Book Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Onge who won Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale. Please email us your US mailing address and whether or not you prefer an email or paper copy. Thanks to all who entered.
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Crater Lake Blog Tour
Fire and Ice is today’s stop on the virtual blog tour for Crater Lake hosted by Cedar Fort books! You can check out all the stops here and read our review below.
Crater Lake: Battle for Wizard Island
by Steve Westover
Hardcover, 256 pages
Expected Publication Date: March 6, 2012
by Cedar Fort, Inc
ISBN 1599559609
Book source: Netgalley
4 1/2 stars
While visiting his crazy Uncle Bart at Crater Lake National Park, thirteen-year-old Ethan’s world collapses when all the adults at Crater Lake disappear, including his parents. Now Ethan must rally his new friends and decipher the legends of Crater Lake to find the key to rescuing his parents from their earthen prison before he’s captured too and their captivity becomes permanent.
Cathy’s Review: Ethan is not quite sure how he’s going to survive the week that his parents are going to leave him with his crazy Uncle Bart at Crater Lake National Park. Uncle Bart is a park ranger there, and there are lots of cool things to see and do, including a cute girl named Ally, but still, crazy Uncle Bart. But Ethan’s parents and his sister Jordan are at least planning to stay for the day, so he’ll try to make the best of that. Ethan, Jordan and Ally and their parents decide to go for a little hike, but when the kids venture down by the lake on a different trail, their parents disappear into the mountain, right before their eyes. They are completely uncertain what to do, when an apparent Native American appears and tells them that everyone over the age of 16 has been trapped in a jail beneath the mountain. It appears that getting their parents back before it’s too late will be up to Jordan, Ethan and Ally. But it will not be easy! I thought that this book was so full of imagination! A world underneath the deepest lake in the US is a pretty crazy idea. I liked the characters and how they all had to learn to get along, both with each other and also on their own with no adults. I thought that several of the kids grew up in just a rapid amount of time and it was kind of fun to see that transformation. This book was written for elementary aged kids and I think they will love it. I can’t wait to let my daughter read it!
Content: Really nothing offensive. There is some peril with the adults being sucked into the mountain and all!
About the author: My wife and I have lived in small town, rural Missouri for 12 years and have 4 entertaining and wonderful children, but I never expected to be living on a farm with chickens, cows, kittens and a dog. I don’t particularly enjoy animals, but I do appreciate them for their utility… and the kids love ’em.
I’m a banker by trade, but my life revolves around spending time with my family and serving in our church. Being a father and a husband are the most important things I can concentrate my time on and I enjoy it.
I have always enjoyed writing, but I had never even considered writing a novel until one morning I woke up with the idea for some characters in my mind. I was curious if I could write a book so I thought I’d give it a shot as an experiment.
Pre-Order now:
Guest Post and Giveaway With Author Lori Culwell
Fire and Ice is pleased to welcome author Lori Culwell to our site today for an exclusive guest post and book giveaway for The Dirt.
Mean Girls Grow Up
By Lori Culwell, Author of THE DIRT
I went to a high school in Palm Desert, California (it’s near Palm Springs, in case you’re wondering) a town that had a seemingly disproportionate number of pretty girls. People would comment on it all the time, like, “wow, are there any bad-looking people that go to this school?” The cheerleaders were positively supermodel-esque. In fact, speaking of models, I can name three models who actually went there and whose faces can be seen in magazines.
This, as you might imagine, was not the best place for anyone to go through that mandatory “awkward” phase that you’d find in a normal town/ high school. In fact, many of those good looking people seemed to have skipped right over their tween years, going from totally adorable children to beautiful young adults over night. Some of them even got BETTER looking, if you can believe it (we’re all on Facebook, after al!).
Also, life in the desert (especially when you’re in high school) is mostly about being outside in a swimsuit when you’re not being fabulous with your BMW at school. This can start to wear on you after awhile, like you’re living life in Barbie’s Dream World, where you will not be allowed past the gates if you have a zit or your hair doesn’t look good.
Maybe now would be a good time to mention that I had braces until I was something like 15, plus my Irish skin is so glaringly white, I do not own a swimsuit even to this day, because I do not enjoy it when people make jokes where they compare the color of my legs to things like notebook paper, just to see which one is whiter.
I can’t get a tan, ok? It is impossible.
I, as you might imagine, had a hard time finding my niche at Barbie High. That is why my protagonist in my novel “The Dirt” is a frizzy haired science geek. She has mean girls all around her, and she survives by being smart. Eventually being smart is what saves her (though I can’t say much more about that for fear of spoilers!) Fortunately, I liked being smart, I actually enjoyed taking AP classes, and I didn’t mind spending the time doing homework. I still believe in the power of intelligence, and I try to add to mine a little every day.
All this is to say, if you happen to be the one pale person at a Barbie High School of your own, I hope that you will embrace your differences instead of feeling self-conscious about them. And, if you’re getting a hard time from mean girls because you’re not like everyone else, definitely don’t feel like a geek if you’re doing homework while everyone else is at a party. If you’re in high school and you’re not like everyone else, remind yourself of this simple fact: eventually mean girls grow up, then they go out in the world where it is much more useful to be smart than merely attractive.
About THE DIRT: Lucy Whitley cannot wait to get out of Palm Desert. It’s not a place for a frizzy-haired science nerd, particularly when her fashion-obsessed older sister Sloane is the head of a clique of pretty girls who rule the school – and practically the whole town. Fortunately, life is about to change forever. Lucy’s dad is getting re-married, and then she can transfer to a boarding school in Connecticut, escaping all the mean girls and the endless whispers about the Whitley family scandal. Everything is going to be perfect – as long as the wedding goes smoothly.
Lori Culwell Biography: Lori Culwell is the author of five books. Her first novel, Hollywood Car Wash, was originally self published, then was acquired and re-released by Simon & Schuster. She is also the owner of Get Creative Pages, a consulting firm that provides marketing and website services to authors. She has written for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Salon.com, the Huffington Post, and other publications. She and her husband split time between Los Angeles and New York. You can find her at http://www.loriculwell.com/The Giveaway: We are giving away one paperback copy of The Dirt to those with a US mailing address. Choose your own entries by filling out the rafflecopter form below. Thanks to Lori for her post as well as the contribution of a copy of her book!
Book Review- At Season’s End
At Season’s End
by Eric Hendershot
Paperback, 176 pages
Expected Publication Date: May 8, 2012
by Cedar Fort, Inc
ISBN: 1599559951
Book Source, Netgalley
3 stars
Book Summary: Even the river didn’t stop Paw. Clothes and all, he jumped into the whirlin’, swirlin’ waters of the great Columbia.
At this Maw let out a scream. Mebby she thought Paw was goin’ to end it all. Then Tim yelled, “Oh, no, Paw!” But I was too surprised and scared to say anythin’.
I suppose it was just a second or two, but it seemed like minutes before he came up again to show us he had two heads and four arms. Then the mighty water turned him over to prove he had four legs. That was when we realized Paw was holdin’ on for dear life to a young drownin’ boy.
Hit hard by the Great Depression, Sal’s family loads up an old Buick and heads out to find work wherever they can. Driving from place to place, living off the little they can make, they soon realize they’ll never be able to afford to settle down again.
Then, when tragedy strikes, Sal and her brother must learn to fend for themselves. In a world of harsh realities, there’s no room left for romance. But that can’t stop Sal from dreaming of a life with Ben—a boy from another migrant family—even though she knows she may never see him again.
This heartwarming story about growing up in a troubled time is sure to resonate with modern readers of all ages.
Cathy’s Review: Sal is the daughter of migrant workers Maw and Paw, that’s what everyone calls them. She and her younger brother, Tim, travel the country during the Great Depression, looking for jobs that no one else wants, things like picking fruit and vegetables and cleaning hen houses and other odd jobs. Their family has an old Buick that holds pretty much everything they own in the world, but what they lack in material possessions, they make up in heart. Paw and Maw are willing to help anyone out, anyone at all. In the beginning of this story the family runs into some people having car trouble, the family could have just kept right on going down the road, but realizing that they were quite far from the nearest town, Paw hooks up the other car to his Buick and takes off almost before the other driver is able go get into his car. When they get to Oregon, completely broke, they are able to help another boy, Ben out of the wild Columbia River which in turn helps them to find a job for their family picking cherries. Not only a job, but a small cabin to stay in for awhile. Sal thinks that Ben is the most handsome boy she’s ever met, but at only 13 she knows that she needs to do some growing and changing. Life can sometimes be a pretty good teacher, but the lessons that you learn aren’t always fun and easy. I enjoyed reading this book, I was a bit confused in the first chapter about the name of the boy that almost drowns, the story called him a couple of different names in a couple of paragraphs, but this was an ARC (advanced readers copy) so hopefully by the time it comes out that will be fixed. The story was pretty short, only about 177 pages, so it’s a pretty quick read. I enjoyed learning a bit about the way life would have been during the Great Depression, especially for kids, you don’t normally see that time period through their eyes.
Content: Clean
About the Author: Eric Hendershot lives in St. George Utah. He is a writer/director (and sometimes producer) of direct-to-video family friendly feature films and a few documentaries.
Find out more on Goodreads/ Barnes and Noble
Book Review- Getting Somewhere
Getting Somewhere
by Beth Neff
Paperback, 411 pages
Published January 19th 2012
by Viking Children’s Books
ISBN 0670012556
Book Source: Publisher
5 Stars
Paperback, 411 pages
Published January 19th 2012
by Viking Children’s Books
ISBN 0670012556
Book Source: Publisher
5 Stars
Book Summary from Goodreads: Sarah, Jenna, Lauren, and Cassie may look like ordinary girls, but they’re not. They’re delinquents whose lives collide when they’re sent to an experimental juvenile detention program on a farm in the middle of nowhere. As the girls face up to the crimes they committed, three of them will heal the wounds of their pasts and discover strengths they never dreamed they had. And one, driven by a deep secret of her own, will seek to destroy everything they’ve all worked so hard for.
Crystal’s Review: In this gritty teen story four girls, who all have secrets and haunting pasts, are put together when they all choose to go to an alternative detention center instead of jail. This alternative center is actually a farm run by three women, while there the girls are expect
ed to work in the garden and help around the house as well as attend sessions with Ellie, the head of the program. I really enjoyed reading this book. The book address hard but realistic issues that many people will be able to relate to. Parts of the book are graphic and raw, however, I appreciated the author not running from these issues or talking about them in a way that would make them sound less serious. The character building in this story is great, I quickly found myself rooting for different characters. Through out the book the girls learn to accept themselves and not let their pasts define them, all but one that is. While the other girls work to get better one of them is determined to get away, and bring everyone down on her way out.Content: Heavy Cursing, References to Sexual Assault, Drug Use, Sexuality, Theft, Prostitution, Self mutilation/Cutting, Teen Pregnancy and Suicide.
About the Author: Beth Neff is a former organic vegetable farmer who lives in southwestern Michigan and enjoys setting her novels in the rural and small town environment in which she lives. When she’s not writing, she likes to garden, read, play the guitar and piano, quilt, cook and especially catch up with the busy lives of her four kids (ages 18 to 27.)
We Have A New Look
You may have noticed that things look a little different around here. I’ve been working with Dani M of Kismet Book Touring since June to update our page and today is the day we present our new look to you! Take a look around and let us know what you think. I’ve added all of our services for book promotion including blog tours, bookish bling, event and custom photography etc. It will take me a while to completely make the change and update things, but let me know if you have any trouble navigating. And please replace the old Fire and Ice button with our new one. Enjoy!
Out with the old…
In with the new.
And The Winners Are…
Congratulations to Sarena who won the Everneath swag and to
Ileana Alvarado who won the ARC of Gray Wolf Throne.
Please email us your mailing address within 48 hours and thanks to all who entered.
New ARC Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations to Tara Turner who won an ARC of Try Not To Breathe . Please email us your US mailing address. Thanks to all who entered. Stay tuned tomorrow for another ARC giveaway!
And The Winners Are…
Congratulations to Amanda M. who won our 1000th post giveaway for a copy of Shiver and Forever
To Miranda Hardy who won a paperback of The Book Thief
and Carla who win a signed Cinder postcard!
Please email us your mailing address and we will send off your prizes.
Annual Autism Awareness Blog Hop
Fire and Ice is pleased to once again be apart of the Annual
Autism Awareness Giveaway Hop
from April 11th to 17th
Hosted by:
Lindsay @ Just Another Book Addict
Heather @ Fire and Ice
Pixie @ Page Turners
Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
click here to link up!
April is Autism Awareness Month. To help spread the word about Autism we are hosting a giveaway hop.
Each participating blog is hosting a giveaway. You will find lots of variety among the prizes. Some of the blogs are giving away prizes that relate to autism, other blogs are giving away gift cards or other prizes and posting information about autism to help make others aware.
We realize the causes and treatment of autism can bring controversy. The point of this giveaway hop is simply to make people more aware about the subject by sharing information and experiences.
For More Information about Autism check these sites:
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