Book Tour: Heir of Hope

Hello! Heir of Hope, by Morgan L. Busse, is releasing today, so she has joined us for an interview. Morgan seems like a really neat woman, and I am told her books are amazing. I will be reading them in the very near future. Also, she recently had the covers of all three books in the Followers of the Word Series remade, which you can see above. Don't they intrigue you? To me, they are 10 times better than the original covers. 

Also, Morgan and another author, Sarah E. Morin, are having a Facebook party tonight (April 21) in celebration of their two books' releases. If you have never been to a Facebook party, believe me they are fun. You can join the party here.

Enjoy the post!

Description

Heir of Hope

Morgan L. Busse

What Would You Sacrifice to Save Mankind? 

The great city of Thyra has fallen and shadows spread across the land. Rowen Mar, the last Truthsayer, is taken before the Shadonae. But the Shadonae are not who she thought they were, and now they want to claim her as their own. 

Caleb Tala, former assassin and prince, is now a Guardian of mankind. Exiled from his country, Caleb wanders the desert in search of his mother’s past and clues to who he is. 

These are the last days of the Eldaran race. Rowen and Caleb must find their way along the dark path set before them by their ancestors: to heal what was wounded and love where hatred grows. But the road is narrow and the darkness beckons. If either of them fails, all will be lost… 

And the human race will be no more. 

Book three of the Follower of the Word series.

Links:

Amazon, Goodreads

About the Author

Morgan L. Busse writes fantasy fiction for the adult market. Along with writing, she is also the wife of a pastor and mother of four children. From the moment she first read The Hobbit, she fell in love with fantasy. Both J.R.R. Tolkien and Terry Brooks are the inspirations behind her writing. She is the author of the Follower of the Word series, including Daughter of Light, 2013 Christy and Carol award finalist. Morgan lives in the Midwest with her family. 

Interview with Morgan

Please tell us a little about yourself. Hobbies? Furry friends? Tea or Coffee?

I’m married to a wonderful, wacky guy (who also happens to be a pastor) and together we are raising four monkeys…er…kids. I’m a shy introvert, but start talking geek and I’ll come out of my shell. Along with writing, I enjoy games of all sorts (including board games and video games), hiking, biking, and reading. I love rainy days, mountains, and a good cup of tea.

Sounds like an interesting life. It also sounds like you live in the country. 

What is your favorite book, series, or author and why?

J.R.R. Tolkien is by far my most favorite author. By the time I was fifteen I had read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings three times and The Silmarillion twice. Even now I like to go back and experience his world, whether by book or by movie.

I am glad you like Tolkien's books. He is a favorite of many people. 

When did you first start writing?

I never grew up wanting to be a writer. Writing was for creative people and I didn’t consider myself that creative. Why? I have no idea. Looking back I realize how active my imagination was. But writing wasn’t a real job in my opinion, so I pursued other career options. 

It wasn’t until after the birth of my daughter that I started thinking about writing. I was disappointed in the lack of fantasy and science fiction being written from a Christian worldview. My husband said I should write, but I blew him off until we were on a road trip to Seattle and I had this idea about a woman who—when she touched a person—could see inside his/her soul. When we arrived home, I got on the computer and started writing Daughter of Light. 

A beautiful story. I am always interested in people's writing journey.

Is there someone (or something) who was instrumental in inspiring you to begin writing to publish?

Definitely my husband. He was the first person to encourage me to write, and all those times I wanted to give up and toss my laptop out the window, he stopped me. He believes in me, even when I don’t, and if it weren’t for him, I probably would have quit writing a long time ago.

That is sweet of him. I wish I had someone like that. 

What was the toughest obstacle you had to overcome to publish your first book?

When I started writing Daughter of Light, it didn’t take long to figure out that the Christian publishing world wasn’t interested in fantasy (that was back in 2005). Did that stop me? No. Was it discouraging? Yes. Every time I went to a conference or spoke to an agent, it was the same thing: no one was interested in my genre. 

Then I read a blog post about some guy named Jeff Gerke who was starting a small indie publishing company. I remember turning to my husband and telling him my books might have a home someday. True enough, almost five years later I received an email from Marcher Lord Press and signed my first contract. 

I have heard about how hard it used to be to publish Christian fantasy ten or so years ago. I am glad you continued writing anyway. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Or is there anything else you would like to say?

Don’t forget to live your life. It can be so easy to get caught up in writing and pursuing the dream of publishing (or the hard work required after your sign the contract) that you forget about the people in your life. Don’t. The writing will always be there, but the people may not. I never wanted my children growing up believing that writing took their mother away. And if I don’t spend time with my husband now, I won’t have a marriage later on. 

Even take time for walks or coffee with friends. I find that my most authentic writing comes from what I experience in life. But if I don’t live my life—if I am always on the computer, living in my writing world—I will miss out on the real life stories taking place around me. You only live once, don’t let it slip by.

Thank you, Emily, for letting me come and share my life and my writing with your readers!

Thank you. That is good advice for any career. And, you are very welcome! Thank you for coming and sharing with us.