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.
Christian Life

Twilight

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Dan and I love to read books together and discuss them. We have read Harry Potter together, many of the Star Wars together, Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson, etc… When I decided to read Twilight to see what all the hoopla was about, Dan read that series as well.

I found it was not as bad as people were saying. The writing aspect of the book accomplished what it was suppose to: create a powerful, emotional experience and explore the question, “What if a vampire loved me?”

But the question Dan and I talked about was the appeal. Why were millions of girls (and mothers) swooning over this series? Dan, I think, came up with the best answer: because we long to be loved by something we perceive is so much greater than ourselves.

Bella is a klutzy, moody, average looking teenage girl. She isn’t on the cheerleading squad and she isn’t class president. She comes from a divorced family and goes to live with her father in the backwoods of Washington. There is nothing special about her.

But for some reason, she is the only one who attracts Edward, a handsome and most desirable vampire.

I think every woman feels this way to some extent: that there is nothing special about her. Average, perhaps klutzy, moderately smart, and maybe only good at cooking. But secretly, inside her heart, she wishes to be something more. To be special enough to attract the one man/attention/award/_____ everyone wants.

Now I’m not going to end this post saying that something special is offered to every woman (and man), even though it’s true. We are sought and loved by something much greater than ourselves. God. But it is one thing to know God loves us in our heads, and to learn to embrace that truth in our hearts.

I’ll be honest. I’m still learning to embrace that. Sometimes it seems it would be easier to have a handsome vampire fall for me than to have faith in a God who I cannot see and believe that He loved me enough to die for me. Why? Because I could see it. Faith is hard, my friends!

But if you compare the two loves, even though God’s love is invisible to the eye, it is way better than the love of a vampire ;).

Christian Life, Personal

I Have Stubbornness Issues

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For any of you who have watched How to Train Your Dragon, you’ll recognize my post title (actually, the exact quote is “Vikings have stubbornness issues”). Lots of good quotes in that movie. If you haven’t seen it, you need to check it out.

Anyway, this quote always stuck with me for two reasons: a)most of my family is Norwegian descent, thus making me viking, right? 😛 and b) I definitely have stubbornness issues.

I have a hard time letting go. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes that’s a bad thing.

How can stubbornness be good? It can give you the willpower to keep going when you want to give up. Its that inner drive that won’t let you let go until you reach the end.

It’s what helped me work the last six months when I didn’t want to get up in the morning and had to say good-bye to my kids. I knew that what I did benefited my family at the time. It’s also what has kept me writing the last eight years (and keeps me from highlighting the entire manuscript and hitting the delete button :)).

But stubbornness can can also be bad. Sometimes you do need to let go. There are times when I need to let an issue drop and move on. Or realize I won’t have all the answers as to why something happened.

For example, I’ve been working on my edits the last couple weeks. I try and do a chapter a day. I was working on a more difficult chapter and the day was slowly slipping away. At that point, I should have realized that I needed to walk away and take a break. Spend time with my family. Instead, I hunkered down over my computer and pressed on.

I finished my chapter that day. But I also missed opportunities with my family. Was it worth it? Not in my opinion. When I was tempted to do that again, I walked away from my computer and finished later on that night, after the kids were in bed.

That’s when I don’t like being stubborn. Because it’s hard for me to let go. I can get tunnel vision and press on, to the detriment of those around me. But it can also be a good thing, giving me the power to press on. I think in the end, I need to listen when God (and others) speak and say it’s time to let go.

I have stubbornness issues. And yes, I gestured to all of me 😉

 

 

 

 

Personal

Working Mother

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The last six months have taught me a lot about a world that, before Dan lost his job, I knew very little of personally. You see, I have been blessed to be able to stay at home and raise my little ones. Sure, I worked a couple months after Philip was born, but it wasn’t the same. When I entered the workforce six months ago, I had four kids close in age and no end in sight when I would be home again. I was officially a working mom.

Here are some things I learned while living in the world of the working mother:

1)   It’s hard! You feel this pull inside of you: you want to be home with your children but you also know that what you are doing helps your family stay afloat during financial hard times. I didn’t meet one working mom who didn’t wish she could be home with her kids.

2)   Balance. You have to learn to balance work, family, and husband. You learn to put aside anything that takes away from those because you simply do not have the time to do anything else. It was during those months that I finally and completely gave my writing over to God. I was willing to walk away from my dream in order to help my family. However, in the fullness of time, God had other plans.

3)   Most women work because they have to. I found in this depressed economy, whichever spouse could find a job, that was the one who worked. I want to bring this up because a misconception I ran into was most women who work do it to have the second car or nicer house or more spending money. Not true. Almost every woman I worked with did it because she had to.

4)   If a woman is working, her husband is a bum. Another misconception out there. Yes, there are bums for husbands, but most are either going back to school because they could not find a job in their current field, or the wife was able to find a good paying job faster than the husband could. Is it ideal? Perhaps. I have seen families work quite well with the husband home.

5)   We need to support working mothers. They need encouragement. They already feel bad about leaving their families without the added pressure from their peers. Instead, take a working mother out for lunch. Give her a note or a hug. Watch her kids so she can have a date with her husband. Remind her God loves her and through Him, she can get through this time.

I love being home again. But I am also glad I worked. I was able to help my family out during a difficult time. I realized how many missed opportunities I had with my children before I went back to work. I met some amazing women. I learned what their world is like. And I learned to rely on God for strength to make it each day.

 

Christian Life, God's Character

Romance

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Dan left for Kansas for 7 weeks and what did I do? I put in a chic flick and watched Little Women. As I was watching, I thought about the human draw to romance. There is a verse in Proverbs that puts it this way, “There are three things that amaze me—no, four things that I don’t understand… how a man loves a woman.”

I love romance. I love to see a man and woman fall in love. I enjoy it in movies, books, and real life. Romantic love is a mysterious, power thing. It is what pulls us toward the opposite sex. And for many of us, it is what brought us to our spouse.

God is no stranger to romance. In fact, He is the inventor of it. He could have made Eve many different ways: hairy and muscled like an ape or round and prickly like a hedgehog. Instead, He made her similar to Adam, but also different: beautiful, feminine, inviting. Like a puzzle, each edge fit perfectly with Adam. And Adam’s response when first meets Eve? Wow!

The book of Song of Solomon follows the romantic love between a man and woman: their powerful draw to each other, but also reminders not to awaken love until it is time. The story reads like a poetic dance between the two, culminating to marriage and the night thereafter.

There is nothing wrong with romance. It is a beautiful thing to experience personally and watch unfold in the lives of others. That is why we celebrate weddings and anniversaries. The love between a man and a woman is a mystery, and an amazing one at that.

 

Personal

I Hate Roller Coasters

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I have always been afraid of heights. As a little girl, I remember one time crying when I was pushed too high in a swing. That and the fact that swinging made me sick. So when I grew older, I could not understand the fascination people had with roller coasters. They wanted them faster, higher, go upside down, you name it. And people thought it was fun.

I decided my senior year to ride a roller coaster. If that many people thought it was fun, then it must be fun, right? I was visiting a college that fall for college view weekend. On Saturday we went to Magic Mountain. Everyone was excited. That’s when I decided I would do it. I would conquer my fear of heights.

I lined up with everyone else for this huge, fast, go upside down, painted in brilliant red roller coaster. As we snaked our way to the front, my stomach began to twist into a knot. The closer we drew, the more my insides coiled. But I was determined to do this. So when it came our time, I belted myself in with everyone else. And off we went.

It was terrible.

I thought I was going to die of shear panic as the roller coaster cranked its way to the top. Then down we went. I closed my eyes and prayed the entire way that I would make it off alive. I didn’t scream, I’m not a screamer. When I’m afraid, my brain shuts off. Maybe that will save me someday if zombies attack. They will think I’m brainless 😛

Anyway, I did survive. I stumbled off the roller coaster, clung to the railing and flung myself onto a bench. It took all my strength not to hurl all over the place. I sat there a good 5 minutes while the other students who were along for the college weekend waited. I finally looked up and gave them a weak smile. I spent the rest of the day watching others have fun on roller coasters and swore I would never ride another one.

Unfortunately, life sometimes feels like a roller coaster. I see the unknown and I panic. I want to get off the ride, but life keeps going, pulling me to the top. Then down I zip, through valleys of darkness and over tops of dreams. Half the time I have my eyes closed, praying I’ll make it through. Other times I feel sick.

But one thing I do know: while careening through life with my lips flapping in the wind, I’m safe. The roller coaster is not going to fall apart. I sometimes think it will. But it won’t. Because God is right next to me. And He oversees the whole thing.

When I remember this, I’m able to relax a little. I open my eyes and watch the sights flash by. And I finally enjoy the ride.

 

Personal, Writing

My Editor, My Coach

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I ran track and field in high school. Hurdles to be precise. I had this one coach who felt I had potential in the 300 meter hurdles. For those of you who don’t know much about track, its one of the most grueling races (in my opinon). You run almost a quarter mile as fast as you can—on your toes—while leaping over hurdles.

As you come around the curve and face the last 100 meters, you wonder how in all the world you’re going to make it to the finish line. You can barely breath, your calves burn, and you’re crying. Somewhere along the haze of pain you wonder why you didn’t chose some other sport, like tennis.

I am finding an editor is much like a coach. You work months and years to perfect your writing so that an editor will finally give your manuscript a second look and offer that coveted contract. But when the edits start coming, you wonder what he or she ever saw in your story.

What your editor saw… is potential. The skills are there, the story is great and it has a possible market. But the manuscript isn’t quite there, not yet.

So a good editor gets to work. And the newly contracted author wonders why she didn’t take up knitting instead :).

I am now entering the last phase of edits. It’s been hard. Really hard. But I have also learned a lot of good stuff. My editor has pushed me, helped me, and encouraged me. He knows I can do it (even when I’ve despaired). He’s a good coach. And for that, I am thankful.

 

*I originally posted this article at Hoosier Ink.

 

Personal

Anniversary

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Next week is my 12th anniversary. A lot has happened since I said “I do”. If you had told me all the crazy things that would happen over the next few years, I wouldn’t have believed you. Actually, if you had told me that I would marry Dan, I wouldn’t have believed you either ;).

It’s been a faith filled roller coaster with high highs and low lows. But not once have I regretted marrying Dan. We have so many stories to tell, so many experiences shared, so many tears, hugs and kisses. Here are a few:

2000- Remember Y2K? Dan and I were pretty happy to see the world still here after midnight. Two weeks later we were married and spent an amazing honeymoon at Disneyworld (you didn’t really think we would go to some tropical place, did you?)

2001- We packed up and headed down to Texas so Dan could go to seminary, the first of our many adventures.

2002- Surprise! We found out in January that I was pregnant. Not something we had planned during seminary. So glad God gave us Philip, though :).

2003- Moved to Walla Walla Washington. Yes, it really does exist. Dan started his first job as a pastor and I started learning what it meant to be a pastor’s wife.

2004- Along came Katy, our wonderful adventurous tomboy princess.

2005- Moved to Portland. Found out the last week in December that we would be having twins.

2006- There is nothing like looking like a whale (and feeling like one) during the hottest day on record for Portland. Dan bought a window air conditioner for me to sit by until I could go to the hospital (they turned me away the day I was due, so I ended up waiting two more days). At least I can say I had one of the biggest twins my OB GYN had ever delivered: 8lb boy :).

2007- Dan was laid off and so we moved into my mother’s basement.

Picture Dan took during sunset in Bandon

2008- Another move, this time to the Oregon coast. One of the most beautiful places I have ever lived.

2009- Celebrated an early 10th anniversary by going to Hawaii. That was fun!

2010- Moved again, this time to Indiana. I never thought we would move so much! But one thing Dan and I learned through each move is that God is with us and will take care of us.

2011- Dan lost his job. Remember those marriage vows? Rich or poor, in sickness an in health. Despite all darkness going on around us, we clung to God and each other.

2012- This year is yet to be written 😉

Do Dan and I have a perfect marriage? No! In fact, I think I can safely say that without God, our marriage would be in shambles. Or to be more honest, we would never have married. We are very different people. But we both want to follow God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And by following God, we draw closer together. Because of Jesus we can forgive each other, love despite the cost, and find hope when life turns dark.

What’s next? Looking at our past twelve years, I’m afraid to guess. But I’m also excited. I have a wonderful partner in Dan and a God who’s leading our lives.

Personal

2012

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It was interesting to read my blog entry for January 1st, 2011 (here). Had I known what 2011 held, I would have given it back and probably asked for a better year. I saw death and I saw job loss. I faced days full of darkness and pain. I cried more this year than all the years before combined. 2011 was the darkest year so far in my life.

But the light of hope still shone, even when I could not see it. God provided for my family. He was patient with me as I wrestled with all the darkness both inside me and out. He brought friends that stood by us and helped us.

God never let go of me.

I now stand on the brink of 2012. What is this year going to bring? I know a couple things already. It will bring the fruition of 8 years of writing: my first book. It will bring the much-anticipated birth for a friend of mine. It will bring change as Dan and I move on with our lives to the next ministry God takes us to.

But those are only hazy glimpses. In the end, we do not know the future. And I’m glad. I would worry way too much ;). Instead, I know the one who holds the future. And I’m learning to trust in Him.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Divine Summons

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Elves and dragons. I don’t think you can get any more fantasy than that. Divine Summons by Rebecca P. Minor is the first book in a series she first wrote for the ezine Digital Dragons. The story follows a military captain of the Elven Nation. A sacred relic of the elves is stolen. And Vinyanel Ecleriast must find it.

During his journey he comes across a half-elven priestess of Creo and a dragon. Creo has chose Vinyanel to become the first windrider, a rider of dragons. Between exchanging snarky words with the priestess Veranna and learning to ride Majestrin, Vinyanel has his work cut out for him. Lucky for him, Creo holds his destiny in his hand.

I’m not very fond of books written in first person, especially from the male point of view (nothing against men!). However, I really enjoyed Divine Summons. I liked Vinyanel. He’s a no nonsense, get the job done kind of elf. But he still has a lot to learn, including some humility. Veranna got on my nerves a bit, but I wonder if that’s because I was seeing her through Vinyanel’s eyes (she got on his nerves too).

I like how Rebecca created Majestrin to be uniquely different than most dragons I read about. Instead of breathing fire, he breaths ice. Very cool!

Overall, if you enjoy traditional fantasy stories, I recommend Divine Summons. And after you read that, check out the next in the series, A Greater Strength.

To find out more about Becky P. Minor, visit her website at http://callofthecreator.blogspot.com/