Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne Artwork Reveal and Giveaway

16 Feb, 2012 by in sara wilson etienne 34 comments

Fire and Ice is so excited today to be a part of the artwork cover reveal for Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne.

Book Summary: When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn’t expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she’s going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she’s come home. She’s even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she’s the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can’t trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her—and the rest of the world too.

View the Harbinger book trailer here.
Walk the Path! Explore the whole gallery of Harbinger-inspired artwork HERE.
click to view larger image
Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne hit shelves February 2, 2012.
Find the author on her Website/ Twitter /Facebook /Goodreads.

Fire and Ice is also giving away one advanced reading copy of Harbinger to our US readers ages 16 and older. Fill out the rafflecopter form below and good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review- Forever Four

13 Feb, 2012 by in middle grade books, penguin Leave a comment

Forever Four
by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Paperback, 208 pages
Published January 19th 2012
by Penguin Group USA, Inc
ISBN 044845548X
Book Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: 4 girls creating 1 voice . . . will anyone be heard?
Paulina, Miko, Tally, and Ivy are four extraordinarily different seventh-graders. Paulina is 100% Type A. Miko is a fashionista. Tally is a theater queen. And Ivy – well, Ivy’s the new girl at school. The four girls get tossed together to create a school magazine – by girls, for girls – in a competition to get funding for a new school program. But it seems like they’ll never agree on anything. And just when they begin to make headway, their biggest rival – the athletes – threatens their progress. As the four girls try to complete the first issue of their magazine, and create a corresponding blog, they start to wonder if they can get past their labels and give all the girls in school a way to speak up.

Crystal’s Review: I really loved the central idea of this book. Four different girls, Miko, Tally, Ivy and Paulina, thrown together to write a magazine for the girls of their school as part of a contest to win funding to start up an official school group for the magazine. The girls want the magazine to be written by girls for girls. Through the process of writing this magazine the girls learn that people are more then what they first appear to be and begin to question their original assumptions about the other members of the group. This book would be a great read for all girls making the transition from elementary school into middle school. The story is entertaining and would be a great tool for parents to use to introduce the lesson that one should not judge a book by its cover .
A great book with with a wonderful lesson to teach

I recommend this book for ages 9-13

About the author: Elizabeth Cody Kimmel was born in New York City, and grew up in Westchester County, and later Brussels, Belgium. From a very early age she was a zealous reader, buyer, and admirer of books. She attended the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York and Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

 

Book Review- My Boyfriend Merlin

10 Feb, 2012 by in book review, my boyfriend merlin, paranormal, priya ardis, urban fantasy Leave a comment

My Boyfriend Merlin
by Priya Ardis
Kindle Edition, 305 pages
published: November 21, 2011
by Ink Lion Books
A SIN: B006C58CMA
Book source: Author
3 stars

Book Summary: If you can’t trust your boyfriend, who can you trust?
In this modern retelling of the Sword and the Stone, 17-year-old student president Arriane, aka Ryan, DuLac just found out her badass biker boyfriend, Matt, is a little older than he was letting on. By a few eons.

In fact, he is really Merlin–the Merlin, King Arthur’s Merlin, the greatest wizard who ever lived. But Ryan’s not impressed. Tired of being a relationship loser, she’d rather kick his legendary behind.

Sure, the world has been crazy ever since the sword and the stone fell out of the sky like a meteor. And Ryan’s a bit freaked about the scary shadow-dragon trying to burn her alive. And now, Matt–er, Merlin–needs her and her brother to leave home because they are Candidates to pull the sword.

But despite gruesome gargoyles, a new world of magic, and the guy driving her crazy, Ryan knows that family is everything. Will Merlin sacrifice hers to save the world? Will she be able to stop him?


Review: Ryan is just a normal 17 year old girl. She’s the student president in her high school. She lives with her friends Grey and Alexa and their mother Sylvia, because her mom died.  One day during a boring lecture in her history class, the unthinkable happens. Another teacher interrupts the lecture with an announcement that “History is happening now!” The whole class goes into another classroom to find out just what is going on. A large rock has shown up, out of nowhere in Trafalgar Square, with King Arthur’s sword sticking out of it. This rock caused a “Total Tremor,” basically an earthquake that starts in the square and moves around the whole world. This is where things start to get pretty crazy for Ryan. She’s being taken home by her ex-boyfriend Matt on his bike, when out of nowhere a dragon attacks. Grey and Alexa are following and in the craziness Ryan is badly wounded and Alexa is killed. When Matt is able to heal her, Ryan knows that somethings up with him, and she learns that he is a powerful magician, Merlin to be exact. But does he care for her? Or does he just want to use her to get the sword? I enjoyed the story line of this book. I thought the characters were awesome, and there was tons of action all through the book to keep you hooked. I liked Ryan especially, she starts out as kind of a person that can be easily pushed around and by the end of the book she’s a strong, courageous young woman who knows what she wants out of life. 

Content: Moderate swearing, sexual references

About the authorStorygirl, Priya Ardis, loves books of all kinds—but especially the gooey ones that make your nose leak and let your latte go cold. Her young adult novel, My Boyfriend Merlin, came from a childhood of playing too much She-Ra and watching too much Spock. She started her first book at sixteen, writing in long notebooks on train rides in India. While reading My Boyfriend Merlin, she recommends pajamas first and a pumpkin spice anything for taste. 

As a hopeless romantic, she’s also a longtime member of RWA. 

Find out more about Priya Ardis on Blog/ Facebook / Twitter/ Goodreads

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Author Interview With Julianna Baggott

09 Feb, 2012 by in author interview, pure Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is thrilled to have an exclusive author interview today with Julianna Baggot, whose novel hit shelves yesterday
Pure
by Julianna Baggott
Hardcover, 448 pages
Expected publication: February 8th 2012
by Grand Central Publishing
ISBN1455503061

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet, she thinks about what is lost–how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies.
Tell us a little bit about where the inspiration and idea behind Pure came from?

Well, there are so many small infinitesimal moments of something like inspiration that accumulate. For one thing, when you have very small children you often feel like they are fused to you. But too I read an early bit of the novel to my daughter who’s now 16, the age of the main character, and she thought it was the best thing I’d ever written and urged me to write it. So in many ways I wrote it for her.
Where is it set and what is the world like in comparison to our world today?

It’s set outside of Washington DC — a world that’s been detonated, turned to ash. There are Beasts and Dusts and Groupies though I don’t want to ruin anything by defining those terms. There’s a dome that’s survived the detonations. Characters from these too worlds collide.
Do you have a play list for the book?
I wrote to The Smith’s “How Soon is Now” a good bit. And there’s a Bruce Springsteen song eluded to in the novel, as well as songs and nursery rhymes that appear in the book itself.
Who do you see cast as your main characters?
Well, the PURE Trilogy has been optioned by Fox2000, but I don’t think they’ll be asking Baggott who I want to cast. It’s hard for me because the characters are fairly young — from 16-20. I don’t know many actors in that age range.
What books and authors have most inspired you as an author?

Early on, I was a Marquez fan, and diehard John Irving devotee and, yes, Lee Smith, many others. I also love poets — Bridge Pegeen Kelly, Olena Kalytiak Davis, Marie Howe, Seamus Heaney…
What has been the most rewarding part of the journey behind Pure and getting published?

For me, it’s always about my relationship with the page and access to the brilliant editorial minds involved. I’m engaged in the work, the words, the world, the characters. The publishing part of it is what people think will be the grand reward for the hard labor. But, for me, the writing is the reward. Going public can be difficult in ways you can’t quite predict. And, in the end, this is solitary work.
Any new books in the works?
PURE is part of a trilogy so, yes, two more books are in the works. F– USE will come out this time next year.
Any inside info or a small deleted excerpt you can share?

There was a character I loved. He had a point of view and a major role in the plot. But I had to cut him in one of the drafts. Arturo. I still miss him.

About the author:  Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Julianna Baggott has published fourteen books over the last ten years with five novels slated for publication in the next four years. She began publishing when she was twenty-two and sold her first novel while still in her twenties. There are thirty-one foreign editions of her novels to date.

After receiving her M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she published her first novel, Girl Talk, which was a national bestseller and was quickly followed by Boston Globe bestseller The Miss America Family, and then Boston Herald Book Club selection, The Madam, an historical novel based on the life of her g…moreAlso writes under the pen names N.E. Bode and Bridget Asher.

Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Julianna Baggott has published fourteen books over the last ten years with five novels slated for publication in the next four years. She began publishing when she was twenty-two and sold her first novel while still in her twenties. There are thirty-one foreign editions of her novels to date.

After receiving her M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she published her first novel, Girl Talk, which was a national bestseller and was quickly followed by Boston Globe bestseller The Miss America Family, and then Boston Herald Book Club selection, The Madam, an historical novel based on the life of her grandmother. She co-wrote Which Brings Me to You with Steve Almond, A Best Book of 2006 (Kirkus Reveiws) optioned by Richard Brown with Natalie Portman attached to star.

She also writes bestselling novels for younger readers under the pen name N.E. Bode as well as under Julianna Baggott. The Anybodies trilogy was a People Magazine pick alongside David Sedaris and Bill Clinton, a Washington Post Book of the Week, a Girl’s Life Top Ten, and a Booksense selection; The Slippery Map (fall 2007), and the prequel to Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007), a movie starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and Jason Bateman. Bode is a recurring personality on XM Sirius Radio.

Baggott also has a highly acclaimed career as a poet, having published three collections of poetry and having been published in the best literary publications in the country, including Poetry, The American Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry.

Baggott’s work has appeared in over a hundred publications, including the The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Glamour, Ms., Real Simple, and read on NPR’s Here and Now and Talk of the Nation. Her essays, stories, and poems are highly anthologized.

She lives in Florida with her husband writer David G.W. Scott and their four kids, and is the assistant director of Florida State University’s Creative Writing Program.
Along with her husband, Baggott co-founded the nonprofit organization Kids in Need – Books in Deed, that focuses on literacy and getting free books to underprivileged children in the state of Florida.

Delivering Hope Blog Tour and Giveaway

08 Feb, 2012 by in Uncategorized 1 comment

Delivering Hope
by Jennifer Ann Holt
Paperback, 224 pages
Expected publication: February 8th 2012
by Cedar Fort, Inc.
ISBN 1599559021
Book Source: author
Summary From Goodreads: Olivia Spencer wants to be a mom more than anything else in the world, but years of infertility have wounded her soul and strained her marriage.

Allison Campbell is a recent high school graduate who discovers that a moment of excitement has led to an unplanned pregnancy and an overwhelming heartache.

As the lives of these two women touch, we see that deep love can pave the way for sacrifice, and we all learn the true source of hope and healing.
Delivering Hope is born today! Happy Book Birthday Julie and thanks for asking Fire and Ice to be a part of your blog tour. For any woman who has ever struggled with infertility or young woman facing an unplanned pregnancy this is an inspirational educational read. It contains two parts- the first outlines the personal struggles of Olivia and Michael a married couple who have been tyring for years to get pregnant only to find out it is medically impossible. The strain emotionally and financially is overwhelming. But a glimmer of hope comes thanks to a journal left behind by Olivia’s great aunt. She finds solace in knowing someone close to her has felt the heartache and inadequacy deep within. Ultimately it is serve to others and turning one’s will over to the atonement that will save both women.
The second half of the book begins with Allison Campbell, a young woman just out of high school with a promising future in college and hopes of a medical career. One night’s cations change her life forever. She is pregnant, she feels ashamed and the father wants her to have an abortion. Olivia and Allison’s lives cross as Allison turns to her church leader and the gift of adoption.
While this was a hard read because it is so honest and heartfelt; I think it is a good teaching tool for all of us to be able to empathize with the emotions behind infertility and adoption. It shows the judgements, every day trials and soul searching that gets poured into two families lives. I would recommend it for older teens and adults, as well as social workers who counsel both birth mothers and adoptive parents.Hats off to Jennifer for writing about something so near and dear to her heart.
About The Author: My name is Jennifer Ann Holt. I grew up as a farm girl in Enterprise, Utah, so I have lots of experience moving sprinkler pipe and mucking out calf pens. I can hold my own when handling a tractor as well. I have always loved reading and really like the power of the written word to heal, bring people together, provide comfort and understanding, and uplift.
I graduated Cum Laude from Brigham Young University in December 1998 with a degree in Physical Education / Physical Therapy Emphasis. In March of 1999 I married my wonderful husband and we started our life together.
After a couple years of marriage, and without having had a successful pregnancy, we began pursuing both adoption and increasingly aggressive fertility treatments. We were blessed to be chosen by an amazing birth mom, and we adopted our beautiful daughter as a newborn. Following several failed adoption attempts, and several more years of fertility treatments (including a couple of surgeries) I became pregnant with our youngest son. We were waiting to update our adoption portfolio until after the first trimester to make sure the pregnancy was going to stick, and when I was just about a week shy of that 12-week mark, a wonderful birth mom picked us as the family for her soon-to-be-born baby boy.
She didn’t mind that I was pregnant, she felt strongly that her baby boy was to join our family, and he did! We were excited at the prospect of our two boys only being 6 months apart. Then, my pregnancy took a nose dive. I developed severe toxemia almost overnight and had a small stroke. In addition, we discovered that the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck 3 times. So, in order to save both of our lives, my doctor performed an emergency c-section and delivered our 2 lb. 8 oz. son about 3 months early. I was very blessed to recover with only some slight numbness on the left side of my face. And after spending 8 1/2 weeks in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, and undergoing numerous blood transfusions, a surgery, and many scary moments, our youngest was able to come home and join his big brother and sister.
Today, my husband and I have three wonderfully healthy, happy children (including our two boys who are 3 months apart), and we feel at peace that all of the members of our family are here.
I love to speak about adoption and infertility, particularly about adopting and raising a multi-racial family and how to find healing through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I must say that my family and life has not turned out the way I always thought it would, but I know that my family has come in accordance to my Heavenly Father’s will. Because of this, it is better than I ever imagined, and I couldn’t be happier!
The Giveaway: Here is what the author is offering as a thank you to all who participate in the blog tour stops “As I mentioned in the invitation, I will be giving away a signed copy of the book to two individuals, and a signed bookmark and Delivering Hope magnet to five individuals. There will be several ways to enter, and your readers can enter using one or all of the ways.
1. Become a follower of her blog: http://www.jenshopefulwriting.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment letting me know you’re here!
2. “Like” the Delivering Hope facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/DeliveringHopeNovel
3. Watch the book trailer: www.bit.ly/peCixw and post a comment on the facebook page telling what you liked about it.
The winners will be randomly chosen at the conclusion of the blog tour and posted on both the author’s blog and the facebook fan page by 10:00 am on Saturday, February 11th. Good luck!

Untraceable Blog Tour

07 Feb, 2012 by in sr johannes, untraceable 1 comment

Fire adn Ice is super excited to be a stop on the official Untraceable blog tour hosted by Mundie Moms. To see all of the stops and find out more click here.

Untraceable
The Nature of Grace #1
by S.R. Johannes
Kindle Edition, 315 pages
Published November 29th 2011
by Coleman and Stott
16-year-old Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival.
When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.

Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she lovesOne day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father.

Fire and Ice has an exclusive character interview with Grace today.
What is your favorite thing to do with your dad outdoors?
That’s easy, fishing. My dad and I don’t talk much when we go. We just fish next to each other in the river. I love that we can spend that time together without even saying a word.
What’s something you’ve learned about yourself over the course of your story?
I learned that I am not immortal. I don’t think I thought about death or many dark things until my father went missing. I think I always thought, “That would never happen to me.” I’ve learned to appreciate the smaller things more because you never know when they will be gone.
Tell us why you believe you dad is still alive and what you plan to do about it?
My dad would never just fade away into the night. He was a survival expert. He’s been patrolling those woods his whole life. He knows the dangers and he knows how to swim. He didn’t like to swim but he knew every survival tip there was. I don’t believe he would die and not leave a trace. That leads me to believe someone tried to cover something up.
How would you sum up Mo’s personality and what is one thing you love about him?
Mo is a straightforward guy. I loved how he didn’t play games like most guys seem to. He just told me how it was from the very start. He liked me and told me, not knowing if I liked him back. But most of all, he liked me for me – the good and the bad.
What is it you love so much about your town and the wilderness surrounding it?
I love that we are small and know each other. But I love the Smoky Mountains. Most people don’t realize how much wilderness is still left in the US. Especially in the south. They assume Colorado and Montana have all the beauty. I happen to know that beauty exists her and it’s my backyard.
Do you think you’ll be a ranger like your dad when you grow up? Why or why not? And what’s the most important survival skill you have learned?
I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Something with nature or animals but what specifically – I don’t know. I can barely decide on my breakfast so my future is like 365 breakfasts away. 🙂
As far as survival skill – I would say, “tell someone where you are going and when you will check in” I think that would have saved me some heartache.
Author Bio: S.R. Johannes is the author of Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and On The Bright Side ( a tween paranormal).
She started out writing for her local school paper, winning a state Nutrition essay contest for “Be a Smart Cookie”, and singing in a local Jazz band. Somewhere along the way, she earned an MBA in Marketing and embarked on an 18-year marketing career in Corporate America working as a marketing and communications consultant.
In 2000, S.R. traded in her expensive suits, way-too high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She started her own marketing & communications business, www.bilaninc.com, and continues creating materials for a variety of large profit and nonprofit clients, including Spanx, Goody Hair Products, Chick Filet, Delta, CARE, and the Boys & Girls Club of America.
S.R.’s dream is to publish children’s books and magically imprint the imaginations of kids. In addition to juggling nap schedules while attending client meetings, Shelli focuses on her writing. She is a frequent marketing speaker at SCBWI conferences across the U.S and runs a popular marketing blog, Market My Words (www.faeriality.blogspot.com) where she provides marketing advice for authors in the hopes of helping them better market their words.
In her spare time (yeah right!) and if the kids allow (yeah right!), Shelli obsesses over movies, reads children’s books (over and over), wishes she could squeeze in Bikram Yoga sessions, and dreams of sleeping in on the weekends.
She currently lives in Atlanta with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess that someday will change the world.
Find the author on her :EmailBlog/ Twitter/ Author Facebook/ Author Goodreads/

Persuasion Blog Tour and Giveaway

06 Feb, 2012 by in persuasion, Rebecca H. Jamison 15 comments

Fire and Ice is happy to be today’s stop on the virtual blog tour for

Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale
by Rebecca H. Jamison
Paperback, 240 pages
Expected publication: February 14th 2012
by Cedar Fort, Inc.
ISBN 1599559471
Book Source: publisher
5 stars 
Summary From Goodreads: When Anne broke off her engagement seven years ago, she thought she’d never see Neil Wentworth again. But when Neil’s brother buys the house she grew up in, it seems fate has other plans in store, and Anne is woefully unprepared for the roller coaster of emotions that accompanies Neil’s return. Fans of Persuasion will love this fast-paced, modern retelling of Jane Austen’s most romantic novel.
Anne Elliott is a 27 year old single stockbroker who is trying to help her Dad get out of debt and her sister get through her bed rest when her ex-fiance Neil Wentworth stumbles back into her life. She’s working the family garage sale with no regard to how she looks which couldn’t be worse timing for Neil to pop back up after years of not hearing from him. Captain Wentworth is recovering form a high speed chase accident with the extra loving care of Lily and Hannah, which ironically enough also happen to be Anne’s sister’s next door neighbors and in-laws. Neil and Anne will be crossing paths quite a bit whether they like it or not. Throw in a life threatening jelly fish sting, some unruly children, and a jaguar driving bachelor and you have Persuasion. It’s a story about a second chance at love and learning to put yourself first for once.

What a fun debut by Rebecca H. Jamison with humorous situations, life lessons and even suspense  in. It’s a look at why expensive dates and appearances can be deceiving and what it means to be a true night in shining armor. I would recommend it to everyone as a clean romance based loosely on Jane Austen’s original story. You’ll want to pass Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale on to your friends. It is indeed a Latter-day tale with references to Mormon culture and terminology but I think all will enjoy! So sit back watch the trailer and enter to win your own copy below. Thanks to Cedar Fort Books and the author for inviting us to be a stop on the tour.

Author Bio: “I’m a stay-at-home mom with a passion for writing novels, running, and dancing. I’m a mom to five boys, so I know how to pronounce a lot of dinosaur names and how to clean up legos.
I also have one wonderful daughter.I met my husband on a blind date.
Before I had kids, I worked as an English teacher. I plan to go back to teaching once my kids are older. I have a BA and MA
in English from BYU.I love to swim, make jewelry, and play in water. I like teenagers. Summer is my favorite season of the year because I can eat watermelon and hang at the pool.
People have asked me to write a lot of skits over the years. My favorite is Snow White and the Seven Values, which I did for the Young Women’s group at my church.
I grew up in Vienna, Virginia. Now I live in Utah. I’m a city girl.
The country’s okay, as long as I don’t have to smell manure.I served a mission to Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands. I write novels for fun. I play the piano, but I’m not good at practicing, so don’t expect too much from me there.I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
You can view my profile on Mormon.org.”
Find more on the author’s website/ or facebook. View the rest of the blog tour schedule here.
The Giveaway: Fire and Ice is giving away a copy of Persuasion courtesy of Cedar Fort Books. To enter to win fill out the rafflecopter form below. Open internationally. One winner will be randomly chosen February 20, 2012.

And The Winners Are…

03 Feb, 2012 by in Uncategorized 2 comments

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.
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