C.S. Elston

Worshipper, Husband, Author, Screenwriter, Home Cook, Fan

The Gift of Rio is Now Available!

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I’m excited to announce that the second book in the Gift of the Elements series is now available!  Although the events depicted make it chronologically book one – don’t let that confuse you, the books are independent but connected stories and can be read in any order and still make complete sense. Paperbacks and eBooks are now shipping on Amazon and the limited edition, signed and numbered hardcovers are available, exclusively, through the publisher, Electric Quill Press. In fact, they are now offering a bundle that includes both The Gift of Rio and The Gift of Tyler that saves 10% compared to buying the books separately.

Also, in celebration of The Gift of Rio’s release, Amazon is offering The Gift of Tyler eBook, at no charge, for five days only. The promotion started today and ends Saturday so, if you don’t already have it and you prefer your books digital, go to Amazon right now while you can get The Gift of Tyler for free! But, if you’re like me and you prefer to touch the physical pages of your books, head on over to Electric Quill Press and save 10% on that bundle that includes both books.  Then you will have plenty to read as you travel over the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Favorite Thing About Being A Writer

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October 20, 2017

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C.S. Elston

 

 

One of the many questions that I’ve been asked repeatedly is, “What’s your favorite thing about being a writer?” Surprisingly, it’s not an easy one to answer. Perhaps that’s because, on any given day, my answer changes depending on my mood, my latest project or for countless other reasons. However, a handful of answers do seem to come up a lot.

I love that writing gives me a voice. People can express themselves in many ways. That’s one of the numerous things that makes any kind of art so great. For me, it’s through writing. Everyone has something to say and I have the privilege of saying it through writing.

I love that writing lasts. We don’t have videos of events that happened thousands of years ago but, we do have written accounts. Homer and Dante didn’t make movies but they did write The Odyssey and Inferno. The written word is a timeless tradition that I am very proud and honored to join on any level that I can.

I love that writing takes me and others on adventures. As I flesh out a story, I get to go on the adventure with the characters. When I write in “The Four Corners” series, I get to go to a fictional world called Kadosh. “The Gift of the Elements” series has taken me as far away as Japan and will eventually take me to both Chile and Finland. Then, when I finally finish and send the story out into the world, others get to go on those same adventures. I, for one, think that’s awesome!

Perhaps more than anything else and, therefore, the answer I give the most often and would probably pick as the number one reason if forced to narrow it to only one, is that I love that writing means I get to create something new. I love to create. It’s also why I enjoy cooking so much. In both cases, you start with nothing but an idea and wind up with something you hope is wonderful when it’s all over. And, in both cases, you can bet someone will let you know how wonderful (or, conversely, awful) either way.

Granted, the building blocks you use aren’t completely original to just you. With cooking, the ingredients come from somewhere. Even if they come from your own garden, you must thank God for sending the sun and the rain. And, with writing, the same is true. You’re building off your life experiences and the things that have inspired you. After all, as creators, we’re all actually imitators when it comes right down to it. In fiction, we’re imitating real life. In non-fiction, we’re documenting real life. And, the truth is, we’re all just imitating the original creator anyway.

The process can be a minor taste of hell at times but, in the end, we all hope it’s worth it. And, for me, so far, it always has been.

 

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