Morgan L. Busse's Blog

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!

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Hello friends! As a thank you for those of you who have or will preorder Winter’s Maiden, I want to send you some goodies to go along with your book when it arrives in August! Here are the details:

-You can preorder either hardback or ebook from you choice of bookstore
-These goodies are open to international readers!
-Included: a character card of Brighid, a sticker I created for the book, and a special tea I chose to match the book (because I love tea!)

To make sure you’re on the list, please fill out the following form below and don’t forget to submit your receipt! If you have trouble with the form, message me so I can make sure you don’t miss out.

Again, than you for your support!

Preorder FormPreorder Winter’s Maiden

When I first shared that I was writing Winter’s Maiden, I received a lot of questions:

Is it based on history?Will there be longboats and raids?How ‘Viking’ is it?

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:

The clothing (wool-strap dresses, leather, embroidery, boots)Architecture (wood and stone buildings,Philosophy (honor and glory, death, religion, fight styles)

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.

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #26

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

· The hunt BEGINS on 3/14 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.

· Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).

· There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/17 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.

· Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

First, welcome to my site! I’m Morgan L. Busse and I write award-winning Christian Fantasy and Steampunk. I grew up on stories from Tolkien, Lewis, and many others, so writing these same stories came naturally. Speaking of, I have a new Viking-inspired fantasy coming out, and thought I would share what does Viking-inspired mean?

When I first shared that I was writing a story of this sort, I received a lot of questions:

Is it based on history?Will there be longboats and raids?How ‘Viking’ is it?

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:

The clothing (wool-strap dresses, leather, embroidery, boots)Architecture (wood and stone buildings,Philosophy (honor and glory, death, religion, fight styles)

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?

Here’s the Stop #26 Basics:

If you’re interested, you can order Winter’s Maiden on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD or at your local bookstore! ORDER HERE.

Clue to Write Down: That’s

Link to Stop #27, the Next Stop on the Loop: Melanie Dickerson’s site!

INTERESTED in WINNING a signed paperback copy of Winter’s Maiden when it releases in August? Then leave a comment below on why this story interests you to be entered!

*US only. Must be 18 years old or older. Winner will be drawn randomly at the end of the Scavenger Hunt.

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!).

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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.

~Buy Now~

Let’s pretend. Those were my favorite words when I was a kid. I said them almost everyday.

“Let’s pretend we are unicorns living in the forest.” “Let’s pretend we are building a canoe to ride down the river to the ocean.” “Let’s pretend we live in the sky.”

After I would say those magical words, my siblings and I would embark on a day filled with imagination, storytelling, and character playing.

I never realized how I still pretend today. Instead of asking my brother and sisters if they want to pretend, I ask my readers:

—”Let’s pretend we have to live on the mountaintops because there is a mist that fills the valleys and turns you into zombies.” (the premise for Secrets in the Mist)

—”Let’s pretend we can visit dreams.” or “Let’s pretend we can control water.” (both premises for the Ravenwood Saga)

—”Let’s pretend that when I touch you, I can see every thought and memory you have.” (the premise for Daughter of Light).

See where I am going? I never gave up pretending. Instead, I turned it into stories. I hold out my hand to my readers and I say, “Let’s pretend today.”

Don’t forget to pretend for there is joy in creating. And the world needs our pretend. It gives people a reprieve from life, and hope and fortitude when they return. I’ll leave you with these words from J.R.R. Tolkien:

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape?. . . If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”

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!

~ORDER NOW~