BLOOMING, The Series by Cindy Villanueva
Available in digital and print
A Thistle in the Cevennes
Susana Cortéz-Guerrero loves her life. A sassy, ambitious executive, she is happily focused on her career and enjoys a passionate love life with her college sweetheart, Enrique. Childless by choice, the couple has walked side by side, their plans and dreams in harmony for years.
Yet the marriage that is the envy of all their friends begins to show cracks as their desires diverge. Career changes magnify their differences as Susana is promoted to senior vice president at one of Florida’s top marketing agency and Enrique considers retirement—and neither of them is sure how to stop or repair the damage. On an anniversary trip to visit their friends in Europe, pressures mount as Susana—compelled by a desire to transcend her family’s humble roots—increasingly concedes to her agency’s unreasonable demands, even in the face of ugly prejudice. Enrique, newly eager to embrace a life of travel and leisure, seems unable to appreciate or support the demands on her time. And when Susana faces a horrific ethical decision, she has to face a painful truth: The marriage forged over decades may no longer sustain her.
With the backdrop of her friend Azalea’s new marriage and life in Spain, Susana must wrestle with her competing desires. Can one woman truly have it all? Will this be the end of her marriage or a new chapter in their love story?
Bread Pudding in Barcelona
Azalea Mora has a beautiful life—close relationships with her two adult sons, deep friendships with three amazing women, a thriving business, and a cozy home at her beloved beach.
Yet after one disastrous marriage and a recent near miss where she ended the relationship the day before the wedding, Azalea decides, “Love just isn’t for me.” When a client offers her a six-month contract to open a new office in Spain, she jumps at the chance, determined to focus solely on her professional life in a country she adores.
Something Will Sing to Your Heart
Middle school math teacher and Florida beauty Sara Masterson has meticulously crafted a pleasant yet predictable life. Although estranged from her family, she has a great job, a budding romance with a hot language arts teacher, and deep friendships with three powerhouse women. Yet the secret she’s harbored for twenty-three years could turn it all upside down.
Mother and daughter, lover and friend—the threads of her life aren’t neat and tidy. Can Sara find the courage to accept uncertainty and seize the love she discovers in surprising places?
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Nonfiction Works
Don't Fight Mad
Golden girl Cindy Villanueva left home for UCLA, full of promise—and one year later was an unwed teen mom and college dropout. After suffering domestic abuse and two divorces, she was on the ropes. Don’t Fight Mad describes her journey back to the joy-filled life she enjoyed as a child. Through deeply personal stories, Cindy shares how martial arts became a metaphor for recapturing her strength, identity, and joy.
She offers a candid and authentic blueprint for those who long to rekindle the wonder of a well-lived existence. Whether you are an avid martial artist or you assiduously avoid exercise, Don’t Fight Mad has an inspiring message of fighting for joy and living in grace.
Audiobook available on Audiobooks.com, Bookbeat, Kobo, and Apple Books.
Finding Our Wings: Seven Entrepreneurs on Reclaiming Hope and Power
Despair, excruciating emotional pain, and loss—and yet glorious triumph. After an initial failed attempt to bring this book to life, this group of entrepreneurs felt as if their wings had been clipped. What to do?
Once again, they embraced the lessons contained in this book—stories of grit, determination, redemption, and joy. This collection of stories is a reminder of the light within us all. We can all take flight, overcome the darkness, and reclaim our strength and joy!
Audiobook available on Audiobooks.com, Bookbeat, Kobo, and Apple Books.
About Me
When I was a little girl, my parents constantly told me to put my book away before dinner, that we didn’t read at the table. It was a real sacrifice, because I was always reading. My favorites were (and are!) fantasy and historical fiction.
Not only did I read voraciously, but I also wrote stories. In high school, I toyed with the idea of a career in journalism, imagining myself as a writer for Sports Illustrated. Ultimately, I ended up as a marketer and corporate storyteller.
A couple of years ago I found myself messing around with fiction again. And before I knew it, Azalea and her friends were on the page, living their lives and taking over mine. The truth is, other than Jane Austen, I’d never read a romance novel in my life. Yet here I was, writing about women who, in the middle of their lives, were finding the power of love—in friendships and in second chances.
And so the Blooming series was born.
Now I write contemporary fiction for the so-called ‘invisible woman’ because mature women deserve to see themselves in literature, showing that transcendent life and love can truly begin after 30. Just like Azalea, Sara, Susana, and Lauren, we have a lot of life to live, a voice worth hearing, and so much love to experience.
¡Disfruta!
Cindy xo
Beyond the Page
