IndieView with Wayne Hoss, author of A Sermon to Remember

… never give up on your dreams. If you believe that writing is your gift, then follow your heart and never give up.

Wayne Hoss – 5 March 2015

The Back Flap

This Book was read by every member of the church that I have attended for many years and the people at the church loved and praised the book. One member went as far as taping a couple of pages from the book on his wall as a daily reminder. The children at my church started referring to me as “Little Moses”, and my Pastor said “I am jealous, my wife absolutely loved your book!” A sermon to remember by Wayne Hoss is an awesome book about love, life, God, sin, prayer, goals, faith, leadership, problem children, and much, much more. Do you have a purpose in life? Read this book to help you figure out what that purpose might be. A MUST READ for anyone that is in a leadership position at work, or anywhere else for that matter, including parents. The Leadership and Parenting chapter in this book is unremarkable!

About the book

What is the book about?

The Book is titled A Sermon to Remember by Wayne Hoss; it is available in several formats including printed edition and audio. The book can be seen at Amazon’s web site.

To be honest with you, I originally wrote the book so that anyone who ever wanted to read the bible but had a hard time understanding it, would be able to learn from that which I worked so hard to understand. However, after reading an e-mail from Al Remington in which he said “As you know I produce and narrate a lot of audio books, of which a great majority are religious and spiritual in nature.  Of all the Christian books that I have done in the last 15 months, your book impacted me more than I can really express.  Jesus has been exceptionally good to me throughout my life, except in many cases I didn’t realize it!  I caused a great deal of hurt to my family and let my ambitions and my ego get in the way.  As I was narrating your book I saw that I wasn’t alone in the hurtful things I had done over my life and God indeed has forgiven me and you showed me how to forgive myself and move on to the opportunitys and life that Christ has in store for me.  Thanks again for the opportunity you gave me to take away from your experiences, Sincerely Al Remington” In fact he was so impressed by the books contents that he emailed me again just to say “Reading your book was a Phenomenal Experience, I really enjoyed reading it!” That’s when I came to realize that this book was so much more than I had imagined. God was truly the author of this book, more so than I.

It’s a trip how the book came to be, because in the beginning I never really intended to write a book at all. Growing up as a child I always wanted to read the bible, however I could never seem to get past all of the “begat’s” and “begot’s” in the beginning of the bible, so I would always get discouraged and set it back down again without reading any further.

As time went on and I grew older, I finally picked the bible up one day, skipping past the “begat’s” and “begot’s”  and continued reading;  and I must tell you that I was so amazed by all of the wisdom that I found in the bible, I just could not set it back down again. For instance, I seen a special on television many years ago and they were talking about how bad our health has become these days in comparison to other people’s health in the past. They said that one of the reasons our health is so bad these days is because the soil that our produce is grown in is basically depleted.

Almost all of the minerals and vitamins that the fruit and vegetables draw from in the soil are gone, and as a result, the fruits and vegetables we eat these days have less minerals and vitamins as well, and every year that passes by they have even less than the year before. You might ask “what does this have to do with the bible?” when I tell you, it is going to blow your mind and it will give you a whole new respect for the bible.

The answer to that question is probably going to blow a lot of minds, because mankind has studied the bible for centuries, forward and backward… inside and out, but as far as I know not one single person has ever caught on to this bit of knowledge. Why didn’t they catch it? When Jesus spoke in parables it was for a reason. One day when Jesus was asked why he spoke in parables, he said the reason that he spoke in parables was so that only people who truly wanted to know the meaning of his stories would understand them. That is just one of the many things that this book reveals and explains in great detail, in terms that even a child can understand. It reveals that which was hidden.

Here is what the depleted soil has to do with the bible: it says in the bible that the farmers and growers shall gather the harvest for six years and on the seventh year they shall not gather it at all. Again you might be puzzled and ask “what does this have to do with anything?” Here is how I put it in my new book A Sermon to Remember by Wayne Hoss:

The bible is the most accurate book ever written. Did you know that one of the main health problems we endure today is the lack of natural minerals and vitamins that our bodies need to maintain good health? Scientists said over fifty years ago that the soil in our ground is seriously depleted. You see, the food that grows out of the ground feeds on the soil which brings forth the minerals, vitamins, and other things that the plant needs. The plant draws the vitamins and minerals from the rich soil into its own body and when we eat them, our bodies absorb those vitamins and minerals as well.

If the Scientists said that our soil was seriously depleted over fifty years ago, imagine how bad it must be now! You might be thinking, “What does this have to do with the bible?” In Exodus 23:10-11 God said “Six years thou shall sow thy land, and shall gather in the fruits thereof; but the seventh year thou shall let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shall deal with thy vineyard, and with thy olive yard.”

What could have been God’s motive? I mean besides feeding the poor, the animals, the birds and the beasts? He did have another reason for saying that, you can call it punishment for the farmers being too greedy to let a year’s worth of harvest go to the poor; you can even call it karma if you like, but the fact of the matter is that God, in his perfect wisdom, knew that the ground needed to be replenished and fertilized; He also knew that what fell to the ground and was not eaten by the poor or the animals, would have fertilized and replenished the soil; that is, had mankind done as God commanded and let it rest and lie still every seventh year, then we would not have the health problems that we do today.

Now are you beginning to see how wise God is? Doctors and Scientists now admit that problems such as allergies, arthritis, cancer, glaucoma, and common back pains are attributed to the lack of minerals and vitamins in our food, which of course is due to the lack of rich soil. Maybe now the farmers will rethink that commandment.

Wow! Isn’t it interesting that the bible contains so much wisdom? That’s what this book is all about. I took all of the questions that I myself had about the bible and religion, or about life itself for that matter; as well as questions other people have asked or ever wondered about, and then I researched them for years and put the answers here in this book “A Sermon to Remember” by Wayne Hoss, and it is written in easy to understand terms so that anyone can understand what is being said, even children.

When did you start writing the book?

I am glad that you asked that question, because it is a continuation of my answer to the question above. I never really intended to write this book at all. However, as I read the bible and came across interesting things, or answers to questions that I or people that I have had conversations with over the years had asked or wondered about, I would be so amazed by the answers to those questions when I came across them in reading the bible,  that I would take notes. As time went on I had accumulated so many notes that it was impossible to organize them and keep them together, and thus, in Gods wisdom a book was born.

How long did it take you to write it?

It took several years to write the book. The notes that I took from reading the bible spanned about a four year period, that was before I decided to compile all of those notes into a book, and then it took another three years to finish the book. Even today, as I learn more and more wisdom from the bible, I update that knowledge into the book. The truth is that I may never finish that book, because the wisdom in the bible is never ending, but my readers can be sure of this; I will continue to update the book as often as I feel necessary, and keep them posted on the updates that I have made, which is none at the time of writing this interview, because what you have just read was already added to it.

Where did you get the idea from?

I got the idea from a most unusual and unexpected source. I had written my first actual book at the early age of fifteen years old. I let my mom and dad read the book and they liked it so much that they asked me to bring it with me as we took a trip out of town to visit my aunt and uncle.

My aunt became so intrigued by the book that she rarely put it down; which by the way was not very entertaining for my mom; but she was fine with that, because it pleased her that my aunt loved the book as much as she did. When my aunt finished reading the book, she liked it so much that my uncle offered me his brand new corvette in trade for my book and all of the rights to it.

I was upset with my parents for refusing to let me trade my book for that brand new corvette. So much so, that I never tried writing a book again; and in fact, it never even crossed my mind again. I basically forgot all about writing a book at all.

Then one day as fate would have it, I went to my parents house for a visit, and as I walked in to the living room I had a pile of notes written on binder paper in my hands that were stacked so high I could barely hang on to them. My mom was always sick, she had multiple Sclerosis, and she was such a sweetheart that, when she smiled and pointed at my papers exclaiming joyfully to my dad “Oh look honey, Wayne is writing another book!” I did not have the heart to tell her that she was mistaken and that these were in fact just notes from me reading the bible. In deed God does work in mysterious ways!

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Strangely enough, I would have to answer “No” to that question, and I will tell you why that is. As I read all of my notes and tried to figure out how I was going to make a book out of all of this, so as to not disappoint my mom, I started compiling the notes into different categories, and after that it seemed to flow so smoothly that it was even a shock to me. It was almost as if someone else was writing the book and I was merely an instrument. Indeed I believe that to be true to this day.

There was only one time that I struggled with the book, and that was one day when I wanted to finish it and I was on the last chapter, but I had not written in the book for almost two month; so feeling guilty, and being in a rush to finish it, I forced myself to write the last chapter and finish the book. Three days later I picked that last chapter up and read it, and it was so bad that I tore it up and threw it away. Later on, about a month later when I felt compelled to write in the book again, it flowed from my fingertips almost magically, and the chapter turned out to be one of the best.

The lesson that I learned that day was so important that I never will forget it, and when I am asked what advice I can give another writer to help them be better at writing I always say the same thing, and that is “Never write when you are not in the mood, when you are not feeling it. If the words do not flow freely, and come to you almost magically, put the pen down and do not force yourself to write in the book, or it will reflect in your writing and it will be terribly obvious. Other than that; keep a notebook and pen handy, because when the inspiration comes to you, if you do not write it down right then, right that minute, then it will never come back to you again, and if it does, I promise you that it will not be as good as it sounded to you when the inspiration first came to you, and you will know it.

What came easily?  

Sure the book seemed to just flow, as if someone else were writing it. Those words which I stated above are true; but make no mistake about it; there was also a lot of research, as well as double and triple checking all that I wrote to be sure that it was all true. It says in the bible to “Test all things to be sure that they are true” and so I did just that. The fact that I said it just seemed to flow magically was one hundred percent true, but that was after months and months of research, years actually, and forming the notes into a book.

That is where the actual magic began. So never, ever (those of you who want to become a writer) allow yourself to be lazy and take that magic for granted. Though it is true that a good writer knows to only write when it flows smoothly, they will all tell you the same thing and that is “Work hard on the final stages of the book” Do not just finish it and immediately send it off to a publisher, because you will regret it.

There is much hard work involved in writing a book. It is not done when you finish writing it; it is (in my own words) finished when you are done with it. You are not done with it until you have proofread it, not just once, but several times, and I guarantee you that every time you proofread it you will add something else brilliant to it that would never have been added to the book had you sent it off to a publisher the minute you finished writing the last chapter.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Sure there are characters in this book, mostly from the bible, what few other references made to characters in the book are actual characters or events from my personal life and/or experiences.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Sure I do have favorites, but the inspiration for this particular book was all from the bible, along with a book titled The Pilgrims Progress that I read before starting this book.

Do you have a target reader?

That is the really cool thing about this book; it is not just geared towards any particular category of readers. True it is mostly based on the bible, but there are chapters that even those who are not religious should read; such as my chapter on leadership and Parenting. Which is quite a lesson indeed, highly recommended reading for anyone in a management position at work, school, church, and for parents as well. The book is explained in such a simple manner that even children will be able to understand what they are reading.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I basically stick to a few rules that I have come to realize over time are the most important rules a writer can adhere to. First of all, I only write about a subject that I am well versed in and know quite a bit about. If I am writing a book of fiction or drama (like my first book that I wrote at fifteen years old) then I just let my imagination go. I always make it a point to only write when I am in the mood; when it flows smoothly. I never force myself to write just because I think the book is taking too long to finish. Like I said earlier, I did force myself to write once when I was not really feeling it, and it was not flowing as usual, and I ended up trashing everything that I wrote that day.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I actually do a little bit of both. The best method for anyone to follow in order to be a successful writer is to slap all of the information that comes to you down as fast as you possibly can, without worrying about misspelled words or punctuation errors; because if you stop to correct errors you will more than likely lose that thought, that smooth flow that writers so depend on. Once you interrupt that flow, it never comes back to you as good as it was the first time.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I probably would have hired an editor if it were not for the fact that my very first publisher made me do all of my own editing, even though they were a legitimate publisher (small press) and at the time I was a little upset about having to edit my own book, but I learned a very valuable lesson from the experience.

As I went through my book during the editing process, I came across a few errors that I had missed, even though I did proofread the book a few times. Just as important, I found a few words that were spelled right, so the word processor did not catch the problem, because of the word being spelled right, but the word was out of context. Most important of all and this is a big one; as I edited the book I noticed that I had left out a very important section that I wanted to add during the writing of the book, but had somehow missed or overlooked it and left it out. I also added to parts of the book here and there where I noticed I needed to elaborate a little more, or added a thought that I intended to add but had somehow forgotten, thereby making the book even better than it would have been if I let someone else edit it. So to those of you who ask should I edit the book myself, my answer is an absolute “Yes!” by all means, and you will be glad that you did.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I do not listen to music when I write, and likewise, I turn the television off and my cell phone as well if need be, because all of those distractions will rob you of a lot of great content that would have been in the book, had some sort of distraction not interrupted that flow.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?  

I did not submit my book to any agents; I figure if my writing is good they will find me. Sure I thought about it, but all of that stuff takes away from my writing, and I prefer to stick to that which I am gifted at (writing) and book keeping or secretarial is not one of my better attributes, nor is sales.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?  

I do not have anything against traditional publishers, which is what my first publisher was; however there were a few things that my publisher did that greatly contributed to my decision, such as making me edit my own book. I figure if I am going to do all of the work, even all of the promotions, then why I need them.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?  

I did not get my cover professionally done. I wanted to at first, but then I realized that nobody else knew the book better than me, and therefore I felt they could not express that information in a book cover as well as myself… let’s hope that I was right.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I do not necessarily have a marketing plan. Like I said earlier; sales is not one of my stronger points, and I do not want to create a mailing list due to all of the identity thieving going on these days, also because I know that I do not like giving my email address out to too many people, and figure the readers may feel the same way about giving out their email address. Not that it is like receiving junk mail, because it is not. Not if the readers want to hear from you once in a while, or if they want to be notified of any new books the author is coming out with. In that case I would gladly put them in an e-mail list, and give them my e-mail as well. I figure that if my books are as good as I have been told, they will sell themselves.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

I pretty much covered all of that in the previous sections above, the only other thing that I could add is to tell you to never give up on your dreams. If you believe that writing is your gift, then follow your heart and never give up. Here is a poem that may help; I wrote it after successfully getting a patent approved on an invention of mine, despite being told by just about everyone else that I was wasting my time. Also, I was told by some people, including a couple of my family members that I was wasting my time writing, because very few people ever get published. Had I given up and listened to them you would not be reading this now. It was the people that loved my writing so much that they kept pushing me to get it published that gave me the confidence and the strength to carry on.

Here is the poem:

Faith & Determination

If you have a dream deep in your heart

Hold on to it with a strong mighty grip

Don’t let the negativity of others tear it apart

Walk tall in confidence, careful not to trip

 

I’ve heard it said that dreamers live forever

Now with understanding I realize it is true

For they always leave a part of themselves here, so clever

So that in our memories their message gets through

 

Not the dreamer’s body, but their work lives forever

In their struggle to be noticed by me, and you

They never give up, or give into the weather

Working hard on that dream, unlike so few

 

Remember my dear friend this lesson I’ve learned

Disbelievers laughed at Noah, Edison, Wright brothers too!

So now you know the more they laugh, less to be concerned

This merely confirms that the road you travel is true!

 

If you listen to your heart you’ll soon see

Your happiness and self confidence grow

You’ll be happy regardless the outcome of destiny

Knowing you gave it your best you’ll know;

 

“A young seed not planted surely won’t grow”

By: Wayne Hoss

About You

Where did you grow up?  

I grew up in Porterville, California the first fourteen years of my life. I went to Monache high school my freshmen year, and then moved to Bakersfield California where I still reside.

Where do you live now?

I live in Bakersfield California, and have graduated from a local college as a Microsoft Certified Technician. I like it here in Bakersfield, and I figure that I will probably never move anywhere else. The weather is really great in comparison to other places, such as the weather back east.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I would like them to know that I give my books not only one hundred percent, as some would say they give, but one hundred and fifty percent, just as instructed to do in the bible. It says in the bible that we should not only give one hundred percent in all that we do, but we should give one hundred and fifty percent in everything that we do. That is what I strive for. My readers are important to me and I welcome any and all comments from them, including and especially constructive criticism, for that is the part that fine tunes us and molds us.

What are you working on now?

I am in the process of promoting my new book Patent Ease! I have written many patents over the last twenty five years, for others as well as for myself. In fact, at one point and time in my life I had so many people lined up waiting for me to write a patent for them, that I decided to write this patent book which walks them step-by-step through the entire patent process, from the beginning of the process, all of the way to the last step, which is putting a stamp on the envelope and mailing it off to the patent office. One of my local readers was so amazed by the book that he said this:

“I just loved the little bits of humor that you added throughout the whole book, it really helped me to loosen up and enjoy the patent process. You made it so easy to understand that a child could probably write their own patent!”  Bob Lasquade in Bakersfield, CA.

End of Interview:

You can get your copy of A Sermon to Remember from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).