At Absolute Love Publishing, we believe in creating goodness in the world. This post is one of a series in which we’ve asked our authors to explain why they choose to align themselves with our publishing house and why they use their craft to create goodness…
Absolute Love Publishing Author Steve Schatz
Goodness is an ever-moving target and a very personal one. Each of us has a different and evolving definition of what goodness is. But whatever the definition, why I pursue it, promote it, try to dance with it, is easy. I have seen in my life that the things I feed with my attention and energy tend to grow and take up more room in my mind and in my life.
When I concentrate on my fears, they grow. When I concentrate on resentment, it grows. So, when I concentrate on joyous work, that is what grows. They say if you have two dogs and feed only one, the dog you feed is the one that grows.
When I write, I am completely consumed with figuring out the plot, how the characters talk with each other, and how to move the story along. However, what really feeds me, what keeps me going during the 15th rewrite, is reaching toward a better understanding of a way of life that exists not only in the Adima Chronicles, but—more and more—in my own life as well.
In that life, each one of us has come here to experience, learn, and share. In that life, each of us is responsible for creating sacred spaces, places where we focus on that which is just beyond our reach, that to which we aspire. With every action I take, I strive for awareness—of what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. As I take each aware action, I take responsibility also for those actions. If things turn out the way I wanted—great. If not, I seek learning, not blame.
I am troubled when I look at Young Adult bookshelves in stores. So many books are post-apocalyptic killing sprees. Many are updates of old stories of youth railing against fate and then escaping or being rescued. The Adima books intentionally tell a story of responsible action. The characters are not passive. They must decide which teachers to listen to and what lessons to take. They must direct their own change. At the end of the story, each character is different.
I believe there is always hope. There are always lessons. And it is each person’s decision what dog to feed. I strive to communicate these beliefs in my books, using my words to reach toward the sacred and the good. I’m thankful to work with a publisher who also strives for the good and believes in taking creative action for change. Together, we spread light through action. It is my hope that we also show others how to do the same.
Additional posts in the Creating Goodness Series:
Why I Use My Craft To Crate Goodness … Janet McLaughlin
Why I Use My Craft To Create Goodness … Sarah Hackley
Why I Use My Craft To Create Goodness … Michelle Hastie
