In the long days of summer—especially the bubbling heat of central Texas, which runs around 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 32-37 degrees Celsius for friends in Europe—there are developments worth reporting. Here’s a rundown of the latest (and greatest!) news…
- I’ve been submitting the book for all the awards contests I can find (all in all, about 14). The first contest to end—the 2024 American Fiction Awards—just announced their list of winners. The Sower of Black Field placed as a finalist in the Religious Fiction category! You can see the full results on their website. Not bad for the first contest I applied for with a debut novel!
- News of the novel has been making headlines in Germany. I’ve spent twenty years thinking and dreaming about this Bavarian town, and with each chapter I wondered, “What will the people of Schwarzenfeld think when they read this?” I can’t tell you how thrilling it was to see the cover of this book on the town website, and see it promoted in their social media! Check that out here. Within days, news spread beyond the borders of Schwarzenfeld and spilled over to Landkreis Schwandorf (this would be like a county here in the States) and the Oberpfalz (a region in eastern Bavaria.) What an experience, seeing my face and name in the Mittelbayerische Zeitung (the Middle Bavarian Times).
- It’s official—The Sower can now be found in the Library of Congress! I discovered that having an LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number) is essential for librarians in the USA to stock the book, and also may be a requirement to enter the book into book fairs. Apparently, they don’t always admit Indie books into the Library of Congress, so this event is worth celebrating. Also, it makes me smile to think that maybe, just maybe, the folks in Congress might read this book. I think our esteemed elected officials desperately need a reminder that we’re all connected by the sorrows and hardships of the human condition—regardless of what side of the aisle we favor. Am I right? (If you phone or email your member of Congress, tell them that the LCCN number is 2024913051.)
- The Sower has its first celebrity endorsement! For those who watch CNN, whenever the topic turns to the Catholic Church and matters of faith, you may see the news anchors turn to Fr. Edward Beck. Turns out he’s a Passionist—a member of the same order as Fr. Viktor, protagonist of The Sower of Black Field. It made my day when he kindly provided the following endorsement for promotional purposes. I’m expecting to create a second edition of the novel at some point featuring endorsements and snippets of high-profile reviews the book has been getting. Here’s Fr. Beck’s quote for your enjoyment…
“The Sower of Black Field is an amazing, beautifully-told and compelling story of a man who defies seemingly insurmountable odds, guided by the belief that faith and goodness win in the end. The writer Katherine Koch has done us a great service by unfolding the story of Father Viktor Koch, C.P., a true hero, whose courage helped save a World War II German town from certain retribution and ruin. The Sower of Black Field inspired me and gave me hope in humanity.”
—Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.
Faith and Religion Media Commentator, author, playwright
- News about The Sower is circulating through the Passionist provinces here in the States. There are two provinces divided by the Mississippi—St. Paul of the Cross, which is east of the river, and Holy Cross, which lies to the west. Religious who are in St. Paul of the Cross (especially in Pittsburgh and the New York area) have been aware of this project for some time, but it’s fresh news to those in Holy Cross. Just last week a retreat house in Detroit (placing them firmly in Holy Cross) informed me that the book was a HOT topic at their recent assembly. I rejoiced at having and endorsement from Schwarzenfeld and Fr. Beck, but this one also made my heart leap.The contact in Detroit shared the following: “One of our retreat leaders commented on the beautiful job you’ve done weaving the Passionist charism of seeing all suffering through Christ’s suffering, thus connecting us to each other and Him. It seamlessly weaves your story together and points straight back to Jesus.” This made me cheer just as much as the endorsements from Schwarzenfeld and Fr. Edward Beck. This too was a gift.
My reflections at this moment in time: When you’re dealing with the Holocaust in one hand, and in the other, a German village threatened by devastating reprisals by outraged Americans, there was no other way to tell this story, no other framework that would have sufficiently encapsulated a narrative where every character was weathering trials beyond imagination. It was essential to acknowledge a whole matrix of suffering (albeit at different levels) all the way around—whether it was Jewish, German, or American—and connect them through Fr. Viktor’s understanding of the charism.
