One of our favorite authors is back with a new must-read book, The Artist Academic. Here’s a summary of the book, which opens with a quote from the text.
While the future was uncertain, it was hopeful. The road ahead was foggy and I didn’t know exactly where it would lead, but I knew I wanted to stay on it. Somewhere in the distance, I could envision a career that didn’t just look good, but one that felt good. Regardless, I was enjoying the journey again.
Part memoir, part guidebook, The Artist Academic is essential reading for anyone looking to bridge their academic and artistic endeavors. Leavy details her exemplary career in academia, the frustrations that led her to explore creative approaches to research, her journey to becoming a public intellectual, and her successful transition to commercial novelist. The Artist Academic addresses the question Leavy is most frequently asked: How did you do it?
In this deep dive into the backstage of her career, she holds nothing back and not only offers personal experiences, but also a roadmap for others. Leavy points to the “messy gut checks” that led her to “turning points” and how you might do the same. This book is filled with invaluable advice and insider tips on the publishing industry, how to build bridges between academia and the public, developing an artist platform, dealing with misogyny and other challenges, and protecting your creativity.
Written with grace, enthusiasm, and honesty, this is an inspirational guide to finding and living your purpose.
My take: This book is a breath of fresh air. So many of us struggle to do the work we most long to do, or to balance the demands of an academic job with an artistic calling. In this book, Patricia Leavy brilliantly shows the messy gut checks and turning points that led her down a creative academic path and eventually to life as a romance novelist. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It had me from the first page and stayed with me long after the last. This is the kind of book you pull from your shelf time and again. The Artist Academic is a must-read for every educator, art educator, graduate student, artist, and creative.
Very highly recommended!
We had a chance to chat with Patricia about her new book.
Congratulations! You surprised your fans with The Artist Academic, releasing it without any advance promotion and it soared to become the Amazon #1 Bestseller in College & University Education and the Bestselling New Release in Biographies & Memoirs of Authors.
Thank you so much! I’m overjoyed and humbled by the response. I think it speaks to how many of us out there can relate to the idea of the artist academic and how we secretly long to integrate our passions.
Even before the embrace by readers, the book received incredible praise from leading scholars with Henry Giroux and Roula-Maria Dib both calling it a “must read” and Laurel Richardson hailing it as a “tour de force.” It’s also been called “generous,” “inspiring,” and “compelling.” Scholars have said it’s the book they’ve always wanted you to write and that it offers invaluable advice. How does the reception make you feel?
Humbled beyond words. People have been so generous. It’s an incredible feeling when people you admire have kind things to say about your work. Really, I think the response to the book speaks to how many people can relate to the topic. So many of us aren’t living our purpose because we can’t figure out how to prioritize our passion and still make our lives work. The book taps into something many people feel.
The surprise release under your own imprint has been massively successful, but according to what you write in the book, that wasn’t always how you planned to publish it. What happened?
I had discussed the book with two publishers, both of whom offered contracts. I actually signed a contract with one of them. I had never worked with this publisher before but was excited about it, as you always are at the beginning of a new relationship. Fast-forward, after the book was deep into production the publisher sent me an email with the subject line something like “my review of your chapter six.” I immediately tensed up. Chapter six is about misogyny and as the publisher provided no feedback on any other part of the book, and I doubt even read it, I knew what was coming. In short, he demanded I remove almost all the material on misogyny and even alter parts of my story in ways that were not truthful. It got worse from there. Turns out, he’s a misogynist himself. The irony is of course this is the very kind of experience the chapter is about. I was horrified. Angry, sad, anxious—all the bad feelings. Just to be clear too, we discussed the content of the book in detail in writing and over Zoom meetings. That chapter was always intended to be a part of the book. I insisted he return all my intellectual property.
After that kind of gross demand for censorship, and especially in the times we’re living in when many of us are fighting to protect freedom of expression, I didn’t trust anyone else with it. Those wounds run deep. So, I pivoted as I’ve done many times in my career and published it under my own imprint, Paper Stars Press, so I could retain complete creative control and more importantly, protect the integrity of my life’s story. For most books, I do a lot of advance promotion, but with this one I thought it would be fun to make it a surprise. I know a lot of people have been waiting for a book like this, so I thought it would be cool to sort of say, “hey, here it is.”
I’ve been blown away, overjoyed and humbled by the response.
It must feel like vindication. What’s really amazing about that story coming from someone who has read the book is that the chapter on misogyny and industry battles is one of the best and most important chapters in the book. It will resonate with countless women and anyone who has dealt with these issues. What’s more, the writing doesn’t feel like telling tales just to tell them, but like you’re providing information people can use when they have these experiences.
Thank you. That was my goal. My intention is never to target specific people or organizations for the sake of doing so, but you need to be able to tell truthful stories about your experiences and that does require being honest about the roles others played. My hope is that my experiences can be used to help others. We all face pain and injustice. Transforming that into something that may somehow do some good in the world is the best we can hope for. That requires honesty. In the bigger picture beyond my specific book, I do not believe in censorship, and on the contrary believe we must always take a stand to protect freedom of expression.
Publishers who don’t stand up for freedom of expression are in the wrong business.
One of my favorite parts of the book is in the misogyny chapter when you write: There is no revenge for being subjected to misogyny and abuse. Success is lovely but never guaranteed and always fleeting. Creativity though is a well that never runs dry. It is a tool, an elixir, and an antidote. It can even be a weapon, when we need it to be.
Thank you. As an artist, nothing means more to me than my novels. I love them and pour my heart and soul into each one to do my best to make them beautiful literary works. To me, art has a social purpose too. I think about what I am contributing to the culture. Sometimes that means being subversive.
What’s your best advice to creatives?
Develop a relationship with your work that isn’t dependent on anything external, positive or negative. Trust and follow your vision. Carve your own path. Get honest with yourself. Engage in messy gut checks, because they will lead you to turning points.
What are you working on next?
My novel, Cinematic Destinies, just came out a few weeks ago and I’m incredibly proud of it. It’s a cozy, feel-good love story about love, art, and what it means to live with passion. It’s a book I always hoped to write. The second book in the Celestial Bodies Romances, following Shooting Stars Above, is coming out in March 2026 and it’s called Twinkle of Doubt. Beyond those, believe it or not I have about ten novels written and waiting to be rolled out over the next several years. I am working on new novels as well and a couple of nonfiction projects. For readers who enjoy The Artist Academic, there may be more in store for them. People can always check out my website or follow my social media for updates.
Website: www.patricialeavy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy
X (Twitter): twitter.com/PatriciaLeavy
The Artist Academic on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Artist-Academic-Literary-Scholar/dp/1737862441/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
Cinematic Destinies on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cinematic-Destinies-Novel-Carpet-Romance/dp/164742948X