Danita Minnis

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Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

 

Author Interview: Patricia Leavy

1. How did you choose your genre? What made you write this book?

Romance is my passion. I’m completely in love with writing about love. It’s so hopeful. There’s a saying that “hurt people hurt people,” but sometimes that isn’t true. Sometimes people in pain are able to love others in extraordinary ways. That’s the core inspiration for Shooting Stars Above. I wanted to write a love story between two people who have experienced trauma in different ways. A love story between people in pain and who harbor visible and invisible wounds. Yet, they are deeply kind, generous, and good people. When they find each other, they decide to love with everything they have. No games or toxicity of any kind. They see what the other has endured and choose to just love and accept each other completely. Really, it’s about the healing power of love and learning to balance darkness and light in our lives.

2. Writers write what they know, and must observe the world. Are you a first born, middle or last child and how does this shape your view of the world?

I’m the last born, but more like an only child in a lot of ways. My two half-sisters are much older, and we didn’t grow up together. I was alone a lot as a kid. My imagination was my best friend. It’s not surprising I’ve turned to creativity my entire life and that I’m most joyful sitting alone spending time with my characters. They’re kind of like grownup imaginary friends.

3. Where is your favorite place to write?

I love to write in cafés. It makes me feel like I’m a part of something, and the characters in my mind are too. I live in a little seaside vacation town and there’s a beautiful Parisian-style café down the street. I’m a regular. They even sell my books there, which is lovely since I’ve written parts of them there. I usually sit at a corner table, overlooking their outdoor area surrounded by greenery. The treats are delicious too, especially the macarons.

4. How do you feel about killing your darlings, and what do you do with the remains?

I always feel heartbroken when a character dies. It only happens when it’s important so that the other characters may learn something about life, and our mortality. The fact is that life is short and temporary. We all reach the same inevitable conclusion. Yet there’s so much possibility for beauty too. I try to write characters that show us all that we can be, feel, and do in this fleeting life. Characters that make us want to live to the fullest.

5. You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them?

I’ve met my favorite authors. In one case, I cried an embarrassing number of tears. The truth is that as much as I love reading and of course find inspiration from other authors, I am most inspired by artists in different genres. I try to protect my original voice in fiction and part of that is seeking inspiration outside of the literary world while I’m writing a book. There are many visual artists and musicians I’d love to meet, for instance. I’ve been lucky to meet some of them. Tori Amos is my favorite musician, and we’ve met several times. I’ve asked her about how she protects her creativity. I’d love to meet Taylor Swift and ask her about her songwriting process. She’s so prolific.

6. Inquiring minds want to know…tell readers something about you that no one knows.

I’m incredibly shy, which most people don’t realize. Writing is easy for me, but being an author comes with a lot of challenges for someone who is more comfortable quiet and alone.

7. You are stranded on a deserted island with only a backpack for company. What three items are in your survival pack?

iPod, notebook, pen.

8. If you could have one superpower in your existence, what would it be?

Time travel.

9. Favorite snack?

So many. Lately I’ve been obsessed with peanut butter. I eat spoons of it or smear it on apple slices.

10. Indy 500 – Do you know how to get where you’re going or do you drive the speed limit?

The speed limit. My sense of direction is so bad that my husband jokes I can’t find my way down the driveway.

 

SHOOTING STARS ABOVE

Patricia Leavy

 

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GENRE:  Romance

 

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BLURB:

For fans of Colleen Hoover comes an emotionally charged contemporary romance about a internationally best-selling novelist and a federal agent fighting to heal past wounds.

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?

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Excerpt:

“So, what do you do?” she asked.

“I’m a federal agent with the Bureau—counterterrorism. I joined the military right out of high school, Special Forces. I was in the field, often deep undercover, until about a year ago, when I took a desk job as the head of my division.”

“Wow, you’re like the real-life Jack Bauer. You even look a little like him, with that whole rugged, handsome hero thing you have going on,” she said.

He blushed and ran his hand through his light brown hair. “I promise you I’m no Jack Bauer, even on my best day. People thought that character was so tragic, but the real tragedy is that Jack Bauer doesn’t exist, and you’re stuck with guys like me.”

She smiled. “What made you choose that line of work?”

“My parents raised me and my siblings to value community, to be patriotic. My father was in the military and then became a firefighter. The idea of service always seemed important. I wanted to serve my country, to protect people. It’s hard to explain, but when I see someone innocent being threatened, I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to protect them. I know it sounds cliché, but I feel like it’s my purpose in life.”

“That’s noble,” she remarked.

He shook his head. “The lived reality often isn’t. When you spend most of your life in the abyss, it gets pretty dark.”

“A residue remains, right?” she asked.

He looked at her intently, a little surprised. “Yes, exactly.”

“I understand. You convince yourself it’s all been for something that matters more than you do, that whatever part of yourself you sacrificed was worth it, because it simply has to be.”

He looked at her as if she had read his innermost thoughts. “Yes,” he said softly. “Tell me, what do you do?”

“I’m a novelist.”

“What are your books about?”

“That’s a difficult question to answer. I guess I wanted to write about everything: what it means to live a life, why it’s so hard, and how it could be easier. To walk people through the darkness, in a way. Perhaps my goals were too lofty, and in that respect, each book fails more spectacularly than the one before.”

The bartender smirked.

Tess wistfully said, “Maybe reality can never live up to our dreams.”

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Patricia Leavy Bio and Links:

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/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Stars-Above-Celestial-Romances-ebook/dp/B0CYJ76ZXK/ref=sr_1_1

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