The Story Behind the Story with Sally Cronin of Southern Ireland.

 

Another treat for you this week on the Scribbler. 

Sally is back to tell us about her memoir.

 

Sally has been an ardent supporter of her fellow authors and writers. On her popular website, she shares music, reviews, nutritional tips, humour, excerpts, books, author interviews and more!

She has been a welcome guest previously.

Take a peek HERE.

Read on my friends.

 

Sally Cronin is the author of eighteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the program she designed to achieve a healthy weight and regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 26 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog. This has been followed by another seventeen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across her social media.

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

 

 

 

Title: Size Always Matters: Don’t be part of a statistic, start losing weight today.

Synopsis:

At age 41 in 1994 and weighing 330 lbs, Sally Cronin had two choices when she was told that she was unlikely to live to 45. Carry on eating or get her act together. She chose to study nutrition and change the way she approached the food she ate and her other lifestyle choices.

Her first book, Size Matters, told the story of her weight loss of 154 lbs and shared the programme she designed to both lose the weight and regain her health. Now, thirty years on from the start of that journey, having worked as a nutritional therapist with hundreds of clients as well as acting as a health consultant on radio for several years and on her blog, she shares an updated version of the programme. This also includes the nutrients we require to be healthy and recipes to provide our bodies with them effectively.

 

The Story Behind the Story:

Having followed many diets over my teens and 20s and 30s I reached 330lbs and was in very poor health. I decided I needed to discover more about both my body and my relation to food which led me to design a program which led to me losing 150lbs in 18 months healthily. I studied both medicine and nutrition and then qualified as a nutritional therapist, working with hundreds of clients over the last 26 years and working as a consultant in the media.

Size Always Matters brings both my own experience, my research and work with others together in a program that anyone can follow. It is not a get slim quick approach but one that lasts a lifetime.

Website: Please go HERE.

A question before you go, Sally:

Scribbler: What is the ideal spot for you when you write your stories? Music in the background or quiet. Coffee or tequila? Messy or neat?

Sally: I usually create stories, posts and books in my head first when walking and then sit down at my desktop to put it down in writing. I prefer quiet when working, I prefer tea and I would say I am semi-messy but know where everything is.

An Excerpt from Size Always Matters

Stop thinking like a fat person and start thinking like a slim one.

Start thinking and voicing the ‘when’, not ‘if’, you lose weight. Also there is a six letter word which is your nemesis…‘Should’. We use it blatantly when we want to avoid doing anything. I should lose weight, I should stop smoking, I should save money! Very wishy-washy and not going to get you over the finish line. Start using the word ‘MUST’ instead. Put some muscle behind it and get it done.

Also, stop eating for the size you are. I cannot count the number of times I was told ‘take two you’re a big girl’ or ‘have a second helping you need all the energy you can get’…. No. Actually you need to eat for the person you are going to become, not the one you have become!

 

Thanks very much Allan for having me as a guest today, it is much appreciated.

It’s our pleasure to have you back again, Sally. Thank you for being the featured guest this week. We wish you continued success with your writing.

And a Gigantic Thank You to all our visitors and readers.

Feel free to leave a comment.

We’d love to hear from you.

Guest Author Sally Cronin of the UK.

Have you ever met a person that goes out of their way to be nice?

That’s Sally Cronin and we are so happy to have her as our guest this week on the Scribbler. She was willing to participate in a 4Q and share an excerpt from her work with us.

 

 

Thank you very much for your invitation to be interviewed Allan, and for the great questions. Delighted to be featured here with so many of my favourite authors.

 

I have been a storyteller most of my life (my mother called them fibs!). Poetry, song lyrics and short stories were left behind when work and life intruded, but that all changed in 1996. My first book Size Matters was a health and weight loss book based on my own experiences of losing 70kilo. I have written another ten books since then on health and also fiction including three collections of short stories. I am an indie author and proud to be one. My greatest pleasure comes from those readers who enjoy my take on health, characters and twisted endings… and of course come back for more. 

Please see Sally’s links below.

4Q: Before we talk about writing, it is without question that you are one of the most generous authors I’ve met online when it comes to promoting other artists and writers. Is there a reason for that?

 

 

 

SC:  Thank you for the compliment Allan, and there is an important reason behind my commitment to sharing the work of others. When I was first starting out twenty years ago as a writer, it was a very different story when it came to marketing Indie books. Without the Internet it was a question of sending letter after letter to the media both local and national, and it was very difficult to get any kind of response. I was very lucky to get the press coverage that I did; but I look back at that time as being very stressful and disheartening. 

The world of publishing has changed considerably, particularly in the last decade. The opportunities to publish books are varied and improving all the time. However, this has resulted in millions of titles hitting the online book shelves each year.  In many ways this is fantastic, but it has created exactly the same problem for authors as I faced twenty years ago; getting books in front of potential readers.

The numbers are overwhelming, but I firmly believe that instead of trying to make a difference to everyone, you start by making a difference to a few.  At the moment I promote around 25 authors a week in various promotional posts, sharing them on my blog and with social media followers. I have spent the last four years building those platforms to an effective level to promote my own books, and it makes sense to me to use them to give other authors a boost at the same time. 

The community of online bloggers and authors is without a doubt a very generous one; their reciprocation on their platforms is very much appreciated.  Without massive budgets for advertising and promotion, it is probably the most effective form of marketing for the majority of authors.

 

4Q: You have many publications to your credit but which one is your favorite and why?

SC: Probably my favourite book is Just an Odd Job Girl since it is mainly auto-biographical as far as the main events are concerned. It took me a while to find a career that I really enjoyed which was the hospitality industry.  I began work at the age of fourteen at weekends and during school holidays along the seafront in Portsmouth and then moved from job to job as need and circumstances dictated.

Thankfully I was never out of work, as I believed in doing whatever I needed, to bring home a weekly wage packet, including temping at certain times.  Apart from jobs that lasted a number of years , I have also worked in a funeral parlour, brokered bull semen, washed dishes in a Chinese restaurant, typed 100 cheques a day for an insurance company (some of which 40 years ago were several times my annual salary) and spent a snowy February lambing.

Writing the book brought back so many memories of those days, and the response from those who have read it, and found it entertaining, is the icing on the cake.

 

4Q: Please share a childhood memory or anecdote.

SC: We travelled a great deal when I was a child as my father was a Royal Naval officer and was stationed in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), Malta and South Africa. My first memories would be from about the age of three when we were living in Ceylon. I had two elder sisters who were ten and eleven years older than I was. I had an amah (nanny) during the day, but when my sisters arrived back from school, I would be handed over to them. I am sure at thirteen and fourteen they were thrilled to have me trailing behind them, but they were very good to me. Everything that they did, I would do too; including swimming behind them in the sea in my rubber ring.

Both were excellent swimmers and divers. One afternoon there was a school swimming and diving competition and we went as a family to watch the two girls compete. My eldest sister climbed the ladder to the high board and walked to the end, executing an excellent dive into the sea. She came to the surface expecting applause from the audience; instead there was absolute silence followed by a universal gasp from the spectators. 

Not to be outdone, I had wandered away from my parents and climbed the ladder to the diving board, tottering to the end where I had last seen my sister.  Noticing her far below me in the water, I decided to follow suit and jumped.  I surfaced completely unaware of the horror that I had inflicted on the crowd, my sisters and parents, and exclaimed "Again"

My life to be honest has been a little like that at times!  Either by accident or design, and I have to say I have loved every minute of it.

 

4Q: This is a double question for you Sally. What inspires your stories and what are you working on?

SC: I have given this question a great deal of thought over the years and I have come to the conclusion that it is life which inspires me. It is so complex; filled with such vivid experiences, good and bad, that you do not have to look far for inspiration. As I mentioned in the previous question, I was very lucky to have travelled as a child, and in adulthood I have spent more of my life abroad than I have in the UK. Such a rich tapestry of different cultures, peoples and experiences that have made such an impact on me.

Probably the most significant element of this life we lead, is the people that we meet and their stories that we absorb. Most of my characters are drawn from this reservoir of people I have met; had relationships with, or even met in passing through airports or on a train. I find people fascinating and that is magic for a writer.

My latest project is a follow up to Tales from the Garden which was set in our home in Madrid. This second book is set in a number of gardens here in Ireland and features some of the characters from the first set of short stories. Including the fairy Queen Filigree and her court who have escaped from Spain, finding sanctuary in The Storyteller's garden.

I have a number of wonderful illustrations by the very talented artist Donata Zawadzka and I am really enjoying the process.
 Tales from the Garden is also my first translated book into Spanish and that will be released later this year.

 

 

 

An Excerpt from Chapter Five of Just an Odd Job Girl

(Copyright is held by the author and is used with permission)

I lived in a naval town and it was inevitable that socially I would meet and go out with young naval officers. I was at a party one Saturday, when I was introduced to this very tall, good-looking guy. I was now nineteen and felt I looked stunning, in a new outfit that I had just bought. This included a false half-wig on a black velvet band. It was ash blonde, and if you pulled the band far enough forward it hid the true colour of your hair. It hung seductively down my back and swung with a very satisfying swish when I walked or danced. Combined with a short black velvet dress and knee-high black boots, I was ready to rock and roll.

He was a wonderful dancer. He threw me around the floor to the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart and held me close when slow music was playing. He was gorgeous and I could see all my girlfriends looking on in envy as I strutted my stuff. This was living! My fertile imagination went into overtime. I had just got to the bit where I stunned my parents by taking this Adonis home to meet them when my favourite Rolling Stones song blared out from the speakers. Brown Sugar. If ever there was a song to dance to this was it. I was flying, and it took several minutes for it to register that not only my partner but also several people around us had stopped dancing. Assuming that they were so stunned by my gyrations and flexible interpretations of the music that they had stopped to watch, I carried on playing up to my audience.

There were a number of poles supporting the roof of the dance floor. One was quite close by, and I avoided hitting it as I twirled on the spangled floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something hanging halfway up the pole, but I was busy and didn’t take much notice of it. By now about two dozen people were watching the performance and I was too intent on keeping them entertained. I whirled faster, got closer to the pole, and only then realised that the object hanging limply from a hook was my ash-blonde hairpiece.

I stood there, with my own hair pinned on top of my head covered by a stocking that held it firmly in place. I looked over at my Adonis to find a look of horrified fascination on his face. I grabbed the hair and dashed for the stairs, and the ladies.

I was wearing a little shoulder bag and had no coat, so a speedy retreat was possible. I ripped the stocking and pins from my own hair and legged it out the door and into a taxi home. I have never been so mortified in my life. Today I would have laughed it off and carried on, but at nineteen it was the end of my world and the stunning future I had envisioned for myself with Mr. Fantastic. I hadn’t even got his name, but thankfully he hadn’t got mine either.

Two days later, still squirming from my ordeal, I attended my interview for acceptance into the Queen Alexandra Nursing Service. It was held over in Gosport, at the naval hospital, and along with twenty other hopefuls, I undertook a day of testing and medical examinations.

Eye tests, weight, blood pressure, heart and lungs all checked out. This was conducted by a very severe looking nursing sister and then we were passed on to a doctor for a full medical.

At nineteen, I was not sure what this entailed, and was rather concerned to be asked to remove all my clothing and don a backless hospital gown.

Holding this gown in place with one hand behind my back, I was led, nervously, into the examining room. A head was bent over some notes and I was escorted behind a screen and told to hop up on the examining couch. The nurse loosened the ties behind the neck of the gown and stood at the head of the couch. The curtains parted and the doctor entered. Now I know what a rabbit feels like, paralysed in the glare of the headlights. There before me in a white coat with stethoscope at the ready was my Adonis.

Thank you very much Allan for being such a great host. 

It's a pleasure to have you as our guest this week Sally. I'm reading your excellent short stories from the "What's in a Name" collection and am truly enjoying it. Good luck with all your future endeavors.

 

For you readers that would like to know more about this talented author, please visit Sally’s links.

 

Blog: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com

Amazon: https://amazon.com/Sally-Cronin/e/B0096REZM2

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sgc58

 

 

And thanks to you the visitor. 

Feel free to tell us what's on your mind!

 

Wow... what a year. 2024.

 

 

Wow!

What a wonderful year it has been for the South Branch Scribbler!

 

Join us today as we uncover a few facts about last year.

125000 visitors

47 guests

 Here's a few of them

Our most popular guest posts of 2024 participating creatives.

Olive Mazerolle of NB, Canada – 711 visits

Please go HERE

 A note from the author: “Over 400 books sold with my goal of helping others obtained many times over. So grateful! - Olive”

Katherine Melanie of Atlantic Canada - 560 visits

Please go HERE

Nancy Cusak of NB, Canada - 501 visits

Please go HERE

Suzanne Casey of NB, Canada - 494 visits

Please go HERE

Sally Cronin of Ireland – 373 visits

Please go HERE

 

This year we even had a visual artist as a guest.

 

Nadine Godin 0f Neguac, NB, Canada – 202 visits

Please go HERE

 

The top pages from the past but visited in 2024.

 

Artist Susan Jardine of Shediac, NB, Canada – 958 visits

Please go HERE

Author Susan Toy of Bequia, Caribbean & NFLD – 783 visits

 

Please go HERE.

A list of creatives who shared the Scribbler pages over the last year.

Ivan Holiday Arsenault. Hollay Ghadery

Susan E. Wadds. Valerie Sherrard

Jon Hurd. SC Eston

Zev Bagel. Brian Francis

Andrew MacLean. Anne Dowdall

Mark E. Shupe. Sally Cronin

A Few More.....

Chuck Bowie. Michelle MacLean

Bea Waters. Gianetta Murray

Chantal MacDonald. Kade Cook

Paige LePage. Stella MacLean

Nicola Davison. Nadine Godin

Olive Mazerolle. Kathy Shuker

Joe Mahoney. D. C. Malcolm

Louise Boulter. Rhonda Bulmer

Sandra Bunting. Tina Lalonde

Angela Wren. Raymonde Savoie

... and a few more ...

Dianne Pennell. Rick Revelle

Joanna Vander Vlugt. Sandra Woods Poulin

Diane McGyver. Suzanne Casey

Katherine Melanie. Em Whelly

Sheryl Doiron-Powers. Joe Powers

Hannah State

 

... and a few more ...

 

Personally I’ve had a great year with the introduction of my latest novel

One Bedroom Ark.

 

*

I participated in another anthology with a group of eight other talented authors know as the Seasonal Collective.

Summer Paths

 *

In the works …

Code Name: Iron Feather 1942

Arriving Spring, 2025.

 

Camp Debert, an army base being built next door to Royal Canadian Air Force Base in Debert, Nova Scotia on the east coast of Canada. Thousands of thousands of men and women will pass through on their way to Europe. Units will be mustered, weapons handed out and training for war. The contractors are still erecting buildings as fast as they can.

The new mess on the army base is partially completed until work stops when the foreman finds a dead body hanging from the rafters. Not a soldier, but an airman.

Everything is hush-hush. The commanding officer has asked for the investigation to be handled by Warrant Officer Stefan Kravchenko of the Air Force Service Police. He’s ordered to Camp Debert, immediately. Upon arrival he discovers the scene is all wrong. The medical examiner suggests it may look like a suicide, but …

 

 * 

The Alexanders Vol 3 1926 – 1930

Fall 2025.

  *

 

Earth

An anthology from the Seasonal Collective, ten authors joining together with their short stories under the theme Earth. June, 2025.

 *

 

The Greater Moncton, Riverview & Dieppe Book Fair was held in July of 2023.

An enjoyable day with curious readers.

50 authors gathered in one place.

Fun!

Planning for the 2025 event is underway and I hope you will join us.

Same place – Riverview Lions Center

April 26, 2025 10 AM – 3 PM.

 Click on FUN! above.

 

Watch next week for the last guest of the year, we are excited to have Suzy Krause of Saskatchewan, Canada. 

 

 

Thank you everyone for visiting, reading and your comments.

Six great authors = Six great books

I love reading stories. I've been reading them since my mother brought home Dick & Jane.

Okay, so many of you are too young to remember D&J, but those school books started me on a journey that will only end when these eyes close for the last time.

So many years later (65 today to be exact ), I'm still collecting books, piling them up on any available space. I can't help it! Many I read over and over.

There are so many great stories, talented authors but these ones stand out for me. This week I want to tell you about some that I really, really like - maybe you will too. 

**Please note that the descriptions all come from Goodreads.

1. The Baker's Secret by Stephen Kiernan

This book was recommended to me by my brother-in-law Paul because he knew that I enjoyed stories that took place during WW II. After finishing this delightful tale, I rushed out to buy all Kiernan's books. I have not been disappointed. He's an exceptional author.

From the critically acclaimed author of The Hummingbird and The Curiosity comes a dazzling novel of World War II—a shimmering tale of courage, determination, optimism, and the resilience of the human spirit, set in a small Normandy village on the eve of D-Day

On June 5, 1944, as dawn rises over a small town on the Normandy coast of France, Emmanuelle is making the bread that has sustained her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country.

Only twenty-two, Emma learned to bake at the side of a master, Ezra Kuchen, the village baker since before she was born. Apprenticed to Ezra at thirteen, Emma watched with shame and anger as her kind mentor was forced to wear the six-pointed yellow star on his clothing. She was likewise powerless to help when they pulled Ezra from his shop at gunpoint, the first of many villagers stolen away and never seen again.

But in the years that her sleepy coastal village has suffered under the enemy, Emma has silently, stealthily fought back. Each day, she receives an extra ration of flour to bake a dozen baguettes for the occupying troops. And each day, she mixes that precious flour with ground straw to create enough dough for two extra loaves—contraband bread she shares with the hungry villagers. Under the cold, watchful eyes of armed soldiers, she builds a clandestine network of barter and trade that she and the villagers use to thwart their occupiers.

But her gift to the village is more than these few crusty loaves. Emma gives the people a taste of hope—the faith that one day the Allies will arrive to save them.

Learn more about Mr. Kiernan HERE. 

2. The Body on the Underwater Road by Chuck Bowie

I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck Bowie at a writer's convention hosted by WFNB a few years back and was introduced to his main character - Donovan - a Thief for Hire. I've read all the series and he's a fine storyteller. This is the newest caper for Donovan.

Tricia Parker was a woman with a past; one that led to a marriage break-up and the complete severance of ties to her very wealthy ex-husband and daughter. Fifteen years later, Tricia suddenly appears, wanting to talk to her daughter, and a day later, Tricia's body washes up on an underwater road. The prime suspects are her daughter and ex-husband, who are summering in St. Andrews. Friends who see their predicament contact Donovan and Beth, who are no strangers to murder, and who have certain skills in solving crimes. As Donovan begins piecing together the elements of the case, he happens upon an old acquaintance, a particularly nasty art thief who shouldn't even be in that part of the country. The Body On The Underwater Road is a story set in two countries. It's about estranged families, old money, and secrets. And murder.

I've been privileged to have Chuck as a guest here on the Scribbler many times and you can read more about this fine novel here or visit his website.

3. A Measure of Light by Beth Powning

At my first WFNB conference in Sussex, NB, I had the opportunity to meet Beth Powning. A very nice lady. Made me feel very welcome. I've read many of her novels and featured The Sea Captain's Wife (another truly great novel) here before. She's also been a guest on the Scribbler.

In her most dramatic and ambitious novel yet, bestselling author Beth Powning re-imagines the life of Mary Dyer, a Quaker who defied death to champion religious freedom during America's earliest years.

Set in 1600s New England, A Measure of Light tells the story of Mary Dyer, a Puritan who flees persecution in Elizabethan England only to find the Puritan establishment in Massachusetts every bit as vicious as the one she has left behind. One of America's first Quakers, and among the last to face the gallows for her convictions, Mary Dyer receives here in fiction the full-blooded treatment too long denied a figure of her stature: a woman caught between faith, family and the driving sense that she alone will put right a deep and cruel wrong in the world. This is gripping historical fiction about a courageous woman who chafed at the power of theocracies and the boundaries of her era, struggling against a backdrop of imminent apocalypse for women's rights, liberty of conscience, intellectual freedom and justice.

Discover more about Beth by visiting her website or check out her visit to the Scribbler here.

4. Bistro by Roger Moore.

Roger is another author that I met at a WFNB convention and not only is he a terrific author but he's a true gentleman that is generous with his time, his opinions and stories. When you meet him, you can't help but like him. He is the recipient of many awards that recognize his talents.

Are these stories an exercise in creativity or are they a remembrance of things past? How accurate is memory? Do we recall things just as they happened? Or do we weave new fancies? In other words, are my inner photographs real photographs or have they already been tinted and tainted by the heavy hand of creativity and falseness? The truth is that I can no longer tell fact from fiction. Perhaps it was all a dream, a nightmare, rather, something that I just imagined. And perhaps every word of it is true. I no longer know.

Get more news and find out what Roger is up to by going here. You can check out one of his visits to the Scribbler here.

5. What's in a Name by Sally Cronin.

Sally Cronin is an online friend I met through a group of wonderful authors from across the pond. She resides in England and devotes much of her time supporting her fellow writers. A very generous lady whom I've had the good fortune of being featured on her website. She also has been a guest on the Scribbler. This collection of short stories are based on people's names and a delight to read.

There are names that have been passed down through thousands of years which have powerful and deep-rooted meaning to their bearers. Other names have been adopted from other languages, cultures and from the big screen. They all have one thing in common. They are with us from birth until the grave and they are how we are known to everyone that we meet.

There are classical names such as Adam, David and Sarah that will grace millions of babies in the future. There are also names that parents have invented or borrowed from places or events in their lives which may last just one lifetime or may become the classic names of tomorrow.

Whatever the name there is always a story behind it. In What's in a Name? - Volume One, twenty men and women face danger, love, loss, romance, fear, revenge and rebirth as they move through their lives.

Anne changes her name because of associations with her childhood, Brian carries the mark of ancient man, Jane discovers that her life is about to take a very different direction, and what is Isobel's secret? 

Drop by Sally's informative website by going here. Check out her visit to the Scribbler by going here.

6. Finton Moon by Gerard Collins.

Thank goodness for WFNB conventions. I attended one of Gerard's workshops and what was most evident beyond his skills as a writer, was his deep desire to help others. A gifted storyteller that will always keep you entertained.

Finton Moon is an unusual child who feels like an alien. A gentle soul growing up in the rough town of Darwin, Newfoundland, he lives with his strict Catholic mother and grandmother, lawless father and three older brothers. While his grandmother has him 'right ready for the seminary,' Finton's interest lies in books, nature and solitude. He is secretly in love with the unattainable Mary Connelly, while eschewing the attention of the equally misfit Alicia Dredge, who adores him from afar. In Finton's life, there are monsters everywhere, including Bridie Battenhatch, the crone next door who harbours secrets about the Moon family she will share in exchange for the boy's company, while all his heroes come from books and TV.

But Finton's parents quickly discover that he is extraordinary, for he has been born with the ability to heal with his hands. As he grows older, his miraculous talent becomes more apparent and useful, even as it isolates him further from those around him. While Finton Moon wants nothing more than to belong, he lives in a world that sees him as other, and his greatest fear is that he will be trapped forever with these people who both misunderstand and abuse him.

Discover more about Gerard on his website. Check out one of his visits to the Scribbler here.

The above grouping is by no means definitive of the best novels available but one's that I truly enjoyed. Here's two more you shouldn't miss.

Jason Lawson - Facebook Page

Susan Toy - Website

This novel is not too bad either (so I've been told) 

Deep in the wilderness of the Peruvian Andes lies a monument hidden for centuries. Who were the builders? Why was it abandoned? What secrets does it reveal?
In 1953, an amateur rock climber makes a startling discovery. Overwhelmed by the choices he must make, the mountaineer completes his ascent deciding he will document his findings and present them to his superiors as soon as possible. It will take another fifty years before anyone reads what he wrote.

In 2004 news of the strange revelation reaches Drake Alexander. He will become involved whether he likes it or not. People very dear to him are plunged into a nightmare of avarice, impairment and death. Using all his skills as an ex-soldier, with accomplices he can trust, can he save his tormented friends from the raiders that thirst for the secret that lies within the mountains? 

Goodreads

What's your favorite novel? 

Thank you for visiting. Please feel free to leave a comment.