Patricia Miller of Sugarcreek recently released "Joshua: Breaking Free," the second installment in her young adult sci-fi romance trilogy. 

A local writer is hitting the author’s circuit again after releasing the much-anticipated sequel to her debut novel.

Patricia Miller of Sugarcreek recently debuted “Joshua: Breaking Free,” the second installment of her young adult sci-fi romance trilogy. We caught up with Patricia to find out more about her latest novel and what she’s been up to since its release:

You’ve said the first novel was inspired by a dream? Did the vision for the second book come to you in the same way?

No. Once I had book 1 in place, I began to outline book 2. I knew that a secondary character had come to the forefront by the end of book 1. I knew that the characters would all need to grow and mature in book 2.  The ideas for the twists and turns in book 2 were plotted most carefully. Book 3 will be wrapping up and tying all loose ends.

Without giving too much away, what can your fans expect from Breaking Free?

Well, all the characters grow an awful lot in Breaking Free. And just like the title infers, they end up having to step forward with great courage to find a way to truly break free from the clutches of the Theosian government.

Does this book pick up right where the last one left off?

Yes, book 2 (Breaking Free) picks up exactly where book 1 (Life After Theos) left off. Book 1 left off with Joshua and his friends coming to a surprise realization. They know their freedom is in jeopardy but they have no idea how it will all play out.

Your first book had some pretty strong messages about society and the challenges our young adults deal with.  Is that also true of the sequel?

In a way…yes. Only the reader gets to see a striking comparison between Theos and Earth. And just as the reader sees the struggles Joshua experiences when coming to Earth in book 1, so do they see the struggles Joshua’s love, Emma, experiences being a stranger to Theosian ways in book 2.

You mentioned before that you envisioned these books potentially becoming a series. Is that still the plan?

Joshua is a trilogy. Books 1 and 2 have been released and book 3, released in the future will complete the series. However, I intend to write a paranormal romance before book 3 in the Joshua Trilogy.

Was the publication process any different the second time around?

Slightly. I wanted book 2 to be out in time to take it with me to a science fiction convention the first weekend in March. I asked my publisher for due dates and deadlines which were given. However, my publisher had to move up the deadline for the final draft by about 4 weeks, making it quite a challenge for me and my editor to have the final clean version ready in time.  However, I set writing goals for each day and after my editor quickly put the final touches on it, it was ready to go. Once again, since my manuscript was professionally edited and clean, it took only 4 weeks to publish. Having worked with my publisher and cover designer before, we were again a marvelous team throughout the entire publishing process. It was smooth the first time and even smoother the second time around.

What have you been up to since the book was released?

Well, I attended my first science fiction convention as an author the first weekend in March and I have been working tirelessly on a committee to bring an annual, quality book festival to Dover. It’s called the Canal Town Book Fest, will be held at the Dover Public Library and this year it will be on Friday, May 3rd, from 7-9. It’s ticketed event with live classical acoustic guitar music and an interview and signing with a nationally acclaimed author. The actual book fest will be held the next day (Saturday, May 4th) from 9-4 and it will host approximately 30 authors and is a free event.

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“Joshua: Life After Theos” and “Joshua: Breaking Free” are both available online on Amazon, B & N, BAM and BookLocker. They can also be purchased individually or separately for a special deal at either of Patricia’s local book launch events. She will be at The Daily Grind on March 23rd from 11 am to 2 pm and Hoodletown on March 29th from 7 to 9 pm. You can also find her on Facebook at patriciamiller.author.