Monday, October 20, 2014

Aloha to Heather Heyford and A TASTE OF CHARDONNAY


Heather Heyford joins us today with a guest post to celebrate her debut romance, A TASTE OF CHARDONNAY, from her debut series, The Napa Wine Heiresses ... 

Beauty and money. Has there ever been a time when people weren’t fascinated by them? Stir in romance and a generous splash of wine, add a touch of scandal, and the result is The Napa Wine Heiresses series. How can you resist? 

Chardonnay, Merlot, and Sauvignon St. Pierre were uprooted as children, ripped out of their beloved Napa Valley soil and transplanted in separate boarding schools. For years, wine country residents have been patiently waiting for them to mature. Finally they’re back, and the photos plastered all over the media make them look like perfect people living in a world of wealth and privilege.

But don’t hate them because they’re beautiful. Think back to your own smiling snapshots. Chances are, a few of your cheeriest-looking photos were taken when you felt anything but happy. Char, Meri and Savvy may line up pretty as a row of tulips, but deep down inside they’re just like us—sensitive, flawed and eager to find their place in the world. And like us, they yearn to share that special place with a happily-ever-after kind of love…

Join author Heather Heyford as she uncorks a sparkling new series following the St. Pierre sisters, heiresses to a Napa wine fortune who are toasting the good life and are thirsty for love.

Chardonnay St. Pierre's father is as infamous for his scandals as he is for his wine, and it's up to Char to restore the family name. The Challenge, an elite charity competition held in Napa, seems like the perfect opportunity for the socialite to cement her image as a philanthropist. But all eyes—including Char's—are on the Hollywood heartthrob who's also entered the race…

Long before his face was splashed across the gossip magazines, Ryder McBride grew up in a working-class family in Napa. He knows all about the St. Pierre sisters and their notorious father, and when he learns he'll be up against Char in The Challenge, he assumes the grape doesn't fall far from the vine. But the more they get to know one another, the more they begin to realize that nothing pairs better with a heated rivalry than a healthy pour of flirtation…


Heather Heyford is author of the contemporary romance series, The Napa Wine Heiresses.  Get “A Taste of Chardonnay” now available from Amazon (link), for Barnes and Noble (link), and Kensington (link).


Born in the Northeast, Heather Heyford learned to walk and talk in Texas, and then moved to England. (“Ya’ll want some scones?”) While in Europe, Heather was forced by her cruel parents to spend Saturdays in the leopard vinyl back seat of their Peugeot, motoring from one medieval pile to the next for the lame purpose of ‘learning something.’ What she soon learned was how to allay the boredom by stashing a Cosmo under the seat. Now a recovering teacher, Heather writes love stories, feeds hardboiled eggs to suburban foxes, and makes art in the Mid-Atlantic.  

Pressing wine after the harvest;
Tacuinum Sanitatis, 14th century
Public Domain (link)

Mahalo, Heather, for enticing my senses!  Heather is giving away a digital copy of A TASTE OF CHARDONNAY to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about wine - have you toured a vineyard? participated in a tasting at a winery?  

During my husband's assignment with NATO, I joined the international spouses in touring the cellars for Pommery Champagne in Reims, France.     

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, October 25, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Heather and her books at heatherheyford.com.

Plus Kathryn Falk gave a shout out to Heather on Facebook at this link.

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22 comments:

  1. Aloha Kim! Oh my goodness, I used to live very near Reims, France! I was an Air Force brat and we rented a house out in the country. Yep. Been to both the French and the American wine country.

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  2. It's something I would love to do. We have an uncle who is very knowledgeable about wine and he taught us a lot about it. My favorite is cabernet savignon.

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    1. My favorite is sauvignon blanc, but it has to be from Marlborough, NZ. I sound so picky, don't I? LOL In truth I'll drink just about anything—except Chardonnay!!!

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  3. No I haven't. Although I do like wine!

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    1. It would be easy to get hooked on the whole vineyard lifestyle...living close to the earth. I like the idea of farming, though I'm afraid I'm not hardy enough to actually be a farmer!

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  4. I have not toured a vineyard but would like to. We have Lakeridge Winery not far from where I live - I hope to get there one day

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    1. I can't believe there are wineries in Florida! If you ever go, let me know what you think of it on facebook.

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  5. I love going on wine tasting. When I visit my father we go to the Temecula Wineries.

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    1. I just looked up Temecula Wineries. Southern Calif.! And here, I thought wineries were limited to Northern CA. I'm learning a lot here.

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  6. I'm not a big wine fan. I think it's b/c I'm inexperienced and I would love to go to a wine tasting! there's a local vineyard here and every one raves about it, so I'm gonna have to make a trip :) Thanks for sharing!

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    1. We have a local one here in PA and I found out they don't grow the grapes, although they have a little vineyard just for show. They buy grapes from "real" vineyards and the fun is in blending the juices from different areas.

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  7. Love visiting any winery! I can recommend several in Indiana, Kentucky and always the Biltmore Winery in Ashville!

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    1. Would LOVE to go to Ashville! Someone said it's the new Portland ?!?

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  8. I used to work at a local winery here in southwest Iowa and my husband and I have several favorites in the area. We love to do tastings at local wineries wherever we go.

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    1. Iowa? This is crazy! Apparently there is a big winery explosion going on in this country I knew nothing about. I knew Northern California and New York State, but that's about it.

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  9. I love wine. We travel often to Niagara-on-the-lake and pass by many of the vineyards and wineries. Sadly I have yet to tour one. It is on my bucket list.

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    1. We stopped in at one in Sept.on a Sun. afternoon and to our surprise, they had live music and people brought their own little picnics. You should check one out on line first and then go, especially if you like wine.

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  10. Yes, I've gone a-tasting at a lot of the vineyards in the Napa Valley. In the 1970's I toured the Beringer Winery and was very impressed with the limestone caves they had there. Since that time I've toured many of the other wineries and loved the one at Sterling that I toured with my daughter and her husband. I've gotten a bit tipsy from all the tasting...and used up all my Christmas money one year buying vino! :-) The "neatest" vineyard so far that I've toured was one in the Holy Land...and I tasted some wine from Cana. Thanks for the interesting question. jdh2690@gmail.com

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    1. Wow, Janice, you are by far the most experienced here. The Holy Land...I guess that makes sense, given communion wine and all. Thanks for your email! I'll put you on my mailing list for the next 3 books in the Napa Wine Heiresses come out.

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  11. I toured a vineyard and tasted wine many years ago with my husband and several friends. We had a great time.

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  12. I have never been to a vineyard, however had been to some wine tasting events.

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