Having wrestled with the stringent norms of societal life since childhood, Elite Author Machiel Hoek pursued the established path of becoming a CPA, CFO, CEO, and then an entrepreneur. However, he always remained a spiritual searcher. A decade ago, while on his first holiday in years, an inner voice nudged him to radically alter his life’s course and dedicate it to unraveling the mystery of life.
This shift wasn’t without its obstacles, leading him down an unpredictable and challenging path.
Along the way, he unearthed his ‘mystery of life’ and wants to lead others on a journey to step into theirs with his novel The Girl Who Changed The World, published with the help and support of our Author Accelerator Elite Program.
Dubbed “the contemporary version of The Alchemist,” and compared to an intriguing mix of The Celestine Prophecy, Sophie’s World, and Alice in Wonderland, Machiel’s debut book is bound to be a fast success in the United States and should be at the top of your reading list.
Book Title: The Girl Who Changed The World
Genre: Contemporary Women Fiction, Spiritual
Website: https://www.machielhoek.com
Who needs to read this right now?
This book is an invitation to women of all ages—a calling upon them to stand up, unite, and together radically change the rules of the game to which our society has been set up. We need a balance of feminine and masculine energy to create and empower a better world.
First and foremost, it should be read by women and men working in large companies, trying to find a balance between career, life, family, and spiritual meaning.
But it’s truly a guide for anyone seeking answers to the big questions in life:
- Why am I here?
- What is my purpose?
- What is the secret of life?
Who and what was your inspiration for this book?
In 2013, an inner voice clearly instructed me to break free from the rat race and forsake the alluring promise of wealth that awaited me.
This voice also resurfaced a childhood memory that left me feeling deeply inspired.
At the tender age of six, I yearned to uncover the secrets of life—the answers to its grand “why” questions: Why does the world exist in its current state? Why is there so much suffering? Why am I here?
As my seventh birthday approached, I asked my grandfather to create a special painting for me. I was very specific about the shapes and colors I wanted. He crafted it with painstaking care. As he gave it to me, he whispered that it held seven hidden messages meant for me.
For the next 33 years, I couldn’t decipher even a single one.
I saw myself as an eternal seeker, yet my flame was but a faint pilot light. I wasn’t content and knew it was time to leave behind the familiar when my inner voice gave me the push I needed.
I embarked on a journey to seek the secrets of life once more. I felt compelled to explore, to write a book that would capture my experiences. At Burning Man, 2014, I had a profound experience. I met Lisa, the daughter I never had, and my pilot light transformed into a burning flame—ignited by her magic. Though she may not have graced my life as a daughter, Lisa became the central character of my story. She was a vessel to uncover one of life’s greatest mysteries.
Together, we embarked on a journey of transformation, and Lisa changed my world.
Now, it is time for her to change the entire world.
It took me another nine years to complete this book. I could only work on it when the time was right—those times when it felt as if the book wrote itself as a manifestation of ancient wisdom and insights entrusted to me, and which I was allowed to pass on. These were the truths I had sought since my childhood—the foundational principles for a balanced world. A world that focuses on that which connects us as human beings, rather than what divides us. A world where individuals remember their true essence and rediscover the interconnectedness of all beings. A world to be governed by feminine leadership and energy is a necessary change from the millennia of masculine dominance.
Such a world lies within our grasp. We need only make the choice.
Why did you decide to re-publish in the United States?
After I initially published my book, it quickly became a bestseller in the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2022, I felt the need to make a bigger impact with this story, which had already changed thousands of readers’ lives. I want it to reach even more people. I want my book to become a major bestseller in the US as well.
Not only is there a huge audience here, but the US is at the forefront of a lot of global and local development. However, like one of the key characters in the book (Granddad), it needs to reach a new balance between masculine and feminine leadership.
NOW is the time for this balance, and now is the time for this book to be read by millions!
What are the 3 most important things readers will take away from this book?
I take readers on a journey to learn and discover…
1) What connects us as humans, rather than divides us, and how one’s own past and position is key to understanding this.
2) How to use the power of thoughts and actions to shape your reality.
3) How to embrace a narrative that celebrates the influence of feminine energy in changing the modern world.
In addition to these key themes, it’s all about learning the importance of balance between doing and being in life. I want readers to close the book feeling and knowing that they have uncovered the secrets of fulfillment and personal growth.
What was your writing process like for this book?
I started writing the story in English, aiming for a top-level NYC publisher.
The words initially came to me in English, but my writing was not English-native proficiency level. So halfway through the manuscript, I had to rewrite it in Dutch.
During the first months, I had a business-type approach to writing: a straight-line channel, dug from A to B, detailing how and when I would finish it. During those months, I couldn’t put a single word on paper.
At some point, my inner voice said: “surrender and let go on the flow of life.”
When I did just that, the channel became a meandering river, and my writing adventure really took off. Planning my writing never worked. I had to be detached from all daily business, isolated in a cabin in the woods, with my ratio and ego set aside. That’s when the words, the sentences, and entire chapters started flowing.
I even had conversations on paper with my deceased granddad and my father, just like Neale Donald Walsch had for his book Conversations with God. I even wrote whole chapters that I hadn’t planned or even thought of. I was granted access to ancient, timeless information and insights, which I converted into real, simple examples.
I wanted the story to be equally nice to read and deeply insightful, with layers upon layers of information hidden within.
What was the hardest part of becoming an author?
First, it was to let go of my business planning mode, which I was accustomed to for 25 years as CPA and CEO.
The more I planned and pre-defined, the less it yielded results.
It took time, but I can now embrace my mantra: “Trust, Surrender, Let Go.”
Second, it was to let go of results. Also difficult for someone with a business background. I wanted this book to become a big bestseller as fast as possible. But, once again, the more I pushed for this, the less it yielded results.
And, once again, only when I let go, surrendered, and fully trusted the process, did it start flowing. When I let go, more and more readers bought the book.
And guess what? It did become a bestseller!
You talk about a journey of transformation—what was your transformation like?
Writing this book was like re-writing my life, confirming my beliefs, and solidifying my view on the world.
Firstly, the decision to start writing it turned my life upside down.
I got rid of everything I had, all my belongings and even my 24-year relationship. I became the person I was—the boy I was when I was born.
This whole process of re-discovering and re-inventing myself was magical. It led me to a whole new life!
Another huge transformation was finally becoming a father at the age of 46. That is truly the most magical part of this process. Our son connects my youth, my life, my ancestors, and my quest for the secrets of life in such a wonderful, mystical, magical way. He totally changed my world again!
What are your plans for the future?
I am deeply driven to spread the messages of this book with the American audience. And I won’t stop there. I’d love to have the book published in many other countries.
I don’t plan to stop writing. The sequel is underway, and it reinforces and deepens the messages from The Girl Who Changed The World.
This is my life’s and my soul’s mission, and I want to be spreading its messages with the entire world for the rest of my life!
Don’t miss these other related selfpublishing.com articles: