Interview With Author Matthew Hogan
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been in ministry for over 30 years and am now an online pastoral counselor. I am a lifelong motorcyclist, having toured over most of the west and mid-west regions of our country. I live in Arizona with my wife and 4 cats.
I have written and published 1 book and have one in the Beta editing phase now.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “How to be a Christian in Today’s World: Shame or Fear of Failure vs. Living Confidently in God’s Love.” It’s a message that has been percolating in my heart and my wife’s heart simultaneously over the period of a few years.
We’ve seen too many Christians and fringe Christians who either were unsure that God would/could love them either from trauma and abuse or just how they’d lived their lives. A second group that we saw were those that felt alone and like they had to be perfect Christians out of their own strength. The last group would be Christians who either never got or had forgotten the beauty of an intimate relationship with the creator of all.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’d have to say the most unusual writing habit I have is that I write as I can and as I “feel it.” If I’m not knowing where to go next, I’ll either reread what I’ve written or just set it down. It gets done when it’s time.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
C. S. Lewis of course would be number one. I have probably read most of his writings and need to go back and read them again.
The writer though that has helped to take the message I knew I needed to write and help put substance to it is Brennan Manning. In particular, “The Wisdom of Tenderness” and “The Importance of Being Foolish.”
What are you working on now?
With my second book in the editing stages, I’m planning on starting a book about marriage counseling. My hope is to primarily help other counselors find success in helping couples. But I know that in all likelihood that some couples will likely pick it up themselves. So I’ll need to make it something they can follow in a step-by-step fashion.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Ahh, this is my weak point. I haven’t figured out marketing yet. I do have an author page, but I don’t know how much good it is doing. revhogan.weebly.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
EDITING. It’s way too obvious when a book is not professionally done. Copyright pages and formatting are important. But a lack of professional editing can make a great book nearly unreadable.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Remember flow from one subject to the next and hook the reader right off the bat.
What are you reading now?
“In It Together” by Echart Aurelius Hughes.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Research with a psychologist buddy of mine and make sure I have my ducks in a row. He thinks very highly of me as a counselor. But, he’s been around much longer than I have and he believes in the concept. So, I’ll pick his brain before I even start and probably along the way.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would have to take a Bible, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” Was “Princess Bride ever a book?”
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