Richard Bach is back — this time with a little novel called "Hypnotizing Maria." And the author of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" has dusted off that time-honored formula for fame and fortune. It's a formula that goes something like this: Write a book that is small, short, simple, sentimental and spiritual, and you'll find great sales and success.

The formula doesn't work all the time. But it has given the world blockbusters like "The Christmas Box," "The Alchemist," "The Little Prince" and "The Shack."

Let me say I'm not trashing those books. For one thing, they actually got read — which is more than can be said for 90 percent of the books people give as gifts. And because those novels were read, they affected lives. And that gives them a true niche in the culture.

The granddaddy of short and sweet novels, of course, is Bach's "Jonathan" — a quick read about a bird who prefers soaring to scavenging. It came out of nowhere in 1970 and took America by firestorm. Publishers everywhere tried to recreate the recipe, but couldn't bottle the lightning. The novel hit Americans right when they needed a chuck under the chin. They took it to heart. Its themes of following your dreams and spiritual awakening were lapped up like chocolate milk.

Now, Bach returns with "Hypnotizing Maria," another novel that involves flight, spiritual guides and the supernatural. Hypnotism is the main theme here. The author is out to show that the power of suggestion can change the way people see the world.

Hidden in the gentleness of the plot is a gauzy, New Age version of Norman Vincent Peale's "Power of Positive Thinking."

And that's not all bad.

In almost all of his books, Bach's premise has been "as a man thinketh, so is he" — a message often dismissed by critics as bumper-sticker material, as a platitude more suited to motivational seminars.

But then critics have little use for sentimental, spiritual books, anyway.

Or so they say.

The most telling insight into critics, for me, came from a New Yorker cartoon years ago. It pictured a tweedy academic in an easy chair reading a novel. A tear comes into his eye as he reads. He takes out his handkerchief and wipes it away. Then he strides over to his typewriter and lashes out at the author of the book for being so touchy-feely and manipulative.

The point is, down inside, we all have a sentimental gene that goes gooey when we read something touching. Even the most cerebral have a hidden tender spot.

Writers like Bach, Richard Paul Evans and James Kavanaugh have a knack — some would say a genius — for finding where that spot is. When they hit it, the result can be a mega-bestseller.

So, will "Hypnotizing Maria" ignite in the hearts of readers and become a publishing phenomenon? It has all the elements.

But lightning seldom strikes twice. And Bach caught starlight in his pocket once when he gave the world "Jonathan."

e-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com