Sirens In The Time of Gatsby Janet Fox Blog Tour- Post #8

15 May, 2013 by in penguin teen, Sirens, speak 1 comment

Thanks to ModPodge Blog Tours and Janet Fox for inviting us to be today’s stop on the official Sirens Blog Tour.

Janet is here with  Post #8. Calling All Ghosts: Ouija Boards, Spiritualism, and Harry Houdini


“One of the central images of SIRENS is that of ghosts and spirits and magic. I found this facet of the 1920s by accident, but it fit so perfectly into the novel I couldn’t ignore it. Cue the spooky music…

Maybe it was the war, maybe it was the influenza outbreak, but people in the 1920s became obsessed with life after death.




There were (well, yeah, there still are) two camps: those who believed in life after, and those who didn’t. Harry Houdini didn’t. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Howard Thurston did.


Houdini and Thurston were both magicians, so they knew how to pull the wool over someone’s eyes. Doyle – Mr. Sherlock Holmes – knew how to uncover secrets. These three were all good friends, and they argued this point excessively. Were there spirits? Ghosts? Was there life after death? Who could prove the point?


Two of the popular parlor games of the 1920s were séances and Ouija boards. Both of these purported to channel the dead through a medium, in the case of a séance, or through the group emotions, in the case of a Ouija board (if you’ve never played with the latter, it’s kind of fun. But you have to suspend your disbelief. That makes it spooky.) The dead would send, through these media, obscure messages back to the living.



Magic shows were a public phenomenon of the 1920s, and two of the greatest magicians were Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston. Houdini was a skeptic: he knew how to make people think one thing, but “it was all a trick. Fakery.” Thurston, too, was an excellent magician, but he actually believed that there was something guiding him, a kind of spirit life. The two engaged in a friendly competition, culminating with a wager that the one who died first would haunt the other.


Thurston’s shows were all about spiritualism. He would make a girl float magically in the air; he would make a girl vanish altogether; he would call forth floating apparitions to “speak.” His illusions were some of the best and his popularity high. But Houdini’s renown was greater, due to his amazing performances in escaping dire circumstances. And Houdini’s premature death of peritonitis gave a legendary aspect to his name, since the secrets of his magic act – ironically – went with him to the grave.


Thurston lived on but his magic shows were supplanted by a new public fixation: the moving picture.


As the decade progressed and Americans forgot their heartbreak over the war and their losses during the flu pandemic, and became more and more obsessed with the “new” things – cosmetics, automobiles, wealth, and glamour – preoccupation with spirits slipped away. They didn’t know it, but at the end of the 1920s Americans would bump up against a whole different kind of haunting experience: the Depression.”



Sirens book summary: When Jo Winter’s parents send her off to live with her rich cousin on the glittering island of Manhattan, it’s to find a husband and forget about her brother Teddy’s death. But all that glitters is not gold.. 


Caught up in the swirl of her cousin’s bobbed-hair set—and the men that court them— Jo soon realizes that the talk of marriage never stops, and behind the seemingly boundless gains are illicit business endeavors, gangsters, and their molls. Jo would much rather spend time the handsome but quiet Charles, a waiter at the Algonquin Hotel, than drape herself over a bootlegger. But when she befriends a moll to one of the most powerful men in town, Jo begins to uncover secrets—secrets that threaten an empire and could secure Jo’s freedom from her family. 


Can her newfound power buy her love? Or will it to ruin Jo, and everyone around her?






About the author:
Janet Fox is the author of award-winning books for children and young adults. FAITHFUL (Speak/Penguin Young Readers 2010), set in Yellowstone National Park in 1904, is a YALSA Best Fiction for YA nominee and an Amelia Bloomer List pick, 2011. FORGIVEN (Speak 2011), set in 1906 San Francisco during the great earthquake, is a Junior Library Guild selection 2011, and a 2012 WILLA Literary Awards Finalist. Her most recent novel, SIRENS (Speak 2012) is set in 1925 New York. Janet has numerous MG and YA projects underway. She is a former high school English teacher and received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults in 2010 (Vermont College of Fine Arts). Janet lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Learn more about Janet Fox on her website/ facebook/ blog


The Giveaway: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LDS Storymakers 2013 and Whitney Award Winners

14 May, 2013 by in Heather Gardner Photography, mindy holt, whitney awards 1 comment

I had the chance once again this year to go to the LDS Storymakers conference author signings. There is always a group of all of my favorite people in the whole world gathered there in one place. If you ever get the change to attend it is well worth it. I snapped some quick photos of the ones I found in the line and picked up signed author swag to give away to Fire and Ice readers! To enter to win a pile of bookmarks plus some exclusive Insomnia swag from J. R. Johansson follow me or comment on Instagram @fireicephotos. I will pick a winner on Friday. This one is open internationally.

Also announced at the conference were this years Whitney award winners. I read 14 of the finalist books this year as an academy member. You can see what I thought of them on Goodreads. Congrats to this years winners!

2012 WhITNEY WINNERS

Best Young Adult Speculative Novel: EVERNEATH By Brodi Ashton
Best Young Adult General Novel: AFTER HELLO By Lisa Mangum
Best Middle Grade Novel: THE FALSE PRINCE By Jennifer A. Nielsen
Best General Novel: THE RENT COLLECTOR By Camron Wright
Best Historical Novel: MY LOVING VIGIL KEEPING By Carla Kelly
Best Romance Novel: EDENBROOKE By Julianne Donaldson
Best Mystery/Suspense Novel: CODE WORD By Traci Hunter Abramson
Best Speculative Novel: THE HOLLOW CITY By Dan Wells
Best Youth Novel of the Year: THE FALSE PRINCE By Jennifer A. Nielsen
Best Novel by a New Author: EDENBROOKE By Julianne Donaldson
Best Novel of the Year: THE RENT COLLECTOR By Camron Wright
Lael Littke: LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Carol Lynch Williams: OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Next years Whitneys will be under the direction of  the fabulous Mindy Holt from Min Reads and Reviews and LDSWBR. Looking forward to working together with her in 2013.

Thanks so much to all the awesome authors who contributed swag and let me take a photo. The gallery of Storymakers photos I took is on Smugmug and on the Heather Gardner Photography page on facebook.

Descendant by Nichole Giles Blog Tour, Author Q & A plus Giveaway

09 May, 2013 by in giveaway, Heather Gardner Photography, Nichole Giles, rhemalda 1 comment

Fire and Ice is pleased to welcome author Nichole Giles on the Descendant Blog Tour.  I am particularly excited about this one because I just attended the release party at The King’s English this week and had a chance to see my author photo of Nichole in print! See photos of the event here.

Plus, keep reading to hear why she became and author. We also have an awesome giveaway to offer to those who enter.



Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.


Blessed-or cursed-with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul.

Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not only Abby’s life at stake.




Fire and Ice: Can you tell us what myths or folklore tied into Descendant?

Nichole: Several years ago, I was in a bookstore, and came across a huge mythology book in the clearance section. It has all these beautiful pictures, and tells detailed, intricate stories to go with them. I bought it, and have used it as a reference book for my fantasy writing ever since. There’s a story in it about a mythological trio of goddesses who had their hands in all kinds of mischief, including love, war, and fertility issues. This trio is known as The Morrigana, and these ladies play a key role in Abby’s story.   

Fire and Ice: Do you have a playlist or music you listen to while writing?

Nichole: It depends on the day. Most often, I am more productive in the silence. But there are times when I need music. Usually, it’s to drown out other noise or distractions, and when I do turn on music, I have to be careful to listen to something that will not change the course of the story. For this particular story, I did have a playlist. Most of it was instrumental.  


Photo by Heather Zahn Gardner


Fire and Ice: We understand you’ve published more than one book, how did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

Nichole: Believe it or not, being an author wasn’t a life-long dream for me. I have always loved the arts, and been a creative-type person, but writing a book seemed so out of reach. More difficult than becoming a famous actress—which really was my ambition when I was a teen. And then I got married and had kids, and life took over. After my kids were born, I rediscovered my love of reading. I read a book in which one of the main characters was an author, and he seemed so…normal. And I thought, “Hey, maybe I could do that.” Fast forward a few months, I took an online class, and then I attended a writer’s conference, after which I knew I was hooked for life. I found my direction, started writing, and have never looked back.


Fire and Ice: Who is your literary hero?

Nichole: Katniss Everdeen, Alina Starkov, and . Raine Hightower.

Fire and Ice: If you could travel anywhere to research your book where would you go?

Nichole: If I had a choice, I’d fly to Cancun to research the (still untitled, and not-quite-finished) sequel, because there are scenes set near there. When researching Descendant, obviously, I’d have loved to fly to New York. But, I have another book (unrelated) set in California, and would love to research that one too.

However, if I’m going to get to travel wherever I want to research my books, I will immediately begin planning a story set in Tahiti. And Europe. And Ireland. Yes, all of those. And, uh, on a cruise ship that goes around the world. YES!


Fire and Ice: What advice would you give to someone who wants to publish a book?

Nichole: If you’re going to dive into the publishing industry, there is no talent more important than patience, closely followed by persistence. But aside from those two things, the best advice I can give anyone wanting to be a writer is to read. Read widely and thoroughly. Read everything you can, and learn from those books and those authors. Just read.

Fire and Ice: Most inspiring movie you’ve seen lately?

Nichole: Not long ago, we rented the DVD of Red Dawn. I was surprised at how inspired I was by that movie. I know it’s fiction, but it’s the idea that inspires me. Those kids were just teenagers, but they managed to be such sharp thorns in the sides of some important military operatives that they sparked a complete rebellion. I came away thinking about how the right people doing the right thing at the right time really can make a difference, really can change things. I love that a fiction movie can make me feel that way.


Fire and Ice: What upcoming events and signings do you have?

Nichole: Unfortunately, not a lot right now. On top of my book being released, we are also moving into a new house this month, so I had to keep my signing schedule light. The official launch happened in Salt Lake City, UT on May 4th and was a huge success. I am also presenting at the LDStorymakers conference in UT this weekend (May 9-11), and will be signing books at the Provo Marriott the evening of the 10th. Then I have another signing at Barnes and Noble in Corpus Christi, TX on May 18th at 1:30 PM.  For now, these are the only signings I have scheduled, but I hope to add more throughout the summer as I am able to travel.


Fire and Ice: Which character do you feel you most resemble in your book and why?

Nichole: I think I have to go with Abby. Because if I resembled the male love interest—that would be weird, I think. Abby has this empathetic tendency, where she kind of feels like it’s her responsibility to take care of everyone around her, and I have been known *ahem* to be a little like that as well. Also, she moved around a lot as a kid, so I can totally identify with that.


Thanks for the interview! I hope you enjoy Descendant. 

Praise for DESCENDANT: “A hot new spin on paranormal, Descendant is refreshingly imaginative and powerful. I can’t decide which was best — piecing together Abby’s sinister past or keeping up with her heartbreaking future. If you like your YA laced with melt-my-heart romance and a good helping of heart-pounding suspense, you’ll love this book!” — Michelle Davidson Argyle, author of The Breakaway

“Nichole Giles has crafted a story that breathes from the pages. Her characters are authentic, the action intense, with powerful emotions that will keep Descendant on your mind long after the book ends. Open your eyes to another facet of our world in Descendant and you’ll be sucked into an adventure with Abby and Kye, that will explore the power of gifts, courage, and love. With top-notch writing, Giles has crafted a story that breathes from the pages.” –Rachelle J. Christensen, award-winning author of Wrong Number and Caller ID

“Nichole Giles brings a fresh new voice and flawless writing technique to the world of Young Adult fiction. I was swept away to another place and never wanted to come back.” –Tristi Pinkston, author of Turning Pages and the Secret Sisters mystery series

“This debut novel delivers in all the right ways, with heart-pounding action and a delicious romance that sweeps centuries. I loved it!” –Elana Johnson, author of Possession and Surrender


About Nichole Giles: Nichole Giles was born in Nevada, and moved with her parents to a number of cities in and around the West. Writing is her passion, but she also loves to spend time with her husband and four children, travel to tropical and exotic destinations, drive in the rain with the convertible top down, and play music at full volume so she can sing along.


Nichole is sponsoring a massive giveaway during the blog tour of DESCENDANT! To enter, fill out the form below. 

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The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro – Early Book Review

08 May, 2013 by in The Perfume Collector Leave a comment

The Perfume Collector
by Kathleen Tesarro
320 Pages
Expected Publocation Date: May 14, 2013
by Harper
Book Source: Publisher
4.5 stars

London, 1955: Grace Monroe is a young newlywed, eager to make a success of her marriage. However, with her intellectual curiosity and her unladylike talent for advanced mathematics, she finds the routine of elegant luncheons and exclusive parties among post-war London’s social set more tiresome than exciting.
When Grace receives an unexpected inheritance from a woman she’s never met, she finds herself suddenly in Paris, embarking upon a journey to discover not only the identity of her mysterious benefactor but also the hidden secrets of her own past.
In a story that takes us from New York in the 1920s to mid-century Monte Carlo, Paris and London, Grace discovers a world filled with the evocative, intoxicating power of perfume; an obsessive, desperate love between muse and artist; and a trail of dark memories that may mean she isn’t the person she thinks she is at all.
Review: The Perfume Collector is a lush, rich, multi layered novel that takes the reader from 1950 London social circles back in time to 1920’s New York, to Monte Carlo and Paris, France. Flipping between two spaces in time it is the unraveling of the mystery behind the estate left to Grace Monroe by a woman in Paris she has never met. Grace is bored with the role she is supposed to play as a new wife and member of a titled English family of the 50’s. It seems the [push is for her to look pretty and make her husband successful by her presence in social circles. She has a brilliant mind and can’t seem to find her expected role interesting enough.  Along comes an unexpected letter beckoning to meet with a solicitor in France to go over the terms of her inheritance and so begins the first step to discovering an altered past and a new future.

Tessaro concocts a novel that evokes all of the senses and in particular the sense of smells that tie us to memories– the scent of rain, the familiar signature scent of our childhood and later, a love. My mind wandered to the eccentric exclusive perfume shop Grace and Monsier Tissot uncover in her search for whispers of the past.

“Even in the state of extreme neglect, the room dazzled; walls of glass and mirrors reflecting light so that Grace was blinded of r a moment. As her eyes adjusted, she could see that the space had been designed as a series of bold contrast. The dark wood counter was a rich warm mahogany. The floor was covered in black and white marble tiles. A tiered crystal chandelier, thick with dust and filmy cobwebs, hung from a heavy black silk cord in the center of the ceiling. And the shelves were filled with rows and rows of slim glass flacons, cloudy grey with dirt.

Several times you’ll find yourself transported to the world of creating scent and to the field of Grasse where field of lavender abound. However, amidst the magic that is spun, there is also the dark shades of the not so glamorous night life of the Follies. Content wise there are some parts that leave a not so nice, gritty and sometimes down right yucky impression. The workings of childhood neglect, prostitution, drug use, extramarital affairs, alcohol addiction, gambling and codependency. I struggled with several elements of the lives of the characters and their moral reasoning as well as the strong sexual undercurrent that felt heavy handed at times. There is also a push and pull with feminism vs. victimization that was muddy.

Overall I will say this is unlike any other book I’ve ever read. It got me curious about the lives of Jews in occupied France, about the fascinating wizardry of the genius perfume makers and about life in London during the 50’s. The setting awakened all of my senses and made me want to revisit several scenes that left me longing to drink in the same air as Grace. 

Thanks so much to Harper Collins for the preview.

I might suggest checking out the other reviews for this one on perfume blogs. It’s a whole new world I am now determined to learn more about. 

About the Author: Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kathleen attended the University of Pittsburgh before entering the drama program of Carnegie Mellon University. In the middle of her sophomore year, she went to study in London for three months and stayed for the next twenty-three years. She began writing at the suggestion of a friend and was an early member of the Wimpole Street Writer’s Workshop. Her debut novel, Elegance, became a bestseller in hardback and paperback. All of Kathleen’s novels including Innocence, The Flirt, The Debutante, and most recently, The Perfume Collector have been translated into many languages and sold all over the world. She returned to Pittsburgh in 2009, where she now lives with her husband and son.

Learn more at HarperCollins/ the author’s website

One Drop At A Time Blog Tour and Review

07 May, 2013 by in M Russell Ballard, One Drop At A Time, review 1 comment

One Drop At a Time
by M. Russell Ballard
Published March 2013
by Deseret Book
Book Source: Publisher
5 stars

Book Summary: Do you sometimes wonder if your little efforts could possibly make any difference at all? Consider a simple example from nature.

Honey is “one of the foods that includes all the substances— enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water—necessary to sustain life,” writes Elder M. Russell Ballard. And yet, “Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon. Though seemingly insignificant when compared to the total, each bee’s one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the life of the hive.”

Your simple, daily acts of service matter, and this charmingly illustrated little book will lift your heart as it demonstrates the power of many righteous people working together to fill the world, one drop at a time, with the sweet truths of the gospel.

Review: Elder M. Russell Ballard grew up on an orchard and as a boy remembers the hives of honeybees his father kept–over 60,000 bees to pollinate the trees.  Each bee  only lives a few short weeks to four months and its contribution is a mere one twelfth of a teaspoon. But think of the collective effort each bee makes to the good of the hive. Their life’s work is  vital and significant when taken as a collective effort. So many of us take for granted the beautiful harmony and system it takes to create each drop of honey.

This book is a visual and verse reminder that each of us has contribution to make, however small it may be. We better the world with daily acts of small service and as mothers. We nurture, we build, we work together. I was inspired by the pages and think One Drop At A Time is just the message we each need to remember.




About the Author: Elder M. Russell Ballard was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 1985. Prior to that, he served in the first Quorum of the Seventy and in the presidency of that quorum. A successful businessman, he has engaged in various enterprises, including automotive, real estate, and investments. He has also served as a bishop twice and as president of the Canada Toronto Mission. Elder Ballard and his wife, Barbara Bowen Ballard, are the parents of seven children and grandparents of forty-three.

The Beginning of Better Days Deseret Book Blog Tour

06 May, 2013 by in The Beginning of Better Days 1 comment

Fire and Ice is today’s stop on the Deseret Book blog tour for The Beginning of Better Days. It’s a perfect book for Mother’s Day! Listen as members of a Women’s book club share their personal thoughts on how this book touched their lives.

Product Description from Deseret Book: How important are women in the restored church of Jesus Christ? We learn something about the answer to the question from a simple historic fact: In 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith took time to attend several meetings of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo and give personal instruction to the women there. He did this at a time of great personal turmoil, when persecutions were raging and his responsibilities were heavy. He did it at a time when society barely acknowledged women as having any kind of status at all. On six separate occasions, he taught the women personally about their privileges, their opportunities, their obligations, and the blessings the Lord had in store for them in His kingdom.
The Beginning of Better Days includes Joseph Smith’s six timeless sermons to the women of Nauvoo, along with personal essays from Sheri Dew and Virginia H. Pearce that help us better understand the sermons and their relevance for Latter-day Saint women today. “We have attempted to share a little about our own processes of discovery regarding the sermons,” writes the authors. “This is what worked for us. What works for you may be similar — or it may be completely different. The important thing is to dig in.”

About the Authors: Sheri Dew is a native of Ulysses, Kansas, and a graduate of Brigham Young University. She has authored several books, including the biographies of two presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley and Ezra Taft Benson. Her most recent books are God Wants a Powerful People and Saying It Like It Is. Sheri was named the president and CEO of Deseret Book Company in March 2002. She also serves as a member of both the BYU Marriott School of Management’s National Advisory Council and the President’s Leadership Council for BYU-Hawaii. In March 2003 the White House appointed her as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls at the United Nations.


Virginia Hinckley Pearce is the author of the bestselling book A Heart Like His: Making Space for God’s Love in Your Life, and has edited and coauthored several additional books, including Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley. She has served as a counselor in the Young Women general presidency and on the general Primary board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She and her husband, the late James R. Pearce, have six children and twenty-six grandchildren.

Learn more about The Beginning of Better Days at Deseret Book

Walking Disaster Audio Book Winner

02 May, 2013 by in Uncategorized 1 comment

Congratulations to Beckie Voigts who won the audio book of Walking Disaster by Jaime McGuire from Fire and Ice and Simon & Schuster Audio on our facebook page.

 Please email us your US mailing address and we will send it out to you!
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Waking Up In Heaven by Crystal McVea, Alex Tresniowski – Audiobook Review

01 May, 2013 by in simon audio, Waking Up In Heaven Leave a comment

Waking Up In Heaven 
by Crystal McVea, Alex Tresniowski 
Audio CD
Published April 2nd 2013 
by Simon & Schuster Audio
ISBN 1442365552
Source: publisher
5 stars

Book Summary From Goodreads: Someday soon, one of my precious three-year-old twins is going to ask me the question “Mommy, what happened to you when you died?”

Someday they will overhear me telling my story to someone and want to know more about it. They will look at me with their big, innocent eyes and try to make sense of what they’re hearing. It isn’t always easy explaining what happened even to adults, so how am I going to explain it to my kids? 

There is so much I want to share with them, so much I want them to know. You see, my story is one of hope and forgiveness and salvation, and of the glorious healing power of God’s presence. It’s the story of what I saw and what I learned when, during a hospital stay, I left my body for nine minutes and went to heaven and stood before God. And it’s the story of how, when I came back to Earth, my life was profoundly and permanently changed— changed down to the very core of my being. 

But it is also a story that, for the longest time, I didn’t want to tell.

Audio Summary: The remarkable story of a woman, plagued with guilt and skepticism, dramatically changed by the nine minutes she spent in heaven.

God let me see me through His eyes. And in that instant I knew that God had always loved me, through all of those dark and difficult years when I doubted His existence, through every crisis and every heartbreak that made me turn away from Him more. I knew, in that instant, that His love was endless and boundless, and that if He loved me so much, how could I not love myself?

For most of her life, Crystal McVea was a skeptic whose history of abuse and bad choices made her feel beyond the reach of God—who questioned if God was even real. She had all but given up hope. Then came December 10, 2009—and the moment that changed everything.

For nine minutes that night, Crystal went into full respiratory arrest. She was unconscious and unable to breathe on her own, unaware of the crisis happening around her as the hospital staff rushed to save her life. Crystal doesn’t remember the trauma or losing consciousness; she just remembers waking up in heaven, next to God.

Waking Up in Heaven invites listeners to witness the relentless pursuit of God in a life that was broken and seemingly beyond hope, an awe-inspiring account of love, forgiveness, and redemption, and the healing power of God’s presence

Heather’s Review:  I truly love near death and death experiences so this audio book was an automatic draw for me. The thing that I was not expecting was the bravery and tenacity of the author in sharing her story over and over again. Not just the story of how she died for nine minutes and came back, but the details of a very sad and troubled life as a child of sexual abuse.

Crystal’s memoir, contained in seven CDs,  is told in her own voice. It details how being a victim of abuse pulled her into a spiral of shame and secrets that only God could take away.  Her descriptions of God’s unconditional love and his message for her is beautiful. I cried listening to Crystal describe how He made her feel absolutely and completely whole, loved– innocent like she was as a  three year old little girl. 

This is definitely a mature adult title since it goes over dysfunctional family dynamics, a traumatic accident, drugs, abuse and abortion. However, Waking Up in Heaven has a message of profound hope. It is a tale of how one woman had a life changing experience and allowed it to shape her future.  Crystal follows God’s “nudges” for her. She walks up to complete strangers in the grocery store to tell her story. She’s a braver woman than many of us. 

I admire Crystal’s husband Virgil with his faith and unwavering support, as well, the way they have allowed this experience to serve others in need. I would recommend Waking up in Heaven to anyone who has felt abandoned in moments of trial or who wants to know that God loves us in spite of any choices we have made.  

Sure, there may be cynics– or those who believe Crystal’s story is not real, but I for one am not one of them. There is truth and “beauty from ashes” in this book.

About the author: Crystal Leigh McVea was born in southwest Oklahoma and still lives there today. She is a schoolteacher and has four lovely children. Crystal and her husband Virgil, a US Army veteran, are devout Christians and active in their local church.

Learn more on Goodreads/ Official author page

Blog Tour and Giveaway- Demons by Heather Frost

29 Apr, 2013 by in giveaway 3 comments

Fire and Ice is happy to be today’s stop on the official Demons Blog Tour hosted by Cedar Fort Books and author Heather Frost. In honor of the release of Seers, we are giving away an ebook of Book one, Demons to our readers. Keep reading for details…

About Seers Trilogy: For Kate Bennett, surviving the car wreck that killed her parents means big changes — and even bigger problems. As she begins to see auras and invisible people, Kate must learn to trust Patrick O’Donnell, a handsome Guardian, or risk her life being overrun with Demons. She soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble. 

Read the prologue of “Seers”

Read the prologue of “Demons”

and Visit all the  Blog Tour Stops for more chances to win! 



Author Bio: Heather Frost was born in Sandy, Utah, and raised in a small Northern Utah town. She is the second oldest of ten children, and she loves her family very much. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in English at Utah State University. Heather has always been an avid reader, and reading and writing are among her favorite things to do. She also enjoys playing the flute, listening to all types of music, and watching a wide variety of movies. Guardians, the final book in the Seers Trilogy, will be released July 2013.

Learn more: Author Website/ Official Facebook Fanpage/ Twitter/ Goodreads


Purchase:


The Giveaway: Fire and Ice is giving away one Ecopy of Demons to our readers. Simply comment below to enter! 

Winners will be announced May 5, 2013. Open internationally.

BEA 2013 Mini Photo Sessions for Authors and Bloggers

26 Apr, 2013 by in bea, Heather Gardner Photography Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is happy to announce we will be attending BEA again this year! I would love to meet as many of you as possible so comment below if you are going.

What should I definitely see while in New York? (Last time I loved Central Park and the Met!)

During her stay there Heather Gardner Photography is offering mini photo sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Heather’s author photos have been published in books Angela Corbett, and Nichole Giles.

Another of her author photos of  poet Jacqueline Osherow will be published in 2014. As well, her custom book trailer stills were used for bestselling author Michelle Zink’s Circle of Fire trailer.

Pricing for NYC mini sessions

Authors are $75 for an hour outdoors, a web album and CD of finished images, plus print rights to the photos

Bloggers and media $50 for a mini session including 10 professionally finished photos to use for a profile photo.

If you live in New York and want a full family sitting, I do offer family photography. See my site for pricing.
Contact fireandice.heather@gmail.com to book a session. And I will see you in The Big Apple!

Learn more about Heather Zahn Gardner… website/ facebook page/ etsy store/ online galleries/ flickr/ pinterest