Acts of Service in my Writing and Life

When I began to write, I explored topics I loved, was motivated towards and believed in. 

Cats. 

But also, service. Cats across the globe who are homeless and live without care or love. Lack of education that lead to more and more kittens and over-run, poorly-funded animal shelters. 

Growing up a country kid, my family saw our share of stray animals. Often, a car would drop them off in our yard and leave. It saddened me to no end. 

After penning my first two middle grade mystery novels featuring Ace the Cat, I wanted to give Ace a voice big enough to serve and educate people and cat lovers about the issues pets face. Several of the felines in the mystery live without a companion or a steady home. They create networks between themselves, even work to find homes for their kind. It was my way of giving the nameless, faceless cats at shelters and in the streets a voice. 

I also became a volunteer with a local pet food pantry. Often, people find themselves in dire needs or out of a job and cannot afford to keep their pet or pets. Thus, many are left on their own. Our program was non-profit and we worked to stock a pet food pantry. With vouchers, pet owners came to us for cat or dog food in all varieties to better help them get through rough patches and still have their buddies warm and safe with them. 

I still believe in taking care of animals and providing service to give these furry buddies a voice. 

Last summer, my fiancé and I adopted a cat from a shelter - Emma. It turned out Emma herself also believed in service. She was a homeless young mom with her own kittens - already hard without a home. But when a stray bunch of older kittens without a mother found Emma’s family, Emma took them in, too. Emma was the last one left at the shelter. All her kittens had been adopted. She’s now 2 years old and an absolute joy. 

Happy reading!

AM Bostwick

                                                                                        Emma