Inspiration never happens the same way twice which is why I’m still so in love with writing.

Sometimes I’ll watch a movie, and a different story starts to play in my mind. I’ll tune out the story I’m seeing and let the new story unfold in my mind. Other times I’ll hear a song or see a painting, and it will spur my imagination. Sometimes there’s a current event or hot topic that I’m interested in and that leads to a novel.

I have a doctorate degree in sociology and was a professor for many years before deciding to be a full-time author. There’s no doubt that my sociological lens plays a role in the things that inspire me and how I construct my story worlds. As an academic, my main areas of expertise were relationships and the arts. When you read my novels, you can see right away that’s what they’re all about. I think of each of my novels as being about love, art, and something else. It’s how that “something else” comes to me and then develops that keeps it interesting for me. I’m a really big believer that you need to seek inspiration and work for it. Creativity fuels creativity. It’s why no matter what I write every single day—weekends, holidays, vacations. I don’t write all day every day, but I do write every day. It’s about discipline.

The more you do it even when it’s difficult, the more inspiration strikes.

About After the Red Carpet

For fans of Tessa Bailey and Hannah Grace, After the Red Carpet is a feel-good, contemporary celebrity romance about what happens after the fairy-tale beginning as two lovers work toward their own true meaning of “happily ever after.”

After legendary Hollywood star Finn Forrester proposed to philosopher Ella Sinclair on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, the couple captivated the press and public with their real-life fairy tale. Now they vow to prioritize their romance and live an adventure of their own making. Ella moves into Finn’s Beverly Hills mansion and must adjust to his world. Finn, secretly afraid of losing Ella, is determined to make everything perfect for his betrothed. Meanwhile, Ella wants nothing more than to retain her own identity as they build their new life together. All the while, she is writing a philosophical treatise on love, exploring the question: when we love so deeply, where do we end and where does the other begin?

In this highly anticipated follow-up to The Location Shoot, will Ella and Finn finally live the life they’ve dreamed of? See how their epic romance unfolds, after the red carpet.

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About the Author

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than forty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book honors. Her last novel, The Location Shoot, was featured on Ms. Career Girl‘s “10 Perfect Books to Get Your Fall Reading List Started” and was the 2023 Firebird Book Awards 1st Place Winner in 4 categories: Contemporary Novel, Pop Culture Fiction, Romance and Summer Beach Read. Patricia 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 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.” Patricia lives in Maine. In addition to writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.