Meet Sally Cronin!

It has been my great honor and joy to align with author and book-blogger, Sally Cronin, who lives in County Wexford, Ireland and spearheads the wildly popular WordPress blog, Smorgasbord. If you’re unfamiliar with Smorgasbord, don’t miss out. Look into it here!

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Blog magazine for lovers of health, food, books, music, humour and life in general

Recently, Sally released an E-Book that I want to tell you about:

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Book Description: Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries: Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet is a collection of short stories with scattered poetry, reflecting the complexities of life, love and loss.

The stories in the collection dip into the lives of men and women who are faced with an ‘event’ that is challenging and in some cases life changing.

Even something as straightforward as grocery shopping online can be frustrating, and a DNA test produces surprise results, the past reaches out to embrace the present, and a gardening assistant is an unlikely grief counsellor. Romance is not always for the faint-hearted and you are never too old for love. Random acts of kindness have far reaching consequences and some people discover they are on a lucky streak. There are those watching over us who wish us well, and those in our lives who wish us harm.

I enjoyed this e-book immensely and left this review on Goodreads, Amazon, and Book Bub!


Author Sally Cronin wields heartwarming magic in this delightful collection of short stories, each written with a keen eye focused on the nuances of human nature. Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries: Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet is a series of lovely vignettes written with a clean hand as Cronin builds her common man, everyday stories. It’s the little things in life that matter, and Cronin depicts such topics as random acts of kindness, unforeseen good fortune, falling into and out of love, and the magic of animals in such an optimistic way that the reader is morally encouraged and given great hope. Each story lulls the reader with neat, simplistic beauty even as it takes an unexpected turn. In Cronin’s The Scratch Card, Elsie Thompson wins twenty pounds on a scratch card, which she puts to use in such a way that events are set in motion and change a young man’s life. In Friday Night, a young woman is taken for granted by her clueless boyfriend, until a stranger whispers a line that puts her life on another course, and in the satisfying The Gaffer, a duplicitous wife-abuser gets creative comeuppance.
Interspersed throughout this e-book are poems and photographs that poignantly highlight the collective spirit of the book. The characters persevere, help each other, and come to their senses in a manner suggestive of hard-won insight, and written with all the impact of a parable. A pleasurable, enchanting read with a heart of gold, Sally Cronin’s latest release is nothing short of a charming assembly of uplifting stories.
Sally Cronin

Behold: the delightful Sally Cronin!

Here’s a little something about Sally you’ll want to know! She writes:

“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 twelve books since then on health and also fiction including three collections of short stories. My latest collection is Life’s Rich Tapestry : Woven in Words.. verse, micro fiction and 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.

As a writer I know how important it is to have help in marketing books.. as important as my own promotion is, I believe it is important to support others. I offer a number of FREE promotional opportunities on my blog and linked to my social media. If you are an author who would like to be promoted to a new audience of dedicated readers, please contact me via my blog. All it will cost you is a few minutes of your time. Look forward to hearing from you.”

I read and enjoyed Sally Cronin’s book, Tales from the Irish Garden!

Tales from the Irish Garden
Book Description: The queen of Magia and her court have fled their sun filled Spanish homeland and the palace beneath the magnolia tree.

Arriving on the backs of geese and swans, they seek sanctuary in the magic garden of The Storyteller who welcomes them to the Emerald Island, a place where rain is almost a daily feature.

Grateful for their safe haven and the generosity of their host, the queen and her courtiers embrace their new surroundings with delight.
As the seasons change throughout the year, they come into contact with many of the human and animal inhabitants of the garden and the surrounding forest, all of whom have a story to tell.

This is a magical fairy story infused with fantasy and romance, as well as opportunities for mischief in the company of goblins, witches and Lerpersians.

My Review of Tales from an Irish Garden:


I was attracted to this book because of its title. Show me a title concerning Ireland, and you’ve got my attention! I had seen good reviews of this book and, as are legions of others, have been a devoted fan of author Sally Cronin’s blog Smorgasbord on WordPress for years. And so it was that I bought Tales From the Irish Garden, not fully knowing what to expect. To say I was roped in from the onset puts it mildly! I was immediately bowled over by the minute details in this highly creative story, one part fantasy, one part fairy story and all parts sheer, delightful suspension of belief. Only, and here’s the kicker, as I read this engaging story, lured along by its romantic, magical undercurrents, I began to intuit the deeply human parables! Sally Cronin is a writer gifted with insight, humor, whimsy, and unparalleled story pacing abilities. Tales From the Irish Garden invites the reader to enter a plausible, magical realm so real as to make the reader want to stay there

I also read and enjoyed Life’s Rich Tapestry:

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Book Description: Life’s Rich Tapestry is a collection of verse, microfiction and short stories that explore many aspects of our human nature and the wonders of the natural world. Reflections on our earliest beginnings and what is yet to come, with characters as diverse as a French speaking elephant and a cyborg warrior.

Finding the right number of syllables for a Haiku, Tanka, Etheree or Cinquain focuses the mind; as does 99 word microfiction, bringing a different level of intensity to storytelling. You will find stories about the past, the present and the future told in 17 syllables to 2,000 words, all celebrating life.

This book is also recognition of the value to a writer, of being part of a generous and inspiring blogging community, where writing challenges encourage us to explore new styles and genres.

My Review of Life’s Rich Tapestry!

We come to know a person’s mind through the words they speak; their personality through what they create, and their heart through what they write. Put this all together and you’ve been gifted a glimpse into an artist’s soul. This is how Life’s Rich Tapestry Woven in Words impressed me. Author Sally Cronin’s precious gem of a book is nothing short of fluid insight into all that it means to be human in a round-robin way as to address the entire sphere in bits and pieces that leave a lasting impression. These are musings delivered artfully, the perfect melding of heart, mind, and soul. In sharing her personal views, the author invites us to examine our own impressions of the day-today by shining light on life’s rich nuance. There is something profound in these meditative pages, something joyous and real that takes nothing for granted by sheer virtue of the fact that Sally Cronin has called them by name. In addressing the natural world, celebrating pets, seasons of the year, and random thoughts, Cronin speaks to the reader conversationally in such a manner that told me I’d revisit the pages. Her flash fiction, speculative fiction, and short stories are vignettes to savor—all told, this book is a work of art at its finest. All praise to author Sally Cronin, who has earned a constant and significant place in the blogging world by selflessly serving as the fulcrum of focus for so very many. That she has stepped forth by assembling and publishing this collection of letters has gifted us all with the awe-striking opportunity to see a writer’s career shine at its brightest. 

Many of us who follow Sally on Smorgasbord are familiar with the storied life of her collie, Sam, of whom Sally wrote ANOTHER book!

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I’m sharing the effervescent D.G.Kaye’s review here of Sam: A Shaggy Dog Story!
D.G. Kaye rated it it was amazing
This book, a memoir from Sam, the Lassie-like Collie, will warm anyone’s heart. Cronin tells the story through Sam’s voice in this delightful read. If you’re not already a dog lover, you will be after reading Sam’s story.

If you want to know how a dog views his life, Sam shares his adventures as a dog, how he learned manners, how he learned to speak a few human words, and even he even shares his opinions on going to the vet.

Sam is truly a heart-warming read for everyone.
Love this photograph!

Another of Sally Cronin’s 10 published books!

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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.

Book Reviewer Darlene Foster writes: An awesome collection of short stories based on the names of the main characters. We don’t normally choose our own names, but they tend to define us. Names like Jana, Zoe, Hector, Hannah, Emma, Lily, Isobel, Fionnuala and many more, each have a story to tell. Some happy, some sad, some bittersweet, and some heartbreaking. F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Find your key emotion, this may be all you need know to find your short story.” Ms. Cronin has certainly found the key emotion in each story in this enjoyable book.

Sally has a grand total of 10 published books, which you can learn about on Goodreads:

Sally Cronin (Author of Just an Odd Job Girl) | Goodreads

And one last time: do yourself a favor and follow Sally Cronin on WordPress at:

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine | Blog magazine for lovers of health, food, books, music, humour and life in general (wordpress.com)

https://linktr.ee/cffullerton

54 thoughts on “Meet Sally Cronin!”

  4. It makes me feel good when I see some goodwill go toward Sally, Claire. She is as supportive as they come as well as a talented writer. Her new book is waiting on my Kindle.

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. Pete, she deserves all the love in the world! The measures she goes to for so many is inspirational. And the book is SUCH a pleasurable read. Being in America, and having live in Ireland, I delighted in her use of language!

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

  6. How lovely, Claire, thank you. Sally is an amazing person and an extraordinary writer. She so deserves the spotlight you’ve offered her. ✨💗✨

    Liked by 3 people

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  14. How totally awesome to see such a bright light on Sally here today, Claire! She gives so much to so many and it’s great to see her getting some of that goodness back! Thank you and Merry Christmas to you both!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. DG Kaye, yes, Sally deserves it and you, my dear, deserve much as well! One of my great author-swing joys over the years has been finding y’all 🙂 You tip me off more often than not to what’s what! I appreciate your efforts so much, too! I think you and Sally are the dynamic duo!

      Liked by 2 people

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      2. You are humbling and good for the soul my friend. Thank you for your kind words. We are a great community and thrilled you are part of it. Holiday hugs to you. ❤ xx

        Liked by 2 people

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