We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dr. Patricia Leavy. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Patricia, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day depends on whether I’m at home or on the road. I travel about 90-100 days a year, sometimes more, so while people see it as an aberration from normal life, for me, it’s very much a part of it. When I’m at home my day starts with a morning routine that includes a walk on the treadmill (usually watching a concert), daily mind work (gratitude and intention-setting), breakfast, email, and social media. The rest of my day depends on what’s going on with work. My favorite days are spent writing either at home or a local cafe. Being an author is in many ways not about writing, so to do the thing I love, requires me to do the work of being an author too. That may include interviews, guest blog posts, or other publicity activities, copy edits, proofreading, cover design memos, virtual meetings, and so on. Weekdays are usually capped off with cooking dinner and watching TV with my husband to unwind. On weekends, my morning routine is the same and I always get some writing time but then we might go to a movie, museum, bookstore, or on a day trip, and we always enjoy good restaurants. When I’m traveling, I usually wake up early, check email, eat breakfast in my hotel room, and write. I skip the hotel gyms in favor of lots of walking wherever I am. The day could consist of work (such as giving a talk at a university, a keynote at a conference, meetings with publishers, a book signing event, or local research for a book) or it may include tourism (I especially love art museums and often spend hours in museum cafes, working on my latest book).
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a full-time author, both fiction and nonfiction, I started my career in academia as a sociology professor and published many academic texts, mostly about the research process and arts-based research (which merges the arts and sciences). About 15 years ago I became a novelist. I’ve written in multiple genres but in recent years turned to romance which is absolutely my true passion. I’ve published more than 50 books to date. Most years, I publish 2-4 books, at least 2 of which are novels. My novels are feel-good reads that provide romance, escape, humor, and hopefully inspiration to live and love with passion. That doesn’t mean they don’t tackle tough subjects too. Childhood abuse, trauma, violence, sexual assault, grief, racism, eating disorders, suicide, loneliness, depression, and low self-esteem are all topics that have come up in my novels. I try to balance the joy of romance novels with some of the heavier themes. Often my characters are working their way from darkness to light, such as in my Celestial Bodies Romances. Differing from many contemporary romance novels, there are no toxic characters or relationships, and I don’t follow enemy-to-lover tropes or plots with built-in breakups. My characters are aspirational. They do love well. They treat each other well. Sometimes they need help learning to treat themselves as well as they treat others. At the core, they’re about relationships, self-discovery, and empowerment. I hope they provide healing, hope, and some beauty.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I had a traumatic childhood. I was horribly bullied in school for nearly a decade. I was also abused at home. My world was cruel and unsafe. As a result, every day was about survival. When you’re constantly traumatized on a daily basis for years, all you can do is try to survive, not thrive. So that’s what my life was, and I thought it always would be. Now, I know I can do more than survive. I can thrive.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
From a very young age I wanted to be an artist. I loved creative writing more than anything and longed to be a novelist. I also discovered a great love for theater in school and for a time I studied to be an actor. Those were my passions. I knew going for a career in the arts would be challenging. Specifically, I thought it would mean a life of rejection and critique. That terrified me. My entire childhood was spent being rejected and attacked. I couldn’t imagine inviting more of that into my life in any form. So, for a long time, I abandoned my dreams and true calling. Eventually I realized that life is short and we face some measure of rejection and criticism no matter what we do, so I might as well do the thing I love and that I feel called to do. The truth is, it’s hard sometimes. There’s a lot of disappointing and hurtful stuff that you go through as an artist. But it’s still worlds better to be living your purpose.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Being a good friend. Making time for the people I love. Supporting the people I love. Celebrating them. Being a good citizen in my industry and in the world. Helping to raise and empower other authors. Creating publishing opportunities for others. Using my voice and any “power” I may have to benefit other authors and artists. Using my voice to speak up about issues that matter– speaking against racism, misogyny, homophobia. and transphobia, for example. My friends also know how important my work is to me. The quality of my books, especially my novels. The craft of writing. Literary art. Pushing creativity. My body of work and what I’ll leave behind. How I use my voice through my pen. The messages in my books. How I chronicle and reimagine the world in my story worlds.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m writing. There’s nothing better than being lost in a story world I’m creating. Lost and found. That’s when I am living my purpose. It’s a magical process of cocreation and it includes and engages me in a way nothing else does. I feel more like a scribe.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://patricialeavy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy/
- Twitter: https://x.com/PatriciaLeavy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite
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