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Hi, I'm Carson.

You can get to know me over on the About tab or by joining my Newsletter (see below). I'd really love to see you on the list! My newsletter is your behind-the-scenes peek at what’s going on, whether that be travel, writing, podcasting, or something else entirely. It’s also the first place I reveal major updates (like if I were to actually manage to get something published, eek!). Don’t forget: after signing up, you’ll still have to confirm your subscription. Check your spam folder if you don’t receive a confirmation email right away.

The Next Town OVer Podcast (Now Available!)

The Next Town Over is a podcast about travel, culture, and international relations. Hosts Carson Costa and Nicole Bennett explore the world through travel tips, personal experiences, interviews from guests around the world, and close looks at the relationships between countries. We dive into how cultures merge and overlap, how relationships between countries have impacted their cultures, and look at related topics, like how relationships with our neighbors changes how we think on a small and large scale.

Visit the Next Town Over tab for more information about the podcast!

Travel

I’ve landed back in Nevada and am planning to put down some roots. You can still get your travel fix by checking out either of my travel blogs.

My archived vanlife blog covers my process of turning a cargo van into a tiny home and following our adventures on the road. Danica, my van, and I had an amazing time. We hit 35 states, Canada, and tons of National Parks. I didn’t document everything from the 3 years I had my van, but there’s a lot of content here and if you’re building your own van, I did posts on nearly every step of the process.

Pushpins and Passports is still live and is home to stories, advice, and news about travel-related projects, including many of my adventures traveling Europe from June 2022 to July 2023.

You can stay updated on new posts to either of these blogs by subscribing to my newsletter!

Short Stories and Articles

Currently, the pieces posted in my Portfolio are all pretty old. I hope to add more as I work on character studies and sort through old essays and articles that are no longer current enough for traditional publication. Find everything from travel articles to a speculative romance.

The Character Breakroom is a collection of loosely-structured short-form pieces centering on the characters from my novel-length projects. These scenes are all rather ridiculous, the result of a myriad of characters with very different personalities from very different worlds and genres clashing together. It’s an experiment in character exploration, and a way for me to have a bit of fun putting the characters in situations they would never find themselves in within the stories I’m telling.

To find out where you can get my published work, visit the Published page.

Serials and Novels

I am starting work on a serial, which will be a lot like a TV show in structure: a big plot broken down into bite-sized standalone stories. You'll be able to subscribe to the series and get each new chapter straight to your mailbox. I don’t currently have any predictions as to when I’ll be launching it, as it’s still in the very early stages.

My current novel-length project is a romantic fantasy adventure about a princess who sets a challenge for her own hand, but finds herself caught up in a threat against her kingdom as a series of misadventures bring her and her intended further and further from home. This novel explores how love can grow, our priorities can change, and the friendships we build can alter the trajectory of our lives. I like to describe it as The Princess Bride meets Around the World in 80 Days. I’ve completed a workable draft and am finalizing a few edits before I start pitching to agents and editors.

There are multiple other novels that I’m in the process of developing. You can read about them under “Works-in-Progress” below and find out more about upcoming launches on the Coming Soon page or by subscribing to my Newsletter at the bottom of this page.

To find out where you can get my published work, visit the Published page.

Interact

The News tab is a great way to get a quick glimpse of what’s new. And, of course, I always welcome requests, comments, questions, and concerns, so please let me know what's on your mind under the Contact tab.

You can also support me by following me on Instagram @thecarsoncosta. 

Works-in-Progress

Drops of the Ocean (Working Title)

Rienna must marry. It’s not a requirement to rule, merely a necessity of life. She’s put it off, rather enamored with her solitude and focused on helping her father rule their kingdom, but kings and princes are beginning to note that her window to marry is closing, and they’re eager to meet her challenge and claim her hand. So Rienna sets a challenge she knows none of them can pass unless she allows them to: find her, and return her home. Having learned magic in secret, she transfigures a tower in the forest and transforms into a bird whenever suitors come knocking. Watching and judging them while hidden in plain sight, she waits for someone to come that might, just maybe, be a bearable partner.

But it isn’t a suitor that catches her eye. Ahren isn’t looking for her, merely laughing at the many disastrous attempts of posh princes and brainless knights to breach her tower. He has no interest in her, the princess, and shows kindness to her, the bird. He’s as good as she’s going to get, she decides, and reveals herself.

It’s not candlelight and roses, but Ahren does agree to marry her, and they start on the half-day journey home. Which should be the easy part.

It turns out falling in love is a greater challenge than any Rienna could have set, and trouble is brewing outside the kingdom’s borders. Finding herself further and further from home, Rienna must find strength in in new friends, learn to survive, and perhaps even fall in love in order to save her people.

Betwixt (Working Title)

Irica was born Nix, a witch with powers of destruction so volatile that the touch of her skin is enough to kill. After years of pretending, a startling family secret comes to light and Irica takes a stand, embracing the desire she’s always had to spurn her powers and to help, rather than hurt. Soon enough, it becomes clear that if she and her new friends are going to survive, she’ll have to make her way across three realms of magic and danger to Witches’ Wake, a citadel where the Wix, witches with powers of creation, have been secluded from the rest of the world since banishing the Nix from it hundreds of years ago.

Walking on Water (Working Title)

Cressida has been the medical marvel of her kingdom since a carriage accident when she was a little girl. In her kingdom, the water possesses great healing power, and all ailments were easy treated. Except for her paralysis. Eventually, the doctors concluded that there simply wasn't anything wrong with her. Still unable to walk, Cressida found herself isolated and judged, and became a sullen, invisible figurehead at her father's side. But when a brazen stableboy refuses to leave her alone, Cressida finds that healing is a choice, and it's her spirit and determination that will ultimately help her save her kingdom from a fate worse than death.

The Fourth Sunrise (Working Title)

When the darkest names in the criminal underworld talk of her, they simply call her the Devil. She's just a girl, but she's fallen far from humanity, and is relentless in her pursuit of... well, no one really knows. They don't dare stand in her way long enough to ask. But Daniel remembers her as a twelve-year-old. Nice enough, really, if a bit odd. And it's thanks to her that his dad's given up. At least, Daniel figures it all comes back to her. And he's determined to make her fix it. But when he finally gets his hands on her long enough to make his demands, the Devil has forgotten her own name, never mind the information that could have helped his dad. As Daniel finds himself suddenly on her side, he discovers that the Devil really is just a girl. A girl who has been beaten and betrayed too many times to hold on to her humanity. A girl who has come to think so little of herself that only accomplishing her mission can restore any sense of self-worth. A girl who literally carries the fate of a world on her magically-strengthened shoulders. A girl in need of help. And Daniel finds himself a willing accomplice, sucked into a world of magic and war.

The Suicide Club (Working Title)

In this young adult novel, a trio of high school seniors are startled to realize they are all dealing with the same problem: depression. They make a pact to help each other survive it, and along the way find themselves up against an unforgiving world and judgmental community. As Lyra continues to struggle against her own demons, she must also try to save her family's wildlife sanctuary, or lose her home, her family, and all that remains of her father.

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes info! The sign-up is at the bottom of every page.