Friday, September 6, 2013

The Greatest Adventure I've Ever Had: A Guest Post and Giveaways by Cynthia Woolf, Author of "Fiery Bride"

From well known author Cynthia Woolf, 
comes a new installment of the Matchmaker & Co series. 
You haven't read the previous books yet? Don't worry! this amazing book, can also be read as a stand alone, in fact it's the perfect place for you to start! What are you waiting for?



SYNOPSIS
After a disastrous marriage, Matchmaker Maggie vowed never to marry again.  She will never give another man the power of life and death over her body and soul. Unfortunately, that doesn't keep her lonely heart from fantasizing about her newest client, Caleb Black. She made the mistake of starting a flirtatious correspondence with the clever devil, believing they would never meet. But when his new bride abandons her mid-way to Colorado to elope with another man, Maggie is forced to face the devastatingly handsome Caleb and explain.  Now she'll have to stay long enough to make things right and find him a new wife.  But Maggie better hang on to her vow with both hands, because Caleb has other plans for the fiery matchmaker...and a very seductive kiss.

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The Greatest Adventure I’ve Ever Had
by Cynthia Woolf

My husband, Jim, and I went to Hawaii the first time in 1987.  We were there for eleven nights and twelve days.  It was a magical trip…in more ways than one.

We spent our fist night on Oahu just a block from Waikiki.  Due to the time change and jet lag we were asleep by 8 pm Hawaiian time and this was before I had insomnia.  Of course, we were then up at 4 am and got to watch the sun rise over the ocean.

Our last four days in Hawaii were on the Big Island of Hawaii.  The first day we got there Jim surprised me by renting a Mustang convertible.  Now a convertible is fun to drive but useless if you have luggage and boy did we have luggage.  Seven bags.  Seven bags in a car that is supposed to hold maybe two in the trunk.  We had bags sticking up out of the back seat and looked like the Beverly Hillbillies going down the road.  

Now how can you go to the Big Island and not go see Kilauea, the volcano?  How many opportunities does anyone get to see a live volcano?  Not many, where you can come out unscathed.

We decided to go see the volcano…and then go to our condo.  Why we decided this, I have no idea.  Anyway we still have luggage sticking up out of the back seat.  We drove around the island from Kona on the northwest side to Kilauea on the southeast side.

When we got there we saw lots of people coming off the volcano, some carrying flashlights.  We managed to talk a young girl into selling us her $2 flashlight for $10 and started up the path.

In the meantime, it got darker and darker and the lava field we were climbing got blacker and blacker.  But we kept climbing, following the orange glow from the molten lava.
I finally got tired and refused to go any farther.  The orange glow never got any closer and I was done.  Jim wanted to keep going, so we separated.  I know.  Big mistake.  We only had one flashlight and he insisted I keep it.  He walked on with the full moon giving him light and I waited where I was for him to return.

During my wait, I got very warm.  It was a lava field after all, and I got thirsty.  If we’d been smart we would have brought water.  Of course, if we’d been thinking we never would have started at 8 pm to climb the volcano.

Periodically, people would stop on their way up or down and see if I was all right.  I noticed that each had a flashlight and were a backpack.  They were prepared.

Every so often I’d turn and shine the light up the hill, hoping my husband would see it and find me.  I wasn’t too worried about me, I knew I could wait until daylight and follow the path back down the mountain, but I was worried about Jim.  What if he had fallen?

Then it started to rain very lightly.  A very soft rain, just enough to cool me down.  Then I saw a rainbow.  Have you ever seen a rainbow in the full moon light?  It’s white.  You can’t see the colors, just the shape.  It was beautiful.

Then things got a little strange.  I thought I saw Pele, Hawaiian goddess of fire, lightning, wind and volcanoes.  I thought I saw her coming toward me.  It was like she was telling me everything would be okay.

Shortly thereafter, Jim came out of the dark and we made our way back down the mountain.  It was 2 am when we made it back to the car.  We were exhausted and we still had a three hour drive to our condo.

As it turned out we were very, very lucky.  The reason we couldn’t get closer to the orange glow is that it was cooling.  We could easily have fallen through the newly cooled lava into the molten rock below.  It has happened numerous times.

We got lucky.  Or did we?  Was Pele watching out for us?  I know some Hawaiians who would say she was.

Check the rest of the stops to find more teasers, guest posts, top ten lists, reviews and a lot more!

Meet the Author
Cynthia Woolf was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends.
Their closest neighbor was one quarter of a mile away, so her little brother was her playmate and her best friend. That fierce friendship lasted until his death in 2006.

Cynthia was and is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian and brought new books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling bug. She wrote her first story at the age of ten. A romance about a little boy she liked at the time.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the great friends she's made at CRW for saving her sanity and allowing her to explore her creativity.


Giveaway 1
  • Prize: A $50 Amazon GC
  • International
  • There will be one winner.
  • The winner will be notified via email and has 48hs to respond, otherwise a new winner will be drawn.


Giveaway 2
  • Prize: A Paperback copy of FIERY BRIDE by CYNTHIA WOOLF.
  • U.S ONLY
  • There will be one winner.
  • The winner will be notified via email and has 48hs to respond, otherwise a new winner will be drawn.





Enjoy an Excerpt from Fiery Bride:

 “What do you mean, you quit?  Mr. Sinclair, you just can’t quit.”  Margaret “Maggie” Selby put her pen down on the desk.  She would not raise her voice.  She would not lose control.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Selby, but I got no choice.  There’s an opening at the sanitarium in Albany and my Mary, she needs to go right now.  The doctors there might be able to help her.  We leave on the morning train.”

Maggie took a deep breath and nodded.  She understood.  She really did, but it didn’t change the fact that she was now in a difficult situation.  “Of course, you must go.  I know how poor Mary’s health is and any help that can be obtained for her, must be.”

“I wish I could give you some notice, but we just received the letter in yesterday’s post.”

“It’s fine, Mr. Sinclair.  I’ll manage.”

He handed her an envelope.  “Here are the train tickets.”

“Yes, well, I’ve wanted to see the frontier I’ve been sending my these girls to.  I’m simply going to see it sooner than I anticipated.”

“I’m truly sorry, Mrs. Selby.”

Maggie got up, came around the desk and held her hand out to him.  “You just take care of Mary.  That’s your job now.”

He shook her hand, nodded.  Mr. Sinclair put on his hat and wiped his brow with his kerchief before venturing back out into the already hot and sunny morning.  

She went to her desk, grabbed Caleb Black’s file, put the closed sign on the door and then went upstairs to her apartment to pack.  Her bride, Jenny Talbot would be by in an hour or so to pick up her tickets.  Maggie would tell her then that she’d be accompanying her, not Mr. Sinclair.  It was just as well.  Jenny was nervous as a kitten and Maggie worried about the union, but both Mr. Black and Jenny had been adamant that it take place.  If truth be told, Maggie herself was a better match for Mr. Black than Jenny.  But she was here to find matches for others, not for herself.

Jenny’s reasoning she understood.  Jenny was the oldest of the seven Talbot children.  At twenty-two years old, felt she was a burden on her parents even though she worked and helped out with the bills.  She hated her job and wanted to get married.  Her chances were growing slim.  Most men of marriageable age were either already married, old or widowers with hellions for children. 
Jenny was a tall, slim girl with pale blue eyes and dark blond hair.  Her lips were full, her nose long and straight.  Just a plain young woman from a struggling family who wanted a better life.  One that the wild frontier might be able to offer.
Mr. Black’s reasoning was less clear.  He was successful and wanted children.  Maggie had presented him with several other possible candidates, some more attractive, some younger, some older, all of whom he’d rejected.  The reasons he gave were weak.  Brown hair.  Too short.  Too fat.  Too thin.  Too young.  Too old.  There seemed to be a reason for rejecting every one she sent him.  
Finally, he’d settled on Jenny with the proviso that Maggie herself accompanied the girl.  She’d agreed, but stated only that Jenny would be accompanied.  With her full intention having been to send Mr. Sinclair in her place.  Maggie’s time was much more well spent here in New York.  Finding clients, assigning candidates that is where her mind, body and commitment lay.  Yes, running her business is where she belonged more than on a trip to the wild West.  She didn’t feel bad about her decision.  Really she didn’t, she told herself over and over.  But she was lying.  If she were honest, deep down she was afraid to meet Mr. Black.  Afraid her image of him would be wrong, but even more afraid it would be right and he really was the man he depicted in his letters.
She shouldn’t have allowed it, the private correspondence, but it had been innocent enough.  In the beginning.  A simple flirtation with someone she’d never meet.  But now, the thought of actually meeting him terrified and thrilled her at the same time. Now she had to go.  Maggie released a rather breathless sigh.  She blinked repeatedly against the harsh sunlight.  So Mr. Black was getting what he’d asked for after all.  Much to her dismay.

17 comments:

  1. MK, thank you for having me on your blog today. I appreciate it very much.

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    1. It's always fun having you at the blog, Cindy. What a great story, too! Thank you for sharing with us.

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  2. We've been to Hawaii a few times, and I totally enjoyed your memories! My son just got back from Hawaii last week and I told him we should all move there! ha!

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    1. My husband and I considered moving there, but we discovered that the cost of living is so high we'd both have to have worked two jobs and then where is the time to enjoy the amenities when you're working all the time.

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  3. Cindy, I loved your story. As a huge rainbow fan, I had no idea there are white rainbows at night time - thanks for sharing! Your story reminded me that one of my scariest adventures took place in Hawaii too - on Molokai, riding a mule down the side of a steep cliff. When I think about it nowadays I shake my head and smile.

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    1. Thanks Gemma. I'm glad you liked the story. I had no idea about the rainbow either until I saw it.

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  4. Sorry I do not think I read a book but hopefully soon in the future!

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  5. No, I have not read any of these books yet, but this one sounds really good. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  6. No, I haven't read any these books, but have added some of them to my to read list. Thanks so much for the giveaway.

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  7. No I have not, but hope too.Deb P

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  8. I haven't read any of her books yet but I plan too!

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  9. A convertible, Cindy, and Oahu makes me think of the old TV show, "Magnum P.I."

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