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.
Uncategorized

Son of Truth Cover Reveal

2 Comments

Here it is, the cover for Son of Truth, which releases next week (April 1st, 2013).

Son of Truth CoverThe war in the north is over, but the war for all the Lands has just begun. As the Shadonae solidify their hold on the city of Thyra, Rowen Mar, the last Eldaran and savior of the White City, awakens to find herself hunted by those she has saved.

Meanwhile, the assassin Caleb Tala finds himself in the presence of the Word. The time of reckoning has come and he must pay the price for all the lives he has taken. But in his moment of judgment, Caleb is given a second chance to change his life.

These two hold the power to save the Lands from the Shadonae. One must escape slavery, and one must choose to forsake everything before the world is consumed in darkness.

Writing

What I Learned My First Year as a Published Writer

13 Comments

It’s hard to believe I’m approaching my first year as a published writer. The journey has felt like a roller coaster, with a lot of ups and downs, moments of panic, and wondering if the world will stop spinning. It was a crazy year! Looking back, here are three things I learned during the ride:

1)   Not everyone is going to like your book. Ouch. I knew that, but it is different when you experience it. It took some time to get over the fact that not everyone would enjoy my work, whether because of style differences, genre differences, etc. But I learned to move on. After all, I don’t enjoy everything I read either, and I should allow people their differences.

2)   Don’t read your reviews. That was a hard one for me to learn. I could have 12 positive reviews and one negative one and guess which one I would focus on? Yep. It’s like having a stain on your favorite shirt. No matter how much you try to ignore it and not let it get under your skin, your eyes keep coming back to it. Finally after a couple months, I decided not to look at my reviews at all. I figured reviews were there for the readers anyway, not for me. I had written the book to the best of my ability. That’s about all a person can do. Once I stopped looking at my reviews, I found peace.

3)   It’s not so much about developing tough skin as it is about guarding your heart. I never liked the idea of developing tough skin. It felt like I was hardening my heart as well. And since I write from my heart, I couldn’t let that grow hard or the soul of my writing would suffer. But in letting my heart remain soft, I allowed it to be hurt.

CastleAfter months of hurting, I finally asked my husband how he dealt with all the negativity in his life. As a pastor he receives a lot of criticism and yet I hardly ever saw it affect him. So he shared with me how he guarded his heart. He imagines his heart is a castle. He only allows 2 voices into that castle: God and me (since I am his wife). Then there is a wall, and within the courtyard he allows the voices of his most trusted friends. Then there is a moat and there he allows friends and acquaintances.

When he shared this with me, I realized how many voices I was allowing into the very heart of me, voices that really had no business being there. And by listening to all those voices, I wasn’t hearing the ones I needed to hear.

So I put his idea into action. One day I had someone tell me I wasn’t good at grammar. I’m not. It is one of the weakest areas in my writing. But then I imagined my heart. Her voice had no business inside my castle. Yes, she was right, but I already knew that. What I didn’t need is her voice echoing around inside my heart, reminding me over and over again of that fact. Instead, I needed to acknowledge the truth of her words, but not let her over the moat.

My heart remained soft, but not damaged.

Being a writer is the hardest thing I have ever done (apart from being a parent). I confess: if I knew it would be this hard, I would have probably given up a long time ago. But I would have also missed the joy of being creative, of sharing my heart with people, and seeing a dream come true.

How about you? What have you learned, either from a new job, a new relationship, or a new way of life? What were the struggles? How did you overcome them?

 

 

Christian Life

The Problem with Death

3 Comments

DeathA few weeks ago, I read one Christian’s point of view on how the world began. This person laid out the different views out there, ranging from evolution to creation, to God using evolution in His creation, young earth, old Earth, and everything in between. This person concluded that there was not enough evidence to support anything; but what was important was the Maker, not how everything came to be.

I have heard this case before. I have strong Christian friends who believe God used evolution in His creation of the world. And lately, I have been rethinking my views. After all, there is a lot of debate on this issue, each with a valid point. But one thing keeps pulling me back from embracing the view that God used evolution: the problem of death.

My understanding of evolution is that through countless changes in both the world and species, what we see now came to be. And through that process there was a lot of death. Slowly, the genetics of the species changed, evolving to survive. What couldn’t live, died. What did live changed again, then died out so the new level of genetics could survive.

However, the Bible states death came through one man: Adam (Romans 5:12). Before Adam sinned, there was no death. Nothing died. And if there was no death, then there would be many species running around, each of them in a different state of evolution. The world would be filled with half-baked critters that were not done changing yet.

And where did they all go when Adam sinned and death finally entered creation? Did the imperfect die away? Yet that would contradict what God said when He finished creating: that everything was good (Genesis 1:31).

Ultimately though, the problem of death and the creation of the world has to do with our salvation. Through one man’s sin death entered the world, and through one man life came as well. We are all connected to Adam, and therefore we will die. But through Jesus we can have life. But if we are not connected to Adam, then can we be saved?

Imagine Adam and Jesus as doors on either side of a room. All who came through one door may go through the other door. But if you are not even in the same room, can you go through the other door? If mankind really did evolve, then are we all connected? What about those who did not fully evolve into humans, who were not Adam? Are any of us related to those pre-evolved humans? If so, can we be saved?

See the problem?

In the end, both faith and logical thinking are required for any belief about the origins of life. Yes, the Maker is important (if you believe in a Maker). But so is how He created the world. Life and death hinge on that.

 

Christian Life

We Were Once Zombies

6 Comments

Zombies!I watched an episode of The Walking Dead the other night. The story was absolutely intriguing: what would the world be like if a disease turned almost everyone into zombies? The problem was, I couldn’t stomach the headshots or the body parts trailing behind the corpses. So I only ended up watching one and a half episodes. But it made me start thinking: all of us are zombies.

Huh?

I work with junior high boys and we always end up talking about interesting things (surprising, right?). One night we talked about this verse: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…” Ephesians 2:1 NASB (emphasis mine). And it hit me: we are all zombies. We are walking around, talking, eating, breathing, living. And yet we are dead. Corpses. Living and dead and the same time.

Our physical bodies are alive, but our souls are dead. The moment Adam sinned, the entire human race was condemned to a zombie existence: shuffling around, searching for life, with no clue how destitute we are. We can no more cure ourselves than those poor wretches on The Walking Dead.

But there was someone who could. “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead… ” Ephesians 2:4 NLT (emphasis mine)

The dead cannot save themselves. They cannot bring life back into their bodies. But God could, and He did. Can you imagine the scene? God walking up to a zombie, touching him or her, and restoring life back into the body and healing away the decay? The way the person would look afterward, with wonder and with thankfulness.

Right now I am picturing all those zombies on The Walking Dead and what that episode would look like if someone finally found a cure (maybe there is a cure on the show, I don’t know). What a happy day that would be, when they could finally become human again.

My Books

Daughter of Light on Sale

Leave a comment

As the release date approaches for Son of Truth, my publisher and I decided to lower the price on Daughter of Light. If you are looking for a deep fantasy story along the lines of Terry Brooks’ or Terry Goodkind’s style, then check out the first book in the Follower of the Word series.

daugher_of_light_lgWhat if with one touch you could see inside the soul?

Rowen Mar finds a strange mark on her hand, and she is banished from her village as a witch. She covers the mark with a leather glove and seeks sanctuary in the White City. She lives in fear that if she touches another person, the power inside her will trigger again, a terrifying power that allows her to see the darkness inside the human heart . . .

But the mark is a summons, and those called cannot hide forever. For the salvation of her people lies within her hand.

 

Personal

The Valentines Day I almost shot my Husband

3 Comments

I’m sure every woman fears that moment, the one when you are home alone with the kids for the night, and you hear something. The dogs start going crazy and you think, “This is it. Someone finally broke into the house.”

This happened to me last year. Dan found a job in another state, but his new job meant that I needed to stay behind for a couple months and get the house ready for the market. Every night, I would stare at the ceiling, listening to every noise in the house. After a couple weeks, I grew used to being a single parent. I made sure the doors were locked, the kids were tucked in and safe, and go to bed.

The night before Valentine’s Day was like every other. I checked the house, the locks, and the kids, and went off to bed.

At 1am, the dogs went crazy.

I woke up. My mind was somewhere between dreamland and reality. I heard someone moving around downstairs.

My heart stopped.

It had finally happened. One of my greatest fears: all alone with an intruder.

A split second later I realized my phone was down the hall in my office, charging. By now I knew the intruder was at the bottom of the stairs. The dogs were hysterical.

I looked around and spotted the lamp. I only had two thoughts: I would need to beat the man unconscious so I could reach my phone and how in the world was I going to get the blood out of the carpet?

The intruder entered my room.

I drew back… and realized it was Dan.

I just about passed out then and there.

Where did he come from?

I lay down on the bed, hardly able to move. I had been geared up to kill a man to save my children. And now all that adrenaline had left me faint.

It took a couple minutes before I could look back up.

“Hi,” I finally said.

Apparently Dan wanted to surprise me for Valentines Day so he drove 12 hours straight after preaching at church. He tried texting me to let me know he was on his way, but my phone was dead, so I never heard from him. When he reached our house, he let himself in the back door.

It never occurred to me that the dogs were going crazy because Dan was home, not because of a stranger. Nor did I wonder how a stranger broke into the house with the doors locked.

The scariest part is I could have shot him. Only afterward did I remember the gun Dan keeps in the closest. I imagined myself, standing at the top of the stairs, pointing a gun at my very surprised husband. Yikes!

I learned two lessons that night: I need to keep my phone charged and next to me, and if I ever need to, I will protect my family at all costs. So don’t surprise me!

 

 

Christian Life, God's Character

Where is God?

6 Comments

I recently found out some friends of mine just lost their sweet little baby son. When I read the news, I was devastated. Having been through some life shattering events in my own life, my heart broke for them. I know if I was in their place, deep inside my heart I would be asking where was God?

Why didn’t He heal my son? Why didn’t He step in? Where was He? Does He see me now, crying? Does He care? Or am I simply a pawn in His cosmic game of chess where in the end everything turns out for good, but right now all I feel is pain?

How will I go on? Can I go on? Everything around me is so dark I can’t see the way. All I want to do is curl up in a corner and cry. I am drowning from the pain inside.

In a time like this, there are no words that can bring comfort. Platitudes are just empty sayings. Reminders that God is there, or that everything will turn out does not help a devastated heart. All we want is our life, our child, our hope back. But life has been altered, and it will never be the same again.

So where is God in all this? From my own experience, I can say He is there. I wrote a post over a year ago titled Jesus wept. Dan had just been let go from the church we were serving at. Not only did we lose a job, we lost a church, we lost friends, we lost community. It was the darkest time of my life. And nothing anyone said could pull me out of the pit of despair. Until I read John 11:35.

Jesus wept.

Yes, God is working everything for good (Romans 8:28), and yes, God is working everything for His glory. But we are not alone. He is also walking beside us and crying with us. He is not immune to our grieving hearts. Good will come from our hurt. God is in control. Someday, we may see the big picture and know that it was all worth it.

But until then, God will carry us.

How about you? Do you feel like God has abandoned you? Are you facing a devastating loss? What helps you keep going?

 

Uncategorized

Next Big Thing

3 Comments

Welcome to the NEXT BIG THING Blog Hop.

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them.  I hope you’ll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy.  On this stop on the blog hop, you’ll find a bit of information on me and one of my books!

My gratitude to fellow author and friend, J. L. Mbewe, for inviting me to participate in this event.  You can click the link to learn more about Jennette and her books.

In this blog hop, my fellow authors and I, in our respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our current book or work-in-progress (giving you a sneak peek).  We’ve also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write–the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the working title of your book? Son of Truth

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? Whew, that’s a long story. Originally Daughter of Light was a standalone. But when I created the assassin Caleb Tala, I realized his story wasn’t done. There was more to him than I knew. So one book turned into three.

3: What genre does your book come under? This particular series (Follower of the Word) is a Christian fantasy written for the adult market. In other words, it is not YA. However, I have had teens (and their moms) write to me and tell me how much they enjoyed my book. It does have some dark themes in it, but compared to what is out there for YA, it is a great read for teens who are looking for fantasy.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I haven’t really seen anyone I think look like my characters.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? An assassin is given a second chance at life, but it will cost him everything.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? My work is published through Marcher Lord Press , an award winning independent publisher that specializes in speculative fiction. If you are looking for some great science fiction or fantasy, then check out Marcher Lord Press.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? It took me a year to write Son of Truth. I wrote it while I shopped around Daughter of Light. I am also a mother of four kids, so it takes me a while to complete a draft.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I have been compared to Tolkien (who hasn’t?), but I would say my work is more along the lines of Terry Brooks‘ Shannara series or Terry Goodkind‘s Sword of Truth series. There are no dragons, no elves, no fairies, none of the usual fantasy races. Rather, my book focuses on humans and a special race of people with inborn abilities.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? I never set out to be a writer. I was a reader. I devoured books. I would read almost anything, but my favorite genre was sci-fi/fantasy. I was disappointed one day when I stopped into a Christian bookstore and discovered there were no Christian fantasies or science fiction. Why not? My husband said I should write one. No way! I hated English. I was a science kind of girl. But then I had this idea while on a trip to Seattle about a young woman with a mark on her hand who could see inside people’s souls when she touched them. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. What would it really be like to have that ability? Would she be loved or feared? And so the Follower of the Word series was born.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? It is always interesting to hear what character readers like the most. To my surprise, I had many people write to me and tell me they loved the assassin Caleb Tala. He is one of those dark, complicated characters. Those of you who want to find out more about Caleb will enjoy Son of Truth. His past, present, and future will be revealed.

Son of Truth releases April 1st, 2013.

Christian Life

Eyes on the Finish Line

5 Comments

When you run the hurdles, you don’t look at the hurdles. You look past them, to the finish line. When the gun goes off and you lift your head, you find the tape. You train your eyes on it, never taking your gaze off, and run.

But that is so contrary to what you want to do. Imagine a long line of hurdles. Each one a barrier between you and the end of the race. Each one ready to stop you or trip you. Your inclination is to look at each one as you approach, to make sure you get over, that your leg doesn’t get caught. The problem is, if you look at the hurdles you slow down.

I used to run the hurdles. Everyday we would train. We would do various exercises to train our legs to hover over the hurdle, then snap down once we were over. Over and over again, until we had developed muscle memory. Even today, when I face a baby gate, my legs snap up and over without missing a beat :).

The hardest thing to learn was to focus on the finish line and not the hurdles. All I wanted to do was stare at the hurdle. I was scared I would trip and fall. But when my gaze was on the hurdle in front of me, I slowed down. I missed my steps. My rhythm would be thrown off and I would end up last.

I was sharing this with a friend of mine this past week. She is spiritually tired right now, and focusing on the hurdles in her life. I shared my story, and how I had to learn to focus on the finish line. Everything clicked for her. She was scared that she would not make it over the next hurdle.

We talked, and she realized two things: she needed to focus again on the finish line. And she needed to trust her faith muscles to get her over the hurdles. All those years of learning to trust God would now get her through what she was facing in her life.

I hadn’t thought about the second part, the part where the quiet time we spend everyday with God is training our “faith” muscles so that when hurdles come up in our lives, we automatically know how to respond. It made sense. If I hadn’t trained my legs to know what to do while my eyes were set on the finish line, I would not have been able to get over the hurdles.

Training and focus. Quiet time and Jesus. Both needed to get over the hurdles, whether physical, mental, or spiritual.

How about you? Are you facing some hurdles in your life? Do you need to place you eyes back on the finish line?