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On Ice
When fiddler Tyrane Percival chokes to death on a chicken bone in a West Virginia barnyard, his young protégé, Eldridge Brewer, takes it pretty hard and feels compelled to bring his old friend peace by burying him next to his long lost love, Leona, in her family plot. Unfortunately, that grave is “a hundred thousand miles” away in Louisiana, so Eldy and Percival's former banjo player, Felton Halladay, hit the road in Halladay's 1959 Studebaker pickup with the fiddler’s corpse iced down in an inflatable kiddie pool in the truck bed and a flatulent dog named Whistler in the cab. But Leona’s uptight brother does not want “that jailbird” anywhere near the family plot and takes steps to prevent it—with hilarious results. This funny, touching story of reconciliation and forgiveness is told with warmth, charm, and a double helping of down-home wisdom.
- GenresYoung AdultFiction
208 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
16 people want to read
About the author
Red Evans
1 bookA Rollicking Good Time On Ice is the way it turned out when I started writing about Eldy Brewer, Felton Haliday and Whistler, and their goal of reuniting their deceased friend with his first love Leona LeSeur. To them, taking their friend across the country in the back of a pick up truck, kept fresh in a kiddy pool of convenience store ice cubes, seemed perfectly natural.
Over thirty years in broadcasting, first as The Rockin’ Redhead and then as a serious television journalist, prepared me for writing fiction. During my formative years in TV, I was a great admirer of the late Charles Kuralt and his “On the Road” segments on CBS.
Although television is a visual medium, Kuralt knew that painting with words was not of less importance, but of more importance when coupled with film. Kuralt was so effective in sparking the imagination of viewers that many thought they had seen things in the film clips he narrated that were not there at all.
Kuralt’s writing for television was virtually an art form that you don’t see in contemporary news writing which appears to be written on an almost juvenile level. It was in that era that I learned to write, to use words judiciously, sparingly, and to listen to what I wrote as well as read it.
I Hope you can hear the story of On Ice as you read it.
I’m a three-career guy, maybe even four. A radio personality when I was young, spinning Elvis, Fats, and the drifters in places like Tallahassee Florida, Spartanburg, and in my home town of Charleston, South Carolina. I was the Rockin’ Redhead, a wisecracking adlibbing deejay with voice mimics and catch phrases such as aaaawscoooobeeeedoooo! IT WAS A BLAST!
Alas, I outgrew all that and got serious, turning to news which occupied my focus for the next twenty years and eventually led to lobbying Congress in Washington, DC and public speaking. Fifteen years later, after I retired I began my fourth career, writing fiction.
A brief word about ON Ice, and how it came to be: One day, my daughter overheard during an elevator ride a conversation between some good old boys talking in muted tones about the passing of an aunt or uncle. One of them described how they decided that the best thing to do was to take the deceased to the funeral home in the back of their pickup truck. It wasn’t clear whether the decision was cost driven or otherwise, but the speakers seemed to think it was not at all odd to do it that way.
When I heard about it, my imagination took off. I visualized so many funny incidents that might occur on such a trip that I decided I should enter the possible story line in my computer. The story almost wrote itself, material flowed almost faster than I could write it.
It is my belief that to be a successful writer you must enjoy the exercise. If that’s true, On Ice will be a best seller because it was an absolute joy to write. I laughed and I cried at my own stuff. I hope you derive as much pleasure reading On Ice as I had bringing to life Eldy, Felton and Whistler.
Over thirty years in broadcasting, first as The Rockin’ Redhead and then as a serious television journalist, prepared me for writing fiction. During my formative years in TV, I was a great admirer of the late Charles Kuralt and his “On the Road” segments on CBS.
Although television is a visual medium, Kuralt knew that painting with words was not of less importance, but of more importance when coupled with film. Kuralt was so effective in sparking the imagination of viewers that many thought they had seen things in the film clips he narrated that were not there at all.
Kuralt’s writing for television was virtually an art form that you don’t see in contemporary news writing which appears to be written on an almost juvenile level. It was in that era that I learned to write, to use words judiciously, sparingly, and to listen to what I wrote as well as read it.
I Hope you can hear the story of On Ice as you read it.
I’m a three-career guy, maybe even four. A radio personality when I was young, spinning Elvis, Fats, and the drifters in places like Tallahassee Florida, Spartanburg, and in my home town of Charleston, South Carolina. I was the Rockin’ Redhead, a wisecracking adlibbing deejay with voice mimics and catch phrases such as aaaawscoooobeeeedoooo! IT WAS A BLAST!
Alas, I outgrew all that and got serious, turning to news which occupied my focus for the next twenty years and eventually led to lobbying Congress in Washington, DC and public speaking. Fifteen years later, after I retired I began my fourth career, writing fiction.
A brief word about ON Ice, and how it came to be: One day, my daughter overheard during an elevator ride a conversation between some good old boys talking in muted tones about the passing of an aunt or uncle. One of them described how they decided that the best thing to do was to take the deceased to the funeral home in the back of their pickup truck. It wasn’t clear whether the decision was cost driven or otherwise, but the speakers seemed to think it was not at all odd to do it that way.
When I heard about it, my imagination took off. I visualized so many funny incidents that might occur on such a trip that I decided I should enter the possible story line in my computer. The story almost wrote itself, material flowed almost faster than I could write it.
It is my belief that to be a successful writer you must enjoy the exercise. If that’s true, On Ice will be a best seller because it was an absolute joy to write. I laughed and I cried at my own stuff. I hope you derive as much pleasure reading On Ice as I had bringing to life Eldy, Felton and Whistler.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 8, 2007
CHARMS, START TO FINISH
If you knew in advance you'd be tackling a story narrated in true redneck vernacular by a twelve-year-old boy, you might think twice. In this case it would be a mistake. It's not long at all before the vernacular fits like a well made glove, and Red Evan's sweet little novel, "On Ice", rises to the challenge.
It's like this: Eldridge Brewer's daddy got taken away to war and never came back. Eldy doesn't quite understand why not, yet, and secretly, he's still angry about his dad leaving him to grow up alone. The only time he can forget is when he's playing the fiddle with Uncle Tyrane, who might just be the best fiddler ever to come along. Tyrane is awful sad about something himself. Maybe that's why he and Eldy get along so well.
Turns out, Eldy isn't so bad a fiddler himself. He's got a natural flair for things. He might only be twelve, but he's got the best curve ball, and is the fastest runner in Jupiter Bluff, West Virginia, plus he's got plenty of not-quite-understood life experience stored up - and it's more than ready to spill out in ways that'll elicit a grin from even the hardest nosed reader.
Yes, Eldy stands tall as our narrator, carrying the story, but author Evans has a great eye for character and he's given Eldy a fine supporting cast so aptly drawn you feel you've known everybody as long as you can remember.
Long story short, when Uncle Tyrane passes on, it's up to Eldy to stand up for him. The result is a road trip the likes of which you'll remember for a long time. I won't spill the beans any more than this: Eldy faces a crisis in a seedy Mega Mart men's room, which concludes with him running through the store bareass, greased up head to foot with Vaseline, pants around his ankles yelling, "Pedafiles, Pedafiles".
Mind you, Eldy doesn't quite understand what a pedafile is. He just knows the women crowded around the 70% off table won't like it, and the result is him and Felton gain time to escape the motorcycle gang.
Felton? Motorcycle gang? Where'd they come from? And the motorcycles dangling from the hot air ballon that lands in the middle of Lake Ponchartrain? It's too much to tell here. Take my advice, get you down to the bookstore and grab a copy of "On Ice" before they're all gone.
Art Tirrell is the author of the 2007 adventure novel, "The Secret Ever Keeps", of which reviewer Meg W. said, "Simply put, the best underwater scenes I've ever read." http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601....
If you knew in advance you'd be tackling a story narrated in true redneck vernacular by a twelve-year-old boy, you might think twice. In this case it would be a mistake. It's not long at all before the vernacular fits like a well made glove, and Red Evan's sweet little novel, "On Ice", rises to the challenge.
It's like this: Eldridge Brewer's daddy got taken away to war and never came back. Eldy doesn't quite understand why not, yet, and secretly, he's still angry about his dad leaving him to grow up alone. The only time he can forget is when he's playing the fiddle with Uncle Tyrane, who might just be the best fiddler ever to come along. Tyrane is awful sad about something himself. Maybe that's why he and Eldy get along so well.
Turns out, Eldy isn't so bad a fiddler himself. He's got a natural flair for things. He might only be twelve, but he's got the best curve ball, and is the fastest runner in Jupiter Bluff, West Virginia, plus he's got plenty of not-quite-understood life experience stored up - and it's more than ready to spill out in ways that'll elicit a grin from even the hardest nosed reader.
Yes, Eldy stands tall as our narrator, carrying the story, but author Evans has a great eye for character and he's given Eldy a fine supporting cast so aptly drawn you feel you've known everybody as long as you can remember.
Long story short, when Uncle Tyrane passes on, it's up to Eldy to stand up for him. The result is a road trip the likes of which you'll remember for a long time. I won't spill the beans any more than this: Eldy faces a crisis in a seedy Mega Mart men's room, which concludes with him running through the store bareass, greased up head to foot with Vaseline, pants around his ankles yelling, "Pedafiles, Pedafiles".
Mind you, Eldy doesn't quite understand what a pedafile is. He just knows the women crowded around the 70% off table won't like it, and the result is him and Felton gain time to escape the motorcycle gang.
Felton? Motorcycle gang? Where'd they come from? And the motorcycles dangling from the hot air ballon that lands in the middle of Lake Ponchartrain? It's too much to tell here. Take my advice, get you down to the bookstore and grab a copy of "On Ice" before they're all gone.
Art Tirrell is the author of the 2007 adventure novel, "The Secret Ever Keeps", of which reviewer Meg W. said, "Simply put, the best underwater scenes I've ever read." http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601....
July 4, 2024
Upon re-read many years later, this is still a delightful little book. It made me laugh out loud, get nervous, feel scared, feel sad, and feel very happy. I love the story and the spirit of the lesson here. What I didn't love so much, was the very weird racial comments in this book. I know it was published in 2007, and the characters were from a very backwoods part of rural West Virginia, but the way the main character's best friend was called "Oriental" and "Ping Pong" and "Peepee" coupled with the way a motel owener named Mohamed was referred to several times as "the martian" and described as "speaking a strange language that wasn't English" when it clearly was jusy English with an accent...well it was all very off putting. The author is a well traveled, well respected, well celebrated journalist. I can't make it make sense why he chose to make this choice.
Original Review:
I picked up a signed copy of this book at, get this, the Dollar Tree! I paid one dollar for a signed copy of this book, and I wasn’t at all sure what to expect. I loved the cover art, and the plot sounded like something my crazy Kentucky family might try. After I read chapter one, I knew I was going to like this book. I laughed so hard while I was reading this, and I loved that the book was written in actual southern dialogue. I could hear and see it all perfectly in my mind. The characters were are larger than life, and it was just a fun book to read. At the end, the story flashes to the future and tells you where the main characters are later on in life. I really appreciated that, because I hate when books end and don’t tell you what actually happened to the characters after the events in the plot occurred. I recommend this book to anyone out there who wants a charming and fun read.
Original Review:
I picked up a signed copy of this book at, get this, the Dollar Tree! I paid one dollar for a signed copy of this book, and I wasn’t at all sure what to expect. I loved the cover art, and the plot sounded like something my crazy Kentucky family might try. After I read chapter one, I knew I was going to like this book. I laughed so hard while I was reading this, and I loved that the book was written in actual southern dialogue. I could hear and see it all perfectly in my mind. The characters were are larger than life, and it was just a fun book to read. At the end, the story flashes to the future and tells you where the main characters are later on in life. I really appreciated that, because I hate when books end and don’t tell you what actually happened to the characters after the events in the plot occurred. I recommend this book to anyone out there who wants a charming and fun read.
March 9, 2015
So much fun. Buy turns hilarious and touching. I got such a laugh out of some scenarios and yet this says a lot about dealing with loss and the healing power of friendship. Also, the author uses the folksy expression "ass over teakettle" to describe being knocked over and/or falling down and tumbling. I love this old fashioned expression, which assorted of my family members use, and think more people should still use it. So bonus points for that!!
February 4, 2009
Red Evans has spun the perfect quirky yarn about love, family and forgiveness with a wonderful cast of chacters..a '59 Studabaker, a kiddie pool, some snakeskin book wearing thugs, a Banjo man, an Indian Chief and a dog that farts in e-flat. Oh! Add to that a road trip in the deep south..what is not to like. Bring a box of tissues along. Enjoy.
February 3, 2008
Absolutely hilarious. Filled with characters I want to know and hang out with. I hope to see more from Red Evans. Read this book!
May 12, 2009
Beautiful, touching book about a young boy who goes to great lengths to honor a mentor who meant so much to him. Red Evans meant a lot to me. Read this book and cherish it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews