A Christian Fantasy Writer's Journey to Publication by Morgan L. Busse

I started writing eight years ago. As I neared the completion of my first manuscript, I began to search for a publishing company. Through my research, I slowly realized something: none of the Christian publishing companies out there were interested in Christian fantasy.

I wondered what I should do next? Should I put my manuscript away and start on something new, something those companies would accept? Or should I try and find a secular company that wouldn’t mind my fantasy with a Christian worldview?

Then one day I read an interview over on Randy Ingermanson’s blog about some guy named Jeff Gerke who was starting a publishing company that would focus solely on Christian speculative fiction. The name? Marcher Lord Press.

I followed Marcher Lord Press and was impressed with the books put out. They were really good. I knew that when my manuscript was ready, I wanted to submit to Marcher Lord Press. 

I met Jeff Gerke at the Mt. Hermon Writing Conference in 2010. I told him about my book and he said to go ahead and send it to him. But he also warned me it would take 12-18 months for him to get to it (his slush pile was huge). I was fine with that. I would wait.

A few months later life came crashing down on my family. My husband lost his job. It soon became apparent that to help keep my family afloat financially, I would need to go back to work fulltime. And in order for me to work fulltime and take care of my family (which included four young children), I would have to give up writing.

That night I prayed and cried. I gave my writing over to God. I would walk away. I would not send out any more inquiries to publishers or agents. I would put my writing aside until the time came that my family no longer needed me to work. But there was just one catch: I had not heard back from Jeff. I told God that it was in His hands what He did with my book and Marcher Lord Press. The next day I started my new job.

Two weeks later, I received an email from Jeff Gerke asking if I wanted to be a Marcher Lord. I couldn’t believe it. After I had completely given up on writing, God gave me my dream back.

My first book, Daughter of Light, released this past month, with two more books to follow. 

How about you? Could you walk away from your writing? 

Morgan L. Busse is passionate about authentic Christianity and shares from her own life her fears and triumphs as a follower of Jesus Christ. The wife of a pastor and mother to four children, she has plenty of adventures to draw from. Along with blogging, Morgan also writes speculative fiction and released her debut book, Daughter of Light, with Marcher Lord Press. You can visit Morgan at www.morganlbusse.com

Daughter of Light
As the Shadonae rise in the west and war threatens the north, a young woman discovers she is not human . . .

Rowen Mar finds a strange mark on her hand, and she is banished from her village as a witch. She covers the mark with a leather glove and seeks sanctuary in the White City. She lives in fear that if she touches another person, the power inside her will trigger again, a terrifying power that allows her to see the darkness inside the human heart . . .

But the mark is a summons, and those called cannot hide forever. For the salvation of her people lies within her hand.