All posts by Morgan L. Busse

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She is the author of the epic fantasy Follower of the Word series and the award-winning steampunk series, The Soul Chronicles. Her debut novel, Daughter of Light, was a Christy and Carol Award finalist. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.
Personal

Books for Vida!

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Books for Vida.png

Hello friends! Usually I do my annual book sale in December to raise a little bit of money for my anniversary, but this year is different. Vida came into my life three days ago, starved, deaf, and fighting for life. As an animal lover, I took her in and have been impressed with her recovery to health! However, she does have hyperthyroidism, a condition that will increase without medicine.

As I brainstormed on what to do, I realized I could ask all of you to help me out, and get some signed books to boot (to keep or to giveaway as Christmas presents!).

I’m selling a set of Mark of the Raven (winner of the 2019 Carol and INSPY award for speculative fiction) and Flight of the Raven, signed, for $25 (this price also includes shipping, US only).

If you are interested, please email me at morganlbusse @ live .com and let me know how many sets you want, if you want them signed to someone specific, and where to mail them.

Thank you!!!

Personal, Writing

A Crisis in Writing

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Why do IEvery time I receive a one-star review, it presents me with a momentary conflict of why do I write? The latest one star commented on how the reader picked up the book because it was steampunk, enjoyed Tainted, even with the bits about God and religion, then it all went down hill with Awakened. There was too much God and preaching going on to the point where this reader couldn’t finish the book and decided to give it a 1 star.

After reading the review, I started asking myself who am I writing for? Should I have toned down Awakened, even though the very premise was about Kat realizing in the end she couldn’t heal herself, and even science couldn’t heal the condition of her soul? Should I have just kept God out and had science heal her?

Should I become a secular writer and just write really good books? I would gain more readership (and probably higher royalties).

But every time I face this conflict, I can’t shake the fact that not only do I feel called to write Christian fiction (not just be a Christian and write stories, but write God and everything about Him into my books), I want to write these kinds of stories. I love writing books about grace, about finding hope, about miracles when all seems lost. This is what burns inside my heart, what gets me excited to sit down and write every day.

I am thankful for these reviews because they make me pause and reevaluate why I’m doing what I’m doing. And every time I come back to who I am personally as a writer and remind me I’m not going to please everyone. For me, I need to write about the passions of my heart and soul. This brings me more satisfaction that a large readership, 1k 5-star reviews, and large royalty checks.

This is who I am. So these are the books I will continue to write. The stories of my heart.

My Books

Cover for Cry of the Raven

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Here it is! The cover for Cry of the Raven, the final book in the Ravenwood Saga (coming February 2020).

CotR Cover

Lady Selene Ravenwood has come into her full power as a dreamwalker just as the war with the Dominia Empire begins. Working with the other Great Houses, Selene and Damien use their gifts to secure the borders and save those devastated by the war. But conflict, betrayal, and hatred begin to spread between the Great Houses, destroying their unity as the empire burns a path across their lands. At the same time, Damien Maris starts to lose his ability to raise the waters, leaving the lands vulnerable to the empire’s attacks.

The only one who can unite the houses and restore her husband’s power is Selene Ravenwood. But it will require that she open her heart to those who have hurt her and let go of her past, despite the one who hunts her and will do anything to stop her power.

Will Selene survive? Or is she destined to fall like the dreamwalkers before her?

Book 3, The Ravenwood Saga

 

Cry of the Raven is now available for pre-order on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Raven-Ravenwood-Saga-Morgan-Busse

You can also add it to your Goodreads shelf: www.goodreads.com/book/show/45886444-cry-of-the-raven

My Books

Release Day for Flight of the Raven!

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Outcast. Stranger. Lady of House Maris.

Dear Friends,
Aaaaaa! It’s here! The release day for Flight of the Raven! I know many of you have been waiting to find out what happens next with Selene and Damien! Can I just share my heart with you for a minute (before you rush off to start this new novel😄)? I’ve always wanted to write about a married couple: how marriage is about love, mutual respect, being there for each other, and being a team. Flight of the Raven (and Cry of the Raven, the next book) are just that: a look at marriage (with a bunch of dreams, nightmares, and a war thrown in). I hope that this series encourages your heart, helps you with the darkness you are wrestling with right now, and that you find the Light that is always there.

~Morgan L. Busse

Click here to buy Flight of the Raven.

Book Reviews

Quest of Fire: The Gathering Dark

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Brett Armstrong.jpgHello friends! Today I’m sharing a new release by a fellow fantasy author! Here is the blurb for Brett Armstrong’s latest novel:

Jason is an expert at running from his past. But when it catches up, he finds himself hiding in a peculiar inn listening to a tale from centuries past. 

The story is Anargen’s, a teen who is pulled from all he loves to follow his oaths of loyalty to the fabled King of the Realms. Together with his mentor, Cinaed, he rides north on a special quest to mediate peace talks between ancient foes—the men of Ecthelowall and the dwarfs of Ordumair. Nothing goes as planned. Many on both sides of the dispute despise Anargen’s Order. Worse, an arcane evil has returned to the North. This “Grey Scourge” seeks to ruin the peace talks and ensure a lost treasure held by the dwarfs is never found by those for whom it is meant. 

As Anargen’s story unfolds, Jason begins to wonder whether it is truly just a fable. He soon finds himself drawn into the conflict Anargen faced. A battle which has shaped and can destroy his world.

As an added bonus, there is a book trailer for those of you who enjoy watching those!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/t3KEBnl7E80?rel=0

I have not personally read the book yet, but wanted to share for those of you already looking for summer reading 🙂

***

Brett Armstrong has been exploring other worlds as a writer since age nine. Years later, he still writes, but now invites others along on his excursions. He’s shown readers hauntingly sorrowful historical fiction (Destitutio Quod Remissio), scary-real dystopian sci-fi (Day Moon), and dark, sweeping epic fantasy (Quest of Fire – April 2019). Where he heads next is as much a discovery for him as readers. Through dark, despair, light, joy, and everything in between, the end is always meant to leave his fellow literary explorers with wonder and hope. https://brettarmstrong.net/

 

My Books, Writing

Ten Favorite Characters from Flight of the Raven

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Ten Favorite Characters fromI was asked a couple weeks ago to name ten favorite characters from my upcoming novel, Flight of the Raven (which comes out at the end of this month, yeah!), and I thought I would share that list with all of you here (because I know you’re as excited as I am to meet all of these people!). So here you go 🙂

Lady Selene Ravenwood (main character): I love her desire to not accept what fate/destiny/or her mother has planned for her, but to search for who she really is and what the dreamwalking gift can be used for. I also love her dual swords and long, raven-colored hair!

Lord Damien Maris: Ah, Damien! What can I say? He’s strong and gentle, powerful but understands the consequences of his power, and fiercely protects his people. He has the ability to control water and uses it to create walls out of rivers to keep out enemies. However, his power will wash away anyone who is not part of his people, on either side of the river.

Taegis (Damien’s guardian): He’s been watching over House Maris ever since Damien was young, and was there to help Damien when his family passed away. He’s a councilor, guardian, and friend.

Cohen: He’s young, he’s tall, and he has wild hair. And he looks nothing like a monk. But it is his curiosity about the world, and his heart for people has led him to be selected to be the next abbott. He hasn’t quite adjusted to his height and is always banging his long legs on tables and chairs.

Karl (personal guard to House Maris): Dark and brooding, with a painful past and is not sure about Lord Damien marrying someone from House Ravenwood. Eventually, he becomes Lady Selene’s personal guard.

Sten (personal guard to House Maris): jolly and stout, with many brothers and a love for life. He likes to whittle figures out of wood.

Lady Bryren Merek: leader of House Merek and the wyvern riders. Her house is known for their courage, and Lady Bryren is known for speaking her mind. Her wyvern is a large copper female named Shannu.

Lady Ragna Ravenwood: Selene’s mother. Cold, rigid, and focused on one thing: to tear every other great house down and build her own up. She is known for her beauty and strength.

Lady Amara Ravenwood (Selene’s sister): she’s always been jealous of her sister until she discovers the burden Selene has been carrying for years. Now she’s questioning everything she’s ever known. She fights with a single sword.

Breven (a pilgrim): sweet young man with a brilliant smile and a huge heart. No wonder Amara starts to fall for him. He’s from the city of knowledge, Shanalona, and hopes to work in the massive libraries there someday.

 

And there you go, a little peek into some new and returning characters in Flight of the Raven!

Haven’t read the first book, Mark of the Raven? Then check it out here.

Haven’t pre-ordered your copy of Flight of the Raven? Then head over here.

 

Book Reviews

Cover Reveal for The End of the Magi

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Friends! I’m so excited to share with you the cover for Patrick W. Carr’s latest novel coming this November! Are you ready?

The End of the Magi

Isn’t it stunning? Here’s the blurb:

Fleeing for his life after his adoptive father is put to death by a ruthless Parthian queen, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, escapes the city. There he begins an epic journey filled with peril, close escapes, and dangerous battles. Over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can’t forget and the promise that the world will never be the same.

Coming November 5, 2019 from Bethany House Publishers

Just in time for a Christmas read 🙂

Patrick Carr

Patrick W. Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of cold war tensions. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee.

Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. Patrick’s day job for the last twelve years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and a dog he calls Mr. Fruffles. He has four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. While Patrick enjoys reading about himself, he thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.

www.patrickwcarr.com

https://twitter.com/patrickwcarr (twitter)

https://www.facebook.com/PatrickWCarr/

https://www.instagram.com/patrickwcarr/

Writing

Finding the Fantastical in Everyday Life

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Finding the Fantastical in Everyday Life.pngAs a fantasy writer, I’m constantly asked where do I get my ideas. I think it first began when I was a kid growing up in the mountains of Montana. I didn’t see the world around me with ordinary eyes. Instead, I saw the world with my imagination. Everything around me was magical, from the creek that ran behind our house, to the forests I would hike with my family, to those snowy days when the snowdrifts would be as tall as I was. I was an explorer wherever I went, constantly making up stories about the world around me.

I’ve grown older, but I haven’t changed much. Instead of keeping the stories in my head, I now convey what I see into the stories I write. When most people see a sunset, I see a painting of God every evening. The stars are diamonds in the sky. A thunderstorm is God’s power on display.

Even little things like the weaving of a spiderweb and a bird building her nest amaze me. Or the scent of fall as the leaves crunch beneath my boots. Or the stillness of a winter’s night. The sweet scent of a baby, or the tender purrs from my cat.

When I write, I want to convey the wonder I have of the world around me, and of the God who made it. And that doesn’t just stop at the physical world. Sometimes I ask questions in my stories: Are we monsters? Can anyone be redeemed? What does God’s grace really look like? What if I could walk in dreams? Who are we? And what does it mean to follow God?

I place my characters in situations that could not exist in this world in order to explain the real questions we ask as human beings. And I use the beauty of the real world to convey a fantasy world full of wonder.

Where do I find the inspiration for my stories? It is the fantastical I see every day around me.

How about you? What ‘ordinary’ things do you see as amazing? How does it bring you closer to God, and if you are a writer, how does it influence your writing?

My Books

Book Sale!

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Book Sale

Here’s the deal:

Mark of the Raven: $15

Complete set of Tainted and Awakened: $25

Complete set of Follower of the Word: $35

 

How do you get your copy (or copies)?:

—Send me an email at morganlbusse@live.com with what you want to order.

—Who you want the book(s) signed to (or if you just want them signed).

—Address you want them mailed to.

—I either take checks or paypal. I will send the book(s) when I receive payment. I will email you my paypal address or physical address where you can send your check.

 

Thank you!!!