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Dear Reader,
When Mary Miley, is not at her computer, she's probably in jail. (Where she teaches a writing class for inmates.)
Today's guest author, Mary Miley, is a historian and author of five mysteries set in the Roaring Twenties.
The latest in that series is Murder in Disguise. Mary has five digital copies of her new release to give away to readers. To enter the drawing or to comment on her column, simply send an email to: [email protected]
Please welcome author Mary Miley...
Not long ago, a group of friends with a common interest in Virginia wine pooled their resources and plunged into the winery business. They bought a farm in the Valley of Virginia, planted their first vines on a hill facing the southeastern sun, and began turning the barn, farm stand, pre-Civil War farmhouse, and sheds into a tasting room, offices, storage, and event space--all overlooking an achingly beautiful panorama of Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains. They named it Valley Road Vineyards, perfect for a vineyard fronting on the old Rockfish Valley Road that brought settlers into the fertile Virginia farmlands during the colonial era.
The five couples who own Valley Road Vineyards have between them sixteen college and graduate degrees--and not a one of 'em has anything to do with viticulture or winemaking. But by pooling their varied experiences and adding a large dollop of sweat equity, they've made the venture a success.
I'm the writer in the group, the "word person" who helps with naming wine blends and writing copy, and supplies unskilled labor, like planting vines and painting the shed. (Can't wait for the chance to do the barefoot grape stomp!) When I'm not at VRV, I'm home at my desk in Richmond, working on articles or books, both nonfiction and fiction. I have been fortunate to have five historical mysteries published in recent years, all set in the Roaring Twenties when vaudeville, Prohibition, gangsters, flappers, bootleggers, and jazz changed America in profound ways. In my opinion, the Roaring Twenties is the most intriguing decade in American history.
I often reflect that everything I'm doing at Valley Road Vineyards would have been illegal in the 1920s. In fact, the vineyard's very existence would have been illegal, due to the Prohibition laws that destroyed America's wineries, breweries, and distilleries and turned law-abiding citizens into criminals. Thankfully, I'm in no danger of being hauled off to jail, as are most of the characters in my novels. And I've been able to incorporate some of what I've learned about winemaking into my plots, which helps make my stories more realistic to the period.
--Mary Miley
Email: [email protected] for a chance to win one of five digital copies of her brand new title, Murder in Disguise.
** The 13th Annual Write a DearReader Contest is here! Get ready to write and have fun, because you just might win! Anyone can enter, but don't be shy if you aren't a writer. I started the contest thirteen years ago, especially for people who've never written. So give it a go this year. The who, what, where, why--and prizes can all be found here.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
***** AUTHORBUZZ *****
PRETEND YOU'RE SAFE (Thriller) by Alexandra Ivy
My favorite inspiration for a book always starts with a true story. Which is precisely what happened with my new suspense novel. Living next to the Mississippi River, I'm accustomed to the occasional floods. But when the water receded and a body was discovered in a nearby field, a buzz of horror swept through our area. It made me wonder what would happen if a serial killer's burial ground was disturbed, and how a small town would react to the knowledge that they were living with a monster.
Go to AUTHORBUZZ click on PRETEND YOU'RE SAFE to read more and to email author Alexandra Ivy, you'll get a reply.
thank-you for introducing this new to me author.
Posted by: Kathleen Kendler | August 29, 2017 at 03:40 PM