She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much (Book One of the War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters)
by S.R. Cronin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Historical Fantasy
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BLURB:
It’s
the 1200’s, and the small realm of Ilari has had peace and prosperity for
generations. That doesn’t mean everyone is happy, however.
Ryalgar, a spinster
farm girl and the oldest of seven, has always preferred her studies to
flirtation, yet even she finally meets her prince. Or so she thinks, until she
discovers he’s already betrothed. Embarrassed, she flees her family’s farm to
join the Velka, the mysterious women of the forest known for their magical
powers and for living apart from men.
As a Velka, she
develops her telekinesis and learns she has a talent for analyzing information.
Both are going to come in handy. For she’s continued to meet her prince at the
forest’s edge, thinking being his mistress isn’t such a bad deal. Then she
learns more about his princely assignment. He’s tasked with training the army
of Ilari to repel the feared Mongol horseman who’ve been moving eastward for years,
killing all in their path. And, her prince is willing to sacrifice the outer
farmlands where she grew up to these invaders, if he has to.
Ryalgar isn’t about to
let that happen.
She’s got the Velka
behind her now, as well as a multitude of university intellectuals, a family of
tough farmers, and six sisters each with her own unique personality and
talents.
Can Ryalgar organize
all that into a resistance that will stop the Mongols? She thinks she can.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPTS:
Most days I managed to keep my feeling of being closed in by
the trees tucked into a corner of my mind where it couldn’t take over. I
watched it the way I’d watch a wild animal, a wolf circling my campfire,
looking for an opening into my camp. As long as I stayed alert, it couldn’t get
to me.
But, the panicking feeling of not being able to breathe
would come upon me when I forgot about it, the way a wild animal would get into
my house if I left my door open. It happened at night, just as I was falling
asleep, or when I was concentrating hard on something, like adding numbers in
my head, or when I was searching for something in my room. Then it would
overtake me by surprise and I’d have to sit still, breathe slowly, and remind
myself I was okay. I had everything I needed. Nothing could hurt me.
Once I was watching it again, it would pass.
In one more ank, my two eighths of a year would be up and
I’d be free to leave the forest. Or so I thought.
“That two eighths thing is more of a guideline, really,” my orientation
instructor said when I asked her about going to my sister’s wedding. “I’ve
already been advised you’ll be expected to wait longer than most before your
first trip out.”
“But that’s not fair. Going to her wedding is a reasonable
request!”
I was already annoyed because I was being required to attend
this class after two new girls who’d started after I did had been told they
were done. Was I a slow learner? I’d never been one before.
“You have to have noticed you’re getting special treatment,”
she told me. “Nice room. Fewer chores. These things come at a cost. They own a
bigger piece of you. I happen to know they want you to learn more from me than
most because I’ve been told to keep you in my class indefinitely.”
Really?
“Heli, they probably expect you to help me teach this class
sooner or later. So don’t be annoyed with me. We’re going to be spending too
much time together for that.”
I decided to respond with equal honesty. “I like your class,
actually, and there’s so much more I want to know. I just don’t like the idea
of people thinking I’m stupid.”
She laughed. “No one does. Better get used to the idea of
people thinking your special, though, and not everyone liking you for it.”
“Is that why they won’t let me go to my sister’s wedding? Am
I being punished by someone who doesn’t want me to be treated so well?”
“I don’t think so. My guess is someone here has pinned a lot
of hopes on you and wants to make sure when you leave for the first time, you
come back.”
“Of course I’ll come back.”
She gave me a funny look. “Don’t be so sure. There are a lot
of firsts you haven’t had yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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:
Goodreads:
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin
Amazon:
www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q
Author Blog:
https://sherriecronin.xyz/
Book Series
Blog: https://troublesome7sisters.xyz/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER
CODE
S.R. Cronin will be awarding a $25
a
Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me here today.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read, thanks for sharing it with us.
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