Tag Archives: Morgan L. Busse

My Books, Writing

Daughter of Light a Christy Award Finalist

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The Christy AwardI sat at the gas station, waiting for my husband to gas up our van. While I waited, I checked my emails. I thumbed down and saw a forward from my editor. I opened the message. My heart stopped. I read the message again. There was a disconnect between my eyes and my brain. Dan climbed back into the van and started the motor. I turned toward him and in a calm voice announced that Daughter of Light was a finalist for the Christy Awards.

Dan went nuts while I stared ahead again in absolute shock.

It took two more days for the news to finally sink in.

I never expected to final in the Christy Awards. In fact, I almost didn’t enter. The day I had to make the decision, God provided everything I needed in order to enter. On November 15th, I wrote this on my Facebook author page: “Had a God moment this week. I had a writing opportunity come up that I could not afford. I told God jokingly that He would have to drop the money in my lap (my exact words). Well, He did, in a way that I would have never thought. And it was the exact amount too. I’m still walking around dazed lol.” And so I entered the Christy Awards.

And once again I am walking around dazed.

Last week, Daughter of Light hit #1 bestseller in 3 categories on Amazon and #134 overall on Nook. It felt good. But I realized something during that time. Here is what I wrote on facebook: Something I have learned about blessings: enjoy them, don’t horde them. They come and go, so enjoy the moment. Like all things, they will eventually slip away. But if you try to cling to them, you will miss the moment.

So right now I am going to enjoy this moment God has given me 🙂

To find out more about the Christy Awards and other 2013 nominees, click here: www.christyawards.com

 

My Books, Writing

Daughter of Light is on Sale

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Daughter of LightHey 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:

Marcher Lord Press

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 

 

 

Writing

Son of Truth is Now Available

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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.

***

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.

Son of Truth.

 

 

Uncategorized

Son of Truth Cover Reveal

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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

Speculative Interview

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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.

www.jennifereifrigauthor.com

Son of Truth

 

My Books

Daughter of Light on Sale

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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.

 

Uncategorized

Next Big Thing

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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.

My Books, Writing

Son of Truth

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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.

Son of Truth lettering

 

Personal

Getting to Know You

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Something you may not know about me: I love filling out questionnaires. When I go to the doctor, I love all the forms. Databases? Yep, love them too. People generally find that odd, but hey, everyone has a weird quirk, right? So today I thought it would be fun to fill out a form, and let you get to know me more.

1. How do you like your steak? Medium well

2. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The new Spiderman. And I loved it!

3. What is your favorite TV show? Right now I am enjoying Last Resort, Once Upon a Time, and Warehouse 13

4. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Oregon, I love the rain!

5. What did you have for breakfast? Leftover pizza

6. What is your favorite cuisine? Dessert 😉

7. What foods do you dislike? Seafood

8. Favorite Place to Eat? Cheescake Factory

9. Favorite salad dressing? Chunky Bleu Cheese

10.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Honda Odyssey

11. Your favorite thing to wear? Anything comfortable. Usually jeans, t-shirt, and crocs

12. Where would you visit if you had the chance? I want to go to London someday

13. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? I’m a pessimist, and I’m working on it

14. Where would you want to retire? Oregon coast

15. Favorite time of day? Morning or evening. I hate afternoons.

16. Where were you born? Planet Earth

17. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football, definitely football

18. Bird watcher? When I lived on the Oregon coast, my kids and I discovered we loved watching birds. We bought a bird book and tried to find all the birds we saw.

19. Are you a morning person or a night person? Both, just not an afternoon person 😉

20. Do you have any pets? 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 long haired guinea pigs

21. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? Almost done with Son of Truth 😉

22. What did you want to be when you were little? A black pegasus unicorn

23. What is your best childhood memory? Camping with my dad

24. Are you a cat or dog person? Cat. I love doggies, but like cats more

25. Always wear your seat belt? Yes

26. Been in a car accident? Yes, but nothing bad

27. Any pet peeves? Wrinkles in my sheets. Just ask Dan 😉

28. Favorite Pizza: Veggie

29. Favorite Flower? Daisies

30. Favorite ice cream? Licorice. Very hard to find

31. Favorite fast food restaurant? Panda Express

32. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? None 😉

33. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? None because a) I don’t have any store credit cards and b) I would never max out a credit card (I rarely even use one)

34. Do anything spontaneous lately? Made quiche for the first time last week, turned out pretty good!

35. Like your job? Yes. I am a mother and a writer. Hard, but rewarding.

36. Broccoli? Yes

37. What was your favorite vacation? The best vacation I went on was my honeymoon. We went to Disneyworld and had a blast!

38. Last person you went out to dinner with? Dan and my in-laws

39. What are you listening to right now? My daughter playing a game

40. What is your favorite color? Green

41. How many tattoos do you have? Nope, afraid of needles lol

42. Coffee Drinker? Yes. My twins drove me to drink coffee 😉

I love learning about other people, so please, take a moment and find a question and leave an answer in the comments below 🙂

 

Personal

My Bucket List

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Today I wanted to do a fluffy post. Lately (maybe because my birthday is around the corner?), I’ve been thinking about my bucket list. Now this list is not just stuff I hope to do or would be nice to do. It’s stuff that if at all possible I will do before I die. So here it is:

-Spend one night in a castle. I don’t care where the castle is, I just want to spend a night in one :).

-Visit London. Yep, I want go eat fish and chips in a pub, ride on a double decker bus, see Buckingham palace, everything.

-Take my family to Yellowstone Park. I absolutely love the beauty of that place and want to spend a couple days driving/camping through with my family.

-Plant a butterfly garden. I have just discovered there are a lot of butterflies in Kansas, so this will make it even easier :).

This is my list so far. I wanted to only put things that are in my control to accomplish (winning a national cooking contest is outside my control, however entering one is… but that’s not on my bucket list lol).

So I’m curious, what is on your bucket list?