Patricia Leavy is an award-winning, best-selling author. Formerly Associate Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College, she has published more than forty books and has received career awards from the National Art Education Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, and more. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz when they established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice” and in 2024 the London Arts-Based Research Centre established The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research. For more, visit her website here.

I’m a sociologist-turned-romance-novelist. When I tell people that I write romance novels that deal with serious topics, they look at me like I have two heads. There’s a disconnect between what I do and their expectations of the genre.

Genres that Typically Tackle Difficult Subjects

Fiction writers have long explored challenging topics. In some genres, this goes without saying. For example, historical fiction often centers on war, genocide, and famine, with World War II and the Holocaust as the most written about events. Dark themes like violence and grief permeate the genre. No one bats an eyelash.

Women’s fiction is probably the genre most adjacent to romance. Women’s fiction writers routinely tackle difficult topics. For example, Jennifer Weiner and Candace Bushnell have written about sexual assault. I could go on and on with examples including abortion, miscarriage, fertility, depression, divorce, addiction, and grief. While we tend to think of the genre as escapist, that’s not always the case. There are also many authors who skillfully integrate serious topics into predominantly lighthearted and entertaining reads, including those I have mentioned by name.

So, what about romance?

The truth is that romance novelists have long incorporated difficult subject matter into their books. Danielle Steel has covered everything from terrorism to disfigurement to abandonment to grief. Colleen Hoover has tackled domestic violence and trauma. Again, I could go on and on.

When I tell people I’m a romance novelist, they assume I spend my days writing rom coms about enemies to lovers, miscommunication, or over-the-top situations. This couldn’t be further from what I do (no shade, I absolutely adore reading a fun rom com). My novels are studies in love itself and explore topics like healing, doubt, intimacy, trust, commitment, faith, trauma, grief, self-esteem, mortality, and partnership. They are about love in all forms—romantic, friendship, chosen family, art, culture, country. Even more so, they are journeys of self-discovery. After all, learning to love ourselves is the hardest love of all. While I admit a fondness for celebrity romances (writing about Hollywood, paparazzi, and private jets is always fun), and I insert humor into the story no matter what I am writing, my novels delve into some tough subjects.

Tackling Trauma in Many Forms

For example, my latest release, Shooting Stars Above, which is the first title in The Celestial Bodies Romances series, tackles trauma in many forms. Tess, the protagonist, is in the lifelong process of recovering from childhood sexual abuse. One night she meets Jack. He too suffers the residue of past trauma, both the violence he’s experienced as a federal agent and grief over the shocking death of his young daughter. Tess examines the scars on Jack’s body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” They fall madly in love. But falling in love does not magically erase one’s pain. Tess’s trauma resurfaces in many ways in the book, from her disordered eating to a dramatic event that causes her to suffer a significant post-traumatic stress episode. All the while, Jack’s own trauma resurfaces as he feels powerless to help the person he loves the most. While as a counterterrorist agent he’s well equipped to deal with external threats, he struggles with how to save Tess from her own mind. Add to all of this, there are supporting characters dealing with their own trauma, including racism, homophobia, and family estrangement.

There are many scenes that capture the sweet and romantic nature of falling in love as well as humorous banter between friends mocking each other and sharing funny stories. At the core it’s a novel about the power of unconditional love to help us heal, but the healing is never complete, it is always in progress.

Responsibly Handling Tough Subjects

As writers, we’re entrusted to tell stories that resonate and illuminate. There’s no reason we have to shy away from sensitive topics regardless of our preferred genre. What’s important is that we handle these topics responsibly. I’d like to share a few strategies that you may find useful.

Think about context and juxtaposition. When writing about a highly sensitive topic it’s important to think about everything around the scene. For example, Tess and Jack are a very romantic couple and they express physical affection regularly, including through sex (which airs on the side of sweet and PG13). After a dramatic incident causes Tess to mentally relive her childhood rapes, many scenes pass before she and Jack are sexually intimate again. There needed to be separation between these events for both the characters and readers. Yet, the character also needed to resume a loving and consensual sexual life, to show that healing is possible, and survivors can live full lives. It’s a matter of how this is presented.

Balancing Heavy and Light

Balancing tough subjects and lighter moments is another way to think about context and juxtaposition. For example, Tess’s best friend Omar, and their larger friend group, are often the source of injecting levity into the story. Some of the heavier scenes are peppered with lighter moments. Sometimes light scenes take place around the heavier ones. Giving your characters and readers time to breathe is critical. As the characters are recovering from trauma, so too consider the experience of readers. Sometimes they need a beat or two, and a lighter scene is the solution. I think of it as a souffle. There are light and airy bits, but when you dig your spoon in further it’s rich and decadent. The whole thing works when there’s balance.

Sensitivity Readers

Finally, as authors, much of what we do is solitary. Soliciting feedback is critical for any writer, especially when dealing with challenging subjects. I had more than a dozen writers read Shooting Stars Above before it went to copy editors and my publisher, who also offered feedback. I invited feedback from people who are diverse in race, gender, age, and religion. I sought out experts in relevant fields including interpersonal communications, social work, and trauma studies. Sensitivity reads are vital.

Novelists document the world as it is and reimagine how it might be. We invite readers to take a journey with our characters. The more authentic that journey is, the more it will resonate. Just because we choose to write in what is often considered an escapist genre, does not mean we can’t incorporate difficult topics. This does not have to lessen the joy or affection a reader may experience. In fact, it may provide an extra level of comfort. As a reader I know it can be cathartic to both cry and laugh on the pages of a book, or to simply feel seen. Sometimes the books that hold our hands the most do so because they tap into something that is very real and often invisible—something we don’t always talk about with others, something from which we may be healing.  Tess knows this well. She’s a hugely successful novelist. Tess taps into her own pain to transform darkness into light. In doing so, her inspirational novels offer a light in the dark. I aspire to the same, even when the tale is woven with silk sheets.

Shooting Stars Above by Patricia Leavy

Bestselling novelist Tess Lee and federal agent Jack Miller are both haunted by past traumas—she by childhood abuse, and he by years spent in the violent world of counterterrorism. When they meet, their connection is immediate, as Tess recognizes in Jack a reflection of her own inner wounds. As they fall in love, old scars resurface, forcing them to confront their pain and question whether unconditional love can bring true healing. Together, they must navigate their pasts and find a way to move from darkness to light.

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