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 >>>