Hope/Possibility

In THE WARMTH OF OUR CLOSEST STAR (ENZO & PETER #2), a character named Alex says:

“Hope is the belief that some course of action we take—some decision—will make our lives better. You know, we’ll say or do the right thing that fixes everything. But that’s not really what hope is. It’s the resolve to see everything through to its end. To keep trying. Because at the end of life, what matters isn’t that one thing we said or did—it’s all of the things we said and did. Hope doesn’t work on a timetable—and if it did, it’s not ours.”

Later, Enzo says:

“Did you know that hope is not the belief that one decision or action will fix everything? Hope is the resolve to take one step after another, seeing things through to the end. Because you believe that, in the end, everything will be okay. Hope is, actually, possibility.”

After their one perfect night in Montreal in the book BETWEEN ENZO & THE UNIVERSE, Enzo’s and Peter’s epic love story concludes today with the release of THE WARMTH OF OUR CLOSEST STAR.

You can get a copy of it here.

Covering the 10 years following the events in BETWEEN ENZO & THE UNIVERSE, THE WARMTH OF OUR CLOSEST STAR moves a few steps away from grief and attempts to unravel the mysteries of hope and possibility.

Are they the same thing? Interchangeable?

Enzo tries to discover what he hopes for most. What is possible.

The meaning of his life.

When I wrote BETWEEN ENZO & THE UNIVERSE (released January 14th, 2020), I set out to tell the tale of a grieving immigrant and how one act of kindness from a stranger could set a life on a new, better, more hopeful, course.

In THE WARMTH OF OUR CLOSEST STAR, my sole purpose was…then what?

If you had a chance, if you were given opportunity, tools, resources, love, and hope…what would you do with that?

When I started writing WARMTH, we were in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The geopolitical landscape looked much different. My country looked much different.

As I wrote, the world changed. Drastically. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes for the worse. Even within the last few days and weeks, things have happened that have made hope seem pointless.

But what is hope if not possibility?

No matter what happens, there is always possibility. There is always another step a person can take. Another course of action. One can adapt. Learn. Adjust. Attack a problem from a new angle.

There is never a lack possibility. Or hope.

I have been so angry lately.

And I’ve been angry at myself for feeling angry. Because I’ve always felt that anger was a mask for a more vulnerable emotion I was afraid to show. Maybe I was sad, embarrassed, humiliated…but…not angry. Right?

Anger, like any emotion, is important. It is useful. It serves a purpose. Anger, I have learned, reminds me that I still care. That I haven’t given up hope.

I’m simply angry because someone bad did something bad and I’m upset that we, as a people, have to correct a wrong. Yet again.

Ten steps forward. Nine steps back.

That seems to be the theme, right?

Maybe one day it’ll be ten steps forward, two steps back. We can hope. It’s possible.

I write all of this to all of you because I hope you’re angry. And I hope you don’t feel bad about it. I hope you harness that anger, find its usefulness, and realize what is possible when anger is utilized correctly.

I hope you know that, in your anger, you are proving to yourself how much you care. You haven’t given up hope.

People who have given up hope are not angry. They are apathetic.

Maybe you don’t know what to do right now. Maybe you need to sit in your anger. Stew. Consider your options. That’s okay. When you’re done…when your anger has become a fiery ball begging to be cast upon those who need it most, I hope you act.

I hope you show what is possible.

And I hope, when/if you read THE WARMTH OF OUR CLOSEST STAR, you are left feeling lighter, more hopeful, dizzy with possibility.

I hope you revel in Enzo’s and Peter’s love story. Like anything in life, it’s not easy. WARMTH is not a fantasy. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s human.

It’s about two men whose love for each other only grew in their two years apart after one perfect night together, and they chose to find out what was possible instead of fearing what they might find. They ignored all of the obstacles in the path before them, had faith…and leapt.

Have faith. Be angry. Have hope. Find what is possible.

Tremendous Love & Thanks,
Chase.