Kim McMahill

The Beartooth Chronicles is set in the future at a time when all of the world’s ice has melted into the oceans and inland lakes, forcing populations around the world away from the coasts. If all of the ice melted, sea levels could raise over 200 feet, which would submerge the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, and the White House in Washington, D.C The fictional community of Beartooth is located near the top of Beartooth Pass. The top of Beartooth pass is currently over 9,400 feet above sea level. In the series, after a rise in sea level and subsidence, the community’s elevation is about 8,900 feet above sea level. Currently, the road over the pass is open from approximately Memorial Day to mid-October, depending on the amount of snow (photo was taken opening day 2022). In the novels, snow no longer falls and the residents of Beartooth have been able to grow food year-round. The isolation, ability to grow food, and abundant wildlife has enabled them to c

Book Reviews serve a variety of purposes and are very important to readers and writers. Reviews help other readers choose books. A review provides information about a book that a marketing blurb may not, and a vast majority of Kindle readers rely heavily on reviews before making an online purchase. Sales and reviews factor into a bookseller’s algorithm. More book sales and reviews help a book achieve a higher ranking on a bookseller’s site, which provides more exposure for a book and its author. Additionally, more reviews may get authors noticed by book clubs, blogging communities, book review sites, and other promotional venues. Lastly, many authors do read reviews and may find helpful feedback in articulate reviews to improve their craft. For example, saying “I hated the book” isn’t helpful, but explaining that you’re not fond of a book because it was written in first person and you prefer third, you find multiple points of view confusing, there were too many grammatical errors,

Earth Day is an annual event held on April 22 in the United States to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. To learn more about Earth Day and events being held in your area visit https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/

National Park #Free Entrance Day In 2024, the National Park Service has six entrance fee-free days where all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. One has already passed, but here is a list of the remaining entrance fee-free days into your favorite national park. For more information visit https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm (Photo: Crater Lake National Park in Oregon) April 20: First day of National Park Week June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day August 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act September 28: National Public Lands Day November 11: Veterans Day  

When I started The Beartooth Chronicles , I envisioned it as an upper young adult (YA) series, but then I came across the subcategory of New Adult (NA) fiction. NA novels explore the transition from late adolescence to early adulthood and are typically aimed towards readers in their upper teens and twenties. The main character, Ashley McPhee, is eighteen in Refuge from the World, and the love of her life, Caleb Solomon, is 20. Their story is one of embracing the challenges of learning about each other, dealing with tragedy and grief, entering adulthood, protecting their community, and trying to find solutions to a rapidly changing environment and deteriorating world.   The primary supporting characters range in age from thirteen to twenty, making the characters and themes relatable to upper YA, NA, and adult (we were all teenagers once) readers, especially as the series evolves and the characters take on more responsibilities, build families, and are forced to face how far they will

I’m hoping the old saying, April showers bring May flowers, holds true this year. So far this winter, we’ve gotten modest amounts of snow here and there, but the snowpack in the high country is down, which is never a good thing. Much of the water available for human and agriculture uses throughout the western U.S. comes from snowmelt high in the mountains, and if the forests are dry, we could be looking at a bad fire season. But, there’s still time. Often the mountains get the heaviest and wettest snows in March and April. So, here’s hoping we get enough showers to give us flowers so we can enjoy colorful mountain meadows filled with fragrant spring blossoms and avoid the often-devastating effects of drought. Along with flower growth, I would love to grow my connections. If you aren’t following me already, I would greatly appreciate new followers to any of my social media platforms listed at the end of this post. Thanks in advance and have a happy Easter.    WRITING NOTES AND NEWS

No matter how you chose to acknowledge or celebrate Good Friday and the Easter holiday, I hope it is filled with peace, and joyful times with friends and family. If you are traveling to be with loved ones, safe journeys.

Dystopian novels are set in an imagined world or society in the future after something terrible has happened such as war or environmental collapse. A dystopian society is characterized by human suffering and misery where people live in an unfair society where they are often dehumanized and lead fearful existences. At some point the oppressed rebel and try to gain control of their lives. I’ve written in the dystopian genre before, but The Beartooth Chronicles is my first series, and I’ve approached the topic somewhat differently than my other novel where teens were trying to escape an oppressive American government (Deadly Exodus). In The Beartooth Chronicles, a group of individuals left society decades before the world’s environmental crisis reached a tipping point, and the U.S. was still moderately functional. They built a sustainable society on a remote mountaintop that became cut off from the rest of the country after earthquakes, flooding, erosion, and tectonic shifting destroy

  Here’s an Irish Blessing for you. Have a great St. Patrick’s Day! May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.  May there always be work for your hands to do, May your purse always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane, May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you, And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Refuge from the World , the first novel in The Beartooth Chronicles is available for pre-order and will be released on March 19, 2024. The Beartooth Chronicles follows the lives of the residents of a small mountaintop community as they struggle to find solutions to the problems threatening their survival. For twenty-five years, Beartooth’s isolated location has insulated it from the problems besieging the rest of the country and the world. As environmental disasters multiply, bringing out the worst in humanity, the residents of Beartooth must work together to protect the life they have built, and to hold on to their joy and hope for the future. In book one, Refuge from the World , you’ll meet many of the residents of Beartooth, including Ashley McPhee and Caleb Solomon. Even though they have known each other most of their lives, Ash and Caleb’s relationship changes dramatically in a short period of time. As they leave school behind, they realize that life is changing, and their g

  Even though Wyoming and Montana often get a lot of snow in March, I’m still excited when this month arrives. Daylight savings time begins on March 10, 2024, giving us instantly another hour of daylight in the evening. Spring kicks off on March 19, 2024 with the Spring Equinox. On this day, the sun’s rays shine on the equator, giving us twelve hours of sunlight. I love the light, and even if it snows in March, I know warmer temperatures are just around the corner. WRITING NOTES AND NEWS Refuge from the World (The Beartooth Chronicles, book 1) is scheduled to be released later this month, hopefully by March 19, 2024. See the publishers “coming soon” page for more on this book and updates on its release at  https://www.fireandiceya.com/authors/kimmcmahill/bear1.html The next novel in the series, Above the Abyss (The Beartooth Chronicles, book 2) will be released in June or July, with the next two novels in the series to be released every four to five months thereafter. So, if you l

I love to travel, to see the world, to learn about other cultures. But there is so much more to travel than beaches, pretty scenery, or exciting activities, it’s also about changing the way we see the world and our place in it. On one of my favorite PBS travel shows, the host closes each episode with the following quote. It struck a chord with me, so I have part of the quote in my blog header. Here is the rest.    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain

I hope everyone is finding love this month, in person or between the pages of a great book. And, speaking of love and books, the first novel in my new dystopian series is finally here. Along with action, adventure, and a look at our society in the future, the beginning of an enduring loves story unfolds (more under writing Notes and News). As I mentioned in the January Newsletter, I embarked on an amazing whale watching adventure to San Ignacio Lagoon in Mexico. The protected lagoon provides a perfect habitat for Pacific gray whales to breed and calve. The whales in this sanctuary are curious, and the numbers of tour boats are limited, which allowed us to see the whales up close. It was a humbling experience to interact with these gentle giants. It was a trip of a lifetime.   WRITING NOTES AND NEWS Refuge from the World (The Beartooth Chronicles, Book 1) is scheduled to be released later this month. The plan is for the next three novels in the series to be released every four to

The Merriam Webster definition of fiction is, “something invented by the imagination or feigned; specifically: an invented story.” To me this means that fiction is limited only by the author’s imagination. As long as the story conveys its intended message and entertains the reader, almost anything goes. One of my favorite movies is, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This story is riddled with implausible and unrealistic scenes, but to me it doesn’t matter—it makes me laugh, it makes me smile, it reminds me to live life, just don’t sit around and dream about what’s out there. So, the next time you pick up a novel go all in. Don’t worry about if something can really happen, just relax your mind and let yourself be entertained.

Fishing stories have become synonymous with exaggeration. No harm is ever intended, but after countless retelling of the story, it often morphs into something much more interesting and exciting than the original. The two-pound fish that took several minutes to reel in evolves into an eight-pound monster which battled valiantly for hours before succumbing to your superior skill. This is how many of my real-life adventures have infiltrated my action-adventure novels.  I’ve explored numerous Mayan ruins tucked into steamy bug-infested jungles in several countries, yet I’ve always managed to avoid running into looters or ruthless kidnappers; I’ve pondered the current of the Rio Grande, but have suppressed the urge to jump into the churning mud and attempt an illegal border crossing; and I have ridden horseback down a terrifyingly-steep slope in which stopping was not an option as scenes from Man From Snowy River flashed through my mind, all without a single gunshot from a foreign enemy ai

I hope everyone’s year has started out with a bang. Mine has been a mixed bag, but I have faith it will get better. I have an epic adventure planned for later this month. More on that in my February newsletter. WRITING NOTES AND NEWS Refuge from the World (The Beartooth Chronicles, Book 1) is progressing nicely and is on scheduled to be released in mid-February 2024. The plan is for the next three novels in the series to be released every four to five months thereafter. So, if you love the first book, you won’t have to wait long for the second. While working on edits for the first four novels in my new dystopian-adventure series, I’ve finished the fifth novel in the Beartooth Chronicles. I continue to write and release Kindle Vella episodes (Links shown below under “Kindle Vella”), including a new cozy mystery, Alder Island. I’m also trying to grow my readers. If you aren’t already, I would appreciate any new followers to any of my social media platforms below. Thanks in advance.