My name is Emmeline Oak, though everyone has called me Emmy since I was knee-high to a grapevine. My family has owned Oak Valley Vineyard for generations, and I grew up in the lush Sonoma Valley among the watercolor sunsets and fragrant fields. A pretty idyllic childhood, really. That is until my dad died, I became a rebellious teenager, and I left home to study at the CIA (but not that CIA—the Culinary Institute of America). I was just starting to make a name for myself among the Hollywood foodie crowd, when my mom started to lose her memory and eventually her beautiful personality. What choice did I have? I came home to salvage what was left of my family legacy before our little vineyard was gobbled up by the corporate giants hovering just this side of our sinking bottom line.

Now my days are filled with walking among the vines, pouring for weekend wine tasters, and trying desperately to drum up business for my little winery with my culinary know-how, all while trying to stay off the radar of the new sheriff’s office VCI detective, Christopher Grant, who. . .

“What are you doing?”

My best friend Ava came into the room on a cloud of peachy lotion and ’70s incense, interrupting my train of thought.

“I’m doing this post for my favorite website. They want me to write about my typical day.”

“Ohmigosh, are you writing about that day you found the dead body in your wine cellar?”

“Well, no, that would hardly be typical—”

“Or the day we crashed the swanky country club to interrogate murder suspects?”

“I’m pretty sure we just had lunch, asked a few little questions—”

“Oh, or the day we went to that seedy pawn shop, or the day we broke into that high-rise office, or—”

“Shh! Ava, this is going on public record! Grant might see this!”

“You mean your Detective Hottie?”

“He’s not my detective.”

“Yet.” Insert eye waggle from Ava.

Insert deep sigh from me.

“Look, let me just finish this, then we’ll have drinks, okay?”

“Sure. Don’t mind me. Write away!”

As I was saying. . .

I may have had one or two minor hiccups in my quest to wow the wine enthusiasts of the Sonoma Valley. Namely in the form of a dead body. Or two. But never mind, because as my Grandma Emmeline, my namesake, always used to say, all publicity is good publicity. . .especially if you can get your clients tipsy on Chardonnay while they hear it. Grammy had a wicked sense of humor, and I’d like to think I’ve inherited just a little of. . .

“Is this a rare vintage?”

Ava appeared again at my doorway, a bottle of wine in hand.

“Uh, no. I mean, it’s a nice one, but not too rare.”

“Good, because I just poured us two glasses.”

“Ava, I’m really busy here—”

“Let me read what you’ve got so far. ‘My name is, blah, blah, blah. . .food, wine, blah, blah, blah. . .”

“It’s not blah. This is good stuff. Readers are interested in me.”

“Really? Are they interested in me too?”

“You?”

“Yeah! I mean, I am kind of your sidekick.”

“Sidekick? What are we, superheroes?”

“I’m the Watson to your Holmes, the Cagey to your Lacey, the—”

“Ethel to my Lucy?”

“You laugh, but I think we’re a pretty boss team.”

She was right. We did make a good team. Maybe a bit better at making mint chip disappear in front of a ’90s rom com movie than actually fighting crime, but there’s no one else I’d rather have as my superhero sidekick.

“Let me just finish this up, and we’ll take our wine out on the patio.”

“Stellar plan, Lucy.”

Anyway, in conclusion, I hope you’ll pick up the chronicles of my very untypical day in A Sip Before Dying, as written by Gemma Halliday. Ms. Halliday might have exaggerated one or two small points, but I’d say it’s almost all true. Let’s just hope my next wine tasting ends a little less deadly.

You can read more about Emmy in A Sip Before Dying, the first book in the NEW “Wine & Dine” cozy culinary mystery series, coming May 7, 2019.

The Oak Valley Vineyard has been in Emmy Oak’s family for generations. So when the small Sonoma winery is suddenly in financial trouble and in danger of being gobbled up by the corporate giants, Emmy moves home to try to save her legacy with her modern culinary know-how. First step–she throws a party showcasing her latest vintage and signature tasty treats to a group of wine country’s most elite enthusiasts. Only when one of her VIP guests sips a glass of poisoned wine and dies in her cellar, Emmy’s name is on everyone lips for all the wrong reasons.

The victim was the young, boy-toy husband of one of Silicon Valley’s most successful female CEOs. . . and his playboy ways and suspicious spending habits have almost no one mourning his death. Enter Detective Christopher Grant, recent SFPD transplant, who is assigned to the case and immediately homes in on Oak Valley. But Emmy is determined to clear her winery’s name–even if Grant’s dark eyes, sexy smile, and mysterious past threaten to distract her. After calling in the big guns to help her–a.k.a. her jewelry designer best friend and copious amounts of cookie dough ice cream–Emmy finds herself digging through a slew of suspects to uncover crimes, grudges, and secret affairs that could put a soap opera to shame. Can Emmy find out just which of the upper crust poisoned the victim’s vintage. . .or will Emmy’s next sip be her last?

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About the author
Gemma Halliday is the #1 Amazon, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of several cozy mystery and suspense thriller novels. Gemma’s books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader’s Choice awards, a RONE award for best mystery, and three RITA nominations. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her boyfriend, Jackson Stein, who writes vampire thrillers, and their four children, who are adorably distracting on a daily basis.

To learn more about Gemma, visit her website at gemmahalliday.com.

All comments are welcomed.