Q&A with Patricia Leavy

 

 

 

Patricia Leavy is the author of the new novel Shooting Stars Above. Her many other books include After the Red Carpet. She is also an arts advocate and is the co-founder of the journal Art/Research International.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Shooting Stars Above, and how did you create your characters Tess and Jack?

 

A: When I was 10 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, being that I was only 10.

 

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 my previous novels. I wrote the first draft in only 10 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 10. 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.

 

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 the book. Really, it’s about the healing power of love and learning to balance darkness and light in our lives.

 

I always saw Tess clearly; I think even when I was a child. I knew she was a novelist, transforming her pain into inspiration for others. I also knew she was humble, kind, and deeply generous.

 

Jack was trickier. I knew he had to be hypermasculine in certain ways—physically strong, quiet, patriotic, selfless. But I also knew he needed to be deeply gentle and loving. Truth be told, my husband got me to watch 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland, which I had not seen when it was originally on television.

 

Kiefer’s character Jack Bauer inspired me. Jack always picked the country above all else. I decided to create a character like that but to see what would happen if he chose a woman instead. As luck or fate would have it, I’ve actually connected with Kiefer on the phone and by texting. I’ve told him about the book and thanked him for the inspiration.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between them?

 

A: Beautiful. Their connection is instant, deep, and intimate. They see each other in every sense of the word. There’s no pretending, no games, nothing toxic. They make the decision from the start to love each other completely, and that remains constant. They also accept and elevate each other, which I find inspirational. I love the way they love each other.

 

Q: What was it like to write a novel about a novelist?

 

A: To be honest, at first, I was intimidated. She’s a world-famous novelist, hugely beloved, and I knew the novel would contain an excerpt from one of her novels. That was a bit daunting which I realize may sound strange because I am a novelist. But the excerpt needed to sound like Tess Lee, not like Patricia Leavy.

 

I loved writing Shooting Stars Above so much and felt there was far more to explore with the characters, so it became a series called The Celestial Bodies Romances. I’ve written six so far. We’ll be releasing one each spring until they are all out.

 

Each book contains an excerpt from one of Tess’s novels. I think those get better and more meaningful across the series.

 

Q: The author Sandra L. Faulkner said of the book, “Shooting Stars Above is a love story about friendship and real romance, but most importantly, it is a story about learning to love ourselves--the most difficult love of all.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I love that description. I think it’s spot-on about the book and life.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: In addition to making final revisions on the remaining Celestial Bodies Romances, I have written several other romance novels which we’ll be releasing each fall, and I’m about to start another one. It’s a celebrity romance and those are always especially fun to write.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: These characters have held my heart for a long time. I hope they do the same for others. I hope the book is a reminder. Healing is possible. Kindness matters. Love is a verb. It’s something we do, and we should do it well. That includes loving ourselves.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Patricia Leavy.