The Martinez Tribune

In October, I started my free subscription system for people who wanted to read my inspirational articles. In November, I contacted my local paper, The Martinez Tribune, about submitting these articles for their Faith section. After reading some sample articles, they were delighted to publish them. Since then, I have been writing a new article for the paper each month as a guest contributor. You can read them at https://martineztribune.com/category/life/faith/. These same articles can be downloaded at http://www.rickhocker.com/articles.html. My intent is to write about topics of faith in a style that is practical and accessible.

Subscriptions

If you wish to subscribe to receive these articles, you can do so at http://www.rickhocker.com/subscribe.html.

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.

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.

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.

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.