Guest post written by author Patricia Leavy
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.” Hollyland releases on April 4th.
I’m a women’s fiction author. In recent years, I’ve become obsessed with penning celebrity romances. There’s nothing more transporting than escaping into a celebrity love affair. As a writer, the elite sphere of the rich and famous is an exhilarating stomping ground. Private jets, exotic destinations, red carpet moments, clamouring fans, photo hounds, and a potpourri of Hollywood types populate these story worlds. A celeb falling in love with a supposedly ordinary guy or gal is a trope for a reason, and one of my favourites. Let’s face it, it’s a common fantasy. As a writer, it’s an endless well of inspiration. Worlds colliding. The underside of fame. Magic in the mundane. It’s got all the possibilities.
My latest novel, Hollyland, was an absolute joy to write. It’s about what happens when a seemingly ordinary woman with a passion for the arts falls in love with a Hollywood star known for his bachelor status and quick temper with the paparazzi. Of course, something extraordinary happens. The supporting cast includes a studio head, the hottest director on the scene, and a smattering of movie stars—all great fun to write—but at the core, the novel is meant to be a sweet little story about who the real stars are on the big screens of our lives. Perhaps that’s my favourite thing about good celebrity romances—they take us to a different world in order to appreciate our own.
After spending years writing novels about celebrities, I started to wonder about the novels written by celebrities. Tom Hanks has a new work of fiction coming out May 9, 2023, called The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece. It’s a book about making movies by someone who makes movies. Maybe it will be terrific, but it hardly seems like he’s pushing the bounds of his comfort zone. This got me wondering which are the bravest, most daring novels written by celebrities. Here’s my top 6 list.
Ash Wednesday by Ethan Hawke
This actor-turned-writer has amassed a serious body of literary works. Ash Wednesday is perhaps his bravest, and it’s not surprising many critics labeled it a turning point in his career as an author. A meditation on marriage, it’s brimming with humor, sexuality, and heart, told refreshingly from a male point of view.
When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald
Okay, so technically this isn’t a novel, it’s a series of interlinked stories, but it reads like a novel so I’m including it. This is a grown-up book with themes to match. Infertility and infidelity are among the relatable subjects Ringwald covers with sensitivity and honesty.
Playground by 50 Cent (aka: Curtis Jackson III). A young adult novel for readers of all ages.
So much is sugarcoated when we turn to books for teens, but this story soars with the messiness that makes up adolescent life. It’s a classic story of bullying and redemption reimagined. 50 Cent wrote this for his son, and the love lives on the pages along with the lessons.
Montaro Caine by Sidney Poitier
An ambitious debut in style and scope that takes you from corporations in the US to a hut on a small Caribbean Island, this novel defies genre but can most closely be called a sci-fi thriller. Perhaps what is most courageous about this sweeping adventure is the deceptively simple message: the universe holds her own mysteries.
Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher
An overdose, addiction, and mental health struggles are at the heart of this semi-autobiographical novel. This book prompted a cultural conversation about drugs and mental health and Fisher drew on her own story to do so. That’s brave.
Any Many by Amber Tamblyn
This searing novels tackles rape culture by flipping the script as a female serial rapist viciously attacks men. It’s one of the most gripping, riveting, unforgettable, original, and all around bad-ass novels I have ever read. Brave by the boatload, down to the last line. It’s hard to believe this was Tamblyn’s debut.
