Author Bob Hocking is celebrating his success with the release of two new books, Life Won't Pass Me By and Conversations.

Published in August, both books coincide with the 14th anniversary of his website, inmybackpack.com.

Life Won't Pass Me By is a compilation of 44 essays previously posted on his website between 2003 and 2017. Conversations is a series of more than a dozen interviews with such notables as Las Vegas headliner Terry Fator as well as journalist/author Earl Swift.

Raised in Warwick, Hocking is a 1986 graduate of Veterans Memorial High School, attending during the tenure of Principal Edmund Miley. Following high school, he headed to Syracuse University where he received a bachelor's degree in English. Social media has helped him stay connected.

"Facebook is an incredible thing," he said of one of the ways he maintains contact with the many friends he's made along the way.

Although he says being an author can be fun and thrilling, it also takes incredible self-discipline.

"You have to work at it," he said, adding that it can be "insanely scary sometimes." Half of his time is spent creating new content, while the other half is a combination of making connections, marketing, book signings and author appearances.

While there may not be long-term guarantees without a best seller, he has had many publications throughout the years.

"It's amazing to me to look back at where I started," he said. His first book, Time Just Drifts Away, was both a personal and professional success. This is not only because of the number of copies sold, it meant the most because he was able to see his name as an author.

Hocking has a busy fall lined-up with book signings in the Northeast as well as his Writer's Workshops. His workshops are designed for authors with hopes of getting published. It includes advice for hopefuls which includes things Hocking wished he'd known before he started.

One important piece of advice he follows pertaining to his own work is, "Anything I write, I read out loud." This provides an opportunity to hear your words as others would read them along with a chance to reword sentences that may not have come out right.

He has also been on the receiving end of advice-giving. Although not a student of former Gorton teacher Stephen Andolfo, Hocking received guidance from the man who lived a few houses away. In Hocking's yearbook, Andolfo gave him the following words of encouragement, "Robert, Remember the secret of life, always follow through."

One person who has helped him follow through is his wife, Terry. She has been very important throughout and a great resource. She is "A huge part of me being able to pursue my dreams," said Hocking. Her displays of handcrafted items under the name of ComplemenTerry Designs can be found at inmybackpack.com, Facebook - CTDesigns, Twitter -

@CTerryDesigns and ComplemenTerry Designs at Etsy.

Hocking's books are available at CreateSpace.com, amazon.com - in both Kindle and paperback and at numerous online booksellers. A selection of his books is also available at two bookstores - Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn. and Savoy Bookshop & Cafe in Westerly.

In addition to his work as an author, Hocking established a monthly challenge called Local Friends for Local Business. According to his website, it's an effort to support small businesses in the community without taking anything away from larger, national chains. During the first few days of every month, he posts a category, such as bakery, pizza or a local shoe store. The idea is to visit a hometown shop at least once a month, to keep visiting new places and viewing the community in a different light. For more info, visit inmybackpack.com or email LocalFriends@inmybackpack.com.