Is it possible to change a person's life just through words? Imagine receiving thought-provoking letters from a total stranger. For months, missives on anything and everything arrive unannounced, altering the receptor's life irrevocably. Thus begins Castles Built on Clouds, a completed 64,000-word literary novel set in modern times following three very different women's lives. Thea Corelli, an aspiring writer who just resigned from her high school teaching position to pursue her dream of being published, is teaching a summer college course called Enlightenment 101: Conversations with a Madwoman. To prepare for each class, she writes letters based on each class topic and sends them to a well-known stage actress, Kiernan Connelly. These edifying letters-covering a myriad of subjects such as perception, connections, expectations, and personas-guide Kiernan toward making positive life changes. The intrigued actress recognizes a tenuous connection with Thea and toys with the idea of responding to the letters, but her fears prevent her from taking that leap of faith. While Kiernan struggles with this decision, Thea develops a friendship with her student, Patricia Steitz, a young, successful author who begins a summer romance with the object of her book and affections, Rafe Singlewood. Patricia grapples with the realization that the perfect man she created in her book is not the same person in real life. Unbeknownst to Patricia, the actor has indulged in a casual relationship with Kiernan for the last four years. As Thea forms connections with Patricia and Kiernan, she faces her own demons, learning the very lessons she seeks to impart.