey, I was only ten. One night in late 2019, 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, which was different than all my previous books. I wrote the first draft in only ten days, completely immersed in the story world. It was magical. I believe Shooting Stars Above is the novel I tried to write at the age of ten. I think the seed lived inside of me my entire life. It took years of writing other books to develop the tools to actualize that bolt of inspiration.
Shooting Stars Above is the first title in the Celestial Bodies Romances. Did you always know it was going to be a series?
No. In fact, when I finished writing Shooting Stars Above, I was incredibly depressed. The experience had been completely immersive. It was my favorite thing I’d ever written, and I loved the characters and longed to spend more time with them. Then the second story came to me. After that it became clear it would be a series.
What can readers expect from the rest of 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 critical 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.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
Writing is the thing I love most in the world. It’s my passion. It engages me completely. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a story world I’m creating. Being an author is a job. Yes, it’s a privilege to do what we love, but it’s a lot of work and comes with heartaches. Being an author is about understanding the publishing industry and how to survive in it, handling critique and rejection, and doing promo which is really challenging. Doing the work of being an author is what allows me to do the thing I love—writing. But they are not the same.
What advice would you give to emerging writers?
Develop your own relationship with your work that isn’t dependent on anything external, positive or negative. Every reader will have their own reaction to your work and it’s really none of your business. Protect your creativity and mental health. Follow your vision. Have fun with it.
Where can readers find you?
I’m on the board for the London Arts-Based Research Centre and I regularly teach fiction and publishing webinars for them. I also participate in some of their online events and conferences(some are free, and some have fees). You can check their website for the latest offerings: https://labrc.co.uk/ You can also learn more about me on my website or through my social media.
Website: www.patricialeavy.com
She Writes Press: https://shewritespress.com/product/shooting-stars-above/
Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shooting-Stars-Above/Patricia-Leavy/The-Celestial-Bodies-Romances/9781647428549
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/PatriciaLeavy
Shooting Stars Above
Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel—but despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find personal happiness. Jack Miller is a federal agent working in counterterrorism. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself.
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, but old traumas soon rise to the surface as Jack struggles with the death of a loved one and Tess is forced to confront her childhood abuse. Can unconditional love help heal their invisible wounds? Together, will they be able to move from darkness to light?
Author Bio
Patricia Leavy is an award-winning, best-selling author. Formerly Associate Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College, she has published more than fifty books, and her books have been translated into many languages. She has received over 100 book awards. She has also received career awards from the National Art Education Association, the American Creativity Association, the New England Sociological Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the American Educational Research 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.” In 2024, the London Arts-Based Research Centre established “The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research.” In addition to writing, Patricia loves traveling, reading, and going to the movies. She lives in Kennebunk, Maine. Her website is www.patricialeavy.com.