Welcome to Beyond Romance, Patricia! I’m delighted to have you as my guest. So here’s a few questions for you, to introduce yourself to my readers.
What is the sweetest thing someone has done for you?
Enthusiastically reading my unpublished books and showering them with praise. I’m lucky that my husband, my father, and my closest friends are always eager to read my manuscripts as soon as I finish them. Giving their time is so generous and it means a lot to me.
How would you spend ten thousand bucks?
On vacation in New York City. Theater, restaurants, and shopping.
Where do you get your best ideas?
It’s always different, which is why I’m still so in love with writing. Sometimes I’m curled up on the couch watching a TV show or movie, other times I’m at a museum, other times I’m traveling, and other times I’m just trying to fall asleep.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
Characters.
What does your main character do that makes him/her special?
Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist and generous philanthropist. But what really makes her extraordinary is her ability to see the humanity in each person, the grace and humor with which she treats her incredible group of friends, and the way she vulnerably and fully loves her beloved Jack.
Blurb
Heart-warming and wonderfully romantic, written with the sharp wit of Candace Bushnell and the sensitivity of Meg Donahue, comes best-selling author Patricia Leavy’s tour de force about learning to balance darkness and light in our lives.
Celestial Bodies is a series of six novels that follow the epic romance of Tess and Jack: Shooting Stars, Twinkle, Constellations, Supernova, North Star, and Stardust. An exploration of the power of love, each novel focuses on love at the intersection of another topic: healing, doubt, intimacy, trust, commitment, and faith. While external threats occur in each book, this is ultimately a story about internal threats—the audio playing in our own heads.
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. Despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find happiness in her personal life. Jack Miller is a federal agent who specializes 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 a beautiful love story that asks the questions: What happens when people truly see each other? Can unconditional love change the way we see ourselves? Their friends are along for the ride: Omar, Tess’s sarcastic best friend who calls her Butterfly; Joe, Jack’s friend from the Bureau who understands the sacrifices he’s made; and Bobby and Gina, Jack’s younger friends who never fail to lighten the mood. Along the way, others join their journey: the female president of the United States, with whom Tess bakes cookies and talks politics; the Millers, Jack’s childhood family; and many others. Celestial Bodies is about walking through our past traumas, moving from darkness to light, learning to live in color, and the ways in which love—from lovers, friends, or the art we experience—can heal us. Written as unfolding action, this collection moves fluidly between melancholy, humor, and joy. It can be read for pleasure or selected for book clubs.
Excerpt
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 said, 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: www.patricialeavy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy
Buy Link https://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Bodies-Tess-Miller-Novels-ebook/dp/B09WZGRGML/
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
11 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Walking through our past traumas and sharing it with others is a wonderful but scarely feeling. It is part of our growth process and having someone to share this with is the most productive way to charter this process, in my own opinion.
I liked the excerpt.
Thank you for sharing your Q&A and book details, I have enjoyed reading this post and I am looking forward to reading your stories
The book sounds like a great read. Love the cover.
Sounds like a good book.
Hello, Patricia,
I apologize for not being here to welcome you yesterday. Life intervened... but it looks as though my readers have made you feel wanted!
I loved the excerpt I chose. "Somebody taught me there are no others." That really resonates.
Hope your tour is going really well.
Thanks so much for the interview and excerpt!
Thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed reading the interview and getting to know you a bit, Patricia, I also enjoyed the excerpt and Celestial Bodies sounds like an excellent book for me to read!
Thanks for sharing it with me and have a spectacular weekend!
I can't wait to learn about the main character in this book, thanks for sharing.
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