2014 Hopes of a Book Blogger

01 Jan, 2014 by in Uncategorized 6 comments

new yearIt’s a new year and I’ve been thinking a lot about how things have changed since I first started blogging. There are so many things I’ve learned, much has changed in the community and in my life. So, I think it’s time to think about where it is exactly I want to go this year. Here’s a few thoughts I’ve had about what I want to accomplish…

1. Reconnect with people

Let’s face it, in real life I’m a bit recluse. I like to sit down with a book or get behind my camera and I don’t interact much. I’ve made some amazing friends since I started blogging and it seems like I’ve lost touch with so many people. Taking a year off site to regroup made it hard to stay in tune with those around me. My break was necessary and inspired, but coming back in I still feel like I miss the community of friends, authors and publishers. It was hard to jump back in and feel “out of touch.” It’s very easy to compare and compete in this business and I don’t want to. Here’s to a new year: meeting new people, finding new blogs to follow, attending events when I can, talking to authors and feeling back in touch with those I already know. Hoping to make it to BEA or ALA again this year and meet up with fellow bloggers, authors and publicists there.

2. Figure out WordPress

I just made the switch from Blogger to WordPress as a self hosted site and there is a lot to learn. It hasn’t been smooth and easy, but then I knew it would be a learning curve. There is just so much to know, at times I feel a bit tech illiterate. I am just learning about SEO or search engine optimization, broken links, plug ins statistics and categories. It feels a bit overwhelming to plug in my old reviews to the UBB plugin and reformat–so, not sure I am going to do that yet. I want to create more fonts and graphics. Learn how to tweak my posts and format them cleanly.

llrd_transp3. Redesign Little Red Reads

Did you know we have a sister site? Yep. Littleredreads.com. I’m planning to earn enough money soon to give it a custom design and then update it more frequently with middle grade and children’s reviews. I want a place kids and parents can write about what they read.

4. Use Book Likes

I just signed up today and can’t figure out how to import my Goodreads shelf. Anyone out there want to help me out? I’m hoping to feed my posts to Book Likes and find more good books to read. Eventually will customize the page with help from a designer.

5. Buy and Review Locally

In the past, I have focused a lot on LDS and Utah authors. I want to get back to my roots and follow my passion for promoting locals as well as clean reads. Hit indie bookstores, find and tweet local authors and continue shooting photos and doing live interviews. Seeing people face to face has been super rewarding. I would love to host more blog and book tours to help get the word out about books I read and love.

6. Be more efficient

Figure out how to cross post on all my social media effectively and efficiently. What plugins, blogger posts with tips and hints have helped you the most?

7. Shoot more author photos

My favorite part of last year was capturing authors on camera and I’m praying I get to do that again. I want to take a photography and editing class. I have a new camera,  so am ready to go!

What are you hoping to get accomplished or switch up in 2014?

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Best Fic and Audiobook Picks of 2013

31 Dec, 2013 by in best of, Uncategorized 4 comments

best

It’s almost 2014!  Last day of 2013!

It looks like I will surpass my Goodreads goal of 100. I read 148 books this year, added two more DNFs to my list this weekend to make 33, and my grand total is 115 books finished. That would be the biggest change in my reading pattern. Lots of books I put down– mostly due to content. I’ve also noticed I am reading a lot more indie and self-published titles, due to finding and highlighting free and discounted kindle books. I read most on my i phone and i pad for convenience. My nook has all but gone by the wayside because it kept breaking down on me. So less business to Barnes and Noble, more to Amazon. But, interestingly, I’ve found too much e reading affects my sleep and makes it hard for me to “shut off” my brain at night.

Overall, I am still a lover of paper bound books and they are my preferred reading platform. I hope publishers don’t make a complete shift away from them in the future for cost purposes, because I plan to always build my library shelves with physical copies!

My number one book source for favorite books of this year was BEA. I was far more selective about what I picked up this year and those I picked were those I loved.  Number 2 source was paper bound advanced reading copies for blog tours and reviews from publishers. Publicists- your job does matter and outreach to bloggers increases reviews and sales! Number three was e copies I chose for review from Netgalley or purchased, number four the library– and last, but not least,  audio books. I have a hang up with voices reading aloud I think. But my children LOVE them and we used them a lot en route to school.

I managed to pick up some AMAZING books in 2013 and here they are…

Fiction

Sugar Coated by Shannen Crane Camp
Goodreads/ Amazon

River of Time Series by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Goodreads/ Amazon/ Review

Hadley, Hadley Benson by Jody Wind Durfee

Goodreads/ Amazon/ Review

Fight For You (Stripling Warrior) by Misty Moncur
Goodreads/ Amazon/ Review

Blackmoore (Proper Romances) by Julianne Donaldson
Goodreads/ Amazon/ Review


Doon (A Doon Novel) by Carey Corp, Lorie Langdon
Goodreads/ Amazon/ Review

Longing for Home: A Proper Romance by Sarah M. Eden
Goodreads/ Amazon/ Review


The Season by Sarah MacLean
Goodreads/ Amazon


Miss Grimsley’s Oxford Career by Carla Kelly

Goodreads/ Amazon


The Newport Ladies Book Club: Paige by Annette Lyon
Goodreads/ Amazon


This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Goodreads/ Amazon/ Review


The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson
Goodreads/ Amazon


Snow in Love by Claire Ray
Goodreads/Amazon

Audiobook


Waking Up in Heaven: A True Story of Brokenness, Heaven, and Life Again by Crystal McVea
Goodreads/ Amazon/ Review


Code Word by Traci  Hunter Abramson
Goodreads/ Amazon

 

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
Goodreads/ Amazon 

What were your favorites of 2013? Leave me your post link.

I would love to add them to my TBR list for 2014.

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My Year in Books 2013- DNFs

27 Dec, 2013 by in 2013, dnf 6 comments

 

PicMonkey Collagednf

I’ll be spending this week looking at my year in books. So far in 2013, I’ve read 144 books and have had 31 DNFs. What I love about book blogging and reviewing is that we each have our own individual taste. The longer I blog, the more I realize I don’t have to impress anyone. I am more apt to put down books than I used to be simply because my reading time  is limited and precious. Plus, there are so many on my TBR list. I can choose to be picky and feel I give every book a fair chance, but some are just not for me.

I don’t finish books for several reasons ( see them all HERE) but these were my top five reasons…

  1. Content
  2. Sequels I couldn’t complete
  3. Annoying  voice or too much profanity in audio
  4. Too slowly paced
  5. Poorly written or edited

Here’s my master Did Not Finish list.

Christmas Kisses by Verna Clay
The Clockwork Cathedral: The Time Corps Chronicles, Book 1 by Heather Blackwood
The Rosie Project: A Novel by Graeme Simsion
Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs
The Academy – Introductions: Year One, Book One by C. L Stone
A Bride for Christmas: Sweet Regency Novella by Aileen Fish
Six Dates with Jenna by Cynthia L. Moyer
Nightspell by Leah Cypess
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
The Life List: A Novel by Lori Nelson Spielman
Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Defiance: Courier’s Daughter by C. J. Redwine
The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr
The Program by Suzanne Young
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Finale: Hush, Hush, Book 4 by Becca Fitzpatrick
Hidden: A Firelight Novel by Sophie Jordan
Wait for You by J. Lynn
Jessica Darling’s It List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection by Megan McCafferty
Merlin’s Blade by Robert Treskillard
Roomies by Sara Zarr, Tara Altebrando
Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
Snow Dance by Alicia and Ray Street
Tropical Kiss by Jan Coffey
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente
Taking Chances by Molly McAdams
September Girls by Bennett Madison
Uncrashable Dakota by Andy Marino
The Diviners by Libba Bray
The MacKinnon’s Bride (The Highland Brides, Book 1) by Tanya Anne Crosby

What books didn’t you finish in 2013? I would love to hear why you DNF.

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Echo In Time Blog Tour Schedule & Kick Off

24 Dec, 2013 by in blog tour, CJ Hill, janette rallison Leave a comment

Echo In Time Blog Tour Schedule & Kick Off

Echo In Time

by C.J. Hill
Series: Erasing Time #2
Published by Katherine Tegen on December 23, 2013
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Buy the Book • Goodreads
After being pulled 400 years into the future, twins Taylor and Sheridan have found some refuge from the government of Traventon, which used the dangerous Time Strainer to yank the girls from the past. Yet the threat of the dangerous technology still looms. Taylor and an ally, Joseph, are selected to go on a mission to destroy the time machine and weapon. But their actions before they do may have major consequences for the future and the past.

Action-packed and romantic, this futuristic sequel to Erasing Time is perfect for fans of dystopian and sci-fi novels such as The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, and Matched by Ally Condie.
echo in time blog tour

 

Fire and Ice is thrilled to be the official tour host for the

Echo in Time by C.J. Hill

Blog Tour! We are kicking off today and running reviews, guest posts and giveaways on the stops. So be sure to check out each one!

Happy Holidays!

Blog Tour Schedule

Fire and Ice– December 24- Kick Off
Candace’s Book Blog– December 27- Review
Clean Teen Fiction -December 28- Review
Fiktshun- December 30- Guest Post
Getting Your Read On -January 2-Review
Two Chicks on Books- January 3- Ten’s List
Bittersweet Enchantment -January 4-Review
Tressa’s Wishful Endings– January 5- Review
Literary Time Out -January 6- Review
Min Reads and Reviews– January 7- Review

 

Cj-hillAbout the Author

CJ Hill is a pen name for a YA author who is best known for writing romantic comedies. (Slayers will be her 18th published book.) Her writing has shifted away from the romantic comedy genre, so her editor thought a pen name would be a good idea. (New books will include: dangerous dragons, time travel to dystopian worlds, and flesh-eating beetles.) Since the publisher refused to let her have the pseudonym : The Artist Formerly Referred to as Princess, she chose a name to honor her mother. CJ Hill was her mother’s pen name, or at least it would have been if her mother had published. Her mother wrote a few children’s books and a middle grade novel but was taken by cancer before she had fully learned the craft.
 
Most writers’ first novels aren’t publishable. CJ Junior’s first novel wasn’t, but somehow was published anyway. Now, even though it is out of print, it remains forever available on Amazon, where it taunts her with its badness. This was another good reason to use a pen name.
 
CJ Hill has five children, three of whom like her on any given day depending on who is in trouble. She has lived in Arizona for the last half of her life, but is still in desert denial and hopes that one day her garden will grow silver bells and cockle shells or maybe just tomatoes.

 

Author website/blog/goodreads/macmillan/twitter

The first in the series, Erasing Time, is now on sale for 99 cents!

Visit our Release Day Blitz post for  a chance to win one of both of the books in the Erasing Time series.

 

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Echo In Time by C. J. Hill~Release Day Blitz

23 Dec, 2013 by in book tour, CJ Hill Leave a comment

Published by Katherine Tegen echointimeblitz

Fire and Ice blog tours wishes a very Happy Book Birthday to

Echo in Time by C.J. Hill

Echo in Time CoverErasing Time #2
by C.J. Hill  (Pseudonym), Janette Rallison
Paperback, 400 pages
Published December 23rd 2013
by Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN 0062123963

Book Summary 

Echo in Time delivers on “the possibility of an equally thrilling sequel” (Kirkus Reviews) to Erasing Time.

After being pulled 400 years into the future, twins Taylor and Sheridan have found some refuge from the government of Traventon, which used the dangerous Time Strainer to yank the girls from the past. Yet the threat of the dangerous technology still looms. Taylor and an ally, Joseph, are selected to go on a mission to destroy the time machine and weapon. But their actions before they do may have major consequences for the future and the past.

Action-packed and romantic, this futuristic sequel to Erasing Time is perfect for fans of dystopian and sci-fi novels such as The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, and Matched by Ally Condie.

Fire and Ice has planned the Release Day Blitz today with giveaway entries for each stop and wanted to let our readers know that the first in the series, Erasing Time, is now on sale for 99 cents.

Snag your copy and get started on an amazing adventure!

Be sure to visit all the Release Day blitz stops listed on the Rafflecopter form below for more chances to win both books and check out the Echo in Time Blog Tour kick off post here tomorrow.

 

Cj-hillAbout the Author

CJ Hill is a pen name for a YA author who is best known for writing romantic comedies. (Slayers will be her 18th published book.) Her writing has shifted away from the romantic comedy genre, so her editor thought a pen name would be a good idea. (New books will include: dangerous dragons, time travel to dystopian worlds, and flesh-eating beetles.) Since the publisher refused to let her have the pseudonym : The Artist Formerly Referred to as Princess, she chose a name to honor her mother. CJ Hill was her mother’s pen name, or at least it would have been if her mother had published. Her mother wrote a few children’s books and a middle grade novel but was taken by cancer before she had fully learned the craft.

Most writers’ first novels aren’t publishable. CJ Junior’s first novel wasn’t, but somehow was published anyway. Now, even though it is out of print, it remains forever available on Amazon, where it taunts her with its badness. This was another good reason to use a pen name.
CJ Hill has five children, three of whom like her on any given day depending on who is in trouble. She has lived in Arizona for the last half of her life, but is still in desert denial and hopes that one day her garden will grow silver bells and cockle shells or maybe just tomatoes.

Purchase

Erasing Time
Echo in Time

The Giveaway

One E copy of Both Erasing Time and Echo in Time. Enter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Blitz Tour and Giveaway {Heartbeat} by Elizabeth Scott

20 Dec, 2013 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

heartbeat

Heartbeat_Elizabeth-Scott_coverAbout Heartbeat

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can’t tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn’t have interested Old Emma. But New Emma—the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia—New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death—and maybe, for love?

Goodreads | Amazon| B&N | Indiebound

Praise for Heartbeat

“An intense examination of a family coping with grief, this absorbing character study easily keeps pages turning.”— Kirkus on Heartbeat

About the AuthorElizabethScottAuthorPhoto_credit-Matt-Mendelsohn

ELIZABETH SCOTT grew up in a town so small it didn’t even have a post office, though it did boast an impressive cattle population. She’s sold hardware and panty hose and had a memorable three-day stint in the dot-com industry, where she learned that she really didn’t want a career burning CDs. She lives just outside Washington, D.C., with her husband, and firmly believes you can never own too many books.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Tumbler

 The Giveaway

Enter to win 1 of 5 ARCs of HEARTBEAT below

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Must Love Otters Book Blitz and Giveaway

19 Dec, 2013 by in book blitz 3 comments

must-love-otters

Fire and Ice is happy to be participating in the Book Blitz for Must Love Otters by Eliza Gordon. The Blitz is hosted by YA Reads and we have some fun facts about the author as well as a giveaway.

must-love-otters-coverMust Love Otters

Genre: Women’s Fiction/Humor/Contemporary/Romantic Comedy
Publisher: West 26th Street Press, NYC (a division of Writers House)

Summary

Hollie Porter is the chairwoman of Generation Disillusioned: at twenty-five years old, she’s saddled with a job she hates, a boyfriend who’s all wrong for her, and a vexing inability to say no. She’s already near her breaking point, so when one caller too many kicks the bucket during Hollie’s 911 shift, she cashes in the Sweethearts’ Spa & Stay gift certificate from her dad and heads to Revelation Cove, British Columbia. One caveat: she’s going solo. Any sweethearts will have to be found on site.

Hollie hopes to find her beloved otters in the wilds of the Great White North, but instead she’s providing comic relief for staff and guests alike. Even Concierge Ryan, a former NHL star with bad knees and broken dreams, can’t stop her from stumbling from one (mis)adventure to another. Just when Hollie starts to think that a change of venue doesn’t mean a change in circumstances, the island works its charm and she starts to think she might have found the rejuvenation she so desperately desires. But then an uninvited guest crashes the party, forcing her to step out of the discomfort zone where she dwells and save the day … and maybe even herself in the process.

Fun Facts From the Author

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Definitely chocolate. Unless it’s a milkshake. Then vanilla.

Pizza or Tacos?

Tacos, if I could get them from a authentic, grade-A food truck in Los Angeles. That was my biggest shock of moving to western Canada — virtually NO Mexican food. *sad face*

Cats or Dogs?

Cats x 1000%. Mr. Gordon concurs. We’re those weird, talk-to-the-cat-like-it’s-human people.

Italian or Chinese?

Oooooooh, you’re cruel. Um, probably Chinese?

Favorite TV show?

GAME OF THRONES. Forever.

Favorite movie?

EVER? Probably the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I know, total nerd. But Shakespeare in Love, Gladiator, Kick-Ass, and Welcome to the Punch round out the top five.

Favorite singer/band?

Sia. Or Florence + the Machine. Or Imogen Heap. And Muse. And Mumford & Sons. Or Death Cab for Cutie. Or Regina Spektor. OMG. I don’t even know. Do you want my list of favorite movie score composers? HANS ZIMMER. There. I listed ONE. 🙂 Mr. Gordon would have to say Van Halen. (Don’t giggle at him. He’s sensitive.)

What is the closest item to you that is red?

A Superman keychain. Only it’s not just Superman — it’s a chunky rendition of what he’d look like as a kid. Sort of adorable.

Favorite Christmas ornament?

A ceramic ornament I painted years ago of my Best Cat Ever, Kovu. (RIP, buddy.)

Biggest Pet Peeve?

Disingenuous people. I cannot abide fakery.

Biggest Quirk?

I obsess about things — music, books, movies, movie stars. I get it in my head, and I can’t get rid of it until I’ve exhausted myself.

About the Authoreliza-gordon

Eliza Gordon is a husband-and-wife team of controlled chaos who writes romantic comedies and silly stories for hearts that haven’t given up on the possibility of a Happily Ever After.

Twitter: @eliza_gordon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eliza.gordon.52
Website: www.elizagordon.com
Additional Website: www.jennifersommersby.com.

The Giveaway

Eliza is offering 3 ecopies of Must Love Otters.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Christmas Train by Thomas S. Monson ~Spotlight Tour

18 Dec, 2013 by in deseret book, spotlight tour, Thomas S. Monson 1 comment

christmas-train-tour

The Christmas Train

Tour Schedule

Christmas-trainIn this children’s picture book, President Thomas S. Monson recounts a Christmas memory from his childhood. As a boy, he yearned for an electric train. To his delight, on Christmas morning he got exactly that a train that operated through the miracle of electricity. Then he noticed a second train that his mother had purchased for the boy down the street whose family was struggling. Although it was only a wind-up train, it had an beautiful oil tanker car, which little Tommy wanted for his own. Soon after, Tommy s mother invited him to accompany her to the neighbor s home to deliver the gift. Young Mark was thrilled with his new train and, of course, didn t notice the missing train car. However, a remorseful Tommy did. What happened next will bring the spirit of Christmas into every heart and home. Illustrated by renowned artist Dan Burr, The Christmas Train is sure to be a classic Christmas story and a beautiful addition to every Christmas library.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book

Includes a QR code for a FREE download of President Monson’s narration of the story!

Winner of the 2012 Gold Medal Mom’s Choice Award!

Download the new interactive Christmas Train app for your iPad!

Click Here to Learn More

The pages come alive with animations, sound effects, and narration by the author, Thomas S. Monson. Kids will love listening to a true Christmas story, read by a familiar voice, while navigating trains, turning Christmas lights on and off, and experiencing the importance of giving during the Christmas season.

 

About the Author

President Thomas S. Monson was set apart as the sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. He had previously served for twenty-two years in the First Presidency of the Church, after having been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since October1963. Five years after his call to the Twelve, he was given a special assignment for the work of the Church in Europe, requiring many visits with members behind the Iron Curtain. He was instrumental in the construction of the Freiberg Germany Temple and in advancing the Lord’s work in other eastern European countries that were part of the communist bloc. He also served as chairman of the Scriptures Publication Committee and supervised the process that resulted in the new editions of the scriptures. His ministry has been characterized by his compassion for the needs of individuals and his gift for one-on-one service. President Monson and his wife, Frances, are the parents of three children, grandparents of eight, and great-grandparents of eight.

About the Illustrator

Dan Burr earned his bachelor of fine arts degree from Utah State University and a master’s degree in illustration from Syracuse University. He and his wife, Patti, are raising their two children in the Teton Valley of southeast Idaho, a setting that provides great artistic inspiration and fantastic fly fishing. Dan is a well-known illustrator, having been in the business for many years, most recently working as a children’s picture book illustrator. A few of the books Dan has illustrated are The Miracle of the Wooden Shoes; God Bless Your Way; A Christmas Journey; and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

Christmas-Train-by-Monson

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/31/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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