She's the One Who Can't Keep Quiet by S.R. Cronin

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Do you know what your problem is?

Celestine, the fifth of seven sisters, is tired of hearing about hers. Father thinks she’s frivolous because she likes pretty clothes and caters to the crowds in the taverns who adore her music. Mother thinks that because she’s the most social daughter in the family, she can’t keep quiet about anything.

They’re both wrong. Celestine hides a secret she has kept for most of her life.

As the family beauty and a talented musician with a lyrical voice, she has the best prospects for marriage to a prince. When such a liaison never happens, people assume Celestine is too choosy. But even in somewhat tolerant Ilari, a daughter hates to disappoint her family. How can she tell them she’s in love with a princess instead?

Lucky for Celestine, all her sisters are obsessed with an invading army headed to their realm. Celestine would rather ignore the threat and enjoy the freedom their lack of attention gives her. But, her voice can unlock a power that may help save Ilari. And the woman she loves is determined to fight these invaders. And her family, for all their talents, seems clueless about how to motivate the masses.

Celestine knows she can inspire the citizens of Ilari to do what needs to be done. Is it time to put her inhibitions aside and use her voice to save those she cares about?

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Backstage as we gathered our things to leave, Nevik stepped behind the curtain.

“Madam, your music is excellent,” he said to me. “Would you allow me the privilege of walking with you to your inn?”

“Your wife? Your family?”

“They’ll see to each other,” he said. “I told them that I’ve some musical questions I wish to ask of you.”

“Very well.” I turned to the others. “Do you mind if I start back now?”

“Please.” Zamarran spoke for them all.

Once we were outside, I dropped the polite veneer.

“I know we’ve never met, sir, and you are a prince, but I also know what you did to my sister and I’ve nothing to say to you.”

He shook his head. “That is why we are walking together. If you’re going to frequent the places in Pilk where I dine, I need you to stop glaring at me. It’s awkward.”

“I don’t glare at my audience,” I said.

“You sure did when I requested that song.”

“It’s Ryalgar’s favorite.”

“It’s my favorite too, and she and I continue to enjoy it together.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Your sister and I…we remain much in love. We see each other whenever we can.”

I looked at him in horror. Despite the freedom permitted to the young and unmarried, most of us took marriage vows seriously. I couldn’t believe my sister would participate in such a torrid arrangement.

“My marriage is not one of love, it never has been, and your sister knows it.”

“Right. What woman hasn’t heard that line before?” Was this man just another Davor?

“No. The farce I’ve been saddled with was arranged by our parents. She hated the idea worse than I, yet we were both ordered to make it seem real, so it wouldn’t sway public opinion against our families. Ryalgar has known about this from the start. The woman I am forced to call my wife has an agreement with me and she loves another as well.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes and I beg you to verify this with your sister. I love her with all my heart. And she loves me.”

Well, wasn’t that a surprise?

We’d reached the inn where I stayed.

“Celestine. Before I bid you good night, let me say that I regret I never got the chance to meet you when Ryalgar and I were publicly courting. I enjoyed the sisters I got to meet. Your family is wonderful. Please. You’re becoming quite the figure here in Pilk so I don’t need you as an enemy. In fact, I could use you as a friend.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“If I find your story to be true, we’ll talk again.” Then the side of me that handled our promotions kicked in. “And if it is true, I could use a friend, too.”

About the Author:

Sherrie Cronin writes stories about people achieving the astonishing by developing abilities they barely knew they had. She’s made a lot of stops along the way to telling these tells — living in seven cities, visiting forty-six countries, and working as a waitress, technical writer, and geophysicist. She’s lost too many beloved cats to mention, but has acquired a husband and three children who are all doing fine, despite how odd she is.

Today she lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina where she writes, answers a hotline, and occasionally checks her phone for a message from Captain Picard. She still hopes to get the chance to pursue her remaining dream in life and become Chief Science Officer on the Starship Enterprise.

Author Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinnabar01
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/46Ascending
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.r.cronin/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/s-r-cronin
Author Blog: https://troublesome7sisters.xyz/

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She's the One Who Doesn't Say Much by S.R. Cronin

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. S. R. Cronin will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Do you know what your problem is?

Olivine knows hers. This quiet thirteenth-century artist has been hiding a secret as she travels to K'ba to meet her friends. Others assume she's fallen in love with another artist, but it's much worse than that. For on the way to K'ba is the dirt poor nichna of Scrud, a place scorned by other Ilarians. And in Scrud is the one man who understands her.

However, Bohdan recognizes the dangers posed by an impending Mongol invasion. When he learns of Olivine's unusual visual powers, he convinces her to pick up her bow and start practicing.

She does, though she's more concerned with moving to K'ba where she can paint all day and see Bohdan whenever she wants. If only her sister hadn't decided Olivine and her fellow long eyes held one key to defending the realm.

Then, as if life wasn't complicated enough, Olivine learns the artist community she yearns to be part of has developed a different take on the invasion. They're sure the only way to survive is to capitulate completely to the Mongols’ demands. Artists who feel otherwise are no longer welcome.

Where does her future lie? The invasion is coming soon and Olivine doesn't have much time to decide.

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My mother and I sat at our dining table, polishing the eating utensils. As I told her of my change in plans, she laid down her cloth and looked at me.

“Remember, it’s just as easy to fall in love with a prince,” she said.

I dropped a spoon on the floor.

“You’ve been saying that to me since I was six. What if I don’t want a prince?”

“Oh, don’t be so defensive. I’d think a young woman like you would want a husband with all the means possible.”

“What do you mean like me?”

“You know. One who wants to paint. You must realize the arts are the prerogative of women with rich husbands. Anything less than a house full of servants, and you’ll be too busy with your chores to have a hobby.”

Did she suspect I planned to live on my own?

“You spend a lot of time over in K’ba,” she said with a knowing smile. “I understand the place is full of free spirits who probably appeal to you, but think twice. An artist husband won’t give you the life you want. He’ll expect you to take care of him while he paints.”

No. She suspected I’d fallen in love with another artist.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying out possibilities, dear. That’s what being a tidzy is for. But you’re outgrowing your time. Consider being more friendly. I’m told the boys here thought you didn’t like them because you kept to yourself so much as you grew up.”

“I liked the boys fine, Mom. They were all busy paying attention to Celestine. She saved me from a lot of stupid conversations.”

“Well, there aren’t many men who can give you the future you want. Remember that.”

She had no idea of the future I wanted, and it was probably best kept that way.

About the Author:

Sherrie Cronin is the author of a collection of six speculative fiction novels known as 46. Ascending and is now in the process of publishing a historical fantasy series called The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters. A quick look at the synopses of her books makes it obvious she is fascinated by people achieving the astonishing by developing abilities they barely knew they had.

She’s made a lot of stops along the way to writing these novels. She’s lived in seven cities, visited forty-six countries, and worked as a waitress, technical writer, and geophysicist. Now she answers a hot-line. Along the way, she’s lost several cats but acquired a husband who still loves her and three kids who’ve grown up just fine, both despite how odd she is.

All her life she has wanted to either tell these kinds of stories or be Chief Science Officer on the Starship Enterprise. She now lives and writes in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she admits to occasionally checking her phone for a message from Captain Picard, just in case.

Author Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinnabar01
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/46Ascending
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.r.cronin/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/s-r-cronin
Author Blog: https://sherriecronin.xyz/
Book Series Blog: https://troublesome7sisters.xyz/

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Doesnt-Stories-Seven-Troublesome-Sisters-ebook/dp/B09128H2YJ
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shes-the-one-who-doesnt-say-much-s-r-cronin/1139107112

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One of Two by S.R. Cronin

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. S.R. Cronin will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC and a kindle copy of another book from the 46. Ascending collection (winner’s choice) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Telepathy creates as many problems as it solves, as everyone in the secret organization x0 would admit. When new member Lola discovers another group of telepaths with a totally different approach, those problems multiply at the speed of thought.

Soon, Lola’s family and friends are in danger. Lucky for her, she’s not your average budding psychic. Each person she is close to has a special gift of their own. That’s good, because it’s going to take every power they possess to stop these others from tearing apart x0.

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Warren hated being asked about things he couldn’t think about. He tried to keep his feelings vague as he answered the construction manager in charge of the new complex being built in Tierra del Fuego.

“Yes, the primarily purpose is to keep intruders out. State of the art security system, as obvious as possible. I want my people to feel safe there from nuclear war, zombie apocalypse, and viral Armageddon. You get the idea.”

“That was in the original design, sir, although we’ve added a few things I’m sure you’ll like. The area I need more guidance in is the one you left rather grey. To what extent do you need to keep people in?”

I need that area to stay grey, you idiot. Warren recited a couple of nursery rhymes in his head before answering.

“That’s a contingency concept, on the off chance, uh, unexpected circumstances arise. Just being prepared. You keep that function concealed and don’t give me details. Give me a manual or something I can access in an emergency.”

“You want a manual?”

“Better yet,” Warren said. “Why don’t you do this part on your own initiative? You know, in case I have needs down the road I don’t anticipate. Don’t skimp, but bury the costs and don’t mention it to me again.”

“Sure, boss. Whatever you say.”

The man hadn’t risen into management without being able to read a situation. He was being told to build an impenetrable fortress that could secretly double as a prison, and to pretend the second function was his own idea.

About the Author:

Sherrie Roth grew up in Western Kansas thinking there was no place in the universe more fascinating than outer space. After her mother vetoed astronaut as a career ambition, she went on to study journalism and physics in hopes of becoming a science writer.

She published her first science fiction short story and then waited a lot of tables while she looked for inspiration for the next tale. When it finally came, it declared to her it had to be a whole book, nothing less. One night, while digesting this disturbing piece of news, she drank way too many shots of ouzo with her boyfriend. She woke up thirty-one years later demanding to know what was going on.

The boyfriend, who she had apparently long since married, asked her to calm down. He explained that, in a fit of practicality, she had gone back to school and gotten a degree in geophysics and had spent the last 28 years interpreting seismic data in the oil industry. The good news, according to Mr. Cronin, was she found it at least mildly entertaining and ridiculously well-paying. The bad news was the two of them had still managed to spend almost all of the money.

Apparently she was now Mrs. Cronin, and the further good news was they had produced three wonderful children whom they loved dearly, even though to be honest that is where a lot of the money had gone. Even better news was that Mr. Cronin turned out to be a warm-hearted, encouraging sort who was happy to see her awake and ready to write. "It's about time," were his exact words.

Sherrie Cronin discovered that over the ensuing decades Sally Ride had already managed to become the first woman in space and done a fine job of it. No one, however, had written the book that had been in Sherrie's head for decades. The only problem was the book informed her it had grown into a six book collection. Sherrie decided she better start writing before it got any longer. She's been wide awake ever since, and writing away.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinnabar01
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Number46Ascending
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q
Blogs:

46 Ascending - https://46ascending.org
Face Painting for World Peace - http://tothepowerofzero.org/
Fire Dancing for Fun and Profit - http://ytothepowerof1.org
Treasure Hunting for a Good Time - http://zsquaredblog.org/
Leaving the Nest to Touch the Sky - http://ctothepowerofthree.org/
Touching the Sky to Save the World - http://dtothepowerof4.org/

Email me at lola.zeitman@gmail.com

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