NBtM Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway - Celestial Bodies: The Tess Lee and Jack Miller Novels by Patricia Leavy

Welcome to my stop on the NBtM virtual book tour for Celestial Bodies: The Tess Lee and Jack Miller Novels by Patricia Leavy. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a great guest post from the author. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: Celestial Bodies: The Tess Lee and Jack Miller Novels

Author: Patricia Leavy

Publisher: Paper Stars Press

Publication Date: June 1st 2022

Print Length: 802 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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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.

Amazon

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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.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a bestselling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chair of Sociology and Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. She has published over thirty-five books, earning commercial and critical success in both fiction and nonfiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. Patricia has received dozens of accolades for her books. 

Recently, her novel Shooting Stars won the 2021 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite Contemporary Novel, her novel Film won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Inspirational Fiction, the 2021 NYC Big Book Award for Chick-Lit, and the 2021 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite Chick-Lit. Her 3-novel set Candy Floss Collection won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Anthologies and the 2021 NYC Big Book Award for Anthology, and her novel Spark won the 2019 American Fiction Award for Inspirational Fiction, the 2019 Living Now Book Award for Adventure Fiction, and the 2021 National Indie Excellence Award for New Adult Fiction. 

She 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 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” 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.” 

She lives in Maine with her husband, daughter (when she’s not away at college), and her dog. Patricia loves writing, reading, watching films, and traveling.

Website * Amazon * Facebook *

Goodreads * Instagram * Twitter

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GUEST POST:

Writing A Serial about Love and Healing Forever Changed Me
by Patricia Leavy

The Tess Lee and Jack Miller novels are a love letter to love itself and the power of love to help us heal—love in all forms—romance, friendship, patriotism, love of art, and most importantly, learning to love ourselves. Let me tell you a little bit about these books and then how I came to write them. Tess Lee and Jack Miller’s love story is the heart of these novels. Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist and philanthropist. 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 personal happiness and is in the lifelong process of recovery from childhood abuse. Jack Miller is a federal agent. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself. He also struggles with grieving the death of his four-year old daughter, whom he didn’t know existed until she was on her deathbed. These are two innately good people who have sacrificed in service of others, and found little for themselves, until they find each other. There’s a saying that “hurt people hurt people” but Tess and Jack show us that hurt people can love each other in extraordinary ways. In essence, the couple, along with their dear friends, model what love looks like in action.

Penning these novels was unlike any other experience in my life—the way the story came to me, how quickly it happened, and the way I approached the writing. The truth is, I’ve always wanted to write a love story. When I was about ten years old, I began to give serious thought to becoming a writer. I tried writing a novel at the time, an epic love story between people who help each other heal, but because I was ten, it didn’t pan out. By the time I became a professional author, I had long since abandoned the idea of writing about love. Then one day, Shooting Stars came to me in a burst, which was very different from the way my other novels have materialized. Usually, I stew on an idea for a while, and then spend a year or two drafting a manuscript. Shooting Stars came to me quickly, and I wrote the entire first draft in about ten days. I barely slept, I didn’t respond to emails, and if anyone spoke to me, I’m sure I didn’t hear a word they said. I was completely immersed, more than I’d been with anything before. It was magical. After I finished drafting Shooting Stars, I fell into a deep depression for twenty-four hours. This was the best writing experience of my life, and I felt strongly that it was also the best thing I’d ever created. Finishing it was devastating. Would I ever feel that way again? My heart also ached for the characters that had become so near and dear to me. Waking up without racing into their world left me with a profound sense of loss. I missed them. While I always experience some measure of sadness finishing a novel and saying goodbye to the characters that have occupied my days, this time it was worse. I knew more about them then I was able to share. I loved them more. And we only had ten days together. It wasn’t enough.

Standing out on my balcony looking up at the sky, suddenly, I realized I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters. I knew there was much more to explore. Again in a burst, Twinkle came to me. I immediately started writing. This time, I knew it wasn’t merely a sequel, it was a part of a serial. More books followed, six in total. It’s important to note that while these novels were drafted quickly, they were each revised dozens of times, in addition to receiving peer feedback and professional copy editing. Magic came in the first draft, polish in the many that followed.

Putting the novels together in a collection has been the highlight of my life as an author. I’m so excited to share the complete story with readers who may be looking to feel a little of the love and hope that lives on these pages. These characters have embraced me in the warmest hug, and I hope they do the same for others.

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GIVEAWAY:

Win a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card!

(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, its entries, or the prize. Goddess Fish Promotions and the author assume all responsibility over this giveaway.)

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