Hey everyone! Daughter of Light, the first novel in my Follower of the Word series, is on sale for $0.99 now until Monday. So if you are looking for a new series to read, check this one out 🙂 Click on the preferred ebook link below:
Category Archives: Writing
Son of Truth is Now Available
The sequel to Daughter of Light is now available!
I am cold. Ruthless. I always get the job done.
I am the left hand of the Lord of Temanin. I have murdered countless, doing away with those who would obstruct the Empire. I live in the shadows, and I am never found.
Until now.
I heard of the Eldarans, words spoken on my mother’s deathbed. A race of beings left in the Lands to protect mankind. Her words I dismissed as the ramblings of a dying woman. There were no such beings. Only myth, or distant legend.
Yet now I stand before one.
The woman’s hand glows as if she were holding a sliver of sunlight. I see the light, and I fear it. My mother’s words haunt me. I know the moment the woman touches me, I will be undone.
I cannot run, I cannot move. Her hand touches my cheek and fire sears my soul.
Everything I have done plays before my eyes: the women I have used, the lies I have spoken, the way I abused others, my disdain and arrogance.
And the deaths. All those deaths.
I feel her horror as she watches every act of murder. I try to hide what I have done, pull my past back into the shadows. But I cannot. It is now laid bare in the light.
The woman disappears. All is silent. I look at my hands. They are covered in blood. I try to wipe away the evidence of my darkness, but the blood remains.
A shadow appears before me and I look up.
A deformed and scarred man stands there. He looks upon me with dark, fathomless eyes. This is no ordinary man. He is more. And he is here to deal with the blood on my hands.
He is my judge.
I bow, my heart full of fear. The time of my reckoning has come.
And I know it will cost me my life.
***
The 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.
What I Learned My First Year as a Published Writer
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.
After 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?
Speculative Interview
Today I am featured over at Jen Eifrig‘s blog about my new upcoming book Son of Truth, what it’s like to be a writer, and what is my next big idea.
Son of Truth
Since I’ve been receiving a lot of questions about my new upcoming novel, Son of Truth, I thought I would take today and answer some of them :).
Son of Truth will be releasing in three months on April 1st, 2013. Now of course things can disrupt that date, like Jesus coming back (I would love that), or massive computer failure all over the world. But for now, expect Son of Truth on April 1st (and that’s no April Fools!).
Secondly, I finally have a name for the series: Follower of the Word. This is a 3 book series, with the possibility of spinoff stories if the series proves popular (in particular, what were the Nordic Wars? How did they start? How did they end? And why are people so afraid of another war like that?).
Lastly, here is the back blurb for Son of Truth to get you a little excited:
The 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.
Bad Boy Characters
I never set out to write a “bad boy” character. In real life, I was not interested in them. I had been taught at an early age to stay away from that kind of guy and diligently did so. They were trouble, and I didn’t want trouble.
So how did an assassin not only sneak into my book, but also become one of the focal characters? I’m still not sure.
As I wrote Rowen’s story, there was another character standing in the shadows. The first time I met Caleb Tala, he had just murdered a man. Really, Morgan? This was not the kind of book I had set out to write. But Caleb would not leave.
He intrigued me. A cold-hearted murderer, driven into this profession by his thirst for gold and women. He was ambitious, focused, and prided himself in always getting the job done.
But I came to realize Caleb had one fear, a fear no one else knew about because it lived deep inside him: he knew someday he would pay for the lives he took. It came to him at night, when his subconscious would speak to him. He dreamed of his victims killing him.
At first, he found ways to suppress those dreams. He filled his life with everything he desired. He used people, money, and power to distract himself. But when Caleb was shipped up north, the dreams came back tenfold. And this time he couldn’t hide from them.
When I realized Caleb’s fear, I knew I had to write him. How could I not explore this complex and dark man? I had to know what would happen to him next. And so Caleb stepped out of the shadows and entered my first book, Daughter of Light.
I am now writing Son of Truth, the second book in this series. It’s been fascinating to watch his story unfold more and his interactions with the other characters introduced in Daughter of Light. I never set out to write a bad boy character, but here he is. And Caleb is here to stay.
How about you? Do you enjoy books or write books with a “bad boy” character? How would you define a “bad boy”? And why do you think readers are enamored with this kind of character?
My First American Christian Fiction Writers Conference
I took off Wednesday to Dallas to attend my first ACFW Conference. Even though I wasn’t pitching anything at this conference (pitching is where you try to “sell” your manuscript to an agent or editor), I was more nervous than I have ever been for a conference.
Thursday morning, I stepped off the elevator, saw all the people, and stepped right back on and hid in my room for an hour. I was intimidated! But I couldn’t hide forever. The classes were about to begin and I had paid good money to come here. So I straightened my shoulders and went back down.
And I’m so glad I did. I met friends I have known on the internet for years, met new friends, learned some great stuff, and ate really, really well (dessert at lunch and dinner, yes please!). But instead of writing more about my experience at the ACFW Conference, I am going to post pictures (since pictures are suppose to be worth a thousand words). Enjoy!
At the end of the conference, I had the privilege of accepting the Carol Award in the speculative category for my friend and fellow Marcher Lord Press author, Steve Rzasa, for his book Broken Sight . Now I’m heading home, my head filled with ideas and my heart full of friends. Thank you everyone!
How to Help Promote an Indie Writer
I am an indie writer. What that means is I am published through an independent press that specializes in a particular genre. At Marcher Lord Press, we seek to fill a niche that many larger publishing companies are not targeting: Christian speculative fiction. This includes science fiction, fantasy, steam punk, dystopia, you name it.
However, as a small specialty press, it also means we don’t have the big marketing budgets that larger publishing houses have. We find ways market ourselves. Not easy, I assure you :). Some of the things we do are: seek out places to be interviewed or reviewed, do book giveaways, and guest blog on different sites. But many times these efforts are only tiny pebbles tossed into the vast ocean of books.
You see, my biggest hurdle an indie author is being found by readers. How do people find my story with so many books out there? And if they do find my book, how do they know it is worth reading?
This is where you, the reader, come in. You are my greatest supporter and ally.
I can hear what you are thinking: I love your book, but I don’t like doing book reviews! I totally understand. It takes a lot of guts for me to write a review. So let me introduce you to other ways you can help an indie author like me get the word out.
Amazon Like: Every book on Amazon has a “like” button attached to it. It’s just like “liking” a post on Facebook. Press the button and tada, there is another “like”. But when a book accumulates enough “likes”, then Amazon begins to promote that book more. Easy, takes 10 seconds, and helps out authors like me. So if you enjoyed Daughter of Light, would you consider “liking” it on Amazon?
Amazon Author Page: I have an author page on Amazon. Just like the “like” system for books, by “liking” my author page, people will be able to find me more on Amazon. Would you consider “liking” my page?
Kobo: Easy peezy. Once again, all you have to do is click and “like”, only this time it’s through Facebook.
And lastly, “liking” it on the Marcher Lord Press website:
No scary reviews, no tacking stars onto my book. Only a couple quick clicks that take less than a minute. And yet by doing this, you will be doing more for me as an author than anything I could do. You, my readers, make a huge difference.
So would you consider taking a moment and helping an indie author out? I would so appreciate that! Thank you.
Marcher Lord Press Collaborative Story
I’m the guest blogger again for the Collaborative Story over at Marcher Lord Press. All of us authors have been contributing a chapter a week and this week it’s my turn. The story is starting to wrap, so head on over, you don’t want to miss out!
But Who Would Be Dumb Enough To Even Try It?
Marketing for an Audience of One
Many of us Christian writers have heard the term “write for an audience of One.” Our first audience is God. When God is our audience, we seek only to please Him, and to let Him do what He wants with our writing.
Recently, it occurred to me that the same idea applies to book marketing. I am not marketing myself. I am not marketing my book.
I am marketing God.
When I interact with a reviewer, I am connecting with someone who may or may not know God. Through my emails, phone calls, or letters with reviewers, I am displaying God to them, even if I never mention His name.
When I do an interview, the words I write or say go out to a group of people I will probably never meet. But through an interview I have an opportunity to share my life, my passions, and my writing. And through that, whether overtly or covertly, I share God.
And when I am invited to do a blog post, I am sharing God, even if the topic I write about is writing. This is because people are not just reading about how to write a scene, or how the theme of forgiveness is woven into my story. They are also reading me. And when they read me, they are reading God.
When I realized this, marketing took on a whole new perspective. If I am marketing myself or my book to drive up sales, that will only last temporarily. Sure, I might reap the benefit of more money or a higher rating on Amazon. But it will disappear, whether the next day, week, month, or year.
But when I view each thing I do as a chance to share God with this world, then marketing takes on an eternal value. Imagine that. Marketing as a way to be a light in the world :).
This is the passion and goal behind my marketing: to reach as many people as I can. I hope that by my words and actions, the people I interact with will see someone who is different. And that will point them to God, the one I really want people to embrace.
Morgan L. Busse 