One of our favorite authors, Patricia Leavy, delighted us earlier this year with Shooting Stars Above. Now she’s back at it with a sweeping love story I couldn’t put down, Cinematic Destinies. By the time I was done, there were happy tears rolling down my cheeks. This book is that good. 

Here’s the scoop. Legendary actor Finn Forrester and his wife philosopher Ella Sinclair Forrester met on the location shoot for Jean Mercier’s film, Celebration. The world has been captivated by their fairy-tale romance since Finn famously proposed on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. As the couple now prepares to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary, they wonder if their children will ever find love. Eldest daughter Betty is excelling in a medical residency program in New York City—and has convinced herself that distancing herself from emotions is the path to success. Son Albert, a recent college graduate, is trying to find his footing in Boston as he struggles with his identity. Free-spirited Georgia, her mother’s spitting image and an actress following in her father’s footsteps, has been cast in Jean Mercier’s final film, mysteriously titled Beauty. When she arrives on set in Iceland and meets her costar, sparks fly. Is history repeating itself? How has growing up in the shadow of the world’s most iconic love story affected each of the Forrester children? In this highly anticipated conclusion to The Location Shoot and After the Red Carpet, we see how Finn, Ella, and their children fulfill their cinematic destinies. 

Cinematic Destinies is a gorgeous celebration of love, art, and the true meaning of life. The characters will live in my heart forever. They remind us how art inspires life and life inspires art. This novel is a cozy love letter to love itself and a testament to all the beauty to be found by simply living to the fullest. You will fall in love with the characters, but more than anything, it will make fall in love with life itself. I absolutely loved this book! I don’t want to spoil anything, but the ending gave me all the feelings and was so deeply satisfying (followed by the epilogue) oh my, just when you think it can’t get better, it does! 

Highly recommended!

For the full effect, read the whole series starting with The Location Shoot. As a bonus, e-books for The Location Shoot and After the Red Carpet are temporarily on sale for .99cents so you can catch up on the series. 

We had a chance to chat with Patricia about her new book; here’s what she had to say…

Cinematic Destinies is the third book in A Red Carpet Romance trilogy. Tell us what inspired the series.

It started during the lockdown. Like so many others, I was bored at home, binge watching movies, double fisting potato chips, and filled with existential doom. I wanted to escape to someplace joyful, romantic, and creative. Someplace affectionate where you could hug and kiss people without fear of killing them. Due to the pandemic, I was thinking about the big questions of life, and so I decided to write a novel following a group making a film about the meaning of life and living together in seclusion. Given the topic of the film, Ella, my heroine is a philosopher. When Ella arrives on set in Sweden Hollywood star Finn Forrester is instantly enchanted by her and a romance ensues. That book is called The Location Shoot. I loved writing it so much that although the lockdown was over, my desire to spend more time with the characters was not. So next came, After the Red Carpet, and finally, Cinematic Destinies. 

What inspired you to write Cinematic Destinies?

Each book in the trilogy inspired the next. The second book, After the Red Carpet, sees Ella and Finn building a life together and starting a family in the shadow of Hollywood. I wanted to explore the lives of those three children when they were grown up. How would the public fascination with their parents’ love story affect them each and their love stories? Ella was always fascinated by what love might look like and feel like over a lifetime, so I also wanted to know how that unfolded for her and Finn. Finally, what ever happened to Jean, the filmmaker that brought them all together in the first place? What does it mean to create art for a lifetime? How might one look back? All these questions inspired Cinematic Destinies, my personal favorite in the trilogy.

Will there be any more books in the series?

I never say never, but I don’t think so. That said, stay tuned because some of these characters may come back in a different way. 

Part of the book is set in Iceland, making it your second novel to feature the country (Spark being the first). Why did you set Cinematic Destinies there?

Iceland is an incredibly special place. The landscape is spectacular, one-of-a-kind, ever changing, and truly other worldly. There’s just no other place like it. It’s magical. For part of the novel, a group is on location making a film titled Beauty. To me, there was no place more perfect to set the film, not only because Iceland is so beautiful, but also because the filmmaker in the book is a bit dark. He wouldn’t pick a location that had obvious beauty, but rather, one where it’s a bit more complex, stark at times, almost like another planet. There’s also a scene where the actors and crew caravan to a remote location known for little black flies called midges. I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s an important part of the story and could only take place there. So, it all worked perfectly. That said, to be perfectly honest, I also choose locations for my books based on where I want to mentally spend my time or even visit for research. Iceland is one of those places I’m always happy to visit, in person or imaginatively. 

What do you hope readers take from this book?

To live and love with passion. Push through your fears and insecurities and love with an open heart. Savor the moments. The moments string together and create a lifetime. This brief life is messy, confusing, challenging, and heart breaking, but there’s so much potential for beauty. Beauty always hides in the moments. 

What are you working on next?

I have a nonfiction book, part memoir part guidebook, called The Artist Academic coming out in October. It’s the first book I’ve written of this kind and I’m excited to share it. My next novel comes out March 24 and it’s called Twinkle of Doubt. It’s the second book in a big series I’ve written called The Celestial Bodies Romances, which follows the healing love story of a novelist and federal agent. For people interested in the series, the lead title Shooting Stars Above is available everywhere books are sold. There are many other novels done and ready to be rolled out, but I’m keeping them under wraps for now. I promise more romances and a few surprises.

Website: www.patricialeavy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy   
Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cinematic-Destinies/Patricia-Leavy/A-Red-Carpet-Romance/9781647429485 
Cinematic Destinies on Amazon
The Location Shoot on Amazon
After the Red Carpet on Amazon