Spotlight & Giveaway: The Location Shoot by Patricia Leavy

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Patricia Leavy to HJ!

Hi Patricia and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Location Shoot!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

An eccentric filmmaker is shooting a film in Sweden over the summer where he lives in an inn with the lead actors. Before arriving in Sweden, we get a glimpse into the lives of the actors in the cast—each at a personal crossroads. The filmmaker invites his friend Ella Sinclair, a beautiful, free-spirited, provocative philosopher to join them for the summer. Hollywood star Finn Forrester is instantly enchanted by her and the two fall madly in love, embarking on a sexy and romantic affair. Meanwhile, the film they’re all making is about the meaning of life. The subject of the film and the deep bonds the group builds over the summer push everyone to reflect on their own lives. When the shoot ends, each returns home, changed. The group reconvenes months later on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and we see the impact of their summer together. In the simplest terms, The Location Shoot is a love story. At the core, it’s about living and loving with everything we have.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“There’s no replacing that inexplicable, inconvenient, all-encompassing feeling of love. Standing there in that moment, holding that slice of pie, I knew I couldn’t live without her. These days, people court each other like they’re applying for a job or running through a checklist. But this is where the artists—the poets, the novelists, the filmmakers—have always known better: true love has no reason.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

I wrote it during the lockdown. I need a mental escape and a little bit of Hollywood wish-fulfillment. I literally laughed and cried while I was writing it. At some points, I was balling in front of my computer, wearing the same sweatpants I’d been sporting for months, saying “This is so good.”

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

There’s chemistry between them from the moment they meet. He’s a dreamy movie star, but uninterested in the Hollywood scene and fame, looking for the real deal. She’s a beautiful, free-spirited philosopher who hops from place to place. When they meet, sparks fly.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

There’s a scene where Jean Mercier, the dystopian French filmmaker, has just stayed up all night reading Ella’s philosophical book about sex. The next morning, he’s discussing with the male actors when Ella comes into the breakfast room. I could not stop laughing while I was writing it! Here’s a tidbit.

Just then, Ella walked in wearing a black sundress and sandals, the chains hanging around her neck tinkling like wind chimes as she moved. Everyone turned to look. She cocked her head and furrowed her brow in confusion as she approached the table of men who were all smiling broadly.
“Well, good morning,” she said. “This is unexpected.” She and Finn exchanged a covert look as Jean scooched over to make room for her. She plopped down and asked, “So, how is everyone this fine morning?”
“I was just telling them about your book,” Jean replied. “Bloody thing kept me up all night.”
“That explains why you look a fright,” she observed.
“We must discuss your description of the erect cock.”
Michael had just taken a sip of espresso, which went flying out of his mouth. He grabbed a napkin to wipe it up. Finn’s faced turned bright red.
“Gee, give a girl a minute to wake up. I haven’t even had a cup of tea,” Ella casually replied.
Jean hollered at the waiter, “Tea!” and he pointed to Ella. He continued, “I’m serious, ma chérie. I’m utterly possessed thinking of it. Your description of hardness and thrusting on page 38 is haunting.”
She giggled and said, “I’m barely awake, Jean. Perhaps you could take it down a notch with the cock talk.”
Finn and Albie laughed.
“I don’t know how I’m going to concentrate on filming today. You’ve got my mind spinning. All I want to do is discuss blow jobs,” Jean said.
“And you wonder why Charlotte and Willow never come to breakfast,” Ella joked.
Finn cracked up.
“I’m serious,” Jean said. “It’s captivating.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have read the whole thing in one go. Swallowed more than you could handle, as it were. I warned you there’s adult subject matter,” she jested.
Finn, Albie, and Michael tried to muffle their laughter.
“Do you think that what you wrote about the half-hard, pity thrust is true? Do other women feel this way?” Jean asked.
“I don’t know. Let’s ask one of your three ex-wives,” she joked.

Readers should read this book….

Because it is a sexy, sweet, romantic, joyful escape. I hope it makes people believe in love and consider the crossroads they may be at in their own lives, with hopeful and brave eyes.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I loved writing Ella and Finn’s love story so much, that I didn’t want to leave it. My next novel, After the Red Carpet, picks up where The Location Shoot ends. It comes out in September 2024. I’m also working on a series of romance novels that explore different dimensions of love. It’s been a really creative time.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: (1) Print copy of THE LOCATION SHOOT by Patricia Leavy.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: I love a celebrity falling in love with an average or not-so-average person. What’s one of your favorite tropes?

 
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Excerpt from The Location Shoot:

Soon they were soaking in the tub, surrounded by the soft glow of candlelight. Ella leaned against Finn and sighed contentedly as he wrapped his strong arms around her.
“I thought about you all day today,” he said.
“You did?”
“I couldn’t get the image of you with those kids out of my head. You were such a natural with them.”
“I’m crazy for tiny humans, always have been. I love their curiosity, big imaginations, big emotions. When a toddler is overjoyed, it’s infectious. They can’t contain it and it just oozes out of them. They feel everything so fully, so honestly, with their whole selves.”
“Do you want to have children of your own?”
“Finn…”
He squeezed her waist and said, “Have you ever thought about it?”
“Have you?” she asked, turning to face him.
“Ella, I would love to have a family with you someday, when we’re ready. Do you want to have a family with me?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“But what, baby?”
“I would want to have children with you, but I wouldn’t want to have them without you.”
“What do you mean?”
“The way I grew up, it just made me not want to do it on my own.”
“You wouldn’t be. We’d be together. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Finn, there’s more than one way to be alone. You spend your life flying around the world to shoot movies and attend film festivals. Where would that leave me? Alone.”
“Sweetheart, if we choose to have a family someday, some things would obviously change. I’ve been thinking about this since we met, but I didn’t want to bring it up and scare you away by asking too much too soon. But after I saw you today, I thought we could at least talk about it. It’s just a conversation.”
“You’ve been thinking about it all this time?”
“Yes,” he said, gently running his fingers down her arm.
“What have you been thinking about?”
“Well, we could take some time to be alone together, to travel. If we had a child, you would both travel with me to film sets. I can get the studio to rent us a house. We’d hire a nanny and any other kind of help we want so you could write, I could work, and we could all be together. When our oldest is school aged, I would only take jobs in LA, except maybe in the summers when we could all still travel as a family. We could show them the world. Being a husband and father would be my priority. You wouldn’t go to so much as a single doctor’s appointment alone unless you wanted to. If I had to give up acting and be a stay-at-home dad, that’s fine too.”
“Wow. You’ve really thought about this.”
“Well, yeah. I can’t help it. Our future spilled out before me when you told me you love me. But it’s just a fantasy. Sweetheart, there’s no pressure. Until today, I didn’t even know if children were a possibility. If we live our lives together, just the two of us, I’d be perfectly happy.” He planted a soft kiss in her hair.
“Just a fantasy?” she asked.
“Yeah, for now. Do you ever fantasize about our future?”
She nodded.
“Tell me.”
“Well, I always imagined that I’d keep working, but less than I do now. I’d want to spend time with my babies.”
“Babies?” he asked. “How many?”
“Three. Two girls and then a boy. I don’t care about gender, it’s just what I imagine.”
He rubbed her shoulder. “Tell me more.”
“They’d all look like you,” she said.
“Oh, see, in my mind each one of them looks just like you.”
She smiled and he kissed the tip of her nose.
“Keep going,” he said.
“Well, I like your idea of traveling together. I imagined that…”
“What, baby?”
“It’s silly.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“Well, it’s just a fantasy, but I can picture us buying a little house in the French countryside for summers and holidays. You know, one of those old stone houses with wooden beams on the ceilings and a wood-burning stove, with plenty of room outside for the kids to roll around in the grass and a space for me to write.” She crinkled her nose and shook her head. “I told you, it’s silly.”
“Not to me. I think it sounds perfect,” he said, kissing her. “So, two girls and a boy, huh? I should warn you, I’ve always liked traditional names, like Emily and Sarah. I’m guessing you gravitate toward more free-spirited names like Lula Belle or Blue Moon. I’m prepared to fight you on this.” He playfully put up his dukes, but she grabbed one of his hands and kissed it.
She laughed. “Actually, I was thinking if we had a girl, maybe we’d call her Betty. It’s completely traditional, but modern too. I don’t know. It’s just a thought.”
“Betty, huh? I love it. And you know what else? I love you.” He stopped to stroke the side of her face. “I love you so much, Ella. There’s no fantasy we can’t make a reality if we choose to. Come on, sweetheart. Let’s dry off and slip into bed. I want to show you exactly how I feel about you.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Controversial filmmaker Jean Mercier is shooting a film on location in Sweden. While spending the summer creating his latest work of cinematic art, he lives in a nearby inn with his lead actors: Albie Hughes, British veteran of stage and screen; Charlotte Reed, British indie film queen; Michael Hennesey, American TV heartthrob; Willow Barnes, fallen former teen star looking to make a comeback; and Finn Forrester, legendary Hollywood movie star. Mercier invites his friend Ella Sinclair—a beautiful, bohemian-spirited American philosopher known for her provocative writing—to stay with them for the summer. When Ella arrives, Finn is instantly enchanted by her, and soon they fall madly in love. Finn wants to plan a life together, but Ella harbors fears and convinces him to wait until the film wraps to decide their future. In a case of life imitating art, the film they are creating explores “the big questions” and prompts the stars to reflect on the crossroads they face in their own lives. How will their experiences on location affect them when they return home? The answers won’t come until months later, when the cast and crew reconvene on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival—but their revelation will make for one unforgettable night.
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Meet 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 forty book honors. 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 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.” Her website is www.patricialeavy.com. Leavy currently resides in Kennebunk, Maine.
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