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.
Book Reviews, Personal, Writing

When Reading Loses its Magic

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When I was a child, I devoured books. In fact, I broke the record of the most books read in one year at my elementary school. I read anything I could get my hands on. I even read Shakespeare, biographies, and encyclopedias :).

As an adult, my love for a good story continued. I found myself blessed with a husband who loved reading. Even better, we loved the same kind of books. We read Star Wars novels together, Harry Potter together, even Twilight. And I would read whatever nonfiction he was going through, whether it was on church ministry, leadership, or spiritual disciplines.

It wasn’t until I became a writer that reading began to lose its magic. I still read, but now that I was learning the craft of writing myself, I began to critique what I read. I couldn’t help myself. If I learned to stay in one-person point of view, then every book I read that didn’t follow that rule I thought was wrong.

As an author recently put it, reading a book is like watching a magic show. It’s fascinating and you are caught up in the spectacle. But when you start to learn the magician’s tricks, the show loses its charm. You know how he does it now. And you begin to critique the magician if he doesn’t do it right.

So how does a writer find her way back to the magic of simply enjoying a story? That’s a hard one, a feat that has taken me almost 2 years to learn.

One, I had to learn to turn off my inner editor. If there is one thing I have learned in writing, it is there are many styles of writing. And one style is not necessarily better than another. Just different. Both accomplish the same thing: a well-written, emotionally engaging book. But if I let my particular style drive my reading, then I am bound to be disappointed in a book that is different than me.

Two: don’t go into a book with preconceived ideas or emotions. What do I mean? In this industry, it can be easy to let jealousy come in and distort my view of a book. That is not right. If I am jealous, I will not see the good in a book, I will only be looking for the bad. But if I learn to rejoice with my fellow authors when they produce a good book, then I will enjoy their written work (for more on that topic, click here).

Thirdly, I need to let myself enjoy the experience of reading. Drink a cup of tea, curl up on the couch. Allow myself to be drawn in and taken to another place. And make the writer part of myself stay home! It has no place in my pleasure reading.

When I do this, I am finally free to just simply read. I get to experience the book as a reader. And the magic of reading comes back, just the way I remember it as a child.

 

Book Reviews

Book Review: Finding Angel

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Finding Angel by Kat Heckenbach is a story placed in our world about a girl who discovers she has the magical ability to “find” things. Because of her ability, the villain tried to murder her when she was seven and take her ability (in this story’s framework, if you kill someone with magic, you absorb their magical ability).

Angel is now in her early teens living in a foster home with no memories of her past. But when a young man comes into town, magic starts to happen. Angel finds her way home to Toch Island and begins to remember her past and her magic.

Finding Angel is a YA novel. It’s not very fast pace, but it is filled with interesting magic ideas and twists and turns as Angel unravels the mystery of who she is. And the writing style of Finding Angel reminds me of Madeleine L’Engle’s.

*Spoiler* The only caution I will put in is there is a bit of violence at the end involving genetically manipulated animals (being an animal lover, that was hard to read).

YA is not really my genre of choice, but I know that my younger self would have devoured this book. So I would recommend this book for anyone who loves modern day fantasy or YA fantasy.

 

Christian Life, Personal

Sex, Romance, and Books

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I read about a series that hit the bestsellers list on a blog a couple weeks ago. Intrigued, I went to Amazon to check it out… and stopped cold after reading the first review. My heart sunk and I felt sick. The descriptions the reviewer used made me blush and wish I had something I could clean my mind out with.

Shortly afterward, everywhere I looked, the book series kept popping up. I found it on lists, more blog posts, and everyday conversation. But what struck me the most were the people interested in reading this book: Christian women.

The book I am referring to is Fifty Shades of Grey.

Fifty Shades of Grey is about a young woman’s encounter with a brilliant, handsome man. A man who has dark tastes when it comes to the physical. They embark on a “daring, passionately physical affair” where the young woman explores her own dark desires.

That description alone made me hesitate, but then the reviews talked about all the sex in the book. Graphic, erotic sex. And then the blog posts started coming in. Even secular bloggers were taken back by all the sex. And not just regular sex, but more. No, I have not read the book, but when it shows up at the top of a list labeled “kinky sex” (I replaced a word), then there is definitely something disturbing (at least for me).

So why do I bring this up? To slam a series? No, to share my heart with you. What makes a book filled with descriptive sex any different than pornography? Both are visually stimulating. Both contain graphic content. And both are addictive.

You will never find a book with a white bunny and photos of nude women on the bestsellers list (at least I’ve never seen one). However, it seems that if the images are enclosed inside a story, then it’s okay. And to me, that is scary. Unlike a TV show or movie where you can just fast-forward through the scene, I find myself scrambling to a stop halfway down the page. But by then it’s too late. The words are already there, inside my mind. And with my photographic memory, they will never leave.

I write this post as a call to Christian women. For some, it is a warning about books like these. I stumbled into these kinds of books when I was a young girl and wish I had never opened the covers. I had no idea books with graphic sex existed. I had been taught that to look at naked people in photos was wrong, but not about books with naked people. So as a fellow Christian woman to another, I am warning you now that these books exist, and to be careful with what you read.

For others, this is plea to not go down this road. I will be the first one to say I love romance. I think it has been ingrained in us since the moment God first brought Eve to Adam (see my post about romance here ). But consider the romance in these books. Is it really romance? Or simply lust?

And I would take it a step farther and say reading books like these is no different than your husband sitting down with the latest Playboy. How would you feel if you saw him do it? How do you think he would feel about your book?

My friends, the images and scenes you read generally don’t stay in the living room. They follow you to the bedroom and can destroy the intimacy between you and your husband. Your husband will never live up to the hunky hero in a book. So it can be tempting to replace your husband inside your mind with the hero from your book. Or wish for a more exciting sex life, instead of finding fulfillment and pleasure in your husband.

Romance is good. Sex is good. But there are just some things that should be left behind closed doors and not displayed for the entire world to see. Even on the page.

For another great article about this subject, check out Mommy Porn is okay, But Daddy Porn is not

Writing

Marketing for Writers on a Dime

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First, my philosophy in marketing is how effective is whatever I’m doing compared to the time/money I have to put in? As a mother of four kids and the wife of a pastor, I have limited time to use toward my writing and marketing. So unless it guarantees a big return, I am reluctant to do something that requires a lot of time.

Same with money. My family just came off of being unemployed for a year and we are currently recovering from that. And as a small indie publisher, I have very limited resources from my publisher. Not that I’m complaining, I absolutely love Marcher Lord Press and there are some benefits you get with going with an indie publisher vs a traditional publisher (that will be a topic for another time ;)). Lastly, I see marketing as a small, step by step, reader by reader process. If I gain even one more reader through my endeavors, then I see that as a win.

So here is what I have done that has required little time and money:
-I started a blog 2 years ago (and here it is :)). I love blogging and so it’s not a hard thing for me to do. I blog about anything and everything on my heart and am not afraid to bring up sticky issues like what does a person do when they have lost their faith or how to deal with bitterness. Through my blog I have found a small readership who isn’t just writers. They appreciate my candid approach to faith and that readership has transferred over to my book.

-Build a relationship with the people you interact with on Facebook, don’t just talk about your writing life. Most of the people in your life do not understand the writer’s life nor do they really care. But when you are a real person with kids who do funny things or issues you are passionate about, you build ties with readers.

-Send arcs 3-4 months in advance to some big review places like Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, even Locus magazine. I sent to about 10-12 places and only heard from 2. But that was 2 more than I had the day before :).

-I chose not to do endorsements. At the time I was getting ready for my book release, I was also getting a house ready for the market and moving across states. Since endorsements have never influenced my choice in books, it wasn’t high on my priority list. And I didn’t really know anyone personally to ask, except one friend. She had just signed a contract for 2 books (hurrah!) and was honest and said she didn’t have the time, which was fine by me.

-Reviewers: I’m still learning this aspect of marketing. I do a lot of research into a reviewer before I ask them to review. I see what their site is like, do they like my kind of book, do they post their reviews in other places besides their blog? I know traditional publishers can send out a lot, but since every review book I send out comes out of my own pocket, I am selective on who I give one to.

-How to find reviewers: I just spent yesterday looking up quite a few of them. I looked over amazon’s top 150 reviewers, saw who reviewed my kind of book and sent them a nice, polite email with a request for a review. I also see who is reviewing my peers’ books and see if they would review mine. I have already received responses, all positive, and half of them said they would review.

-Always be respectful and polite. For one thing, you are an example of Christ to whoever you interact with (for the Christian writer). Secondly, it might win you a review. I had someone respond yesterday that they were so impressed that I actually took the time to look at their blog and read their posts that even though she was bogged down, she was going to make a spot and do a review for me.

-Be a part of Goodreads. I had never heard of this site before, but it is a great place to interact with your readers. Also check out Shelfari.

-Do a book giveaway with Goodreads. I am finding that a giveaway gives your book great exposure and it’s free advertisement! And it’s going on right now, so if you’re interested, here is the link: Goodreads book giveaway

-Book trailers. Not everyone likes them, but some people do. And it might bring them one step closer to purchasing your book. If you have a mac, it comes with iMovie. That is how I made mine: Daughter of Light Book Trailer

-I have not done a blog tour, but thinking about it.

-Remember, you can’t do everything or you’ll go crazy (not to mention not have time to write!). Do what you are good at. I don’t twitter or do pininterest because I don’t know how or have the time to keep either updated. I’m good at FB and so that is what I do for now.

– And lastly, remember God might have different plans for your book than you do. Keep your priorities straight: God, spouse, family, then writing. Sure, there are seasons when writing needs to take a front seat (like that dash to the release date), but it shouldn’t stay there. Be who you are suppose to be, have eyes open and ready for opportunities, and give your writing and marketing to God.

When you think you did it all yourself, you take the glory away from God. But when you give your marketing to God’s control, He might surprise you and in the end, all you can say is “God did it, not me!”

 

 

Personal

Things You may not know about Me

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People are fascinating. Behind the face are stories that you would never guess: places they have been, things they have experienced, interesting tidbits about their family. I thought that it would be fun today to share seven things you might not know about me. And it might explain why I am the way I am.

1)   I was in a beauty pageant. Yep. Me 😉 Now before you get any ideas that I’m that kind of person, I entered because there was a scholarship attached. I had no desire to go prancing around in high heels and talk about world peace. But since I had to earn my way to college, I would do almost anything to get a scholarship.

So this is how it happened: two teachers cornered me. They said I should enter the Lilac princess competition. I said no way. But after consideration, I figured there was no way I would make it to the final round. I wasn’t one of the popular girls at school. So most likely I would be voted out during the all school voting. To my surprise, I was voted into the finals.

I had to learn how to wear high heels, cross my ankles, walk a certain way, and give speeches. In the end, I did not win. But it was quite an experience!

2)   And speaking of shoes, this leads into my next disclosure: I wore tennis shoes under my wedding dress. No, it wasn’t so I could make a quick getaway if I needed one. It was because I really don’t like fancy shoes.

So instead of enduring pain by wearing shoes no one would ever see under my wedding dress, I bought a pair of all white tennis shoes, glued silver glitter all over them and replaced the strings with lace. Much more comfortable than high heels ;). My daughters found my shoes a year ago and asked about them. I told them they were my wedding shoes. They were impressed.

3)   I worked as a janitor to pay my way through college. I guess that’s why I’m good at cleaning bathrooms :).

4)   I have been to Europe… twice. I love the European culture and people. I love visiting places that date back to the roman times (something you can’t find here on this side of the ocean). Oh yes, and I climbed the Eiffel Tower just so I could say I did.

5)   I have moved every 1-2 years my entire life. Except in high school. That was the only time I stayed in one place for longer period of time (sometimes I wonder if I’m in the military).

6)   I come from a big family. My grandfather was one of 15, my dad was one of 8, my grandma was one of 10. And I have almost 30 first cousins the last time I counted :).

7)   I used to be a raider. Not in the ark sense, but in the gaming sense. I was the main tank healer for a 10 man raid group. Good times, fun people. But now my free time is taken up by writing and marketing.

 

So now you know a little bit more about me. How about you? What is an interesting fact about you?

 

 

 

My Books

Favorite Character

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I am doing something new starting this week. Along with my usual weekend blog where I write about life, I will be posting about the characters, places, and concepts found in my new series, Daughter of Light. I will be doing this every other week. So if you wondered where I found the names I used, where I came up with an idea, or have a question, this will be the place you can find your answers.

To start off this week, I want to ask those of you who have read my book: Who is your favorite character? And if you want, tell me why. I’m curious to see which of my characters you resonated with :).

 

Personal

The Things My Mother Taught Me

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There are just some things that are so wired inside of you that they pervade your thoughts and actions without you even thinking. Many of those things in my own life are due to my mother. So here are the things my mom taught me, and the same things I am passing on to my own children.

1)   People are people. My mother taught me that no matter a person’s skin color, intelligence, abilities, or any other characteristic did not make them any less human. We are all people, whether young or old, disabled or perfect health, skinny or obese. And we are all loved by God.

This is something I am passing on to my own children. I share with them that inside, all of us are the same. We have feelings, we have a heart and lungs and kidneys, and we have dreams and fears. And that Jesus died for all of us. If you were to ask my children if a group of people are less than another, they will tell you people are people are people (that’s our phrase).

 

My Mom is #1 🙂

2)   There is always room for hospitality. I remember my mom telling me that if people show up unexpected, throw some more water into the soup. And if there is floor space, then they have a place to stay the night.

We did not have much growing up. But mom always fed anyone who walked into our house. And we always offered what we could, including the couch or living room floor. In an apartment or trailer with only one bathroom and 3 bedrooms for 6 people to share, that wasn’t a lot of space. But we gave what we could, and guests were always fed and given a place to stay in my family’s home.

I practice that same rule of hospitality with my own family. Anyone who has ever been to my house knows that I will feed you till you pop :). And whether we are living in a large house or a tiny house, you will always have a place to stay with us (and we mean it!).

 

3)   Respect the Elderly. My earliest memories were visiting my mom’s great aunt in the nursing home. I will admit, old people scared me and those trips were frightening. But mom would talk about how no one else would visit her and how much older people love seeing kids.

I was also taught to give up my seat if an older person came into the room and there were no more chairs available. She would remind me that my back was still young and I could sit on the floor. To this day, I will still sit on the floor and offer my chair to an older person.

No matter how grouchy an older person is, I was reminded to show honor and respect. Not always easy, but something I’m thankful I was taught to do. And I am now training my children to do the same thing.

 

I love my mom and am so thankful for the things she taught me. I have not always followed her instruction, but God has shown me the wisdom of my mom’s words. And now that I am a mom, I want to pass down that same wisdom.

How about you? What did your mother teach you?

 

 

Christian Life, Writing

Achievement Junkie

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I love achievements. When the xbox icon pops up that says I just unlocked master, I quick pump my fist in the air. When I come in first on Mario Kart and beat the entire game, I do a victory dance (with my kids dancing with me). The achievement list that was placed in World of Warcraft was made for a person like me. Found all the coins in the fountain in Dalaran? Me. Ironman in Warsong? Me again. Killed the Lich King while singing Itsy Bitsy Spider? Me. Wait, that’s not a real achievement ;).

I think this achievement need started when I was a child. I was never pressured to get good grades. It was something I craved, something I thought I needed. When I got an A, I didn’t crow. But I did feel deep satisfaction and searched for the next thing I could be best in.

I won awards for my athletics, for my grades, and for my art. I scored high in both my SAT’s and ACT’s. But it wasn’t enough. Once I had one achievement under my belt, I looked for another.

My achievement addiction moved into other areas of my life as I grew into adulthood. I knew theology and could debate with the best of them. I worked hard to have the perfect body to the point of hurting myself. I read everything I could so I could have the best pregnancy and birth. Same with being a mother.

Almost everything I put my hand to, I exceeded at. And if I didn’t, I dropped it and moved on. I would not waste my time on anything that I wasn’t the best at.

Funny enough, I never really wanted the limelight. That didn’t matter to me and in some ways scared a shy person like me. So why did I want to be the best? I couldn’t explain to you. There was this gnawing craving inside of me. I desired it and it made me feel good when I had it.

The dark times God brought me through over the last few years blasted through the fortress of Achievement I had in my heart. I have been humbled. I learned that all I have, I have been given by God. So when I published, I never dreamed that I would find that gnawing hunger inside my heart again. But it’s here, and it took me by surprise.

I have had people asking me how many books I have sold or how much money I have made. I have no idea. I’ve never asked. And I was delighted that I didn’t really care. But what I found myself craving was acknowledgement. I wanted to be the best… again.

I had coffee with a friend yesterday and I told her about this darkness inside of me. I was humiliated by it and didn’t understand it. Why? Why do I struggle with this? She pointed out something that I had never realized. It’s like a high for me. As soon as I achieve one thing, I look for my next high. I’m an achievement junkie.

I sat back in shock and knew she was right. I never understood why as a child I wanted good grades. Like I said, I was never pressured. But I wanted it anyway. And now that I know my addiction, I’m giving it to God. In the end, achievements do not fulfill, they just make me crave more of them. But God, well, He satisfies in a way that no achievement ever will.

Besides, I can’t claim anything. Good grades? God gave me my brain. Athletics? God made my body. A great book? I can’t tell you how many times I bowed my head and asked God to help me with a scene. And He did. So I can’t take the credit.

There is a saying I once heard on the television series Combat Hospital that stuck with me and made me think long after the episode ended.

“Are you doing your best, or trying to be the best?”

 And that’s a question I have for you :).

Christian Life

Marriage is like Star Trek

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I am a trekkie. I love almost every Star Trek and have watched each series multiple times. I own the complete Deep Space Nine, went to Star Trek the Experience, and have a Vulcan shirt. So it can be no surprise that one day I realized a great way to explain marriage was by using Star Trek.

Now, before I lose you, let me explain. It began with the idea of submission. The moment the “S” word is used, especially in the context of marriage, various emotions and words come to the mind to many people. Doormat, subhuman, inequality. Even I struggled with the concept of submission. Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about all people being equal in Christ. But the Bible also clearly states that I am to submit to my husband. How does that work?

This is how: every ship needs a captain. Dan is the “Picard” of our ship (family). But the captain does not do everything himself. He needs a first officer. So I am the “Riker” of the ship (and the one with hair too ;)).

Captain Picard makes the decisions for the Enterprise. He is also accountable to Starfleet. In the same way, Dan is the “captain” of our family and accountable to God for how he runs our family.

Riker is there to support Captain Picard. But that doesn’t mean he follows Picard blindly. There are a couple times he meets with Picard privately to state his objections to what Picard is doing. They meet in the ready room and Riker speaks freely.

Picard, like a good captain, listens to his first officer. He values the input of his first officer. There are times that Riker is right and it was a good thing Riker spoke up. In the same way, Dan listens to me. I appreciate that Dan values my input and considers my words. It makes me feel loved and respected as his wife.

Notice Riker speaks his objections in the ready room, not out on the deck where every ensign and officer can hear. He shows respect for Picard and does it in privacy. Same with the wife. Display respect for your husband and bring up concerns and grievances in private, not in front of others.

However, when Riker and Picard leave the ready room, they leave as a team and on the same page. Riker may not agree with Picard, but in the end, Picard is his captain and responsible for the Enterprise and will have to answer to Starfleet for anything that goes wrong. Riker has done his job, he has spoken to Picard, but now he needs to submit to his captain.

Both men are respected on the Enterprise and in the Federation. Both men are equally intelligent and popular. But because of the need for order and there can only be one captain, Picard fills that role. Riker is not any less of a human for being first officer. It is the role he fills and he does a great job of it.

In marriage, a man and a woman are both humans loved by God. Both are given God’s grace. But they play two different roles in the family. Each role is important and each role helps the ship sail smoothly.

Me and my "tribbles"

When I reflected on my role and realized I am similar to Riker as first officer, I found my misgivings and fear of “not being as important” fade away. I am important. But I do not need to be the captain. Dan’s the captain and I can help him by being the best first officer there is.

And, in the immortal words of Startrek, together Dan and I boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before: our own personal marriage. *Cue music 🙂