Meet Patricia Leavy | Best-selling author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patricia Leavy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patricia, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve loved the arts since I was a little girl—getting swept up in stories in dark theaters, being transported through my headphones, imagining new worlds strolling around museums, finding myself on the pages of books. It all seemed magical. More than anything, I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember. Being an author, and especially a novelist, is a dream come true. There’s nothing better than getting lost in the story-worlds I create. When readers get lost in them too, or perhaps found, it’s rewarding beyond words. I feel immensely grateful to be able to spend my life as an author.

What distinguishes your creative writing?
I have a doctorate degree in sociology and have spent the last couple decades as an arts researcher. My nonfiction books focus on the arts as a unique way of knowing and how researchers can harness the power of the arts to address research questions in new ways and make their work more accessible and engaging. As a novelist, I write women’s fiction. Some are romances, some romantic suspense, some rom coms, some adventure. On the surface, they’re feel-good, beach reads. However, each of my novels also includes a narrative about the arts—at times a subtext, and at other times, like in the case of my new novel, Hollyland, it’s a prominent part of the story. Hollyland is a light, celebrity romance. A total feel-good. Yet it’s more than that. The protagonist is an arts researcher, and the novel is a celebration of the arts that raises questions about the role of artists in society, distinctions between art and entertainment, whether artists must compromise to be successful, the nature of fame, and who the real movie stars are on the big screens of our lives. So, while it’s a fun, escapist novel, it’s also a philosophical exploration of the arts. I think this is what makes my fiction unique. I take my passion for the arts as well as decades of research, and I incorporate it into my novels.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My bestie wouldn’t care about going anywhere special. We’d simply make a cheese plate, pop a bottle of prosecco, and gab for hours.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m grateful to my new fiction publisher, She Writes Press. I have several novels coming out with them, the first of which is Hollyland. Working with their team has been an awesome experience. They are so good at what they do, and you can see the difference in their books. After varied experiences over the years with other publishers, I’m grateful to work with a talented and supportive team, especially publisher Brooke Warner and my project manager, Shannon Green.

Website: www.patricialeavy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatriciaLeavy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite

Hollyland: https://shewritespress.com/product/hollyland/