6Tess Lee is a novelist. Her inspirational books explore people's innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Despite her extraordinary success, she's been unable to find personal happiness. Jack Miller is a federal agent. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He's dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself. The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, "I've never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides." The two embark on an epic love story that asks the questions: What happens when people truly see each other? Can unconditional love change the way we see ourselves? Their friends are along for the ride: Omar, Tess's sarcastic best friend who mysteriously calls her Butterfly; Joe, Jack's friend from the Bureau who understands the sacrifices he's made; and Bobby, Jack's younger friend who never fails to lighten the mood. Shooting Stars is a novel about walking through our past traumas, moving from darkness to light, and the ways in which love - from lovers, friends, or the art we experience - heals us. Written as unfolding action, Shooting Stars is a poignant novel that moves fluidly between melancholy, humor, and joy. It can be read entirely for pleasure, selected for book clubs, or used as supplemental reading in a variety of courses in communication, psychology, social work, sociology, or women's studies/gender studies.

Read Patricia Leavy's interview on Shooting Stars with We Are the Real Deal.