Shannon Taylor Vannatter {Writer Wednesday} GIVEAWAY

You may remember Shannon from her previous post (you can find that here). I've happily invited her back and am excited to announce that she will be offering a GIVEAWAY of her novel Arkansas Weddings. This giveaway will run until 9pm next Monday evening (when I return from the ACFW conference :D) and I will announce the winner on Tuesday September 17th. To enter, please leave a comment below. I will enter all names of the commenter into a hat (ok, let's be honest, it's going to be a bowl...) and draw a winner! 

A little bit about Shannon...

Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom and pastor’s wife. Her debut novel won the 2011 Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. When not writing, she runs circles in the care and feeding of her husband, their son, and church congregation. Home is a central Arkansas zoo with two charcoal gray cats, a chocolate lab, and three dachshunds in weenie dog heaven. If given the chance to clean house or write, she’d rather write. Her goal is to hire Alice from the Brady Bunch.

How to connect with Shannon...

Website: shannonvannatter.com
Blog: shannonvannatter.com/blog
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/4603969.Shannon_Taylor_Vannatter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter
Twitter: @stvauthor
Purchase her book [here]

Author Interview | Shannon Taylor Vannatter

 
You & Writing

If published, what was the hardest thing about publishing?
...Deadlines. It can be stressful when I’m writing a book with a deadline. Midway through when I’m really on a roll with the book, I get edits from my publisher on a different book with a different deadline. I have to stop working and do my edits. Get them turned in on time, then pick up where I left off on the book I was writing. I finally told myself if I want to be a writer—this is it. Deal with it. I don’t stress out as much anymore and remind myself that deadlines are a good thing to have.

The easiest?
...The books are easier to write these days. They seem to just flow out of me. 

Your Writing

...Arkansas Weddings is a 3 in 1 collection of my first three published books. Each story is set in Romance and Rose Bud. Both small towns are real and in west central, Arkansas. The Romance Post Office provides a re-mailing service. People send their Valentine cards and wedding invitations there to be re-mailed with a unique hand-stamped postmark from Romance. Couples also go there to get married at the post office or the Romance Waterfalls. Rose Bud’s claim to fame is the Darden Gifford House. The house was built in the late 1800’s and is on the historical registry. I incorporated the local flavor into all three stories.

Here’s the back cover copy:

Arkansas Weddings: Love’s never easy in three Arkansas romances.

Pastor Grayson loves his wife. The problem is, Sara was killed by a hit-and-run driver two years ago. He knows he needs to move on, but it’s not until florist Adrea Welch arrives at his church that the seeds of healing are planted in his heart.

Laken left home eight years ago and never looked back. Who knew when she applied for the promotion to postmaster that she’d end up in Romance, Arkansas, and much too close to her past—and Hayden Winters?

Shell doesn’t have a good reputation. But no matter what everyone in Rose Bud, Arkansas, thinks of her, she’s back in town with a job to do. Ryler also has reasons for being in Rose Bud, and they don’t include Shell.

But God’s love can soften the hardest heart and overcome the darkest past. These hearts may not know it, but they’re about to change.

Why are you/did you write it?
...The first story—White Roses came from my dad getting my mom and me flowers or a balloon every Valentine’s Day. And I thought if anything happened to either of us, he’d probably continue the tradition and take his gifts to the cemetery. Once I caught the interest of an editor, the publisher wanted to make the book into a series. 

...Book 2 was based on this line from White Roses: Sylvie’s husband, an alcoholic, never stepped foot in church. Their two children, both grown and gone with lives of their own, never came for a visit. Instead of having empathy for the plight of Helen and Wade, since alcoholism controlled Sylvie’s life as well, she took all her heartache and picked apart the lives of others.
...That’s all I had to go on when I decided that one of Sylvie’s children could be female. After I delved into Lauren Kroft’s psyche, I decided she never came home because her mother is a gossip maven and her father is the town drunk. Enter the heroine for White Doves.

...Book 3 came from this line from White Roses: Just two years ago, she’d been the soon-to-be bride blissfully planning her own ceremony. Until three weeks before the big event, when Wade crushed her illusions with his curvy blond floozy, clad only in a towel.
...From the time I wrote that line, I wanted to delve into the floozy. What would make a woman bust up an engagement? Why was she like that? I soon learned Shell Evans had a chip on her shoulder. Raised by a promiscuous mother, Shell learned everything in the school of hard knocks. And it skewed her view of the world. Low self-esteem put her on a constant search for love and she looked for it in all the wrong places just as her mother had. And Shell became the unlikely heroine of White Pearls.

Do you have a favorite character in this work?
...Shell

If so, why?
...I love taking a bad girl character, finding out what made her that way, and redeeming her.

What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
...All my books are geared toward one theme: Love doesn’t make the world go round—God does. I don’t think we can have a truly fulfilling love without God in the center of the relationship.

Writing

Where do you find inspiration for your story/characters? Are they based on real life or pure imagination or both?
...I find inspiration for characters everywhere. Real life, headlines, snippets of conversation. When I see someone acting in a unique, strange, or interesting way, I wonder why they act that way. And those ponderings often become a character.

When you write, what is your overall intention with your stories?
...I write in the hopes that a reader struggling with similar issues will gain insight on their situation from my characters. And my constant prayer is that a reader will loan my book to a non-believer and my characters will plant seeds.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors for writing and/or publishing?
...Join a local writing group, attend local conferences. Join American Christian Fiction Writers, take their online classes, and attend as many of their national conferences as you can afford. Also, Seekerville is a great place for writers to learn the craft. One of my critique partners never belonged to a writer’s group or attended a conference. She learned everything from the Seekerville archives and sold the first book she ever wrote.

You

When you get an idea for a novel, what is the first thing that you do?
...I write it down. I have what I call an idea book. It’s a thick, heavy, nicely bound journal. Every idea goes in that book. I go to bed with it on my nightside table and have often awakened in the middle of the night and written my dreams down. I have a book that comes out in April next year that’s based on a dream.
September is Classical Music Month (who knew?). In keeping with that theme, do you have a favorite character from a classical novel?
...Scarlett O’Hara. She’s so selfish and manipulative. But I end up rooting for her anyway.

What is your favorite fall snack food?
...Sunflower seeds. That’s pretty much my year round snack food. Especially when I’m doing edits for my publisher. When I’m editing, I’m not reading the story or getting involved. I’m simply looking for inconsistencies, plot problems, and character issues. It makes me so sleepy and I’ve found that sunflower seeds keep me awake. But, this summer my feet kept swelling. I finally figured out it was the salt intake and laid off them. I might have to find another snack.

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Thank you for joining us on the blog again, Shannon. I loved being able to "get into your head" a little bit about your book Arkansas Weddings! I am right there with you, always intrigued by peoples character and what makes them tick. I will admit right here and now that I'm a people watcher ;)

I love that you have a book coming out based on a dream as well. I have definitely gained inspiration from dreams. Instead of a notebook, I use a handy app called  Evernote, and it already holds 10 ideas I have for future books!!! You need to check it out, writers, if you haven't already. It keeps everything updated on all my devices plus it's so much easier to type something in than turn on the light in the middle of the night ;) But to each her own!

Thanks again - we hope to hear more from you in the future, Shannon.

Don't forget to post a comment for a chance to win a copy of Arkansas Weddings...

Shannon Taylor Vannatter {Writer Wednesday}

A little bit about Shannon...

Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom and pastor’s wife. Her debut novel won the 2011 Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. When not writing, she runs circles in the care and feeding of her husband, their son, and church congregation. Home is a central Arkansas zoo with two charcoal gray cats, a chocolate lab, and three dachshunds in weenie dog heaven. If given the chance to clean house or write, she’d rather write. Her goal is to hire Alice from the Brady Bunch.
 

How to connect with Shannon...


Website: shannonvannatter.com
Blog: shannonvannatter.com/blog
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/4603969.Shannon_Taylor_Vannatter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter
Twitter: @stvauthor
Purchase her book:  http://www.christianbook.com/rodeo-regrets-shannon-vannatter/9780373486663/pd/486662

Author Interview | Shannon Taylor Vannatter

You and Writing

Tell us a little bit about yourself: How did you start writing?
...I went to the library looking for clean romance and couldn’t find any. It hit me that the story I’d had in my head since I was a teenager could be a book. I decided if I couldn’t find any clean romance, I’d write one. But my characters kept talking to God and I realized I couldn’t write a romance without God being in it. So I changed my focus to inspirational romance.

What has kept you writing?
...I can’t stop. During the years of rejection and frustration, I tried. But that’s when the stories in my head really started spinning and wouldn’t leave them alone until I got them in my computer.

Do you have a favorite book or work that you’ve written?
...White Roses

If so, why?
...It was my first published book. I wrote it about the time after sixteen and a half years my husband answered the call to preach. Even though I’d been a Christian since my teens and was very involved in church, I didn’t think I was preacher’s wife material. In White Roses, the heroine dates a widowed pastor and doesn’t think she measures up to his dead wife.

What was the hardest thing about publishing?
...I stopped counting at two hundred rejections. It was very frustrating working so hard for something and not knowing what you’re doing wrong. It took nine and a half years of learning the craft before everything finally clicked in place for me.

The easiest?
...My fifth contracted book. That’s when writing under deadline became easy for me and I finally realized I can do this without pulling my hair out.

Your Writing

Tell us a little bit about your book or what you’re working on currently?
...Rodeo Regrets is the fourth title in my Texas rodeo series. Each book stands alone, but continues where the last one left off. I thought I was finished with the series, but after Harlequin bought Heartsong Presents, my agent contacted the editor there to tell her about me. My agent learned the editor had just read book two in the series and wanted to know if I had anything similar.
...I had one dangling character. She was the rodeo slut who’d hit on every hero I created, got pregnant two books ago, and skipped town. I decided it was time to find out why she was like that and what it would take to change her into a heroine.

Here’s the back cover copy:

NATALIE WENTWORTH'S PAST IS ABOUT TO CATCH UP WITH HER

Natalie once dreamed of finding true love. Then Lane Gray broke her heart. After running wild to fill the emptiness inside her, she heads back to her hometown to heal. But when she sees the cowboy she once loved so much, she finds him hard to resist.

Lane Gray is a changed man. The handsome cowboy wants Natalie's forgiveness-and more. Natalie has made plenty of mistakes in her life, but so has Lane. Could falling for each other again be the worst one yet? Or the path to redemption?

Why are did you write it?
...The heroine, Natalie has lived a promiscuous lifestyle and regrets her past. I’m hoping it will be a cautionary tale to young girls who think everyone’s doing it and it’s no big deal.

Do you have a favorite character in this work?
...Natalie.

If so, why?
...She’s very wounded. I actually began to feel sorry for her. But then, she’s very tough too. She won’t stay down long.

You

How do you like to celebrate the 4th of July?
...We usually do fireworks at our house. This year, my son is eleven. We let him and his friend shoot them off. They had a blast. Literally.

How are you making the most of your time this summer for writing and relaxing?
...I’ve stayed up until 2:00 in the morning and slept until 10:00 to complete book 6 in this series. I try really hard not to work when my son is home and awake. So, I keep odd hours or work on the book when he has a friend over or goes home with a friend. When he’s home, we both love to swim and we have an above ground pool, so we swim a lot.

_______________________

Thank you so much for sharing with my readers and I! I love how you said you went looking for something good to read and, when you couldn't find it you decided to write it! I love that :) I'm happy to know that it got a little easier working under a dead line at book 5 for you...I'm looking forward to that day *fingers crossed*. I think that's great that you keep odd hours to get things done! I can only imagine how difficult it is to get writing done when you have a family to take care of. Props to all mothers who write!!!

Well, I'm finally going to be posting some waaaay over-due RE:View posts soon! Be on the lookout, I've read some good books recently!

Linda Wood Rondeau {Writer Wednesday}

Welcome Linda to the blog!

A little bit about Linda...
 
Winner of the 2012 Selah Award for best first novel The Other Side of Darkness/Harbourlight, LINDA WOOD RONDEAU, writes stories of God’s mercies. Walk with her unforgettable characters as they journey paths not unlike our own. After a long career in human services, Linda now resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Linda’s best-selling Adirondack Romance, It Really IS a Wonderful Life, is published by Lighthouse of the Carolinas and is available wherever books are sold.

These books are also available in ebook format along with her other ebooks by Helping Hands Press: I Prayed for Patience/God Gave Me Children and Days of Vines and Roses. A Christmas novella, Joy Comes to Dinsmore Street, will be released this fall and Songs in the Valley is scheduled for release in 2014 both by Helping Hands Press.

How to connect with Linda...

Check out her website
Her blogs: Full-Flavored Living, Geezer Guys and Gals, This Daily Grind
On Goodreads
Purchase her book on Amazon

Author Interview | Linda Wood Rondeau

You and Writing

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you start writing? What has kept you writing?
...Like most writers, I've dabbled in the craft all my life. As a young girl, I loved to tell stories and loved to have my friends listen to them. I always knew someday I'd write those stories down for the world. As life happens, I grew up not believing God gave me those dreams and I wrote only as a hobbyist. I worked in human services, using my writing skills in my career, church programs, and for my own entertainment. Then on June 21, 2001 God pulled at me at said, "It's time." I quite the day job to actively pursue what I knew beyond any doubt was God's new direction in my life. I don't recommend that writers do this. For me it was necessary to leave one career in order to begin another. I began publishing short manuscripts and obtained an agent. My first book contract offer came eleven years to the date of when I received God's call. Since then, I've published a few more books with more contracts to come. In 2012, I received the Selah Award for my first novel, God's affirmation of a long journey. I continue to write, though discouragements are part of the journey, because I have more stories to tell. I am still the little girl on the school bus, who longs to tell the stories of God's grace and redemption. 

Your Writing

Do you have a favorite book?
...To date, my favorite book is Days of Vines and Roses. It has a little bit of everything and truly reflects my tagline: Out-of-the-box Christian Fiction. My heroine is a lot like me. When I first starting writing, it became an idol. I became huffed up because I was doing God's work. I think God held the reigns from success until I could learn that my writing was a privilege He gave me. It is not my life, but something I do within my life. He had to teach me to be in Him rather than do for Him. Sylvia, who has wandered from her childhood beliefs, has allowed her writing alter ego to completely possess her. She is as trapped by this malevolence as much as the evil forces within the home. I like this book because it demonstrates, though Satan will push, connive, and thwart whatever we desire for God, greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world.

Writing

Where does your inspiration come from?
...I never know what will awaken a story in me. My first published book, The Other Side of Darkness, was written to give hope and encouragement to those suffering from post traumatic stress. There are dark places in our lives, but God finds us in the darkness and leads us to His Light on the other side of those horrid places. I used a lot of my social work experience in developing my characters and drew from my court experiences as well. The town of Haven was inspired by a visit to Whitehall in the Adirondacks, a quaint small town with much history.

...Days of Vines and Roses was inspired while I was mowing my lawn. I looked at the corruption of my yard by weeds. I knew of a couple who kept a marriage afloat for convenience, not willing to admit that they still loved each other. My son lived in Connecticut at the time I wrote the book and the city of New Haven was my perfect setting. I also spoke with the author of a book on haunted houses of Connecticut. The rest evolved.
...All my books blend history to some degree with the contemporary story. In my soon to be released Christmas novella, I reconnected with a long-lost cousin. We were close as children but life got in the way and we drifted. I thought about what circumstances might come in to play to significantly impair a close relationship.

...It Really IS a Wonderful Life is inspired by my personal history. I met my husband doing Community Theater. I did direct the play It's a Wonderful Life.

...And, of course, my non-fiction book, I Prayed for Patience God Gave Me Children, was inspired, not only by my social work career, but how being a parent myself taught me what it means to be God's child.

You

Do you enjoy hot or cold weather better?
...I do not like the cold, Sam I am, I do not like cold at all! Never did. I was born and raised in central New York State and as a child spent my winters on the forced hot air floor radiators to keep warm. As I aged, my ability to withstand cold continued to worsen. Finally, in 2011, my lungs had it. After suffering from another bout of chronic bronchitis, my husband decided it was time for me to move to warmer climate. Nothing left to hold us to the cold Northern New York, except my husband's job. He was due to retire in eighteen months. So we took the plunge. I moved to Florida ahead of him, played Daniel Boone and blazed a new life for us in Jacksonville. He is now here with me. We don't mind the heat or the heavy rain storms. And love being able to play golf twelve months out of the year. 

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Thank you so much for the interview Linda! I love hearing a little bit about the inspiration behind each of your books. It's not often you get to hear directly from the author about specifics of their books and to me, that's always inspiring. 

If you, my dear readers, are interested in checking out Linda's latest novel, Days of Vines and Roses, here is a little sneak peek:

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When a romance writer and her estranged publisher husband attempt to reconcile, malignant forces and a pending lawsuit seem bent on keeping them apart. After fifteen years of marital disarray, Henry and Sylvia Fitzgibbons (aka Lana Longstreet) independently contemplate divorce, their relationship relegated to Henry’s infrequent visits to the Connecticut estate and their once a week meeting at Chez Phillipe’s in Manhattan. But, not yet. There is the matter of the decaying rose gardens and the thirtieth anniversary party the children are planning. Reluctantly, Henry moves in for the summer, steeled against the hauntings that torment only him. As reconciliation seems possible, the evil forces within begin to target Sylvia as well. Like the strangling vines within the rose beds, Henry and Sylvia have become victims of spiritual neglect. Their only hope remains in surrender to a power greater than the evil determined to destroy them.

 Thanks again Linda!

Delia Latham {Writer Wednesday} & Giveaway

Please give a warm welcome to Delia Latham!

A little bit about Delia...
 
Born and raised in Weedpatch, California, Delia Latham moved to Oklahoma in '08, making her a self-proclaimed California Okie. She loves to read and write in her country home, and gets a kick out of watching her husband play Farmer John. She's a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings. She loves Dr. Pepper and hearing from her readers.

Delia writes inspirational romance and women's fiction, and is currently contracted through White Rose Publishing and Vinspire Publishing.
How to connect with Delia....
 Contact her through her website (www.delialatham.net), blog, or Facebook author page. 

Author Interview | Delia Latham 

 You & Writing 

-->Tell us a little bit about yourself: How did you start writing? What has kept you writing?
...I’m probably the most ordinary person you’d ever care to meet. :) My name isn’t likely to be used in the same sentence with the word “glamor.” Fancy isn’t my thing. I do love beauty, but I find it in simple things. God things.
...At a very young age, I discovered that writing afforded me a means of expression. On paper, it was easy to say the things I found difficult to put into verbal form, whether from shyness, lack of confidence, or…whatever causes a person to find oral communication a challenge. So I wrote poems and songs and (very bad) short stories…and I was fortunate to have a number of people in my life who encouraged me to further develop that skill. With a little detour into newspaper journalism and a long hiatus to raise four children, I finally arrived at my goal of becoming a novelist in 2008, with the publication of my vintage inspirational romance, Goldeneyes.
If published, what was the hardest thing about publishing? The easiest?
...I’m not the most patient of individuals, so waiting has always been hard for me. That space of time between ending a manuscript in to a publishing house and hearing back from them is pure torture for me. Easiest is the actual writing process. I love it, so it’s rarely a chore.
Your Writing

-->
Tell us a little bit about your book or what you’re working on currently? Why are you/did you write it?
...Lexi’s Heart is part of a collection of books called Heart’s Haven, written by a group of four authors whom I strongly feel God brought together to do this work. My original plan was to come up with something to rival Barbour’s Christmas collections, so Heart’s Haven was born as a Valentine’s Day set. All of the authors love it, and we formed such an amazing bond with each other during the process. The concept just took off, and from that first set at least a couple of follow-ups have come to fruition. Lexi’s Heart is my contribution to the Heart’s Haven Holidays collection, with a focus on Mother’s Day. 

 What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
...Lexi had suffered through twenty-three year’s of mental and emotional abuse in a marriage that wasn’t a marriage—not in the sense God intended. She’s healing in this book, and having to learn to trust God. She’s built walls around her heart to protect herself against anyone who might put her back in a similar position, but those walls also prevent her from allowing a better kind of love inside—the healing love of God and the genuine love of a man who would never abuse her in any way. I hope readers will pick up on the underlying message that when we can’t bring ourselves to trust any other human being, GOD can always be trusted. He’s always there, and always ready to shelter us. But He won’t force Himself into an unwilling heart…we have to trust Him enough to invite Him into our lives before He’ll come inside.

Writing
 
When you write, what is your overall intention with your stories?
...My goal in writing is always to deliver whatever message God has for some reader of that story. To lay it out there to the best of my ability—that’s me being God’s transcriptionist, if you will—and then trust God to get it into the hands He intended it for. If the words I write encourage, uplift, strengthen and/or renew another of God’s children, then my goal has been accomplished. Writing is a ministry. My only goal is to carry it out to the best of my ability and according to God’s direction. Of course, if a little money started coming in along the way, I wouldn’t be opposed… lol But truly, if I were writing because I want to be rich, I’d be sadly disappointed.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors for writing and/or publishing?
...Write. Write. Write. It’s what writer’s do. You can never be guaranteed a manuscript you pour your heart and soul into will be accepted, but you can certainly guarantee that it will not be accepted if it’s never written and never submitted. So write. Submit. Take the blows, and come back writing stronger…then do it all again…and again…and again. :)

You
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What is a favorite memory you have of your mother? 
...What a perfect question for an author with a Mother’s Day-themed book! :) My mother was the most amazing woman! I miss her so much. She was tiny—not quite five feet tall, and very petite, but what she lacked in stature she definitely made up for in spirit. I have so many memories of her…I’m not sure I can share one and call it my “favorite.” As an all-inclusive memory, however, I just remember that Mama loved her husband and her children fiercely and without apology. We didn’t have a lot of material possessions, but she always made the most of what was available, and even with eight children and an income that didn’t stretch nearly far enough, we never went hungry. Mama was the glue that made our house a wonderful home. I loved her with all my heart, and can only hope to reflect a tiny portion of the powerful effect she had on the lives of those around her.

If you had to choose one type of food, what kind would it be?
...Here’s the thing…this gal likes FOOD. Period. Any food. All food. Was it Gene Autry who said, “I’ve never met a man I didn’t like”? Well, I never met a potato I didn’t like…or a piece of pasta…or a flavor of ice cream…see what I mean?

April showers bring May flowers – or so they say. Do you have a favorite flower? If so, why is it your favorite?
...Have you ever seen a passion flower? It’s very simple, and yet so incredibly perfect. The first time I saw one, I cried. All I could think as I gazed down at those perfectly alternating green and lavender petals was, “How can anyone look at this stunning creation and not believe that there is a God? Things like this do not happen by accident.” The passion flower has to be my favorite, but again, I’m drawn to simple things. I love morning glories and pansies, too.

Borrowed from peoplespharmacy.com

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Thank you so much Delia - what a wonderful interview! I hadn't seen a passion flower until I looked it up so I thought I'd share (photo to the left). What an amazing flower!

I love how you call yourself "God’s transcriptionist". I think if we all are writing with the Lord in mind and through His leading, we are all like that! At least, that would be my prayer! Thanks again!

*** Update! ***

Just heard from Delia and she would like to do a GIVEAWAY of the first book in the Heart's Haven series titled Jewels for the Kingdom! What a treat! SO - make sure you leave a comment below so that you can be entered in to win this e-Book. I'll be announcing the winner on Tuesday so final entries need to be made 12am (Pacific Standard Time) on Monday May 27th.

 

Morgan Busse {Writer Wednesday}

I'm excited for today's {Writer Wednesday} guest! Morgan writes speculative Christian fiction and has two books published. It's not a side I get to show off very often, but I love the idea of speculative fiction! For years now I've had the idea to write a series that could probably be categorized as speculative and I'm always excited to hear more about it! Enjoy Morgan's interview :)  

A little bit about Morgan...

Morgan L. Busse writes speculative fiction for the adult market. She is the author of Daughter of Light and Son of Truth, the first two books in a series from Marcher Lord Press. Morgan lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children. You can find out more about Morgan at www.morganlbusse.com

How to connect with Morgan...

Her website (as mentioned above)
Website: www.morganlbusse.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morganlbusseauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorganLBusse (@MorganLBusse)
Purchase books: http://www.marcherlordpress.com/?s=Morgan+Busse&post_type=product

Author Interview | Morgan Busse
  You & Writing
Tell us a little bit about yourself: How did you start writing? What has kept you writing?
...I started writing almost ten years ago, shortly after the birth of my second child. I never dreamed of being a writer, it simply became an outlet for my creativity as I stayed home with babies and toddlers.
...After a couple years—and after learning there was more to writing than just sitting down and typing away at the computer—writing became a real pursuit, not just a hobby. My husband is my greatest encourager. He believed in me long before I ever believed in myself.
...Even now, after having published two books, he is still one of the reasons I keep writing. That and I believe this is where God has me right now. Writing is hard, much harder than I ever thought. There are times I have wanted to give up, throw in the towel, and walk away. During those times, it has not been enough to simply want to publish a book. It is knowing that my book is touching people, and that God is using me, that helps me weather the tough times.

What was the hardest thing about publishing? The easiest?
...As a shy person, it is hard to be in the limelight. And the Internet compounds that. Everyone can find you. It used to be twenty years ago you could publish a book and only hear about it through big name reviews or if people wrote to you personally. Now everyone can talk about you and your work. It’s almost like being in a room with a thousand people all talking at once. Sometimes I take a media break because I just need to get away and hear only God and my own thoughts.
...The easiest part of publishing? I haven’t discovered that yet. Writing is hard, marketing is hard, criticism is hard. However, one of the most fulfilling parts of being published is receiving an email where someone tells you how much your book touched his or her heart. When I read something like that, it’s like have a double shot of espresso. I’m on a buzz all day!

Your Writing
Tell us a little bit about your book or what you’re working on currently? Why are you/did you write it?
...Daughter of Light is the first book in the Follower of the Word series. It is the story of a young woman named Rowen who—with a touch of her hand—can see inside the human soul. She first discovers her power at the beginning of the book and it costs her. Her village is terrified of her, they accuse her of witchcraft, and banish her.
...The rest of the book is Rowen’s journey in discovering who she really is, why she has this gift, and who gave it to her.

...The second book just released and is titled Son of Truth. In Daughter of Light, readers are introduced to an assassin and Temanin prince named Caleb Tala. This second book is his story and his journey toward redemption.
What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
...Life is hard. It can be very dark. There will be things that happen to us that we cannot explain. And it will hurt deeply. But no matter what happens, or how dark the path is that God has us follow, He will always be there with us.

Writing
Where do you find inspiration for your story/characters? Are they based on real life or pure imagination or both?
...Every story I write begins with an image of the character. I look at the person and ask: “Who are you?” “Where do you come from?” “How did you end up here?”
...When I first met Rowen, I saw her in a field with the wolves attacking her (a scene from Daughter of Light). With Caleb Tala, he was on an assassination mission (another scene from Daughter of Light). Lore Palancar morphed from a very hard, cold man to the Captain of the Guard. And I met the scribe Nierne in the dungeon after her city was attacked.
...As you can see, I met each character and started asking them those questions and the story began to unfold as they revealed who they were and what happened to them.

When you write, what is your overall intention with your stories?
...I don’t set out with an agenda in mind when I write. I meet the character, I start asking questions, and I starting writing his or her story. After a while, I begin to see different themes emerge.
...Rowen’s gift is the ability to see the soul of the person she touches. Soon I realized she basically sees what God sees. I began to explore what would we do if we had that ability? Would we hide it? Exploit it? Or use it for good?
...Another character, the scribe Nierne, has grown up in very religious surroundings. But her journey causes her to realize that just because you live a morally good life, bad things still happen.

You
April showers bring May flowers – or so they say. Do you have a favorite flower? If so, why is it your favorite?
...I love daisies! They are a simple flower that hardly anyone notices. But to me they look like happiness and sunshine with petals. 
 

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Thank you so much, Morgan! What a great interview and explanation of why you write. My favorite line is when you said, "It is knowing that my book is touching people, and that God is using me...". I think we as writers can get caught up in our on lives and forget that, though writing is very personal, it's also a gift.
Readers, make sure you check out Morgan's books, starting with Daughter of the Light >>>