Hello! My name is C.J.Livingstone. Well that’s my pen name but most people just call me Chris. I am very excited to be doing this guest post because 1. It’s nearly Christmas and I am just generally excited about life; and 2. I’m looking forward to connecting to lots of lovely Christmas readers!
Of course this post is timely because we are drawing ever closer to the big day and my book, Santa Inc. has a distinctly Christmassy theme. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself and the book.
So about me: I have been writing for a long time but I actually started out as a musician in England. I played in lots of bands with varying degrees of success (or should I say lack of success). Then one day as I walked through Regents Park in London I got chatting to an American girl who would become my future wife and my life took a completely different turn as a few months later I moved to California. I have been here ever since. What started me writing was honestly the fact that I was tired of arguing with musicians about creative direction! So I gave writing a go instead.
Originally I was mostly writing screenplays and I was lucky enough to go to the Cannes Film Festival during that time which was an absolute blast. I managed to get a ten piece brass band from Norway to serenade Stacy Dash on a super yacht. Why? I can’t remember.
When I moved to the US I started working for a small production company and was immediately sent out to the Utah desert to drive Christian Slater and Gary Oldman around. It was tremendous fun and I learned a lot about Hollywood and most importantly about crafting stories. I also read a huge amount of screenplays—some good but mostly bad—which I really think helped me inform my writing style.
But something in screenplay writing was not quite satisfying either, it always felt like a screenplay was not quite the finished article—kind of like a caterpillar waiting to become a butterfly. So after that I attempted my first book. That was the story that would end up becoming Hogtown, my first two books in fact. I really wanted to write about the process of becoming a musician, almost as a letter to my younger self about the things that I would have done differently if I had known better. The first draft came in at a whopping six hundred pages and about one hundred pages per chapter. After realizing that there wasn’t really a market for that I chopped it in half and cut the chapters to bite sized chunks and so it became two slightly more readable books.
All writing is a great learning experience and after I finished that process (which took 5 years start to finish) I started looking around for my next challenge. I had written Santa Inc. as a screenplay years before and I always liked the story so I dusted it off and started writing the novel version. At this point I had two kids and I was reading to them all the time so really my inspiration was to just write a book that we could all enjoy reading together. I really wanted a story that would have something in it for everyone. I loved Roald Dahl growing up and I always enjoy a bit of Dickens so that’s the style I went for with some contemporary references thrown in for good measure. I must admit that I do enjoy those darker elements of storytelling—bad people and bad situations always make for the most compelling tales. But I remain perennially enchanted by Christmas and so I decided to build my story around that theme.
Flash forward two plus years and here I am with the finished copy in my hands. So about the book: Santa Inc. is the story of Eric, an orphan living in a decrepit orphanage in New York City under the guardianship of two horrible wards who finds his way through a tunnel in the basement into Santa Inc.—the global headquarters of Santa’s business empire. Eric’s simple and straightforward way of looking at the world helps Santa—now a hardened businessman—to rekindle the true spirit of the season.
I had so much fun writing this book because I really let my imagination run wild. It’s full of interesting characters, all with their own wants and needs who twist and turn the story in different ways. And I had a great time putting this young orphan into these very ordinary experiences of working in an office and completely turning them on their head. And for the adults who have the pleasure of working in those office cubes I’m sure you will find some of those office scenes entertaining.
I based the character of Eric somewhat on my own kids and my observation of their endless ability to imagine and their enthusiasm and excitement for the world. I also based him on my father who has a remarkable ability to wander into just about any situation and embroil himself in mischief and adventure within it. I really wanted to tap into the idea that the world is full of endless possibility and that anyone can change for the better if they allow it. As Eric makes his way through the story he encounters many adults who’ve twisted themselves around their own axle so to speak—those who have given up or who’ve been turned over by life one too many times and simply have no more to give. But through the power of his honest and simple questions he affects changes within them—sometimes big, sometimes small.
So far, I am very pleased to say that the reception to the book has been overwhelming and I am getting a lot of positive feedback. I was very excited when I was approached by a producer to option the book to turn it into a movie. I kind of feel like the project has come full circle in that respect.
But not to rest on my laurels for a moment—my first children’s illustrated book is coming out next year. It’s based on my life-long love of trains. I teamed up with a very talented illustrator called Tim Banks who did the cover design for Santa Inc. I am also working on my next novel which will be another darkish fantasy with a twist based on teddy bears—more inspiration from my kids.
Christmas this year will be low key and spent with just my immediate family. I am missing my 97 year old grandmother in England and hope to see her in early 2021. But all in all I remain grateful and excited about what adventures the holiday season will yield—even if they will mostly be among the pages of a book.
I love hearing from readers, book lovers and Christmas enthusiasts alike so please find me on Instagram @c.j.livingstone, Facebook @cjlivingstoneauthor and online at
cjlivingstone.com
If you sign up for my email list on the website you will get exclusive access to early copies and other bonus materials. Plus I’ll send you a free ebook!
For now I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Peace, good health and love –
Chris
About Santa Inc.
Back of the book blurb:Eric is a ‘different’ eight year old with a vivid and untamed imagination. But in Our Lady of Mercy Orphanage, the decrepit old building where he lives, wicked Sister Prudence fills the orphaned boy’s days with work and chores. When Eric is locked in the basement for misbehavior, he discovers a tunnel to the building next door. There he finds Santa Inc., the global headquarters of Santa’s business empire. This begins an adventure that changes the boy’s lives forever and reawakens in Santa the true spirit of Christmas.
Description:
In Santa Inc. it is sometimes not clear what is imagination and what is real. The story weaves between the grim despair of a dilapidated orphanage to the whimsical world of the skyscraper next door that just happens to belong to Santa. There are plenty of colorful characters and adventures along the way as Eric precariously balances his dual life between the two. One thing is always consistent——Eric’s ability to aggravate adults by asking them simple questions. Santa Inc. is about hope and deliverance. Friendship and sacrifice. And the ability of the human spirit to flourish when given a little love.
The book is suitable for all ages and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
About the author
C.J.Livingstone is a writer and musician. Originally from England, he now resides in California. After starting out in the music industry he moved to Los Angeles to pursue writing. Santa Inc. is his third novel.
Always in spirit...
