Sparkling Ice® Debuts Limited Edition Mystery Fruit Flavor and Social Media Sweepstakes

Guess the Flavor for a Chance to Win Over 450 prizes via #WhatTheFlavorSweeps

Sparkling Ice® is excited to introduce a new limited-edition Mystery Flavor and social media sweepstakes, #WhatTheFlavorSweeps, for those fans bold enough to cast their flavor guesses and be entered for a chance to win over $45,000 worth of prizes.

Sparkling Ice Mystery Flavor will be available in retailers nationwide beginning this week through the end of July 2018. Wrapped in distinct blue and red packaging with a question mark inside the brand's signature three-dimensional ice cube, the new limited-edition Mystery Flavor offers a clear carbonated beverage balanced with just the right amount of fizz. As with the full Sparkling Ice portfolio, Mystery Flavor is a zero calorie, zero sugar beverage made with antioxidants and vitamins.

In addition to the limited-edition flavor, the brand will also be launching a social media-based sweepstakes where consumers can share their flavor guesses by using the hashtag #WhatTheFlavorSweeps.

"We're always looking for new ways to engage with our consumers, and with the launch of a new Mystery Fruit Flavor, we're adding an element of surprise to our fun-loving brand," said CEO of Talking Rain Beverage Co., Chris Hall. "With the launch of our What The Flavor Sweepstakes, we're eager to hear the guesses from our fans. Those with detective palates and who guess correctly, will have a chance to win one of our exciting prizes."

To participate, consumers can engage with Sparkling Ice on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to submit their guesses and be entered for a chance to win over $45,000 worth of prizes, including an all-expense paid VIP trip to a major music festival in April 2019, a Bose Sound System, Sonos Wireless Speakers, iTunes gift cards, a year of FREE Spotify and more. The contest opens on May 15^th and will last through July 31^st, 2018. Participants are encouraged to enter once a day to maximize their chances of winning.

For more information about Sparkling Ice products and flavors, please visit www.SparklingIce.com,www.facebook.com/SparklingIce, www.Twitter.com/SparklingIce and www.instagram.com/SparklingIce.

About Sparkling Ice Beverages

Sparkling Ice beverages are made with zero sugar, and combine sparkling water, real fruit flavor, vitamins and antioxidants to offer great tasting, lightly carbonated beverages. Available in sixteen fizzy, fruity flavors, including: Black Raspberry, Orange Mango, Pink Grapefruit, Kiwi Strawberry, Coconut Pineapple, Pomegranate Blueberry, Peach Nectarine, Lemon Lime, Crisp Apple, Classic Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Cherry Limeade, Strawberry Watermelon, Black Cherry, Grape Raspberry and new in 2018, Ginger Lime. Sparkling Ice is part of the Talking Rain family of beverages, and retails for $1.19-$1.29. To locate Sparkling Ice, visit www.sparklingice.com/locate/.

Celebrate the Royal Wedding with Tetley Tea

Celebrate the Royal Wedding, or tea, in style this weekend!

In honor of the upcoming royal wedding, Tetley Tea is giving away a teacup featuring a one-carat diamond embedded in the handle! But that’s not all. Tetley’s Royal Diamond Teacup Sweepstakes will also award a one-year supply of Tetley’s British Blend Tea to all married couples with the names Harry and Meghan. 

Details at TetleyRoyalDiamondTeacup.com

Host a Royal Wedding Viewing Party. Here’s what to serve, sip and slip into:

SERVE:

Serve Meghan’s favorite breakfast foods and some of Prince Harry’s childhood traditions. Your menu should include:

-Acai bowls: Meghan’s go-to acai bowl includes bananas, berries, almond milk, coconut flakes, manuka honey, and bee pollen.

-Omelettes: Meghan prefers her eggs with fresh herbs, cheese, and toast. She’s noted that everything tastes better with a little hot sauce, so add some to turn things up a notch.

-Bacon: Prince Harry fancies crispy bacon, which he first tasted in Disney World as a kid. Be sure to finish yours in the oven for that extra crunch!

-Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins: Buckingham Palace chef, Darren McGrady, often made these at the request of Prince Harry and his brother. Get the recipe here.

-Watermelon: Meghan munches on this healthy snack, topped with feta, mint and olive oil.  

-Wedding Cake: It’s totally acceptable to eat dessert at 8 a.m. This is a party, after all!

Copy Meghan and Prince Harry’s wedding cake. Pastry chef Claire Ptak, owner of London’s Violet Bakery, will be creating the couple’s cake. They chose a lemon elderflower cake covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers. 

SIP:

Put on the kettle and pour the perfect morning cuppa! 
Tetley’s beloved British Blend is a rich, full-bodied black tea with superior flavor.

SLIP INTO:

Keep it comfy in a cotton pajama “suit” inspired by Rachel Zane, the TV character Meghan portrays. And if you ever wondered what it’s like to walk in Meghan’s shoes, then wear a pair of her favorite slippers, Birdies. 

Courtesy of Tetley Tea.

Book Review: Lisa Scottoline's After Anna

Local author Lisa Scottoline has once again brought thrills and chills to me while I read her latest book, After Anna. Suburban blended family, sweet son Caleb, super-helpful and loving mom Maggie, caring and quiet dad Dr. Noah.

Enter the long-lost bratty and mysterious long-lost daughter? Yep- Maggie gets to fawn over the daughter she never got to enjoy, and boy does the family dynamic go wrong- it’s shattered, and somehow dad Noah is blamed for it.

What is portrayed as a tragic, horrifying murder becomes a skillfully crafted mystery reaching far beyond the comforts of home in Southeastern PA. Who is Anna really? Who was she? How will her mom cope with her death as her family gets torn apart?

After Anna follows the mystery genre formula, yet shocks you with a few surprises that gives you serious anxiety, cringe-worthy situations, happy feel-good moments, and at the end, a masterful climax that leaves you feeling intense, whew…I need to read that again! But first I need some rose’ to take it all in.

The format of the book starts in the future by chapter and goes back and forth in time until the two halves make the whole. I feel like with each chapter the book was revealing itself to me…and then I’d turn the page and was slapped with another anxiety-ridden scene.

Some books go out of the way to pepper the chapters with red herrings, with After Anna, Scottoline so skillfully intertwines the details you don't see the ending until you're on top of it.

As always, reading about local places is fun, and knowing the security of home yet with a masterful mystery surrounding you with each page, yes, After Anna brings the apprehension, the heartache, and a host of other emotions. Settle in with a good cup of coffee or glass of Sav Blanc, and get ready for this ride.

Find After Anna at your local book store.