#Gramber Searching for my happy ending

Life has thrown some hard things my way. Like, lots of hard things. Lately, my career has been one of those hard things. Sales were down 33% for me in 2015. It was a huge blow to my confidence. I had the same awesome books - only more of them - and they were selling worse. After careful study and thought, I believe this has more to do with the industry than anything I've done (mostly to do with Kindle Unlimited (it undercuts indie authors, as does the scammers that flourish on the program)).

Last week, I released Daughter of Winter. I was disappointed in the sales. I was hoping that by this point in my career, it wouldn't be so hard to sell a damn book. I have good reviews, amazing covers, great content. And again I find myself facing that moment, where I'm deciding whether or not to quit . . . I've been there so many times in my writing career thus far. So. Many. Times. At this point, I never thought to be here again. And yet here I am.

And I have the same answer I've always had. There's this knowing inside me - knowing that I'm going to make it. Knowing there is a happy ending on my last page. I've already proven it a hundred times before. I can prove it one more time.

{Release Day} Daughter of Winter

Bargains. Only the truly desperate make them. Only the truly desperate need them. And always, the desperate pay. 

The silence and never-ending dark of winter are all Elice has ever known, for she is the daughter of the Winter Queen. Isolated in a northern queendom with only the seals for company, she dreams of color and music and life. So when a whaling ship crashes just offshore, she doesn't hesitate to rescue the lone survivor, Adar, who quickly becomes her friend. She must keep him hidden from her mother at all costs, for if the Winter Queen discovers him trespassing, she'll kill him. 

When her mother reveals just how dark her soul has become, Elice realizes she is as much a prisoner as Adar. To ever know true freedom—to ever become the woman she was meant to be—she must flee with him. But in their flight, she begins to see hints of something more nefarious. The darkness that has taken hold of her mother is spreading, staining the world with its influence. 

Unbeknownst to Elice, a bargain was made long ago. A bargain she was born to fulfill.

Here's the purchase links:
 Amazon: http://amzn.to/1N74pgi
iBooks: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/daughter-of-winter/id1061184951?mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/daughter-of-winter-1
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daughter-of-winter-amber-argyle/1123641840?ean=2940152478631
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17185327-winter-s-heir

Don't forget to leave a review after you've read the book! Even a one liner helps authors immensely.
Word of mouth sells more books than just about anything. To help out, you can share this on facebook, tweet this on twitter, or pin this pin.

Daughter of Winter up for preorder

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1N74pgi

iBooks: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/daughter-of-winter/id1061184951?mt=11

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/daughter-of-winter-1

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daughter-of-winter-amber-argyle/1123641840?ean=2940152478631

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17185327-winter-s-heir

Happy reading! 

{Cover Reveal} Daughter of Winter by Amber Argyle

Daughter of Winter Daughter of Winter will be released April 21st. Here's the new synopsis: Bargains. Only the truly desperate make them. Only the truly desperate need them. And always, the desperate pay. The silence and never-ending dark of winter are all Elice has ever known, for she is the daughter of the Winter Queen. Isolated in a northern queendom with only the seals for company, she dreams of color and music and life. So when a whaling ship crashes just offshore, she doesn't hesitate to rescue the lone survivor, Adar, who quickly becomes her friend. She must keep him hidden from her mother at all costs, for if the Winter Queen discovers him trespassing, she'll kill him. But when her mother reveals just how dark her soul has become, Elice realizes she is as much a prisoner as Adar. To ever know true freedom—ever to become the woman she was meant to be—she must flee with him. But in their flight, she begins to see hints of something more nefarious. The darkness that has taken hold of her mother is spreading, staining the world with its influence. Unbeknownst to Elice, a bargain was made long ago. A bargain she was born to fulfill. To celebrate the upcoming release, the first book in the series, Of Ice and Snow, is free for a limited time. In exchange, for your free copy share this post on facebook and/or tweet this tweet and/or pin this pin. An author's success depends upon word of mouth, so sharing my freebie will draw attention to the series. Also, feel free to copy and paste any information in this blog into your own to help spread the word. Thank you in advance!

#Gramber Does it spark joy?

Why do you do the things you do?

It's a simple question, but it usually merits an answer that's anything but. I've found that the answers fall into two categories:

Because I have to.
--This often involves things like working to provide a living and cleaning toilets. It can be paired down and adjusted (getting a better job, for instance), but it doesn't go away.

Because I want to.
--Pretty  much everything else
falls into this category.

But how often to we try to shove our Want To's into our Have To's? How often do I see soccer rolling around again and think: I have to sign up for that AGAIN. Then I brace myself and grit my teeth and dive in to the chaos of drill sargent mom trying to get all the kids in the car because we're going to be late and where in the heck is that blasted cleat I told you to always put them in the same place and why, for the love of Pete, did you not take them off together?!

I had a moment this week where I though, why am I doing this? I don't like it. I'd rather be hiking or gathered around a campfire roasting smores. Or reading a book. So why aren't I? The short story is because I've made Want To into a Have To.

Now, I'm not saying soccer isn't great. My oldest loves it. What I am saying is to stop and ask: why?

As much as possible, our lives should be filled with the things that spark joy. The things that make us feel bigger and smaller than we are. The things that fill the dark spaces inside us with light. Find that light and saturate yourself with it.