- Shooting Stars Above
came to me like a bolt. I wrote the entire first draft in only ten days. I
barely slept, didn’t check email, and even kicked my husband out of the
house for a few days. It was the most immersive and magical experience of
my life.
- 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 inspiration behind this
novel.
- Tess Lee is my favorite protagonist. Love,
love, love her. She’s an aspirational character and I admire her. Plus, I
love writing about writers.
- Tess and Jack are endlessly affectionate. This
is deep, forever love. If there’s ever a time to trust instant love, it’s
with these two.
- I got the idea for Jack’s character after
watching the series 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer. I
wondered, what would happen if someone like Jack chose a woman instead.
This novel is my answer.
- By some incredible twist of fate, I was able
to tell Kiefer Sutherland about the novel. I wrote him a letter. He called
me and we chatted on the phone and have since texted several times. He’s
so lovely and I was excited to thank him for the inspiration.
- Tess’s best friend Omar is my favorite
supporting character from any of my novels. He’s hysterical. I adore their
relationship—the humor, the gentleness, and the steadfast love. And of
course the way they toss pretzels at each other.
- Omar calls Tess “Butterfly” for reasons
revealed at the end of the novel. I have only one tattoo—a small butterfly
above my bellybutton that I got when I was a teenager.
- There are celebrity appearances—including the
rock star “Mick” who was great fun to write.
- I loved writing these characters so much that
it became a series. Shooting Stars Above is the launch title in The
Celestial Bodies Romances. There are six written so far. I truly love
each one more than the last. We’ll be releasing one each spring. Each
novel includes the first chapter of the next one. Look out for Twinkle
of Doubt in spring 2026.
SHOOTING STARS ABOVE
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?
Excerpt One:
“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.”
AUTHOR 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/
4 comments:
Thank you for hosting SHOOTING STARS ABOVE today!
Looks like a good book.
Have a good weekend.
The book sounds very interesting. Thanks!
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