Twinkle of Doubt by Patricia Leavy (She Writes Press, 3/24) is the second novel in the Celestial Bodies Romance Series, where celebrated author Tess Lee starts receiving anonymous death threats. With the help of her husband Jack Miller and her charming group of friends, she must face her own trauma and uncover the culprit.
Srishti: I read this blog post on Goodreads about how you wrote the first draft of Shooting Stars Above in only 10 days. First of all, that’s an incredible feat. Is this an experience you also had while writing Twinkle of Doubt?
Patricia: Yes, I wrote the first draft of Twinkle of Doubt in less than two weeks. Just like with Shooting Stars Above, it was a completely immersive experience, and I barely slept, spoke, or did anything other than write. I was totally engrossed in the story-world. It’s actually extremely unusual. My other novels have taken months or years to draft. This series just came to me differently. That said, while I drafted them quickly, I spent ages revising them, going through each one dozens of times. Years have passed since I first drafted them. So a lot of work went into the polishing stage.
In general, how was the process of writing Twinkle of Doubt compared to Shooting Stars Above?
I was depressed when I finished Shooting Stars Above because I loved the characters so much and wanted to spend more time with them. Plus, I knew more about them and the other people orbiting their world. Writing Twinkle of Doubt was really fun because I felt so happy to be back with the characters.
How has your writing changed since writing Shooting Stars Above?
Shooting Stars Above was the first romance novel I ever wrote. I wrote in different genres before that. It’s kind of crazy because I wanted to write love stories since I was a young child but somehow took a different path. Maybe I was scared to write romance, since it’s what I love the most. So writing Shooting Stars Above changed everything for me. It came naturally and I loved it so much that it showed me this is really what I am meant to do. Since then, I’ve been writing romance nonstop. I’ve released multiple contemporary romance novels and have about ten others that are written, waiting to be released over the next several years. This novel will always be super special to me because it made me a romance novelist which is what I always wanted.
What is your writing routine? Do you make time to write daily or at different times, and do you have a particular space you like to write in? Or any rituals you need to start writing?
I write every day—seven days a week. Weekends, vacations, holidays. I don’t write all day every day, but I do write every day. It’s the thing I love most and to get more days in flow when it’s just magical, you need to put in the time. Writing really is a discipline. In terms of a schedule, that changes depending on my other obligations. On trips, I usually get up early to write in the morning in my hotel room or I’ll visit a café. On normal days, sometimes I write at home in the morning or even all day if I’m lucky. Other days, I have “author” obligations in the morning so I may write in the afternoon at home or at my favorite local café. I don’t have rituals. I usually just start writing by reading the last thing I wrote to get me mentally back in it.
Are you someone who likes to outline, or are you more of a so-called “pantser”?
It’s different with every book, which is why I’m still so in love with writing. That said, I usually have a one-page outline, but I’ll often have big gaps in it or abandon it if inspiration takes me in a different direction. I see writing as a process of discovery so in that sense, I’m a pantser. I’m not wedded to my initial ideas. I go where the characters take me. I often write scenes out of order and stitch them together later. That’s what I did with this entire series.
Moving on to characters – is there any character in Twinkle of Doubt that you share similarities with?
I’m a novelist, like Tess. I’ve experienced darkness in my life and try to transform it into something beautiful and hopeful in my work. So I relate to that.
What inspired you to write Twinkle of Doubt?
When I finished Shooting Stars Above I just felt there was a lot more to explore with these characters. That book had been about love and healing. So for Twinkle of Doubt, I decided to explore love and doubt—the audio in our heads telling us we are not enough and we are not really worthy of love. At that point, I realized it would be a larger series, and each book would look at love and a different theme. Overall, it’s an exploration of the power of unconditional love to change how we see others and ourselves.
How has writing Twinkle of Doubt impacted your life or relationships, if at all?
Tess has made me more compassionate and gentler with myself. I absolutely love her friend group, especially Omar who is her chosen family, and that’s made me much more appreciative of my close friends.
Speaking of Omar, Tess Lee’s life has a lot of close friendships – how did you come up with these characters and decide their place in the story?
It all came to me at once when I was writing Shooting Stars Above. I could just see and hear her friends. They are a diverse group too in terms of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, career, economics, and so on. I love how that happened because it truly was organic. I just pictured them and wrote. I knew Omar would have a significant place in the story and across the whole series, and his storyline continues to grow. So much of pop culture emphasizes romantic love as the be all and end all but what about other kinds of soulmates? What about our dearest friends? Our chosen family? Not everyone has a great romantic love. Tess does, but that doesn’t diminish her bond with Omar. I really wanted to celebrate different kinds of love and soulmates.
A follow up to that, because Tess knows a lot of interesting people from her world travels, including the U.S. President, Mikhail Petrov, Ebo, Dick Clayton, and more. How do you come up with these characters? Were there any you had particular fun coming up with?
Oh, these characters were all so much fun to create. Mikhail Petrov and Dick Clayton were especially fun. When you’re writing someone with edge, or who is just a terrible person, you have complete freedom. Because they are minor characters, I didn’t need to worry about creating depth. I honestly have no idea how I come up with them. They come to me very organically. So, for example, when I decided there would be a big arts gala and I knew certain things needed to happen for Tess’s storyline, I thought about who might be there that could add some fun color to the story, and what they could contribute to Tess’s storyline. The minor characters are always there to support the main story, so that’s how I think about them.
What do you hope readers will take away from Twinkle of Doubt?
We are enough. We are worthy of love. No matter what we’ve been through, healing is possible. Healing is a process, not a destination. And to be kind to ourselves. Sometimes we can’t even take life day by day or hour by hour, just each moment, and in those moments all we have to do is breathe.
What’s next for Tess and Jack?
There are six Celestial Bodies Romances written so far. We plan to release one every spring. So the next one comes out March 16, 2027. It’s called Constellations of Love.
In the Goodreads blog post, you also mention “Each book takes place a year after the last and explores love and another theme: healing, doubt, intimacy, trust, commitment, and faith”. In the next novel, could you give us some hints about what Tess and Jack will be experiencing?
Constellations of Love is my personal favorite in the series. It explores love and intimacy. It takes place over a series of holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. It explores friendship, family, and chosen family. Jack’s family, who he hasn’t had contact with in more than a decade, resurfaces. There’s also a terrifying incident that happens, which puts things in perspective for all the characters. Overall, it’s a super cozy book.
Patricia Leavy is an award-winning, best-selling author. Formerly Associate Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College, she has published more than forty books and has received career awards from the National Art Education Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, and more. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz when they established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice” and in 2024 the London Arts-Based Research Centre established The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research. Her website is www.patricialeavy.com. She lives in Kennebunk, Maine.
