SHOOTING STARS ABOVE
Patricia Leavy
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GENRE: Romance
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BLURB:
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?
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Excerpt
Three:
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I absolutely adore all the scenes between
Tess and Jack. Their love is so deep and affectionate, I feel wrapped in a hug
by them. But I don’t want to give anything away about the plot and many scenes
with Tess and Jack contain spoilers, so I’ll tell you a little about another
favorite. Tess and Jack have a closeknit group of friends—chosen family—and I
love scenes between them all. They’re the kind of fun and supportive people we
all should have in our lives. These scenes often take place at Shelby’s Bar,
their Friday night hangout spot. In my favorite one, Omar, Tess’s sarcastic and
all-around fabulous bestie tells a hilarious story about Tess and a famous rock
star. I love that scene for two reasons. It makes me laugh out loud. It also
shows the beautiful bonds of friendship between Tess and Omar and between the
entire friendship group. It was great fun to write.
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/
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Stars-Above-Celestial-Romances-ebook/dp/B0CYJ76ZXK/ref=sr_1_1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Patricia
Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
How do you decide the pacing of your story?
ReplyDeleteI would enjoy reading this one.
ReplyDeleteThis looks good!
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic
ReplyDeleteSounds like a terrific read.
ReplyDeleteAre there any themes you wish to explore in future works?
ReplyDeleteA great book
ReplyDelete