Countless people fall into the realm of “unpublished novelists.” Local man Richard Cook, however, recently made the transition to the world of the published.

Last year, Cook’s novel, “Seven Keys of the Apocalypse,” was published through PublishAmerica printing house. However, the road to print was hardly easy, after more than five years of work, and an entire lifetime of dreaming.

“I’ve always written,” Cook said. “Even as a kid, I always liked English and science classes, and spent a lot of my time making up stories.”

The combination of English and science is evident in Cook’s novel, the futuristic chronicle of Tianna, a female Katana warrior in a nuclear-devastated world. As her journey progresses, she meets a man who slowly breaks through her hardened warrior exterior, and allows her suppressed humanity to break out.

“Even though some of the fight scenes get pretty graphic and violent, it’s more than just a blood-and-guts thing,” Cook insisted. “It’s coming-of-age about her learning how to love.”

With the bildungsroman theme in mind, Cook says his novel would be appropriate for teenagers and adults, and cites it along the lines of Stephen King and J.R.R. Tolkien. However, he willingly admits that his work isn’t yet up to the classic standards.

“?Seven Keys of the Apocalypse’ has been out for over a year, and I’m not a hundred percent happy with it,” he confessed. “Maybe there will be a rewrite in the future, who knows.”

After showing initial drafts to his coworkers and family, Cook was persuaded to pitch his novel to “every major publishing house.” However, the response was less than enthusiastic.

“At home, I have a stack of rejection letters,” Cook said. “It’s probably an inch thick.”

After over a year of dismissals, Cook turned to the more unorthodox PublishAmerica.

“They’ve worked out pretty well for me,” Cook said, defending against claims that PublishAmerica operates as a “vanity press,” where writers front their own money in exchange for publication, despite the quality of their work.

“I don’t find PublishAmerica to be a vanity press,” Cook said. “I didn’t put up any of my money. They just gave me a chance to put my foot in the door of publishing.”

Now that he’s achieved publication, Cook is planning future projects. He says he is “always working on something,” and currently is toying with five different works. For a new novel, he’s incorporating his background in Murfreesboro, as well as his past with law enforcement.

“What I’m working on now takes place in Murfreesboro and it’s about the mind of a killer,” he said. “It’s pretty graphic, pretty violent, so I’m not sure if I’ll publish it or not. Right now I’m just writing and re-writing it.”

Other story ideas range from a collection of humorous police anecdotes to more science-fiction projects. In the meantime, however, Cook remains committed to his everyday life as a dispatcher for the Murfreesboro Police Department.

“Writing’s not my bread and butter, but it’s fun,” he said. “I’m always piddling with something, and I pick up inspiration from everywhere.”

Even though his writing remains a secondary occupation, it’s evident that it’s a passion.

“Seeing the book, in print, in my hands, is a very definite high point in my life,” Cook said. “You really can’t describe it.”

To obtain a copy of “Seven Keys of the Apocalypse,” visit barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.