One of our favorite writers, Patricia Leavy, is back with a novel that is one of the most important books you’ll ever read. Shooting Stars Above is one of those books that, once you start, you cannot put down (yes, 4am bedtime, but happy!). 

It’s a story of courage, chosen family, and how love–in all aspects–can help us heal and grow. It has stayed with me, and I cannot stop thinking about the themes, characters, and how we all need more of this goodness in our lives. Read this . . . you'll be SO glad you did. And then, like me, you'll recommend it to everyone you know. Good things are like that…you share.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Leavy, and ask about Shooting Stars Above, writing, and more. Here’s what she had to say . . . 

Please tell us about your new novel, Shooting Stars Above.
It’s a love story. Really, it’s about the power of love to help us heal our visible and invisible wounds, and the struggle to balance darkness and light in our lives. The story follows world-famous inspirational novelist Tess Lee and counterterrorism agent Jack Miller. Both have given so much to others, but haunted by past violence, neither has been able to find personal happiness. 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. 

What inspired you to write 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. 

When I was writing it, I really wanted to explore love in its many forms and textures—coziness, joy, pain, humor, comfort, intimacy, compassion. At the core I wanted to explore love and healing. Few people escape this life without pain, even if it’s not the intense forms of trauma and grief these characters have experienced, and I doubt any of us don’t know people who have suffered great losses. How can we love and care for one another? What does that look like in day to day life? How can we honor each other by truly seeing one another? How does being seen change how we see ourselves? These questions inspired me. 

Like many of your novels, popular culture and art are part of the narrative. Please talk about this.
I used popular culture and art in two different ways to help tell this story. There are pieces of art that hold special meaning to the characters, help set the tone of scenes, and move the plot forward. These include songs and films. The most noteworthy example is the film Moulin Rouge, which is special to the protagonist, Tess. The references are fleshed out enough for readers who may not have seen the film. Through Tess’s connection to this film, we come to learn important things about her, from her deeply caring relationship with Omar, her closest friend, to her traumatic childhood and dreams for herself. Another way that art is central to the narrative is through Tess’s writing. She’s a world-famous novelist that has been dubbed by the media “the people’s high priestess of pain” because of the difficult topics she tackles in her books as well as her honest and raw writing style. Really, her books are inspirational. They help guide people from darkness to light. We learn about the impact of her work in various ways including encounters with her fans. She also recites an excerpt from one of her novels, which is meant to mirror themes in Shooting Stars Above. Each Celestial Bodies Romance will include an excerpt from a Tess Lee novel, meant to reflect or summarize the themes in the novel I have written. It’s kind of meta.

This is your first novel set in Washington, D.C. Why did you choose this setting?
Jack is an agent with the FBI, so D.C. was a natural home for the book. There were other considerations too. At the core, the novel is about deeply personal matters, but there is always another side, because the personal is political. Whether we’re dealing with issues of sexual assault or some of the other issues that arise in the book, there’s a critical political side. So, while that isn’t directly explored in the novel which focuses on personal stories, I wanted to have the novel set in D.C. as a subtle nod to that other side of the story. D.C. becomes even more important in the second Celestial Bodies Romance, when Tess befriends the female president of the United States.

As with all your fiction, Shooting Stars Above can be used in the classroom in a range of college courses? How can educators use this book to teach?
I wrote Shooting Stars Above for everyone, as an escape, a love story, and maybe a light in the dark. That said, I’m a sociologist, and so everything comes through that filter too. I would love to see the novel used to stimulate reflection and discussion in a range of courses in sociology, psychology, social work, communication, and other disciplines. It can be used to address topics including interpersonal relationships, love, trauma, healing, violence, sexual assault, gender, and marriage and families. It’s a short book so it can easily be integrated into courses. We’re releasing the book in March and April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). I’m hoping some schools use the book for SAAM events either this year or in the future, as the content is certainly fitting.

What does Shooting Stars Above offer for the general reader?
This novel is truly meant for anyone, or as Tess Lee would say, it’s “for everyone, everywhere.” It’s definitely a romance, but I like to think of it as inspirational contemporary fiction too. It shows how people make the journey from darkness to light. I think that’s something we can all relate to. It also shows what love in all forms actually means—what it looks like, what it feels like, and what it can do for us. There’s a lot about partnership, friendship, and chosen family. There are messages I think anyone can benefit from. Healing is possible. Love is possible. Healing is possible if we let love into our lives, whether that love comes from friends who get us, lovers who truly see us, or the art we make or experience, like a song, a movie, or even a novel.

What's up next for you? Shooting Stars Above indicates there will be more Celestial Bodies Romances, which you mentioned earlier.
Sometimes when I complete a novel, I feel like I can say goodbye to the characters because I’ve told their story. Other times, I know the next chapter. That was the case with this book more than anything I’ve done before, largely because I’m so in love with the characters. 

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. 

More information:

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. 

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
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