Winter’s Maiden is finally here! I’m so excited to share this book with all of you. It’s been in my head ever since I wrote Daughter of Light and mentioned the Nordic Wars. It’s a journey of discovering who you are, overcoming hurt, and finding hope. Both Brighid and Kaeden are dear to my heart and I think you will resonate with their story. Thank you, dear readers, for being part of this journey. Enjoy!
When I first shared that I was writing Winter’s Maiden, I received a lot of questions:
So I thought it would be a good idea to discuss what is Viking-inspired? For me, it means that when I started building the world for Winter’s Maiden, I was “inspired” by the Nordic culture: their homes, clothes, food, way of life. And used that to build Nordica, the fantasy country in my book.
Not every Viking fantasy does this. Some are based on historical events, some are based on Viking mythology. Winter’s Maiden takes place in a world I already created in my first fantasy series (Follower of the Word). There is the feeling of a Viking culture, but not exact facts.
Here is what is Viking-Inspired in Winter’s Maiden:
In the end, the world of Winter’s Maiden is inspired by the Viking way of life, but it is its own story, with its own world and own history. A coming age story about a young woman who is searching for who she is and why she exists. A story of hope and God’s love and pursuit of us.
Warrior. Survivor. Daughter of the North.
From the moment she is born, Brighid fights to survive in the wastelands of Nordica as a clanless one. But when a new power arrives offering a trial to join the Nordic warriors, Brighid enters, hoping to rise above her station. Soon she becomes one of their fiercest fighters and joins the war against the south.
Kaeden carries the blood of the ancient Eldaran race in his veins but turns away from his heritage after the death of his parents. Years later, he is called back to his homeland and invited to be a healer for the southern forces. With the help of an old mentor, the power inside of him starts to awaken. However, his life is turned upside down when a mighty warrior of the Nordic forces is captured.
As Kaeden interacts with the enemy, he discovers there is a darkness behind the Nordic Wars, one that is manipulating the people of the north. But who will believe him? And is there a power strong enough to break the hold of this hidden adversary? Or will the world burn in the flames of war?
If you’re interested, you can order Winter’s Maiden on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD or at your local bookstore! ORDER HERE.
Friends!! I’m excited to share the cover for the first book in my new upcoming series! Winter’s Maiden, The Nordic Wars Book 1.
I think this is my best book yet! Viking-Inspired, epic battles, hidden powers. And deep characters.
Here it is!
Warrior. Survivor. Daughter of the North.
From the moment she is born, Brighid fights to survive in the wastelands of Nordica as a clanless one. But when a new power arrives offering a trial to join the Nordic warriors, Brighid enters, hoping to rise above her station. Soon she becomes one of their fiercest fighters and joins the war against the south.
Kaeden carries the blood of the ancient Eldaran race in his veins but turns away from his heritage after the death of his parents. Years later, he is called back to his homeland and invited to be a healer for the southern forces. With the help of an old mentor, the power inside of him starts to awaken. However, his life is turned upside down when a mighty warrior of the Nordic forces is captured.
As Kaeden interacts with the enemy, he discovers there is a darkness behind the Nordic Wars, one that is manipulating the people of the north. But who will believe him? And is there a power strong enough to break the hold of this hidden adversary? Or will the world burn in the flames of war?
I seriously can’t wait for all of you to join Brighid and Kaeden on their journey. If you’re reading experience is anything like my writing experience you’ll cry, hold your breath, and want to join in the fight. I love writing about well rounded characters and turning tropes on their head (clanless woman warrior, male healer who is built like a fighter, yes please!).
A lot of stories involve the hero saving the world. But is that realistic if you consider what the hero has been through? What if saving the world means saving the villain? Or that bully who made the hero’s life terrible back in high school? Or the person who lied and it cost the hero his or her job, home, or even their first love?
When I started writing Blood Secrets, it hit me (and therefore Cass as I was writing her story), that if she saved her world—all the people who were forced to live on mountaintops, airships, and sky islands because of the deadly Mist that covered everything else—she would be saving the people who saw her as lesser than. The people who forced everyone else off the mountains to die in the Mist, including her parents. The same people who would never think of saving someone like her.
As I wrote her story, I felt Cass’s resentment and anger towards the “echelons”—those at the top of society and literally the world. She was fine with saving others like her. But the thought of saving the people who ordered the purges that killed so many made her feel sick. In her mind, they didn’t deserve her sacrifice.
Honestly, I had never thought about it before. The hero saves the world. It’s what a hero does. But this was the first time I really thought about what that meant, and who it meant saving. It made me look at myself. Would I be willing to save everyone? Even those who have hurt me? Who have cost me so much in my life? Ugh. That’s a hard thought.
People love heroes, and sometimes even want to be one themselves. But the reality is being a hero is really hard. It’s not just saving the world; it’s saving those who live in the world. The good and the bad. Those deserving and those not so much. That’s what a real hero does.
I won’t share what decision Cass made because that is part of her journey. But I’m glad I was able to write her story because it made me think more about how I would react in her situation. And about God, who ultimately gave all to save a world that did not want Him.
I’m afraid to fly. At first, I tried to ignore it. Then the panic attacks came. And there was this one time I accidentally grabbed my neighbor’s arm during turbulence, which was really embarrassing. But it all came to a head when I was waiting for a flight at the airport and felt like I was going to burst into tears right there at the gate that I knew I needed help.
I didn’t want to stop flying. I love traveling! But the fear of plummeting to the ground scared me, so I talked to my doctor and was given medicine to help me calm down. The problem is it made me really groggy. But hey, at least I could fly again.
Then I started writing Secrets in the Mist. Half of this book is about flying and one third is hang gliding. You know, flying with just a kite on your back. To write realistically about hang gliding, I started studying the sport. I read all the articles I could find, watched a lot of YouTube videos, and in the end spent over 10 hours immersing myself in the sky.
As I first imagined, then wrote each scene in Secrets in the Mist, something started to happen. I started to lose my fear of flying. It wasn’t the first time I tried to read the science behind flight to help me lose my fear of flying, but this time, I was doing it in my head. I was feeling the air and wind, tilting my glider, catching the air drafts, and not just understanding how to fly in my mind, but also with my heart.
I realized a plane couldn’t fall out of the sky just like my character couldn’t fall out of the sky. That an experienced flyer understood what to do in storms and sudden gusts of wind. And should the plane actually lose its engines, the pilot would help it glide to the ground the same way my gliders eased their way to a landing.
Not only that, by creating the exhilarating feelings my character felt when she was gliding began to seep into my psyche. I felt her joy and freedom, her lack of fear, and even more, how she felt more connected to God when it was just her, the wind, and the sky. I saw the beauty of flying through my character’s eyes.
I can fly now. Without medication. I actually enjoy the takeoffs and the feeling of the plane gliding through the air. Will I try hang gliding someday? Probably not, I still hate heights. But I never dreamed that writing about flying would help me overcome my fear of it. This is the power of imagination, and the power of story.
Today is the day! Secrets in the Mist is now available! Yeah!!! Do you have your copy yet? Staying up until 2am to read?
What’s lurking in the Mist is the least of their worries…
In a world where humanity lives in the sky to escape a deadly mist below, Cass’s only goal is survival. That is, until she finds a job on the airship Daedalus as a diver. Now she explores ruined cities, looking for treasure and people’s lost heirlooms until a young man hires her to find the impossible: a way to eradicate the Mist.
Theodore Winchester is a member of one of the Five Families that rule the skies. Following in his father’s footsteps, he searches for the source of the Mist and hopes to stop the purges used to control overpopulation. But what he finds are horrifying secrets and lethal ambition. If he continues his quest, it could mean his own death.
The Mist is rising and soon the world will be enveloped in its deadly embrace, turning what’s left of humanity into the undead.
I’m so excited to share with you the cover for Secrets in the Mist, the first book my new steampunk series. And, without further ado, here it is!!!
What’s lurking in the Mist is the least of their worries…
In a world where humanity lives in the sky to escape a deadly mist below, Cass’s only goal is survival. That is, until she finds a job on the airship Daedalus as a diver. Now she explores ruined cities, looking for treasure and people’s lost heirlooms until a young man hires her to find the impossible: a way to eradicate the Mist.
Theodore Winchester is a member of one of the Five Families that rule the skies. Following in his father’s footsteps, he searches for the source of the deadly Mist and hopes to stop the purges used to control overpopulation. But what he finds are horrifying secrets and lethal ambition. If he continues his quest, it could mean his own death.
The Mist is rising and soon the world will be enveloped in its deadly embrace, turning what’s left of humanity into the undead.
***
Isn’t it beautiful! It captures everything I wanted in this cover: the steampunk genre, a sense of adventure, and the world where this story takes place 🙂 Here are more facts about Secrets in the Mist:
—This will be my first Limited-Edition Hardcover. Yep! Notice Limited Edition. Which means if you want this lovely book in hardcover, order as soon as possible!
—Secrets in the Mist releases AUGUST 2021, just in time for that vacation or beach read this summer 🙂
—This is the first book in the SKYWORLD series. It’s a dualogy, which means you only have to wait for one more book to find out the ending 🙂
—This book will look amazing on your bookshelf. Seriously. Because it’s beautiful!
I’m excited to announce that I’ve officially signed with Enclave Publishing for my new series, Skyworld. The first book, Secrets in the Mist, comes out August 2021. Yeah, I know that’s a long time to wait, but I can guarantee it will be worth it! In the meantime, here is what it’s about:
In a world covered in a deadly mist that forces humanity to live in the sky, Cass escapes the purges and survives by her wits until she stumbles onto the airship Daedalus and finds a job as a diver. As a diver, she explores the ruined cities within the mist, searching for treasure and family heirlooms for the rich. But everything changes when a young man hires her to find the very thing that will turn their world upside down: a way to eradicate the mist.
Theodore Winchester is a member of one of the five powerful families that rule the sky over the mist. Following in his father’s footsteps, he searches for the source of the deadly mist that turns people in the undead and hopes to stop the purges used to control over-population. But what he finds are secrets and ambition, and with each question comes horrifying answers. If he continues his search, not only will he encounter opposition, but perhaps even his own death.
But the mist is rising and if a remedy isn’t found soon, the entire world will be enveloped in its deadly embrace, turning all of humankind into monsters.
Just to give you a little background into writing this story, I started taking down notes for Skyworld back in 2015, spent over 10 hours watching videos and reading blogs about hang gliding (and almost went to an airfield to try it out myself!) so I could write the gliding scenes, and have become an expert on 19th century medicine (well, not really, but it feels like it :)). And by getting into my characters and flight, I actually started overcoming my fear of flying (talk about the power of story!).
So there you have it, a new steampunk series coming your way in 2021!
And speaking of steampunk…
My other steampunk series, The Soul Chronicles, is now available in audiobook form and narrated by Jaimee Draper. I’ve been listening to these books during a couple long car rides over the last few weeks and let me just say Jaimee has nailed this story with her wonderful narration. Her voice fits Kat perfectly! So if you’ve been wanting to check out the steampunk genre or haven’t had a chance to read this series, consider picking up these audiobooks today 🙂
Can you believe it? The final installment of the Ravenwood Saga is finally here! It’s been a long time coming (I started writing this series back in 2016). And while I was writing this particular book, I was trying to sell our house, raise 4 teens without my husband and best friend (he was working in another state while I stayed back to sell our house), homeschooling, then moving to another state. Let’s just say it was stressful! Sometimes I don’t remember what I wrote. But God watched over me and my family, I finished the series and love how it turned out, and now I get to share the final story with all of you. Enjoy, my friends!
More news! Yes, you read that right! I’m so excited to share that my award-winning steampunk series will be available in audio format this May! Perfect timing for those summer road trips or long work commutes! And it’s available for pre-order now 🙂
So what am I up to now? I’m currently working on a new steampunk series tentatively called The Plague Wars and I’m halfway through the first book. I hope to have more news about it soon, but in the meantime, here is the blurb:
In a world covered in a deadly mist that forces humanity to live in the sky, Cass escapes the purges and survives by her wits until she stumbles onto the airship Daedalus and finds a job as a diver. As a diver, she explores the ruined cities within the mist, searching for treasure and family heirlooms for the rich. But everything changes when a young man hires her to find the very thing that will turn their world upside down: a way to eradicate the mist.
Theodore Winchester is a member of one of the five powerful families that rule the sky over the mist. Following in his father’s footsteps, he searches for the source of the deadly mist that turns people in the undead and hopes to stop the purges used to control over-population. But what he finds are secrets and ambition, and with each question comes horrifying answers. If he continues his search, not only will he encounter opposition, but perhaps even his own death.
But the mist is rising and if a remedy isn’t found soon, the entire world will be enveloped in its deadly embrace, turning all of humankind into monsters.
Until then, thank you, readers!
Friends! My award-winning steampunk series is now available in an ebook box set and is currently on sale! I don’t know how long this sale will be, so don’t wait too long 😉
And if you’ve already read this series and enjoyed it, would you consider taking a moment to write a review for the box set? I would greatly appreciate that. Thank you!
Morgan L. Busse 