I don't like asking for help

But I'd do anything for my son, so here goes. 
Connor has been suffering from medical problems for over a year, but it's recently gotten much worse. You can read all about it here and here and here and here.

The short of it is that he's in a wheelchair until further notice. Many of you have expressed that you would like to help, and one of my friends, Wendy, suggested that people could send letters or cards in the mail to cheer him up. 

He would LOVE that, and it would do so much to lift his spirits. So if you'd like to help, you can send something here:

*address removed. Thank you for all your support!*

For all you scary stalkerish types, this is not my address. It's a charity that forwards the letters onto me.

Thank you in advance for your support!

My Son's Bone Cyst

This is my brave boy.

We had our doctor appointment on Tuesday, and it's taken a few days to work up the emotional strength to update everyone.

My son's femur has not healed.

What does that mean?

It means he's confined to a wheelchair and crutches w/ 50% weight on his right leg until it does heal--which could take years. It means he can't run or jump or play, as his leg is extremely fragile.

It means we have to move, because we live in a 4 level multilevel and he can't function well here.

It means we have to have additional surgeries. We have two options:

1. After cutting a 3-4 inch incision, they will drill out the center of the femur shaft, remove all the bone marrow, scrap out more bone around the perimeter of the cyst (weakening the bone), fill the cyst with cadaver bone and my son's marrow. He would be casted for another 6 weeks.

This surgery will weaken the bone further. It only have about a 50% chance of working.

2. They will make two scope holes, drill into the bone and remove what they can of the paste, scrape out what bone they can reach, and pump it full of steroids.

This method is even less effective than the first one.

My husband is behind #1 because it has a higher percentage of working. I am not, simply because I refuse to make his leg more fragile than it already is.

We haven't made a decision yet, as I'm hoping to find another doctor for a second opinion.

Things feel very much in upheaval right now. Like I'm in the center of a tornado and I keep searching for something to grab onto, but I keep being blindsided by debris.

My son is frustrated because he misses soccer (he's a very talented soccer player). He misses playing with friends--he get's left out a lot simply cause he can't do the things the other kids want to do.

My writing has ground to a halt, which is very frustrating for me, as my career was just starting to gain some major traction. But he's more important. He will always be more important.

Favorite Book Covers

I'm guest blogging about two of my favorite covers (besides my own), over on the Dauntless Blog today. Come check it out. http://www.dauntlessauthors.blogspot.com 

Utah Indie Author Conference *and I'm presenting!*

Hope to see you there!

Spring 2014 Scavenger Hunt featuring Alyxandra Harvey

It's scavenger hunt time! I love it! Welcome, welcome, everyone. I'm Amber Argyle, author of the Witch Song and Fairy Queen series. Big thanks go out to Colleen Houck for founding and organizing this event!

In addition to the amazing prizes offered by the hunt, I'm also offering a $20 Amazon gift card and the ebook Witch Song Box Set (you get points for getting free stuff!), just enter the rafflecopter at the bottom of the post! 

Also, all the first books in my series have gone on sale for the hunt. Witch Song is free and Winter Queen is only 99 pennies! 

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are

TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the RED TEAM-but there is also a blue team for a chance to win a whole different set of twenty-five signed books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the red team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, APRIL 6th at noon Pacific time, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

I'd like to introduce ya'll to Alyxandra Harvey. In addition to having amazing hair, she's the author of the Drake Chronicles, Haunting Violet and the Lovegrove Legacy. 

She lives in a stone Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long as they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women’s rights, and ice cream.

Aside from the ghosts, she also lives with her husband and their dogs. She likes gingerbread lattes, tattoos and books. 

Well, after reading that, I totally want to hang out with her *rummages around for passport*. Find out more information by checking out Alyxandra's website or find more about the her book here! 

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Alyxandra is featuring her book, A Breath of Frost. I adore the cover. Here's a little more about it:

In 1814, three cousins—Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope—discover their family lineage of witchcraft when a binding spell is broken, allowing their individual magical powers to manifest. 

But controlling their newfound gift is not the only challenge they face. While evading fortune-hunters and marriage proposals, they must unravel a dark family secret – one that reveals why, until now, their magical skills have been concealed; one that brings them face to face with a deadly foe . . .

And here's Alyxandra's exclusive content: 
Alyxandra Harvey: The Lovegrove Legacy
      
“A woman who calls herself the Toad Mother is here to see you, my lady.”
    Aunt Bethany set down her cup. “Excellent. Please show her to the terrace.” She rose from her chair. The cousins followed after her, despite not having received an invitation to do so. The garden terrace was surrounded with peony bushes and marble benches set into alcoves painted with scenes from Greek mythology. An easel sat in one corner, paint boxes opened and waiting.    The Toad Mother waited in one of the alcoves. 
    “Thank you for coming so swiftly,” Aunt Bethany said. 
    The Toad Mother stood, toads hopping out of the garden to wait on the pebbled paths for her approach. “I don’t like Mayfair,” she said.
    Aunt Bethany inclined her head. “I understand. You will be well compensated.”
    “I expect so.” She looked up at the grand house, the extensive gardens, and the stables along the lane leading back out to the street. “It’s not a simple thing to shield a house like this from the Greybeards.”
    “And yet it must be done. The Order is not welcome here and I know no one better suited to the task.”
        She clicked her tongue. “Flattery,” she waved her hand. “Still, it’s the truth.”
    “My father set alarms on our house when I was a child to warn against Greymalkin trespassers. Can you manage that as well?”
    “Of course. I’ll need certain items from your house. Ashes from the kitchen fire, dust from the attic floor, and rosehip tea.”
    “Rosehip tea?” Penelope asked. “What’s that for?”
    “I’m thirsty.”
    “Oh.”
    “Gretchen, fetch the dust if you will, Emma you can gather the ashes. Penelope, see to the tea please.”
    The cousins rushed off in different directions. When they returned panting and covered in dirt, Aunt Bethany hair’s had been shorn. Her long mahogany braid lay looped over the Toad Mother’s arm.
    “Maman!” Penelope nearly dropped the tea.
    “It’s nothing,” she replied, though she swallowed hard before speaking. “It’s only hair. And payment must be made.”
    “That’s not all,” the Toad Mother reminded her, tucking the braid into her satchel. “I’ll collect the rest when it’s needed.”
    “There’s more?” Penelope frowned. “What?”
    “Shh,” her mother said, touching her arm. “It’s not important.”
    “Magic’s not free, my girl,” the Toad Mother said, unconcerned with the glare shot her way. 
    “We have gold.”
    “Pah, gold is useless. I need memories, fears, dreams, desire. A year’s worth of paintings in this case.”
    “That’s not so bad,  I suppose,” Penelope said. “Right?” she asked when her mother stayed silent and pale.
    “You misunderstand,” The Toad Mother said, mixing the dust and ashes together in a small wooden bowl.  Three white ospreys flew overhead, landing on the fence to watch the proceeding. She glanced at them, pursed her lips, then returned to her work. “Your mother is forbidden to draw or paint for a year and a day.”
    The cousins goggled at her. Aunt Bethany loved to paint. She stood at her easel for hours every day. She always said it was more vital than air.
    “All that creative energy, all that pain and beauty, will be mine instead.”
        "That's criminal!"
    “Let it be, Pen,” her mother said softly.
    “But…”
    She shook her head. Penelope subsided, but she was still scowling. Gretchen might be the one who courted trouble, but Penelope was the one with the temper. She led her mother to one of the benches and poured her a cup of the rosehip tea.
    The Toad Mother walked the perimeter of the property, muttering and scattering a mixture of the ashes and dust mixed with salt and crushed evil eye beads. She drove an iron nail in each direction, just like the ones the Keepers carried in their pockets, only hers were wrapped in red thread instead of black. Gretchen felt the shimmer of magic in the air, like dust motes dancing in a sunbeam but she heard no whispering or buzzing. Whatever else might be said about her, she knew what she was doing.
    A circle of light flared once, then died.
    “It’s done,” the Toad Mother said, the bones on her shawl clacking. She looked at Emma intently. “You’ll come see me in the market, at the end of Silver Sickle lane.”
    Emma blinked. “I will?”
    She smiled. “Aye, so I can fix your problem.”
    “What problem?” 
     The Toad Mother only walked away, still smiling to herself as a snake crawled over Emma’s foot.


Who's excited??? *raises hand* Thanks for sharing with us, Alyxandra! 

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Amber Argyle, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 33. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the red team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

I'm also offering an additional prize on my blog (yay for prizes!). Simply enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the Megan Shepherd! 

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