{New Release} Of Sand and Storm

By law, any child born in Idara is free, even if that child is born in a slave brothel. But as Cinder grows into a beauty that surpasses even that of her mother and grandmother, she realizes that freedom is only a word. There are other words too, stronger words. Words like betrayal and prison and death. And there are words even stronger still. Words like courage and family and love. 

In the end, if Cinder is to escape the fate of her matriarchs, she'll have to fight for her freedom. Because true freedom is never free.

Purchase links: 

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

Amazon Int’l: http://authl.it/5cs

iTunes: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/of-sand-and-storm/id1066945070?mt=11

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/of-sand-and-storm-amber-argyle/1123022616?ean=2940152483727

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/of-sand-and-storm-1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20734705-of-sand-and-storm
~
I remember reading an article a while back. It was about a girl taken captive by ISIS. The men and older women in her family were taken outside and shot. She and her female relative were taken to an older building, where men would come and bid on them. The man who ran the slave market hid her when the other men came. She thought he was being kind. He wasn't. He took her as his own.

She was smart and resourceful. They went from house to house (Christian homes, the owners dead or having fled). She pretended not to like one after another until they finally stopped at a house with a balcony off the master bedroom. It was from there that she escaped with another girl.

I read her story and I thought, this is the kind of stuff that happened in medieval times. Not now. Not in a world where people complain about WiFi cutting out on jet planes or that ketchup packets are too small.

But sex trafficking and abuse have never really stopped, have it? We all think we're civilized and past such darkness, but we're only a war away from being dipped back into that kind of evil. The girls ISIS has taken know this. Even here, amidst the strip malls and protest for "social justice", there are girls and boys hidden in the shadows. Used and discarded like trash while people scream about supposed offenses that are really just differing opinions.

When I saw the Abolitionists, I felt helpless. What could I do? How could a mom from the fields of Idaho raise her voice? The answer became clear. I had to write one of these girl's stories. Not a real girl, but a fictional one. Cinder's story was born. The story of a girl fighting a system designed to keep her under the control of people who have long ago lost their morality.

Part of me wants to apologize for this story—for exposing such darkness to the light. But there are people hidden in the shadows of slaver. If no one ever turns to look, help will never come. So I ask that you look. See them—those forced to give up the right to their own bodies. I ask that you be someone’s Darsam. To learn how you can help, visit the Abolitionists, a group who works to free children from sex trafficking: http://ourrescue.org/.

#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.

The new direction for my blog. #gramber

In the past, my blog has been mostly about my writing and as a means to market myself and my works. I will still post about my books, but my main focus will be changing.

I've been thinking a lot about what kind of legacy I want to leave behind. What I would want my children and grandchildren and any adopted grandchildren (that's everyone else) to know about life. I don't imagine it will go any further than that. And I don't mind. I never wanted to be famous. Never wanted anyone to look at me as better than anyone else. Because I'm not. We all have the same worth, though perhaps we don't all give back to the world the same amount, whether because of circumstances or choices.

Regardless, I feel compelled to share what I've learned--perhaps because at heart I've always been a teacher. And if my words touch a single life, that will be enough. I'll be calling this series #Gramber. See what I did there? Combining Grama and Amber? *giggle snort*

#gramber

An update on our family's medical drama . . .

Lots of things going on. My cyst is gone, and so is the pain (yay!). I've discovered this medicine called Prelief, which has made my IC completely manageable. I can even eat chocolate and tomatoes again (I'll probably never be able to handle soda pop or lemonade (or coffee or alcohol, but I'm Mormon so no worries there)). It's also lessened the pain to the point where I don't hurt very often anymore. My ankle is still giving me a few problems--there's still a broken bone fragment floating around in there that gets pinched every once in awhile. But I really, really don't want another surgery.

I just had a major breakthrough with Winter's Heir. It will require deleting about 7K words and starting over, but this will make the book SO MUCH BETTER. So in the end, it's all good.

We've found a medication for my oldest son that has made his symptoms manageable--he can stay awake and he isn't collapsing anymore. The doctors think he has a sort of transient cataplexy, which he will eventually grow out of. Not a great thing to have, but better than the horrible things like tumors and seizures and narcolepsy that the doctors were talking about. There's still a chance he won't grow out of it, but I'm trying not to focus on that.

My second son has a great teacher this year (unlike the horrible bully he had last year). His femur (where his nonossifying fibroma was) looks great, other than one leg is slightly longer than the other and his knee sometimes bothers him. We can only hope it doesn't get worse.

But here's the other thing--all the trauma my family has gone through over the last 3 years has left me struggling with depression. I have been since about January when it was really, really scary. Like suicidal scary. It was bad again last week (for good reason, my son was having major medical issues and it triggered all the trauma that we went through with my other son). The medical bills are piling up and leaving us completely overwhelmed.

I haven't really told many people about it. Partly because it's so deeply personal. Partly because it's the kind of thing that makes your curl in on yourself. Partly because sometimes people are idiots and mean.

So why write about it at all? Honestly, I'm not even sure myself. I want people like me to know they're not alone. I don't want to be alone either. And that's just kind of who I am. I have this desire for people to know the real me, free of adornments or masks.

Another reason is because someday I want my children and grandchildren and great grandchildren to see this trail I've blazed before them. That it wasn't a legend or a pioneer. I was just a person, doing the best I can. And I want them to have my words.

Finally, I had an an aha moment yesterday. God doesn't "give us" our trials-they come as a natural result of living in the world we do--he's not handing out pain like poison from above. Part of the reason we're here is to learn of suffering. And God will help us through it if we let him. And in the end, all the suffering will be taken away and it will all be made right.

Realizing this has helped me let go of a lot of anger. My hope is that it will help you too.

On Finding Joy

I specifically remember two years ago trying to finish up Witch Fall and feeling overwhelmed. There simply weren't enough hours in the day. I had a four-year old daughter still at home all day, as well as two other young children. My husband had a demanding job and was gone much of the time, leaving me to raise kids and write books mostly alone.

Life was hard, and it was about to get worse. My son started suffering some serious health problems. So I quit writing. A few months later, he was better(ish) and I was behind. Then he was worse than before for six months and I was even more behind. This went on for over two years.

During that time, we moved to another state, leaving my support system behind. I had no friends. I broke my ankle and had major surgery, with a difficult recovery and lots of complications. But I still had this dream - to be a successful author. So I did what I thought was necessary. I made sacrifices. I stayed up late. I stopped hanging out with my friends. I multitasked - every moment of my day was packed.  I stopped relaxing. I stopped exercising. I stopped enjoying the simple pleasures of life. All I did was work.

My career had finally started taking off. I was making good money and people were loving my books. But while it did bring me moments of happiness, it did not make me happy. I was miserable, and guilty for feeling miserable. My husband finally had a job he enjoyed. All my publishing goals were FINALLY getting crossed of the list. My kids were doing well. We'd finally managed to wrangle ourselves into the middle-class. My son was healed and finally, finally climbing out of the depression his broken body had left him.

But my life had become a drudgery, marching myself mercilessly from one task to the next. I got seriously depressed. Like, scary depressed. I felt like I couldn't relax, that I was simply waiting for the next crisis to hit. I shut down. Emotionally and physically, I was a mess. I knew my life was imbalanced, as I know how important a balanced life is. In my Fairy Queens Series, there's this belief in the Balance - that everything has its opposite. Light and dark. Love and hate. Winter and summer. If the balance is thrown off, chaos ensues.

So it is with our own lives. Work, relaxation, nourishing our spiritual side, and joy need to coexist. Achieving our dreams cannot come at the expense of our happiness.

I went to my doctor and got on some medication. And while the scary depression lifted, I still wasn't happy. It wasn't until I was riding horses at my dad's ranch that I finally felt joy again. And then I lost it. I wasn't sure why or how to get it back. I only knew it was gone. Then we had some friends visit us and we went hiking. I found that joy again. And then, after 13 years, I finally had all my kids in school and had a few hours to actually write.

It was then that I realized that while writing used to bring me that kind of joy, it doesn't anymore. I still love doing it, and I can't imagine a life where I don't write and publish books. But somewhere along the way it became my job instead of my release. I have to find other things to bring joy into my life. For me, that's nature. It's saying yes to experiences and no to cramming more work into my life (blog posts, scavenger hunts, box sets, marketing classes). It's saying, "I don't work in the summers. I play with my kids."
Find the things that bring you joy and protect them fiercely.
I'm not saying I have this thing called balance down yet - some lessons have to be learned and relearned throughout our lifetimes. But to those of you who are like me (overachievers), I want you to know that you should never give up the great things for the good things.  Stop trying so hard to be great. Stop pushing yourself to be perfect. Just be.

All my love,
Amber

On Breaking

I was raised in a culture where goals were taught, hard work was venerated, and dedication exemplified. It was a good way to grow up, I don't doubt that for a second.

But when you put those kinds of life expectations on someone who is already a perfectionist, bad things start to happen.

I know. Cause they happened to me.

High school honor society. Varsity basketball. 6th in my state for high school rodeo. Collegiate honor society. Marriage at 19 and a child at 21 (because both were my goals, so why put it off?). Collegiate cum laude.

And I broke. I wanted to accomplish everything, and do it to the best of my ability. And I broke.

I had warnings. People wiser than me saying that I needed to slow down. I didn't listen. Because I was different. I was disciplined. And I broke.

The breaking left me with anxiety disorder which I still struggle with to this day. But it also taught me balance--prioritizing and being kind and forgiving with myself. It taught me that the cruel "self talk" I was using to push myself that extra bit was doing damage to my soul.

Unfortunately, this is not a lesson "learned". I still have to learn it everyday.

Some struggles stay with  you till the end.

So why this post?

People put me on a pedestal. Some of them want to be like me (As Robin McKinley once told me, pick out the good bits carefully). And I don't want them pushing themselves to be something that isn't real.

So I'm determined to be real. To show myself as I really am, the bad bits and the good.

The other reason is because I see myself in them--these young girls, and I don't want them to go through the breaking. I want them to hear me when I say part of being driven is being balanced. Part of being a success is being completely lazy sometimes.

And I want their leaders and teachers to teach stillness. It really is a skill. And it should be taught right alongside goals and success.

But most importantly, I want those girls to love themselves. To know they are worthy even when they fail.

Amber Argyle

I'm a feminist

I cringe a little when I admit that. I've always (incorrectly) assumed that feminist were men haters. But I certainly don't hate men. I love a lot of them. My husband, two sons, father, and three brothers to name a few.

But when I marched to the front of my church to give the speaker what for after his comments on modesty, I realized I couldn't deny it anymore. It wasn't just the woman who ruined her family because she wore too short of shorts and tanktops, and it wasn't just that boys shouldn't give the time of day to women who weren't dressed "appropriately" (nevermind treating everyone with decency and respect, no matter how they're dressed), it was deeper than that. A belief that women are responsible for what's wrong inside someone else.

The embers inside of me fanned into flames.

I'm not proud of telling him he needed to do some research and look up such things as, "Modesty Shaming". I'm actually a little embarrassed (not the best venue, right in front of the pulpit), but someone has to say something.

So this is me saying something.

Women: based your modesty from a place of deep respect for your body. The way we dress sends a message. Let that message be about telling your story, not trying to sell someone elses.

Men

Let's start with a scenario.

You're on a beach.
A woman with curves in all the right places jogs toward you, a bright smile on her face, and a string bikini on her body.
She ranks a ten. An eleven, even.
And she's your daughter.

Now tell me you can't control your thoughts. That it's her responsibility to make sure you don't take advantage of her.

I'll end with this: Treat people to the highest of their potential, and they just might surprise you by surpassing it.

How women are losing our power

In the last sixty years, the world's culture has shifted, and not for the better. For decades, women have fought for equal rights. It's a fight that still continues to this day. So why have we willingly given away so much of our power?

What I'm talking about is the shift of women from being people to being objects.

Don't believe me? How much time do you spend making yourself beautiful each morning? How much money do you spend trying to make yourself even more beautiful--things like clothes, makeup, beauty creams and the list goes on and on (guilty of all of the above). How much money is spent every year on porn?

How much thought do you put into loosing weight instead of being strong (guilty, but I'm working on it)?

How much time do you spend hating your imperfections instead of valuing your strengths (guilty, but working on it).

How much energy do you spend worrying about where you are on the "pretty pecking order" (more so in high school)?

Listen to the above video. And realize that you are more than an object. You are a person who deserves love and respect, and gaining that respect starts with loving and respecting yourself.

I bring all this up because the character in my current work in progress (Summer Queen) struggles with this. She's been trained to seduce men, and through the book she begins to realize that using her body to trick others into getting what she wants has pretty devastating effects (also, try pulling off that theme while keeping it strictly PG-13. I'm gonna have to cut some scenes).

One of my thighs is bigger than the other. And that's okay.

My son, me, and my father, Kent.

We'd just unloaded the horses from the trailer and were going to move some cows who'd wandered into the winter range back up to the summer range (higher in the mountains). There was a lot of brush to ride through, so my dad handed me a pair of his old chaps to protect my legs.

I zipped up the left leg. Snug, but it fit. Then I went to zip up the right leg. It wouldn't zip. My upper thigh was simply to big. I immediately deflated, feeling like a failure because I couldn't fit in my 55 year old father's chaps (granted, he's a bean pole, but still).

Even though I'd been running 2-3 miles three times a week, I knew I was "bigger" than I'd ever been. At 5'11" and 32 years old, I am a size ten. I'm big boned and muscular (at every one of my c-sections, the doctor has made a comment about my "excellent musculature", lol!). It's the reason I played center for my high school basketball team. It's a reason that even at my thinnest (19% body fat), I was still a size 8.

I went on the ride without those chaps. In the truck on the way back to the bunkhouse, I stared out the window, feeling like a complete failure. I'd asked someone I loved recently if I looked "okay." Her response, "Just don't gain anymore weight and you'll be fine." Those words hurt. Like I was on the cusp of failure.

I said something derogatory about myself to my dad. I don't even remember what. But I do remember his answer. He shrugged. "What matters is you're healthy and you can do the things you want to do."

My daughter and my dad

My eyes welled with tears. My father loved me. He didn't care that I wasn't perfect. And he was right. The size of my pants didn't matter. Whether or not I had "thigh gap" didn't matter (I've never had it, btw).

What matters about our bodies is that they're healthy and strong enough to do what we need them to. That's it. That's the measurement that should dictate our happiness.

How tragic and unkind of us to hate a beautiful, god-given gift because it isn't perfect. I needed to hear that. I needed to feel loved and accepted. And I needed to remember that being and feeling strong is my goal. Not being skinny.

So if you've never heard it from your parents: What matters is you're healthy and strong enough to do the things you want to do. That's it. Stop worrying about having a "perfect" body. Instead, work toward making your body healthy and strong.

Remember that as you make your New Year's resolutions.

This is my body. It's not perfect (apparently one of my thighs is bigger than the other). But it's strong and healthy.

And that's what matters.

Witch Fall might make it after all . . .

You guys have no IDEA how stressed I've been. The first half and last quarter of Witch Fall are done and I love it. The latter part of the middle doesn't exist. And the bleeping thing is due out in October. I've been wracking my brain and struggling with it for months. Finally, I just decided to start with a character rewrite and hope for the best. And then I read this article. Here's the short of it:

"The antagonist is the beating heart of the story. He/She/It creates the crisis and the crucible that forces our protagonist to become a hero. If we don’t know the endgame, we have no idea how to insert roadblocks, create misdirection, setbacks, or drama. So if you keep getting stuck? It might not be you are lazy or fearful (I wasn’t either). It might be your foundation (the antagonist/core story problem) either isn’t there or it’s weak and unable to support the bulk of 65-100,000 words."
~Kristen Lamb

Light-freakin'-bulb! My problem is I have two villains with dual purposes, which makes a mess out of the middle and undermines the beginning and the end (because one villain appears at the beginning, the other at the end).

The two need to be collaborators! This changes everything. Why didn't I see it before? It's so simple and so perfect and I missed it!

But really, who cares, because now I can finish the bleeping thing, and maybe, just maybe, I'll make my deadline. Pray my kids cooperate.

No really. Pray. It's gonna take a miracle.

Me and my "mustache" on the news.

A few days ago, I saw a post by a fellow writer, Chad Morris, who I've known for a few years. They'd recently found out his daughter had a brain tumor. She thinks mustaches are hilarious, so they asked people to post pics of themselves with one to cheer her up. I posted this pic. Then found out they ran a news story on Maddie and her mustache love. They featured my pic. This makes me all sorts of squirmy.

You can show Maddie some love by posting a fun pic of a 'stache on Chad's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chad.morris.5?fref=ts 

Chad's debut novel also comes out today. Since he can't be out there busily promoting his book, I thought I'd help out. Ya'll head over and buy a copy!

Pintrest Love and He Knows My Name!

So I discovered Pintrest recently. It's this fabulous site where you can add pictures--kind of like a giant all purpose filing cabinet for stuff on the web. I love it! I've found lots of DIY projects for my hubby (he's thrilled-imagine a grown man dancing around the house while singing the lyrics from Westside Story with a twist, "I'm so happy. Oh so happy!"). Clothing and hair ideas. I even found a recipe for making your own laundry detergent--a year of detergent for 20 bucks! Made it this morning, in fact. I'll let you know how it goes.

And now you're wondering what this has to do with writing? Hang on, Mr/Mrs Impatience. I'm getting there.

I've created a folder for character ideas, cover ideas (see above), world building ideas. I've been saving images to a Doc folder for years for my reference, but this way they're all together and I can share them! Fantastic, right? If you want to see all the fun things I've found, here's my page: http://pinterest.com/amberargyle/

And now for the other bit of randomness. When you finally have a book published, you keep hitting these milestones that remind you that you're a real author-when you meet your first squealing fan, when you get your first paycheck . . . stuff like that.

Well I had another one . At a writer's conference this weekend, all these people I've looked up to for years kept passing me in the halls and saying, "Hey, Amber." "I like your shirt, Amber." "You have a bit of fry sauce on your chin, Amber." I kept thinking, "They know my name!" and "I didn't have fry sauce with lunch?"

So freakin' cool!

Anyway, who's on Pintrest? Do you love it? If not, WHY?

Too Strong for Too Long

I recently read an article by Mettie Ivie Harrison about "being too strong for too long," and it struck such resonance in me I had to share it here in hopes that it strikes you as much as it did me (and thanks to Mettie for letting me share excerpts).

In the article, Mettie talks about the moment when she realized she couldn't keep her momentum going anymore. "Every minute of every day had to have a purpose. Most of them had to have two purposes. And I was ruthless when I reviewed my attempts."

Sing it to me sister.

I'm a driven person. I have goals and I work hard toward them. Sometimes to the point
where I push myself into emotional exhaustion. Classic overachiever with a long list of accomplishments (I won't bore you with the details). Any failure by myself was treated with self loathing and disappointment.

Pushing myself hard got results, at least results as far as achievements go.

But there was a price for being so unforgiving a taskmaster.

That price didn't come due until college. Trying to balance my new marriage while keeping my GPA up and living on next to nothing completely overwhelmed me and I started having daily anxiety attacks. My life ground to a halt and I couldn't understand what was wrong with me. 

It took a lot of hard work to relearn how to relax. How to love myself. Forgive myself for my shortcomings and failures. I learned that a happy person is a balanced person. A person who nurtures their spiritual and emotional self--not just their physical and academic self. That relaxing wasn't an epic waste of time but time to recharge.

It was a hard lesson to learn, but I learned it well.

I still catch myself pushing too hard (I have three young kids, my husband is gone a lot with work, I exercise an hour 3 times a week, volunteer at my kids' school, write and market for my book, try to do my hair and makeup, housework, and church responsibilities (I teach Sunday School--what were they thinking???) but I've learned to back off before I fall apart.

I could sense myself getting overwhelmed for a couple months around Witch Song's release. Instead of pushing myself to schedule more signings etc, I took a step back. Now my goal is to do one signing/school visit a month. Not a lot, but I enjoy one activity a month. More than that stresses me out and I miss my kidlets too much. Maybe I can do more when they are older.

To read Mettie's article, go here:

http://metteivieharrison.tumblr.com/post/12802523421/too-strong-for-too-long

What aspect do you struggle more with: Spiritual, physical, emotional, social, or something else entirely?

Also, it's looking like January's event will be a signing in SLC at Sam Weller's. More to come.

Guest Post by David Farland (on YA and Magical Systems)

Amber: Why did you decide to write young adult after all of these years?

David: Actually, I’ve been doing it most of my life. It’s just that no one ever noticed!

My first novel had an older protagonist, but beginning with my second novel, Serpent Catch, my protagonists have almost all been young men and women in their late teens—age 19 or so. The Serpent Catch, Golden Queen, and Runelords series all feature very young protagonists. In fact, with the Runelords I have a couple of children as protagonists. In Wizardborn, I have a girl who is 8 as a protagonist for most of the book, and in Sons of the Oak, my main protagonist is between 11 and 14.

I have also written movie tie-ins using young adult characters. My novel Star Wars: The Rising Force was a big hit for Scholastic, and my Mummy Chronicles novels, four books in all, remained high on the New York Times Bestseller lists for months when they came out from Random House.

To tell the truth, when I first began working on the Runelords series, I strongly considered making it young adult, or perhaps writing a parallel series that was YA.

But it wasn’t until I was teaching a class at BYU in 2002 that I really got thinking seriously. I had one of my students, Stephenie Meyer, come to talk to me one day. She asked, “How do you become the bestselling YA author of our time?” So I we sat and talked about how to approach that. I suggested that she work on a contemporary fantasy with a powerful romantic angle to it, and all the time I was thinking, Of course as a man, I couldn’t write that novel. People would think it was just too weird. But I could write something for young men, with more of an adventure feel that would do much the same.

My existing contracts kept me busy for a long time, but now that I’m about done with the Runelords, I wanted to get a jump on the next series. So I’m hoping that this novel will go big. Whereas Stephenie went straight for the heart of the teen female audience, I wrote something that I think will have a much broader appeal for both men and women, from teens through adults.

Still, I have to worry that Stephenie and I took a similar approach to these novels. I really wasn’t copying her. I’m just trying to follow my own best counsel .

Makes one wonder how fine the line really is between YA and adult. I have a MS that I can't figure out where it belongs--YA or adult. It's kind of a blend of both, and it definitely has some violence (though not as bad as some YA books).

Amber: Tell us about how you came up with your magic system?

David: Years ago, in the late 1980s or early 1990s, I read a book by a doctor who had worked for the CIA, experimenting with drugs that would erase both long- and short-term memories. It was fascinating work, and he eventually won the Nobel Prize for it. So I became interested in memory transfer ages ago. I totally have a dystopian memory eraser book--it's in the editing stage presently. ;)

Later on, one Christmas, I got to thinking about the three “Wise Men” from the bible. Normally, a “wise man” is called a wizard. A “maji” is called a magician. Why was it that the writers of the bible were using double-speak when discussing these guys? Weren’t they astrologers? Doesn’t the Old Testament condemn these folks to death?

So I went back to the Hebrew and found out that indeed these three gentlemen were in the same class of magicians that the Old Testament, the m'khashepah—which originally referred to a class of magicians that hung around royal courts.

So the thought occurred to me, “What if they weren’t just coming to give Jesus gifts? What if they really had come to be . . . advisors. What if they wanted to give him wisdom?”

That started a whole train of thought dealing with memory transfer—transfer of memories, the possibility of training reflexes, transfer of memories on a cellular level, and so on—which led to the creation of my magic system.

The questions arose, what would people do with such power?

And of course from that a novel was born.

Nightingale tells the story of a young man named Bron Jones, who is abandoned at birth. Raised in foster care, he’s shuffled from home to home. At age 16, he’s kind of the ultimate loner, until he’s sent to a new foster home and meets Olivia, a marvelous teacher, who recognizes that Bron is something special, something that her people call a “Nightingale,” a creature that is not quite human.

Suddenly epic forces combine to claim Bron, and he must fight to keep from getting ripped away from the only home, family, and girlfriend that he has ever known. He must risk his life to learn the answers to the mysteries of his birth: “What am I? Where did I come from? Who am I?” I would of course like to take this moment to offer a review for Nightingale. You can send me the novel amberargyle at yahoo dot com ;)

This is a big project, an enhanced novel with illustrations and animations from half a dozen talented illustrators. It has a sound track by the head of the National Composer’s Guild, James Guymon, with a dozen professional musicians and vocalists. We’re releasing the novel in several formats, as an enhanced novel, a normal e-book, an audiobook, and as a hardcover.

But we did one last cool thing. The enhanced book was designed for the iPad, though you will also be able to read it on just about any other pad or smartphone. But we had our programmers create a web app so that you can enjoy the book on your computer—read a few chapters, take it for a test drive, or simply buy it for reading online. You’re free to go check out the results at http://www.nightingalenovel.com/. If you like it, remember to “Like” us on Facebook. Better yet, re-post our site info and tell your friends on Facebook.

Oh, and while you’re there, check out our short-story contest, where you can win $1000. I should totally enter that.

Thanks for stopping by, David. As you all know, David is a hero of mine. He was good enough to write a blurb for Witch Song, for which I will ever be grateful.

Isn't it interesting to learn how authors come up with some of our ideas. We take a concept and spin thoughts around it like a cone dipped in a cotton candy machine. Layers and layers of thought combine to make something magical.

My Launch Party is Today!

When I signed my contract, my book release seemed so far away. It didn't feel real. Then little things started adding up. When we finally started working on edits. When my cover was finalized. When it began to appear on book sites like Goodreads and Amazon.

And now Witch Song has actually been released. Sometimes it still doesn't feel real. Like I'm waiting for some line I need to cross that means I'm a real author with a real book that real people can buy.

Today is another one of those moments. My *launch party. A celebration that means all the hard work and worry and frustrations can finally begin to pay off. It feels like a graduation. Something I've held close to myself, nutured, and watched grow. Now, I can open my hands and set it free into the world.

It's a good feeling. :)

*The Launch Party is Monday, Sept 12th from 7-9 at the Hyrum City Library (50 W. Main). There will be a presentation from 7-7:30. There will be treats. YOU CAN BRING YOUR KIDS. I will have a TV set up in another room with a movie playing.

** I just had to tell you all how awesome my launch party was. I had so much support, and the presentation went really really well. It was so much fun!

How Do You Say "Witch Song" in Indonesian?

Because we just sold foreign rights to Serambi Publishing in Jakarta Selatan Indonesia! How cool is that? And yes, that's the big news I've hinted at a couple times.

I've been told it's really rare for a small publisher to sell foreign rights for their books (Rhemalda rocks!), and even more rare for debut authors to sell foreign rights. And Serambi came searching for us! And they're not the only ones. Another publisher in Indonesia just expressed an interest in Witch Song and we had to turn them down.

I'm so proud of my beautiful book, all grown up and going out into the world.

A quote from my publisher:

The finalization of this deal, along with interest from other publishers from around the world, is garnering additional attention. This along with the astoundingly positive reviews being given from bloggers all over the web is sure to fuel the rapid growth and popularity of WITCH SONG.

*big enormous sigh* It's such a satisfying feeling to see your book doing really well.

Oh, and I wanted to share this link with you Book Depository has Witch for $10.49, which is cheaper than MY cost. This is seriously where I'm buying my books to resale at my launch party.

Oh, oh and I have 6 ARCs I need to give away before my release in Sept. Any contest ideas (something to help promote the book)?

I'm on the radio

If you missed the radio interview, you can listen to the link here. http://dungeoncrawlersradio.mypodcast.com/2011/06/DCR_CONDuit_XXI_Amber_Argyle-352383.html

My interview with Dungeo Crawler's Radio will air tonight, 6:00 to 9:00 (MST) on http://www.utahfm.org/. You can click here and click on the "Listen Live" on the right hand side button starting at 6 MST. THERE WILL BE AN EBOOK GIVEN AWAY TO ONE LUCKY LISTENER!

This was my first ever radio interview, and it was so much fun! Probably because I love talking about books--my book in particular. We talked about "the call" (or in my case "the email"), my writing story, my first book (which will never see the light of day), the inspiration for Witch Song, writing with kids, the magic in Witch Song, what other books I have in the works, my dream team up with another author, my thoughts on the cover,  Irish Wolfhounds, and my possible future as a cat lady. Revan and Joe did a great job keeping the momentum going.

I think I did a pretty good job. We laughed a lot.

Also, here's some more great reviews:

Katy at The Reading Geek

Kandice

Cory at Antidrug Reads

This was the pic taken at the interview.

Behold! Brusenna has arrived!

This is a beautiful moment. My book. My very own masterpiece. Right now, Brusenna is traveling the globe, headed to nearly 250 reviewers, some as far away as Australia and Greece. Watching it go creates an overwhelming medley of emotions.

Relief that we finally made it.

Pride in what I've accomplished.

Fear because I've sent something dear to me to people for judgement. And judge it they will.

There's also a sense that I need to let it go. This book has been a part of me. If people hate the book, it feels like they hate that part of me. Deep down, I know this won't be healthy.

So I'm turning my face away. Witch Song was something I did. It is not me. I'm exceedingly proud of it. But not everyone else will love it as I have.

And that's okay.

Also, I'd like to announce the WINNER of Matched by Ally Condie plus all kinds of signed swag. Congrats, Kris!

Blogger Shout Out

In keeping with my post last month about authors who have helped me succeed, I wanted to give a shout out to all the bloggers who've featured Witch Song on their blogs. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and for loving books! Check them out!

Fragments of Life

The Bookish Type

Tales of a Ravenous Reader

Amaterasu Reads

Books Are Wonderful

Girl About Books

My Precious

Stalking the Bookshelf

The Reader Bee

Utah Writing

The Book Faery

Book Flame

iLive iLaugh iLove Books

Splash of Our Worlds

Alise On Life

Book Lovin' Bitches

Simona

Dallen Rose

Benjamin Rose

Book Purring

Luke Piper

Krystal

The Teen Book Scene

Michael Offutt

Jemima Valentina

Fade into Fantasy

Book Fantatic

If I've missed you, send me your link and I'll add it!
Also, don't forget to enter both the contests I have going this month.

• Win Matched by Ally Condie
• Win The Third by Abel Keogh
• Sign up to review an ARC of WITCH SONG on the tabs at the top of my blog.

Made of Awesome

Authors are among some of the most generous, kind people in any industry. There are so many that have helped me reach where I am today. People who deserve a shout out! So here goes:

Michelle Argyle--Michelle has helped me in more ways than I can mention. She's super nice and approachable. And she's a damn good writer.

Elana Johnson--Elana is ENORMOUSLY busy. But she always willing to help if at all humanly possible. I suggest you send her bacon.

Aprilynne Pike--Aprilynne is all sorts of famous. And she's still willing to help little old me out (in ways I can't announce yet (don't you just HATE cryptic posts???)).

Jessica Day George--Jessica is really, really straightforward. In a good way. She's taught me some industry dos and don'ts where another author might have just rolled their eyes and muttered, "Newbies," under their breath.

David Farland--If anyone has anything bad to say about David Farland, I will personally come to wherever you are and smack you upside the head. Besides his Daily Kicks (which ever author in the world should sign up for), he's always answered my questions. Even though it would have been much easier for him to pretend he never received the email. He even gave me a blurb. Me. A blurb. From New York Times bestselling author David Farland. *dies*

Shannon Hale--Honestly, she's never done anything for me personally (if you don't count her amazingly awesome books and blog, which I do). She's full to the brim of awesomesauce. Did you know she just had twins??? Just more proof that she's an overachiever (in a good way). ;)

Robin Weeks--Robin runs David Farland's conference calls (which again, if your a writer, you should be listening to). She's also super nice.

Mette Ivie Harrison--I met Mette at a conference. And knowing how hard it is for a newbie author to get going, she gave me a signed ARC of Tris and Isolde to giveaway on my blog in a few months.

J Scott Savage--Jeff is an awesome teacher. If you ever have a chance to take one of his classes--jump on it (*laments* Jeff, why oh why don't you teach a Saturday workshop?).

Cami Checketts--Cami is one of the warmest, toughest chickas I know. And she's my beta reader/critque partner.

JoLynne Lyon--JoLynne is my writing rock. You know that person you call when everything is falling apart and they always say the right thing. That's JoLynne. And no, you can't have her. She's mine.

Mathew Buckley--aka Marion Jensen. Funniest guy on the planet. And it shows in his writing.

Anyway, there's more. I couldn't possible list them all. But I seriously LOVE this side of being a writer. I love meeting other writers and realizing how kind they are.

Story time: Who are some authors that have reached out with their generosity to help you out?