This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?
I love romance so much. For me, there’s nothing more fulfilling than writing about love. I’ve fallen in love with it! There’s something so transporting, affectionate, and hopeful when you’re writing a romance. It’s like living in a space of goodness. It’s such an escape from reality which can often be harsh and disappointing. In romance, there’s always hope. The best part of writing about love is that the love on the pages lives inside of you too.
What research is required?
It’s different for every book. Sometimes there’s a location that I need to learn about. Other times there’s a piece of art referenced in the book that I need to know about, or some scientific phenomenon. Shooting Stars Above didn’t require much research. It’s a very character-driven and relationship-driven book. That all came from my imagination.
Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.
Be kind. Always. You can never be too kind or too generous. Treat others gently. We are all fighting battles others do not see. Many carry invisible wounds. Always lead with love.
Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?
I always have a printed copy of each manuscript. Yes, of course I have electronic copies which I know logically are more important, but I don’t feel “safe” without a printout.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
Honestly, there’s no easy answer. I’m a bit of both. I usually know the characters and overall plot, often down to the last line, before I start writing. But I never know all the scenes and moments that will take me from A to B. I just start writing scenes, out of order, and see where each one goes. I love happy surprises. Those are often the best moments, the ones you could not have planned but got to by following your muse. It’s an amazing process of discovery and it never happens the same way twice.
Look to your right – what’s sitting there?
A stack of about ten printed manuscripts—all completed romance novels. We’ll be rolling out two a year for quite a while.
Anything new coming up from you? What?
Shooting Stars Above is the launch book for The Celestial Bodies Romances. There are six books written to date and I honestly 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 (coming out spring 2026). 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, really, none of the books are about external threats. The series is about the audio playing in our own heads. I’m also releasing different romances each fall. On September 2 of this year, I’ll be releasing Cinematic Destinies. It’s the final book in A Red Carpet Romance trilogy following The Location Shoot and After the Red Carpet, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Cinematic Destinies has multiple love stories and a really fun film-set location for part of the novel. Readers who enjoy Hollywood romance stories and exotic settings may want to check out that series.
Do you have a question for our readers?
Soulmates, real or imaginary?
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?
Read an Excerpt:
When the unmistakable opening piano notes of “All of Me” came on, Tess looked up at Jack. “It’s our song, baby.”
“That’s my cue,” he said to the group.
He led her onto the dance floor. She put one hand on his shoulder, and he slipped one around her waist to the small of her back. They started to sway, staring at each other as if they were the only people in the world. As the song progressed, she moved her hand down his arm to pull him closer, and he ran his fingers through her hair. They were pressed tightly together, in slow movement. Everyone at their table watched, smiles across their faces.
“Whoa,” Bobby mumbled.
“They are really in love. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Joe said.
Clay put his arm around Omar and said, “Look at them.”
“If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’d never believe it. My sweet Butterfly is truly happy.”
When the song was over, Jack whispered, “Let’s go to your place.”
At the end of the evening, they all bundled up and stumbled out of the bar.
A homeless man standing on the sidewalk asked, “Can you please spare anything?”
The group stood around awkwardly, but Tess walked right up to him. “Hi. I’m Tess, this is Jack, and these are our friends.”
Jack stepped directly behind Tess in a protective stance.
“What’s your name?” Tess gently asked the man.
“Henry,” he replied.
She smiled, pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of her pocket, and handed it to him. When he took the money, she held his hand. Surprised, he looked at her and said, “You’re very kind. Thank you.”
“Getting kind of cold out,” she remarked, still holding his hand.
“Sure is.”
She took off her cashmere scarf and held it out. “Here, please take this and try to stay warm.”
“Wow,” Joe muttered.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Henry said.
“Please, I insist.”
“Thank you,” he said, taking the scarf. “Someone must have taught you to do unto others.”
“No, someone taught me there are no others. Good night, Henry.”
She turned to her friends, their mouths agape.
Henry looked at Jack, who hadn’t moved, and quietly asked, “Is she some kind of angel?”
“Yeah, something like that,” he muttered.
Tess walked over to Omar and hugged him. “Our usual breakfast on Thursday?”
“Yes, Butterfly.”
“Good night, guys,” she said to her friends.
They all said goodbye. Jack took Tess’s hand and walked her to his car. He opened her door and she got in. When he closed the door, he looked back at Henry, who was wrapping the scarf around his neck and smiling.
About the Author:
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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