Readers’ Favorite Reviews

Four in the Garden now has a review page on the Readers’ Favorite website. Visit https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/four-in-the-garden. I received five 5-star reviews from their team of reviewers. Here are some excerpts:

“Rick Hocker’s Four in the Garden is a symbolic narrative bathed with spiritual meaning. It is a treasure chest overflowing with nuggets of truth. Hocker’s writing style is extremely figurative, imaginative and sensory; his descriptions entice the senses.” – Reviewed By Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers’ Favorite

“This is probably the best description of a personal relationship with a higher power that exists anywhere!” – Reviewed By Melinda Hills for Readers’ Favorite

“This is an interesting book from beginning to end, and it truly makes you think about a lot of different things. This book is an inspiration in many ways as well as being a solid, entertaining read.” – Reviewed By Kathryn Bennett for Readers’ Favorite

“The creativity and visual delights in the scenes, along with the characters, make reading this book a rewarding experience. A very original story that is inspirational and uplifting with its unique plot and spiritual undertones.” – Reviewed By Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite

Character Names in Four in the Garden

Most people don’t know that I renamed the Teachers in Four in the Garden many times. In my first draft, they were named Initiator, Fulfiller and Enabler. Those names didn’t work for me and every subsequent set of names didn’t work, either. I devoted a lot of time to figure out the best names for them.

Ennoia, who is the mind of God, was chosen because it is a Greek word meaning “mind.” The word also means thought, understanding, will, intention, and purpose.

The Teacher, Manna, expresses the words of God. The name refers to manna from heaven, which symbolizes spiritual nourishment from God. Mana is a Japanese name that means truth or love. Mana is also a Polynesian word that describes the supernatural force found in and flowing from all things.

Aable is the power of God and performs the works of God. Abel or Able is a Hebrew name that means breath. Breath and spirit are implied by this name. Aable is a variation of able, which means capable.

The name Cherished for the protagonist came to me from the very first draft. The name fit and stuck throughout the entire revision process. I never had reason to question it.

Illuminos, the fallen angel, started out as Luminous. Adding “ill” to the beginning gave the name a slightly sinister cast. Both names are based on the Latin word lumen, which means light. The Bible mentions that the devil can masquerade as an angel of light.

The name, Radiance, was chosen for the good angel because she is all about light. She has the ability to project God’s light into a scene and to focus it into narrow beams at a target.

Blaze, the most complicated character, was chosen because I wanted a word that had to do with fire, his obsession. His name needed convey something out of control. His favorite phrase, “Conflagration!” also conveys an out of control fire.

Four in the Garden is Making an Impact

The feedback I have received from readers has been encouraging. For many, Four in the Garden has reaffirmed their belief in God’s love. Most everyone has said that they want to read it again and take notes or highlight favorite sentences. Some have ordered additional copies to give away to friends or family. One couple ordered eight more books after reading it. They are my biggest fans and promote the book wherever they go.

One lady ordered a book when she became intrigued with her husband’s comments about it. One day into reading her own copy, she called me to say she found it fascinating and to request five more books. She admitted that she had read only one book since college. I was amazed that the book had that much appeal to her. She finished it in a few days. She and her husband have purchased a total of thirteen books, the largest number so far.

A Solitary Adam, without Eve

One of the most dramatic detours from the Garden of Eden story is that Four in the Garden explores the relationship between one person and God. In the Garden of Eden story, God created a companion for Adam because none of the animals proved to be a suitable companion for him. In the book, Four in the Garden, Creator chose to not create a companion for Cherished because He wanted nothing to distract from their relationship. That relationship is the focus of the story and that’s why I made the decision that Cherished would not have a companion or even a pet. So many things distract us from our relationship with God and yet that relationship is so important to God.

Removing the Trappings that Trip Us

Four in the Garden takes place in a primordial world, before rules and before religion. There is no church, no organized system of worship, no predefined code of conduct. Just God. I found this the ideal setting to depict God because I could describe a relationship with God without all the trappings of religion or culture or history. I could depict this relationship in a pure form as it ought to be portrayed. In its writing, I was careful to avoid words that are religiously loaded terms such as God, faith and sin.

I wanted to show what a relationship with God might look like, complete with the full range of emotions that accompany any meaningful relationship. We experience joy and disappointment,  understanding and frustration in human relationships and our relationship with God is no different. I believe that our relationship with God develops in the same way as our other relationships develop, as we learn to task risks, be honest and trust more and more. We have setbacks. We misunderstand. We get angry. But if we value the relationship, we work through those issues and hopefully grow closer.

An Intimate God

When we think of emotional intimacy, we rarely think of God. Yet, God created intimacy. Not only that, but God is capable of deep intimacy. Some people were put off by the intimacy Creator showed the main character, Cherished, in my book, Four in the Garden. Why is it so easy to imagine a loving father snuggling with his child, but so difficult to picture a heavenly Father being intimate and playful with a child of His? We struggle with that image because it is not our experience. And yet, our discomfort with it prevents us from experiencing it. God desires intimacy with us, but only to the extent we allow it.

God and Brussels Sprouts

People seem to either love or hate Brussels sprouts. People who hate them made that determination because they have tried them at least once in their lives. Then you have those people who have spurned God because they tried that once, too, and they didn’t like it or it didn’t work for them. But I wonder what it was they tried.

When people reject God, often they are rejecting their perception of God. That perception is based on upbringing, religious teaching, church/temple experience, and encounters with religious people. How many people have actually encountered God directly? Many of those who fall in that category would say the experience was positive.

Pure Relationship with God

In writing Four in the Garden, I tried to present a relationship with God in the purest form possible, stripping away religious and man-made obstacles. The ideal I aimed for was to give people a direct experience with God.

One person reading the book explained his surprise at being presented with a relationship with God that he found workable, one that he had never considered before. He is struggling to know what to do with that information. I suppose that if a person is being shown an open door, then he must make a decision whether to walk through it.

What is an Umbilicus?

In the story, Four in the Garden, the umbilicus is presented as a unique connection to God, a channel through which God’s life flows into us. Spiritual abundance is often compared to a well or fountain that overflows and spills out from within. The dictionary definition of umbilicus is “center” and this makes sense, since it is our inward center where God intersects us and fills us with His spiritual nourishment. God fills us from the inside out, not the other way around. The umbilicus is our spiritual connection to God and to the abundant, divine life that He brings to our souls.

Books at last!

The first shipment of books got delivered a few minutes ago. I just sent a mass email to friends and family to let them know the book is available. So this must mean that I am a published author. Wow.

It’s Out of My Hands Now

Today, I submitted my files to the printer. Like anything creative, the work is never complete; it can always be improved. But there comes a time when the painter must put down his brush to signal that the piece is finished. Finished is not the the same as complete, which implies that nothing is lacking. Since my last blog post, two proofreaders read my manuscript for errors. During this time, I reread it and made a surprising number of changes, including the addition of a final chapter.

In the days before self-publishing, the author would hand the manuscript to the publisher. In my case, I uploaded my text and cover and clicked on a button. The action had as much fanfare as submitting my taxes electronically. Not the sort of thrill to mark the culmination of seven years of work. I do feel accomplished and excited for the future, wondering how well the book will sell. When I hold a printed book in my hand, then I will have something tangible to testify to my labor and my excitement will peak and I will celebrate. But I will rest on my laurels for only a moment because there is more to be done. I must begin marketing my book. I plan to create discussion questions for my book as a downloadable PDF file. And I already have a concept for my next book, which I am eager to start working on.