I am so excited for today’s update! And I’m sharing it at a time when the dust is settling. What kind of dust? Keep reading to find out!
I’m Esther, but readers know me as E. S. Elias. I write across multiple genres—historical, fantasy, and sci-fi tales with a dash of romance—because I’ve never been able to choose just one world to live in. I’ve been writing stories since 2010–2011, chasing that spark of imagination that refuses to stay quiet.
When I’m not lost in a fictional kingdom or sketching out a new story, I’m usually at home with my three cats, my dog (and remembering two more beloved pups who still live in my heart), sitting a mountain of books, DVDs, and project journals.
Looking for some Clean & Christian fiction? I’ve got your back! If you haven’t been around here before, I recently started a new a reader supported publication where I share updates and news regarding my Christian & Clean projects, sneak peeks for current WIPs, early access to ARCs, and more!
Before we get into the fun stuff, allow me to share a recap-story with you:
Back in Winter of 2022, or there abouts, I went out with some friends and we ended up in a book store—in the Plaza Las Americas Mall of San Juan. We were discussing some bookish topics when Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander came up. One of these friends mentioned how she wished there was “a series like Outlander, but without all the R-rated scenes and themes”.
In my confidence, I told her “I will write you that story. I can and I will.”
And side-note here: I journaled this single sentence and I thought I had more to go on, but I didn’t. Some stories sit on a shelf while others take immediate shape.
Back to the present. It is now September, 2025—a lot happened in this month, but I am not going to dive in too deeply with that. Because I’m not trying to reignite fires or stir the coals. That’s not my purpose.
I went on another outing with this same friend, in a much larger group. We went to the movies to celebrate this friend’s birthday, because Howl’s Moving Castle was playing. This is her all-time favorite movie.
I’d never watched or read the book before this. So, it was a new experience. One that I enjoyed so much. I loved the movie, way more than I expected to.
This brings me to the days that followed this movie trip. I found myself falling down a rabbit hole. One that brought me back to “I will write you that story. I can and I will.”
I opened the notebook where I’d left the idea. It looked like I’d added some other notes over the years, but nothing concrete or motivating enough to start writing.
The day that I began this update—September 26, 2025—I re-watched Howl’s Moving Castle, and I have a strong desire to write a story with similar, cozy-whimsical themes, but with Christian undertones, and the time-travel brilliance of Outlander.
Because I am now striving to keep my focus on what God wants me to do, I’ve been taking this idea to Him in my prayers. And every time that I open this notebook, I’m pouring ideas onto the pages. I may run out of space because silly me has been writing in the back of the notebook instead in in the middle where I have loads of room.
So what does this mean?
It means, I am still seeking God’s guidance in this story, but I am stepping forward by faith. And if I have God’s blessing to continue, He will make it known to me. He’s stopped me from writing other stories in the past, He knows how to talk to me.
But I will say, that by the time you read this update, things are happening.
I have started sharing my goals for this book on The WriMo Blog, because I am—hopefully—participating in RDC this year. You can find out more by reading this update:
