"I am a farmer living in California," Paula Moulton says. "To most
people the mention of 'farmer' conjures up pictures of a man dressed in
dungarees with a piece of hay dangling from the side of his mouth as
words like 'darn,' 'dangit,' and 'little missus' slip from his tongue.
The truth is I do not fit this picture at all. Instead, I'm more likely
to be seen as a gal raising money for a charitable cause and dancing
around at the benefit in an evening gown and a pair of sexy stilettos
yet I owned acres of land that I cultivated with my own manicured hands
on top of that I am a business woman, a mother, a widow, a winemaker
and an author. This is my story in my own words..."
Moulton has lived enough life for several people. She is sharing
her unique story of struggle, despair, hope and triumph through her
insightful memoir and wine making guide, Seasons Among the Vines: Life
Lessons from the California Wine Country.
Moulton's poignant memoir is part manual on natural grape farming
techniques that inspires readers outside the realm of farming. It is
also an adventurous book; with heart-warming anecdotes and stories.
Gardeners, lovers of good stories, and wine-loving suburbanites all
will relish in the unique blend Moulton serves up.
"When I wrote Seasons Among the Vines I was writing about the
metaphor or comparison of the seasons in nature to the emotions one
feels during the process of farming," Moulton explains. "After the
death of my husband, this later became the comparison of the seasons of
nature with the emotions of life and the changes one must cope with.
The farming lessons throughout the book became life lessons that
contained two meanings: the literal meaning and the symbolic meaning."
Seasons Among the Vines is not just about farming and winemaking but also reveals:
- Being a woman in the male-dominated world of farming
- Life lessons learned through struggling with farming and nature
- Shifting from traditional to organic farming
- The business side of the very complicated world of wine.
"All the stories in the book have hidden lessons attached to them that
I learned to use in creating a new life for myself after the tragic
death of my husband in a fatal car accident just three days before the
release of the book," Moulton explains. "When I stepped back, adjusting
to life as a single mother, the book brought back clear reasons as to
why I wrote about farming and nature and how it relates to day-to-day
life. The book became my family's tool for survival and the handbook we
use to continue on with our new lives which I hope will translate to my
readers who are facing life's many lessons."
Paula Moulton grew up in a suburb of San Francisco. She graduated from
Berkeley with a Bachelors Degree in Rhetoric and from Santa Rosa Junior
College with an Associates Degree in Viticulture. She worked for a
commercial printer and as a sports columnist before becoming a
viticulturist and award winning winemaker. She currently lives in
Sonoma, CA with her children, stepchildren and husband where she
nurtures her grapes and her passion for writing.
Seasons Among the Vines can be purchased from www.amazon.com,
www.barnesandnoble.com, www.randomhouse.com, www.northatlanticbooks.com
and ordered through most booksellers.