Book 3 Is Actually Happening!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you…information on Book 3 in the Clouds Aflame series.

Before I got started working on this book, I honestly thought that writing was easy. Everything just came to me. Words knocked around inside my head and my heart, and if I didn’t write them down, I’d go crazy. And then 2020 happened, and my creative juices dried up. I’m still not writing as regularly as I used to. I’ve cried, I’ve yelled at God, I’ve seriously considered giving up. But I came back. I kept fighting. God didn’t let me give up. And now, I’m doing what any good author does and working on my book instead of doing schoolwork. I’m working with my advisor, turning my novel into my capstone project for my bachelor’s degree. She says she can imagine a prequel.

Now, most people might consider this a bit of a premature update. After all, I’m not even finished editing the rough draft. But the thing is, my writing skills are improving a lot, and this second draft is probably as good as the fourth draft of Where the Clouds Catch Fire. Also, I’ve been saying for years that my book would be ready during the second half of 2022. I estimate that I’ll be ready to publish sometime in November, assuming I’m able to keep up my editing mojo.

I don’t have a cover yet. I’ve designed my previous two covers using stock photos I found online, but I want to do something a bit different this time. I want to have a photoshoot. I plan on dressing up, finding a local patch of woods, and having someone shoot pictures of me. Just to clarify, the girls on the cover of the first two books are supposed to be Alynn. I will not be portraying Alynn. I have the right body type, but the wrong hair color and complexion. (My sister, on the other hand, has the right complexion and hair color, but the wrong body type. We need a third sister who’s right in the middle–but then again, there’s a 50-50 chance she’d be too short AND too dark.)

I suppose you want to know a bit about Book 3. I don’t want to give away too much right now. If you follow me on Twitter (@MJPiazza2), you’ll know a lot about Book 3. Maybe too much, if you’re perceptive. You’ll also know a lot about other things, like the fact that I made tacos at 8:00 PM this Monday or that I’m way too excited about my Hobby Lobby sock yarn haul. But if you’re not a Twitter person (and I can’t blame you), then I’ll tell you this.

Alynn is 19. She and Drostan have a baby girl named after Drostan’s late mother. Things are going well until Tarin and his fellow student Brett see something in the woods–something that they’re not even sure is human. This phantom turns out to be a deadly thief. Alynn is torn. Does she stay home to love her baby? Does she go out to fight for her home?

I might as well tell you the title, too. I’ve known the title of Book 3 for years, but I’m finally ready to tell you. Alynn’s third adventure will be available for purchase under the title Where Arrows Fall.

What are you hoping to see in Where Arrows Fall? Let me know in the comments below! God bless you, dear readers, and don’t forget to reread the first two books in preparation!