Maggie Blackbird

Today, award-winning and bestselling author Patricia Leavy is guesting. She’s talking about her latest release, Sugar Sand Land, a contemporary romance. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway.

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I’ve been an author for over twenty-five years. I started in nonfiction before becoming a novelist. These days, although I do cross genres, I mostly write contemporary romance which is my passion. Since early in my career, I’ve celebrated my books by taking a special photo in an outfit that goes with the book. In the age of social media and virtual book tours, people started to notice and I amped up my game. I get so many questions about the process of choosing an outfit and why I do it. Some bloggers and readers even comment on how they look forward to seeing the picture for each book. That makes me smile. Sometimes when people host book chats they even dress up to go with my book, the way I do, which is really sweet. So, here’s how it works and why I do it.

Once I have a final cover, if I don’t have an outfit that goes with the cover and tone of the book, I go on the hunt. I usually look for a dress, because that feels special and to me the release of a book is a special occasion. Sometimes the book itself contains an idea about how to curate the look. For example, in Sugar Sand Land, and the sequel, Emerson Blue wears faux fur coats for some pivotal moments. So that was a no-brainer for me when putting an outfit together and I was able to buy a few online that went with the colors in the cover. After I find an outfit, I scour my closet for accessories to complete the look. I put together additional outfits, that are usually more casual, for more photos to carry me through the book promo period. The whole process is fun, but time consuming. I do it to celebrate each book. Each one represents a lot of labor and a very real piece of my heart and soul. I know some other authors who have started doing the same thing for their book releases, so it’s become sort of trendy, but for me it’s always been really personal. As artists we’re so connected to our creations, and I think the book photos I take represent that too. That’s actually a theme in Sugar Sand Land.

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Title: Sugar Sand Land (The Reality Star Romance)
Series: N/A
Author: Patricia Leavy
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 224 pages
Release Date: September 22, 2026
Publisher: She Writes Press

Blurb: Twenty-eight-year-old beauty Emerson Blue is the second most followed celebrity on social media. A self-proclaimed “living piece of art” who rose to fame as a reality star and then parlayed her celebrity into a megabucks career as an influencer, she seems to have everything.

Forty-eight-year-old Grammy winner Renn Walker is a fallen country music star. Years ago, he was canceled following allegations of sexual misconduct, and he has lived in seclusion ever since. Once a beloved figure, he seems to have lost it all.

When Emerson and Renn meet, sparks fly. Against all odds, a star obsessed with popularity and a recluse shunned by the world fall in love. Everyone in the public and media has an opinion and thinks they know Emerson and Renn. But in a world dominated by social media—a world that blurs the lines between what’s public and private, what’s real and what’s illusion—do we ever really know anyone?

For fans of Ashley Poston and Abby Jimenez, a contemporary romance—with a twist—about a media-savvy reality television star and a canceled country singer.

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Forty minutes later, a seamstress was pinning the hem of Emerson’s dress when her phone rang. She grabbed it off the vanity. “It’s him,” she said to Diba. He rolled his eyes.

Emerson answered the call, “Hello.”

“Renn here.”

“Can you hold on? I’m in my dressing room prepping for a photo shoot, and they’re just finishing pinning my dress. We’re on a time crunch. Last-minute alterations. It’ll just be a couple minutes.”

“Sure thing.”

As soon as the seamstress was done, Emerson handed her the garment and threw on her silk robe. She grabbed her phone. “I’m back. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. You’re worth the wait.”

“You’re quite the smooth talker,” she said. “I wasn’t sure you were going to call back.”

“Bullshit. You knew I’d call back.” She giggled and he continued, “I needed time to write you a song.”

“You wrote me a song?” she asked in surprise.

“Yeah. Hang on. I’m going to put you on speaker so I can play it.”

A few seconds later, Renn started strumming his guitar and singing a country ballad in the whiskey-soaked voice that had made him a household name. Soon he was crooning the lyric, “Girl says she’s blue, but she takes away my blues / Emerson Blue, making me feel new.”

When he finished playing, Emerson could hardly speak. After a moment passed, she managed to say, “That was incredible. I can’t believe you wrote that for me.”

“Does that mean you’ll have dinner with me?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“How’s tonight at eight?”

“Kind of last-minute. I have plans.”

“Cancel them,” he said.

She paused for a moment. “Okay. Tonight at eight. Where?”

“My place. Don’t worry, I’ll be a perfect gentleman. I’m just not into the LA scene.”

“Okay,” she said. “Where’s your place?”

“Depends. Where do you live?”

“The Hollywood Hills.”

“Then we can have dinner at my house in Beverly Hills,” he said. “What’s your address? I’ll pick you up.”

“Text me your address. My driver can take me.”

“Okay. See you tonight. Anything I should know before dinner? Like you’re vegan or kosher or only eat purple food?”

She laughed. “No. I eat everything. Surprise me.”

“See you later.”

“Later.”

Emerson put the phone down and looked over at Diba, unable to stop the rosy grin from spreading across her face.

“Well, now you’re fucked,” he muttered.

“Yup. Definitely fucked,” she agreed.

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Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She is also the publisher and CEO of Paper Stars Press. 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 fifty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book awards. Her novel Shooting Stars Above was featured on People “10 Romance Books to Read After Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry” and was the 2025 Firebird Book Award First Place Winner in Contemporary Novel, 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.” In 2024 the London Arts-Based Research Centre established “The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research.” Patricia lives in Maine. In addition to writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.

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