Patricia Leavy, one of our favorite authors, has surprise dropped a new novel just two months after her last. The feel-good romance, Cowboy Eyes, is sure to be a big summer beach read. It’s so good!!!
Romance, Hollywood, and the pursuit of dreams. This book has it all! Cowboy Eyes is about that time when we’re young and everything seems possible if we can only dare to believe. Cassy and Colt remind us that sometimes all the joy comes from the pursuit itself. I was rooting for these two to make it against the odds and bad Hollywood players, and you will too. The perfect beach read to escape and dream. A tour de force! I loved it!
Highly recommended!
Here’s a synopsis:
Cassy James dreams of being famous. Desperate to escape poverty and feel like she matters, the 17-year-old beauty crashes a debutante ball at a Houston country club. Colt Thatcher dreams of being rich. The 19-year-old valet has figured out the perfect scam. When Cassy bursts through the back doors of the country club to avoid being caught, Colt helps her hide. Sparks fly. The two spend an unforgettable night together until they’re chased off the grounds and wind up running in different directions. Six years later, each is living in Los Angeles unbeknownst to the other. Cassy auditions at every open casting call. Colt works three jobs. One day they bump into each other, and Colt hatches a plan to make their dreams reality. Is cowboy spirit enough to make it in Hollywood? When you’re always hustling to be someone, does it change who you are?
We had a chance to interview Patricia Leavy about her surprise release, and we’re lucky because she’s not planning to do much publicity for the book.
Patricia Leavy with her novel, Cowboy Eyes
You released your last novel, Twinkle of Doubt, only two months ago. Now, without any fanfare, you surprised your fans with Cowboy Eyes. Why did you decide to drop this book without advance promotion?
I’m a big fan of a surprise release from time to time. For most of my novels, I’m not able to do it because I work with a publishing and publicity team and so much of the timeline for sharing things is out of my control. But I’m also the publisher of a small imprint, Paper Stars Press. When I release something through my own imprint I have total control. I thought a surprise in time for summer reading would be fun and this is a light, escapist beach read. Most of my readers know I release two novels a year with She Writes Press, one in spring and one in fall. So no one was expecting this.
You told me you’re not planning to do more than one or two interviews for the book. Why?
Last summer, one of my dearest friends of over 35 years died unexpectedly. To be honest, I still feel shocked and unable to process it. I had always imagined he’d be in my life. Cowboy Eyes is dedicated to him, and I partly released it this month for his birthday. The book is entirely fictional, but I feel his spirit across the pages. The opening chapter shows the two characters, as teenagers, spending an unforgettable night talking about their dreams. I had more than one night like that with my friend when I was around that age. Those memories mean so much to me. His death is still raw and so I just wanted to release the book but not talk too much about it.
What inspired the story?
Taylor Swift’s song “Cowboy Like Me.” At some point that song came on and I was just gob smacked as the opening scene of a novel played out in my mind. I listened to the song on repeat for weeks and the entire novel unfurled in my mind. Art has always been a huge inspiration to me. Sometimes it’s visual art. Sometimes a film. In this case, a really beautiful and well-crafted song that contains not only the story its about, but I felt, a portal to many potential stories.
This book is a bit of a departure from your recent romances which feature very successful characters—authors, actors—as well as couples who are older and married. What made you want to switch it up for this one to focus on younger characters who are struggling to make it?
As a writer it’s important to always push yourself and take on new challenges. I love writing about couples at midlife who sort of know who they are and have a lot to offer their partner. But there is something indescribably wonderful too about being in your teens and twenties when all things are possible. The struggle to “make it” is always about the journey, not a destination, and it’s something most of us live through. I had fun revisiting that time in life but with the wisdom of hindsight you only get through experience.
What’s next for you?
I have a novel called Sugar Sand Land coming out September 22. It’s my favorite thing I’ve ever written. I love it so much, I’ll share now that there is a sequel. Together, the two books are really special. In fact, Sugar Sand Land will be my 25th published fiction book. I saved it for this milestone. There are other books in the hopper waiting to be released, both fiction and nonfiction, but I’m keeping them under wrap for now.
Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a best-selling author. She has published more than 50 books, and her books have been translated into many languages. She has received over 100 book awards. She has also received career awards from the National Art Education Association, the American Creativity Association, the New England Sociological Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the American Educational Research 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.” In 2026, The Firebird Book Awards honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Learn more:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Eyes-Novel-Love-Art-ebook/dp/B0GX32SRS2/
Website: www.patricialeavy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy
Jessie Voigts is the founder and publisher of Wandering Educators. She has a PhD in International Education, has lived and worked in Japan and London, and traveled around the world. She is constantly looking for ways to increase intercultural understanding, and is passionate about study abroad and international education.
Find her online via Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.