Hello, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Patricia Leavy and her new book, “Constellations,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a Signed Set of ALL THREE Books in the Shooting Stars Books Series by Patricia – including Book One, “Shooting Stars,” Book Two, “Twinkle,” and the featured book, “Constellations,” Book Three!!! There will be TWO lucky winners EACH taking home a set of THREE books!!! Also, come back daily to interact with Patricia and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
Please note that this giveaway is only open to US residents. Sorry INTL – please check out the other giveaways on this blog!!
Constellations
by Patricia Leavy
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GENRE: Women's Fiction/Romance
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BLURB:
Constellations follows Tess Lee and Jack Miller after three years of marriage as they navigate the meaning of love and family over a series of holidays. Tess is a wildly successful and world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore our innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jack is a former federal agent. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. Both healing from past trauma, together they have finally built the life they wish to live. What will happen to their blissful union when Jack’s childhood family resurfaces? When Tess and Jack visit the Millers for Christmas, how will insecurity, a sense of missed opportunities, and the need for redemption test their relationship? When a terrible accident threatens everything in an instant, will they learn the true meaning of unconditional love? Their loved ones are along for the ride: Omar, Tess’s sarcastic best friend who calls her Butterfly; the female president of the United States, with whom Tess talks politics and bakes cookies; Joe, Jack’s friend from the Bureau who understands the sacrifices he’s made; Bobby and Gina, their younger friends who never fail to lighten the mood; and the Miller family. Constellations is a novel about family – those into which we’re born and those we create – the human desire to belong and feel connected, the true nature of intimacy, and the power of love to heal and redeem. Written as unfolding action, Constellations is a poignant novel that moves fluidly between melancholy, humor, and joy.
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EXCERPT ONE:
Tess clung to Jack as they sped along the cliffside road on their Harley, winding around the last curve as they approached their house. When they arrived home, Jack carefully took off Tess’s helmet, kissed her, and grabbed the bag of fruit they’d bought at the farmers market. She pulled the scrunchie out of her hair, releasing dirty blonde locks down to her waist. They headed inside. “You thirsty, baby?” he asked.
She nodded.
He quickly tapped a coconut, stuck a paper straw in, and handed it to her.
“You’ve gotten so good at that,” she said, taking a sip.
“Yeah, just in time to go back to DC. I can’t believe we have to leave our Hawaiian paradise tomorrow morning. We’re crazy to leave Maui this time of year.”
“I know, baby. But we’ll be back in less than three months to throw Omar and Clay the tropical Valentine’s Day wedding of their dreams. Besides, it’ll be fun to see our friends.”
He smiled and kissed her forehead.
“Here, have some,” she said, handing him the coconut. “Let’s leave the pineapple out. We can grill it tonight for our Thanksgiving feast while we sit on the lanai and watch the sunset.” She kicked her shoes off, slipped her T-shirt over her head, and shimmied out of her shorts, revealing a hot pink string bikini. “Bet I can beat you to the ocean,” she teased, darting off.
Soon, they were splashing around in the warm water, the sun beating down on them. Jack wrapped his tanned arms around Tess and kissed her. They stared at each other, the energy between them electric.
“I could get lost in your big, brown eyes,” he said.
She smiled and said, “Come on, let’s dry off.” They walked to their pool and lay together on a chaise lounge.
“Jack?” Tess whispered.
“Yeah, baby.”
“I know you hold back sometimes, but you don’t need to.”
“Tess…”
“Baby, I know you do. There’s nothing that could ever happen between us that I wouldn’t want.”
He caressed the side of her face. “You’re so beautiful and delicate. I just want you to feel safe and loved.”
“I do and I always will.”
“You’ve been through so much. It wasn’t that long ago that Ray was stalking you; I know that brought up memories of your childhood abuse. I don’t ever want to be the cause of your pain or remind you of the ways you have suffered.”
“You couldn’t. You only push those thoughts further away. I trust you, Jack. Nothing could ever change that. I want to share everything with you. I’ve never felt as close to another human being as I do to you.” She ran her fingers through his wet, salty hair and said, “I still remember the first time we came here, before we owned this place. You took me in the shower and we were so free.”
He grazed his fingers along her cheek.
“I’m gonna rinse off,” she said. She untied her bikini top, let it fall to the floor, and headed for the outdoor shower.
Jack hustled out of his swim trunks and followed her. She flipped the water on, turned toward him, and smiled. He cupped her face in his hands, kissed her softly, and with one swift movement, swung her around and pulled her bathing suit bottom down. “Don’t let me hurt you,” he whispered. He pushed her against the wall and they made love passionately.
With his quivering body pressed tightly against hers, Jack kissed Tess’s neck and nibbled on her ear. Finally satiated, he turned the shower off and wrapped towels around each of them. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms as he carried her to a lounge chair. They resumed their tender kisses, Jack caressing the side of her face. He looked at her with unadulterated adoration.
“I love you so much,” he said.
“I love you too. More than anything.”
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GUEST POST:
My Favorite Scene in Constellations
Ok, so my true favorite scene in this book is actually the epilogue, and I don’t want to spoil that for readers. There are many moments in this book that I love. One of my favorite scenes is when Tess helps Jack reconnect with his family. Jack has been estranged from his family for fifteen years. His family has no idea why he was out of touch for so long. Jack worked for the FBI as a field agent doing deep undercover work in counterterrorism. Not wanting to endanger his family, he let them go for their own protection. Retired now and happily married to Tess, when his mother Marry calls to invite the couple to Christmas, Tess convinces Jack to go so he can have the family he deserves. Things are tense from the outset. Jack’s father, John, is harsh. When he learns that Jack isn’t employed, and “living off” his wealthy wife, he admonishes his son. He also has harsh judgements toward Tess for amassing so much wealth, which he finds “immoral.” Things continue to spiral. What I love about the following scene, is that Tess becomes a bridge for her husband to reconnect with his family. She does this simply by being herself. This is a turning point.
Here’s the scene:
That
afternoon, the kitchen in the Miller house was bustling with noise. Tess,
Julie, and Mikey were making Christmas ornaments with the boys at the table.
Mary was washing dishes and John was drying them. Jack came into the room
holding his cell phone. “Tess, Omar is on the phone for you. He couldn’t reach
you on yours.”
She
looked up, glitter on her face. “I turned the ringer off when we got here. Is
everything okay?”
“He
said it’s a work thing,” Jack replied.
“Well,
I’m a little busy. Can I call him back?” she asked.
“He
said it’s urgent but he’ll make it quick.”
“My
hands are a mess. Please set the phone on the table and put it on speaker.” She
looked at the boys and said, “I’m sorry, this will only take a minute.”
Mary
turned off the faucet so Tess would have quiet for her call, and Julie put a
finger to her lips to hush the boys.
“Hi,
Omar. You’re on speakerphone. I have glue all over my hands,” she said.
“Of
course you do,” Omar said with a laugh.
“I’m
making Christmas ornaments with my nephews.”
“Butterfly,
Crystal and I have been trying to get in touch with you since yesterday. I need
your final approval on the streaming deal for the limited series.”
“I
turned my phone off. I told you, no work until after the holidays.”
“I
know and I’m sorry, but they want the write-off on the books for this calendar
year. Everyone will be out of the office from tomorrow until after the new
year, so we have to get it done today. I know this donation is important to
you. I can sign the paperwork; I just need the green light.”
She
sighed. “Fine.”
“You
were right,” Omar said. “We were able to get them up to three point four
million, and they’ll make the donations directly. Is it a deal?”
“Yes,
that’s fine,” Tess replied.
“I
also need to confirm that you want to donate one hundred percent. Barry’s still
hoping you’ll have a change of heart and keep some of it, but you know how
accountants are.”
“Well,
he can keep hoping. Have them donate the whole thing.”
“You
still want half to go to veterans and half to that children’s wish
organization?” Omar asked.
“Yes,”
Tess replied. “Is that it?”
“I’m
afraid there’s one last question, and I’m bracing myself for your response.
Don’t kill the messenger, Butterfly, but your publisher wanted me to ask if
you’d reconsider your insistence on keeping the donation anonymous. They’d love
to get some publicity out of it. Eliza Elkington could do a profile in her
magazine, or you could do a TV spot with Diane.”
“Absolutely
not. That offends me to the core. You can tell Claire that if I see anything in
the media about this, even so much as a whisper, I’ll assume they leaked the
story and I’ll be publishing my next book with someone else.”
“I’m
sorry, I had to ask.”
“Please
wish everyone happy holidays and tell Claire I hope her son has recovered well
from his injury. Are we done?”
“Yes,
Butterfly. I’m sorry to disturb you. I hope you and Jack are having a good
trip.”
“I
love you to pieces, but if you call me about work again, you’re fired.”
“From
your business or your life?”
“Both.”
Omar
laughed. “If it’s any consolation, Butterfly, you’re doing a good thing that
will help a lot of people.”
“Nice
attempt at redemption. I’ll talk to you when we’re back in DC. Give my love to
Clay.”
She
gestured at Jack to hang up. There was complete silence in the room. Mikey and
Julie looked up at Jack, their mouths agape. John and Mary looked at each other
with shocked expressions and then back at Jack and Tess.
Noticing
everyone staring, Tess softly said, “I’m sorry for the interruption.”
John
cleared his throat. “Tess, I’m a vet.”
Tess
smiled kindly. “I know. Jack told me. Your service was what inspired him to
enlist. Since leaving his full-time job with the Bureau, he’s done a lot of
wonderful volunteer work to support vets.”
John
looked at Jack and then at Mary.
“What
John’s trying to say is that was a very generous thing you did,” Mary said.
Tess smiled and turned to the boys. “So, I think the snowflake needs more silver glitter. What do you think? Maybe we can convince your Uncle Jack to sit down and help.” She picked up an ornament and began sprinkling sparkling flakes on it. Jack sat down next to her and squeezed her thigh. Mikey looked at him and smiled. Jack craned his neck to look at his parents, and they smiled too. Mary turned the faucet on and went back to washing the dishes. Jack leaned over and kissed Tess on the cheek. “Here,” she said, handing him a star ornament. “Why don’t you start with this one?”
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AUTHOR BIO:
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 books, earning commercial and critical success in both fiction and nonfiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. She is also series creator and editor for ten book series with Oxford University Press, Guilford Press, and Brill/Sense, including the ground-breaking Social Fictions series. Patricia has received dozens of accolades for her books. Recently, her novel Film won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Inspirational Fiction, her 3-novel set Candy Floss Collection won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Anthologies, and her novel Spark won the 2019 American Fiction Award for Inspirational Fiction and the 2019 Living Now Book Award for Adventure 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 has residences in Maine and Massachusetts where she lives with her husband, daughter (when she’s not away at college), and her dog. Patricia loves writing, reading, watching films, and traveling.
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CONNECT WITH PATRICIA:
Website:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/558738.Patricia_Leavy
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57970020-constellations
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle eBook:
Amazon Paperback:
Amazon Hardcover:
The Book Depository Paperback:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Constellations-Patricia-Leavy/9789004461963
The Book Depository Hardcover:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Constellations-Patricia-Leavy/9789004461970
BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Constellations/Patricia-Leavy/9789004461963
BAM! Books-A-Million Hardcover:
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Constellations/Patricia-Leavy/9789004461970
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Patricia will be awarding a signed set of 3 novels: Shooting Stars, Twinkle, and Constellations to TWO (US only) randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains
affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small
commission to help support this blog.
This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome
giveaways on here**
