Okay, so full disclosure here. Matt and I go way back. We "met" on a Christian authors' web page over ten years ago (?) where authors with WIPs (works in progress) could submit them into this contest. It was a very unique contest in that there were stages. First, if memory serves, you started with the title of the book and the "logline" (which is a one-sentence description of the book...they also use those in films as well). People voted on the loglines, and the top however-many made the cut and moved on to the next round. The second round consisted of a Back Cover Copy blurb. Those that made the cut got to move on to round three, which was about submitting the first paragraph (or maybe it was the first chapter?). Anyway, you get the gist. I made it into the third round, if memory serves, before my work, which became my first published novel, The Serpent's Grasp, got axed from the competition. Ironically, it won the Selah Award in 2013, and I attribute that contest to helping me hone some skills and aspects of the novel.
Matt, on the other hand, won the contest with his novel, The Sending. Since those days, he has continued writing in genres which have proven to be right up his alley.
So, without further ado, let us welcome to the Florida Front Porch no stranger to heat and humidity and a Texas transplant, Matt Koceich!
Matt, as we do with all our authors, give us a quick bio.
In fifty words or less, tell our readers who is Matt Koceich?
I’m a sinner saved by God’s grace. I am a husband
and father. I am an elementary school teacher.
That's another thing we have in common (besides the sinner saved by grace deal). We were both in education back then during those contest days, and we still are today.
Speaking of education, what educational background do you have?
Picture the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter. I didn’t really have a choice about
the high school or the college. They more or less chose me. I started the first
part of my high school journey in Charlotte,
NC. I had gone to a private school
from Kindergarten all the way up to 10th grade with the same kids. Then
a wonderful thing happened (cue the sarcasm). My father came home one night and
said he was moving the family to Florida. Joy.
I
survived the move and finished my junior and senior year of high school in Tampa,
FL (public school was a nice culture shock) and then went to Florida State for
college. Again, the school chose me because FSU was the only acceptance letter
I received. My SAT scores had a lot to be desired, and I guess the other
colleges wanted to use their choices on other, more “promising” students. In
the end, I am very grateful that FSU gave me the opportunity they did because I
was the first in my family to go to college.
Fast forward a few
years…I attended the University of North Texas where I earned my Masters degree
in Education. I am living proof that everyone blooms at different times!
Oh, man...I didn't know that. I'm a Gator fan, so you just dropped a couple of notches on the faves list, dude. (Just kidding!) And as for blooming at different times, I get it. Same for me.
Let's shift gears a little. I’m going to give you a shotgun
list of favorites. List your favorite in each category and then tell us in one
sentence why it is your favorite.
Favorite
Song of All-Time: Zach Williams “No Longer Slaves.” These two lines
say it all: I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God!
Favorite
Non-Fiction Book (other than your own & besides the Bible): “The
Jesus I Never Knew” by Philip Yancey. Yancey pulls back the curtain of
stereotypes and gives the reader a beautifully refreshing, historically
accurate picture of Jesus.
Favorite
Bible Verse:
1 John 4:16! It is a timeless comfort to know that God’s love for me is the
‘constant’ I rely on in this crazy world.
Favorite
Movie:
Casablanca!!! I absolutely LOVE the witty dialogue spoken by emotional characters
who each pursue their own selfish goals, only to discover in the end that
friendship is the best gift of all.
Favorite
TV Show: This is Us. I enjoy how the writers seek to remind the viewer that everyone
matters.
Favorite
Novel (other than your own): The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe.
This story is a magical wonderland for the reader’s imagination and soul-inspiring
with its subtle gospel messages.
Favorite Author
(other than you): C.S. Lewis. The way he could write one story (like
Narnia) and have it appeal to so many children and adults at the same time is
special and timeless.
Favorite
Sport:
Baseball. My wife and I love to get old school and keep score during the games.
Favorite
Team (Can be any sport, any level): TX Rangers. They’re local so
we’ve rooted for them over the years.
Favorite
Subject in School Growing Up: None. School was hard for me.
(Isn't that interesting...typically, teachers are the ones who LOVED school! That's why they are teachers! They never have to leave it.)
Favorite
Subject Now:
Reading! I’m making up for lost time.
Favorite
Time of the Year: Winter. I love Christmas and the long break to spend
time with the family playing Ticket to Ride and doing puzzles.
Favorite
Place to Vacation: Disney World. It helps you feel like a kid again!
Favorite
Drink:
Coffee. Dark roast. No cream or sugar. That is all.
Favorite
Food:
Any iteration of Italian…pizza, rigatoni, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs. My
mouth is watering!
Everybody seems to
have a bucket list. Do you? If so, what’s on it? If not, why not?
My
number one bucket list item is to make it to Israel and see the places Jesus saw.
It would fill my heart to be where he was and see the beautiful lands where he
lived and ministered. I know that a trip there would really make the Bible come
alive!
Do you have a crazy,
interesting, behind-the-scenes story about the publishing world you’d like to
tell your readers without boring them to death with industry gobbledygook?
About thirteen years ago, I was blessed to be a part of the
Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. It was a great opportunity for me to
grow as a writer. It was an online correspondence course, so I could enjoy
learning from published authors all from the comfort of home. The course
culminated in a 5-day retreat in Denver, CO where I had the once-in-a-lifetime
chance to sit with Jerry and learn from him, one-on-one.
For someone who had sold a gazillion copies of Left Behind
books, Jerry had (and still does) a huge heart to help writers from all walks
of life. What a tremendous blessing that was to sit across the table and watch
him eviscerate my writing. Jerry is the real deal, and I will always be grateful
for his friendship. I would encourage everyone to look him up online and invest
in his writing classes!
It says something when you can sit quietly while other authors "eviscerate" your writing. You have to have a thick skin in this business, don't you?
Of all the
stories/books you have written, which one is your favorite? And what compelled
you to write this story?
Come, Follow Me. My 365-day devotional started off in the
classic I wasn’t trying to write a book fashion. I remember feeling the
need to inspire anyone on Facebook who wanted to read a daily devotion. I
started writing one page a day and posting them. It started with the idea of
what it would be like if God wrote me a letter…what would it look like? What
would He say to me?
I had a difficult relationship with my earthly father, and
for the longest time, and I was seeing God through the same cracked lens. I
needed to dive into the Bible to see what God thought of me. The theme of God’s
love quickly surfaced, and I was compelled to share what I found with the
Facebook world through daily devotions.
After I posted about a month's-worth of devotions, a teacher
friend who I had not seen in ten years said I should get the devotions
published. I said something along the lines of “Great idea, but I don’t have
any connections.” You know how it goes…sending out all those “please print my
book” queries and getting the “keep your day job” rejections eventually take
their toll.
The teacher told me to be patient. A few days later, she
e-mailed me the name of her editor. Unbeknownst to me, my friend had been doing
freelance writing for the ten years since I had last seen her! I sent her
editor a batch of the devos I had written and got a contract soon after.
That's a "God thing," as I like to call them. You didn't solicit it. It came to you from Him. Those are the most awesome moments, aren't they?
Tell us about what
project you are currently working on.
I’m finishing up final edits on my latest IMAGINE
book. This installment has the main character travel back to the tower of
Babel. As with the other books in the series, the lead struggles with an issue
that’s been affecting his/her relationship with God. This book deals with the
struggle of wanting to fit in. Our identity as children of God plays a big part
in this book.
Knowing what you know
now about writing, publishing, etc., what piece of advice would you give to the
person thinking about writing that novel they have always wanted to pursue
since they were young, or the person who believes they have a non-fiction book
in them that would be helpful to others?
Write your story! No one else has the experiences
you have. Like the Amazing Race, life will place a million roadblocks in your
way, but you can do it!
Don’t worry about coming up with what you think might sell.
Just write from the heart and everything else will fall into place. Please
don’t drive yourself crazy trying to make something happen before its time.
Write it. Give it to God. Move on to the next book.
Amen.
Besides being an author (Right?), what’s the craziest thing you have
ever done?
Back in the summer of 2014, our family went on a six-week mission trip to
Ethiopia. Part of that glorious African adventure included a week in the far
southwest part of the country. We went to a jungle village called Makki. The
ride down there was insane. We’d been cramped in the car for hours. Night fell, and we literally found ourselves “in the middle of nowhere.” Our driver was
lost. Our phones didn’t work. We had no way of contacting the missionaries that
were there waiting to meet us.
Then,
when we finally made it to the village, we had to cross through a river on
foot. It was late at night. We were all emotionally spent. The water was waist
high and running at a good clip. All I could picture was a local alligator getting
ready to eat me for dinner. When we walked through the jungle to our cabin, we
couldn’t believe our eyes. The walls had big holes where the termites left
their marks. It was something out of a horror movie. We could hear baboons jumping
across the roof in the middle of the night. Stephen King couldn’t have written
a better script!
And we complain when the power goes out for a couple of hours...thanks for the perspective check!
What Bible scripture has impacted
your life the most, and why?
The story of the woman at the well in John 4. It’s a great story of second
chances and redemption. I love how the encounter with Jesus completely altered
the trajectory of the woman’s life. Before the well, she was covered in shame
because of her past lifestyle choices. She was judged before she even did
anything. She had to go to the well at a time when the other women would have
been long gone so she could avoid ridicule.
However,
all that changed after she met Jesus. Now, we see her running back to tell
everyone in her village about Jesus. The Bible tells us that many believed
because of her brave testimony. Jesus took her shame and threw it out the
window. He breathed new life into her, and she became a leader who couldn’t
contain her excitement to tell the world about the Savior.
Matt, it's been a pleasure having you stop by and share from your heart. We are going to have to somehow meet face-to-face someday, (possibly at a writer's conference?) and share some iteration of italian (I'm a pizza-holic, myself, with a debilitating need for calzones and garlic knots drenched in butter.) Is
there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about you, or anything
we didn’t cover?
I
would like to use this last entry to give the wonderful people reading this
hope. I mentioned earlier that my formative years of schooling were not
productive to say the least. My 7th grade teacher told my mother,
that in her mind, I would not really amount to anything more than being a C
student. That sounds harsh (and completely unacceptable) but based on my grades
and work ethic, her opinion would have made a safe bet in Vegas.
I
share that story only to remind everyone of a great line from Tenth Avenue
North: “You are not the sum of your past mistakes.” Jeremiah 29:11 says that
God has wonderful things planned for you. Don’t let the devil tempt you into
thinking otherwise. If your dream is to write books, go for it. If your dream
is to paint, go for it. If your desire is to help the homeless, go for it. Whatever
it is, take the first step in faith. God will not let you down!
Awesome!
Dear readers, if you wish to get to know Matt more, you can find/follow him at these locations:
Come,
Follow Me Daily Devotional Journal
Imagine
Series
Facebook
Until next time, may God bless America, and more importantly, may America bless God,
