Shape of Secrets by S. R. Cronin

Shape of Secrets

by S. R. Cronin

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GENRE: Science fiction/fantasy

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BLURB:

Seven year old Zane vowed to become a superhero. As a child too smart to fit in, he studied chameleons and muscle groups to learn to alter his appearance.

Now Zane is starting his first job at Penthes Pharmaceuticals, where he finds layers of corporate secrets and learns that knowledge is dangerous. Good thing he excels at blending in.

Once upper management discovers him, life gets more complicated. A sales trip to the South Pacific leaves Zane dealing with an unsolved murder, an unsavory boot camp manager, and new friends with abilities as surprising as his own and with problems far worse.

Zane wants to help them all. First, however, he has a few work-related issues to handle. Someone at Penthes will kill to protect mysteries the company has worked so hard to keep hidden. He has to figure out who, and then use his unique talents to stay alive.

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EXCERPT:

It was hard not to like Peter Hulson when one met him in person. In spite of his age, he had a liveliness about him, and his sharp, bright blue eyes were probing but not unfriendly. He shook Zane's hand, gestured him onto a soft green velvet-covered settee and offered Zane water or coffee. Zane passed, although he wasn't sure if it was ruder to accept or to decline. He allowed himself an appreciative peek at the surprisingly unobstructed view of Lake Michigan.

"I'll get right to the point, young man," Peter began, drawing his attention back. "It's well known I'm seeking bright new young people, and I like to mentor them myself. I get a fair amount of grief from my VPs about it being beneath my pay grade, but the fact is I want my company to thrive for a long time. The way I see it, that only happens if I can hand the reins over to at least two more generations of focused and brilliant successors."

A swirl of sorrow came and went from his face so fast Zane thought he might have imagined it. The older man kept talking.

"I'm finding these brilliant successors to be in short supply. But, you've landed on our doorstep with excellent grades from an exceptional school, and managed to get yourself in a position reporting directly to my director of sales and marketing. Word is she thinks you have excellent potential."

Zane tried to smile appreciatively.

"Excellent potential." Peter repeated the words for emphasis. "I don't think there are two finer words in the English language. So I'd like to personally do what I can to encourage you."

Zane tried to make the smile even more appreciative because he had no idea what to say.

"Would you consider a trip to Fiji to be encouragement?"

Okay, he could answer this one.

"Yes. I think most people would."

The older man chuckled. "Good, good. Brenda and Gil are in the process of putting together an important conference for us and I've told them to spare no expense. We believe we can save families huge amounts of grief by providing a treatment to guide young people into making more mature and acceptable choices. Mind you, the drugs aren't new, but the combination and the approach are. This conference in Fiji will introduce our new product in the most favorable light possible, so its success is important. I've okayed sending Brenda to Fiji late this month to do a recon and I want you to go with her. Help her with travel and logistics, but also keep your eyes open and your brain on. Help us find ways to make this symposium better. Have ideas for us, Zane. Think for us. Will you do that?"

Of course Zane said yes. He said it sincerely and shook the man's hand and thanked him. Because Zane wasn't an idiot.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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 long ago, and then waited a lot of tables while she looked for inspiration for the next story. 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 and explained how, in a fit of practicality, she had gone back to school and gotten a degree in geophysics and spent the last 28 years interpreting seismic data in the oil industry. The good news, according to Mr. Cronin, was that she had found it to be entertaining and ridiculously well-paying. The bad news was the two of them had still managed to spend almost all of the money.

She was now Mrs. Cronin, and further good news was that they had produced three wonderful children whom they loved, even though, to be honest, that was 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 apparently had 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 now grown into a six book collection. Sherrie decided she better start writing it before it got any longer. She's been wide awake ever since, and writing away.

Author Social Media Links

Twitter: @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: https://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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Zane is a smart, inquisitive boy with parents who don't understand him. His mother and father try, but  Zane is mostly left to figure out life on his own. He discovers a talent - that of disguising himself by changing his body shape, and even his skin color. Very cool! Later, this comes in handy as he manages to blend in at the university, becoming nearly invisible, which suits him just fine, as he's not very sociable. However, he does have a "super hero" syndrome - he can't stand by and watch people get hurt. After he graduates, he lands in the sales department of Penthes Pharmaceuticals, he begins to uncover layers of corporate secrets. 

A murder mystery with a sci-fi slant, it was a hard book to classify. There is a homosexual relationship, and the author also addresses the ideas of greed, inherited wealth vs wealth that has been earned, and troubled teens sent away to "boot camps" in faraway tropical islands. I could not decide what age group the book was aimed at - in the begining it reads like a book aimed at 10 -12 yr olds, then changes and it becomes more of a young adult or even a new adult book.  

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

S. R. Cronin will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC and a kindle copy of One of One (the first book in the 46. Ascending Collection) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway