Morgan L. Busse and Son of Truth

MORGAN L. BUSSE writes speculative fiction for the adult market. She is the author of Daughter of Light (a Christy Award finalist for 2013) and Son of Truth (April 2013), 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.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morganlbusseauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MorganLBusse (@MorganLBusse)

SON OF TRUTH 
by Morgan L. Busse
Published by Marcher Lord Press

ABOUT THE BOOK

Arise now, guardian...

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.

Readers, buy your copy of Son of Truth today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Balancing Act

When people find out I’m an author along with being a pastor’s wife and mother of four children, the first thing they ask is how do I find time to write? Great question!

I first started writing almost ten years ago. At the time I had a toddler and a newborn baby at home. I never planned on being a writer, but at the encouragement of my husband, and after I had an idea that eventually became my first novel, I started writing. Usually I wrote during nap-times (if I didn’t need one myself) or in the evening when my husband had meetings at the church.

It was a slow progress. I usually only wrote a page or two in during those few precious hours. However, I found I could brainstorm all the time, especially when doing housework. There is nothing like four loads of laundry to fold or a counter full of dishes to wash with music in the background to get my imagination going. I was known to place my laptop on the wash machine and type out ideas, character descriptions, or dialogue in between matching socks.

I wrote this way for six years, slowly learning the craft of writing, reading books on writing, plugging along on my novel, and attending conferences when I could. One thing I learned while balancing kids and writing (by this time twins had joined our family) was that I did not want to miss out on my kids’ lives. I would always have my writing, but my children were growing up fast and I didn’t want to miss out.

I applied some life convictions my husband held about ministry to my writing life. My husband never wanted our children growing up hating the church because it took daddy away from them. So he purposely placed boundaries around our family and around ministry.

I chose to have those same convictions. I did not want my children growing up believing that writing was more important than they were. That has not always been easy. There were days when I was so tired of changing diapers and cleaning up spilled milk that all I could think about was the day when I could be a full time writer.

However, I knew eventually my children would grow and be in school, and I would finally have time to write. So I served my children and took my laptop out when they napped or after they were in bed.

Eventually they started school and I was ready to become a full time writer. Then my husband lost his job and our world came crashing down around us. Six months into unemployment, I knew I could help my family by going back to work full time. But I also knew that I could not balance family, work, and writing. I would need to give something up, and that something had to be writing.

Even now I remember that night on my knees, crying as I told God I would walk away from my writing. No more query letters to agents, no more conferences, no more writing. Mentally I tucked my writing away into a small place in my heart and moved on. I knew my writing would be there someday, something I could come back to, but my family needed me now. The next day I started my job.

It is funny how when we finally give our dreams over to God that He has a way of giving them back to us. Two weeks into my job, I received an email from a publishing company I had sent a proposal to almost two years earlier. The editor loved the manuscript and wanted to know if I was still interested.

Wow!

I talked to my husband and prayed about it, then sent back my reply: Yes. Definitely yes!

Six months later, my husband found another job and I was able to come back home and start writing again.

I still find myself challenged to balance writing, family, and ministry, especially now with deadlines. So this is how I do it: first, I have priorities. My family is my first priority. There are a lot of writers out there, but I am the only mother to my four children. And I am the only wife to my husband. Those relationships need me, and I need them. In fact, when the writing life becomes overwhelming, I find they are my shelter and one of the things that keep me sane. :)

Second: I don’t procrastinate (at least not a lot). I look ahead a year and know I need to be writing now or else I won’t have my book finished in time. I write for about 2 hours a day and spend an additional hour or two on marketing, blogging, etc…

Thirdly (and most importantly): I pray. I pray about the books I write. I pray for my family. I pray for my publishing company and my fellow authors. I pray for my church. Prayer keeps me connected to God and in tune with what He is telling me (along with reading His word).

To be honest, there is never enough time in a day for everything we want to do: whether you are a writer, have a full time job, or are a stay-at-home mother. I find time to write because God graciously gives me time each day. Knowing what is most important and following what God is telling me helps me balance the calls God has placed on my life.

Reader Question: How about you? Do you find it difficult to balance everything in your life? What do you find helps you?

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Thank you, Morgan, for sharing with us today.

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name [at] domainname [dot] com) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a free autographed copy of the book featured above or book 1 in the series, Daughter of Light. Your choice. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the drawing is open to contiguous US residents for a print copy and international or Alaska/Hawaii residents for an eBook copy.