Norrie Ellington first appeared in A Riesling To Die and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Norrie.

What is your name?
Norrie Ellington.

How old are you?
Mid-twenties.

What is your profession?
I write romance screenplays for a Canadian film company but I’m currently babysitting our family winery in Penn Yan, New York, so my sister and her entomologist husband can track down some godforsaken insect in Costa Rica.

Do you have a significant other?
No, but I am dating a hunky lawyer, Bradley Jamison, also single, who lives in the Finger Lakes where our winery is. Dating is the key word – nothing serious. I will be returning to my own apartment in Manhattan at the end of the year.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
Yes, my older, by one year, sister, Francine.

Do your parents live near you?
Heavens no! They retired from the winery and now live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Who is your best friend?
I’ve got wonderful friends here – Don and Theo from the Grey Egret, the winery down the road from ours, and Cammy, my tasting room manager.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
I’m taking care of Charlie, my sister and brother-in-law’s Plott Hound, who now sleeps in my bed, steals the couch and begs for food all the time. They also own a Nigerian Dwarf Goat named Alvin, who spits. I’d hardly call him a pet. And thankfully, the vineyard staff takes care of him.

What town do you live in?
My apartment is located between Nolita and Little Italy in Manhattan, but I’m currently living in the family farmhouse on Seneca Lake in Penn Yan, New York.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
The apartment belonged to a great aunt of mine, who owned it and passed it on to our family. The family house is owned by my sister and brother-in-law, Jason Keane, but I am a silent partner for the winery.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
On the couch with my laptop.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
I love food but Italian is my favorite! From pizza to spaghetti, eggplant parmesan to tortellini, I enjoy it all. Favorite dessert is anything chocolate, although after the fiasco with our chocolatiers (Sauvigone for Good), I’m beginning to rethink things.

Favorite hobby?
I like to read, especially mysteries.

Favorite color?
I don’t really have a favorite color, but I tend to wear darker shades of blues, grays, and greens.

Favorite author?
Impossible to answer. It changes each week! Right now I’m totally into Rosemary Simpson and her Gilded Age mysteries.

Favorite vacation spot?
A cruise! A cruise to anywhere in the Caribbean. Or the Maldives, although that’s a pretty long ocean stretch.

Favorite sports team?
All the New York teams, naturally.

Movies or Broadway?
Oh my gosh – Broadway! That’s one of the best perks living in New York City. And off-Broadway, too! And even off-off Broadway!

Are you a morning or a night person?
Hmm, I was always a night person until I took over the winery. Now I have to get up at the crack of dawn and it’s killing me. I should be getting up at the crack of noon!

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Great question. I work with Theo and Don from the Grey Egret, as well as Cammy, my tasting room manager, and Stephanie Ipswich, who owns Gable Hill Winery next door. Oh, and Godfrey Klein. Don’t let me forget Godfrey. He’s my brother-in-law’s co-worker at the Cornell Experiment Station and a fanatic entomologist just like Jason.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I haven’t had a typical day since I arrived here six months ago. If I’m not awakened by the vineyard crew telling me there’s a dead body in our Riesling section, or my neighbor calling to inform me that her dogs found a dead man behind her house, then I’m called to action because Alvin, our goat, broke loose.

However, most days I work on my screenplays at home, mosey down to the tasting room where I get my lunch from our wonderful bistro, and help out when I’m needed. I run staff meetings and events even though my sister told me, “The winery can practically run itself.”

I love meeting our customers and introducing them to our incredible wines although I’m not the most conversant with the winemaking process. I still cringe when someone asks me for an explanation for fermentation. Thank goodness we have an outstanding winemaker and equally topnotch assistants.

My real passion is writing screenplays and at some point, I’ll be able to give it my full attention, but for the moment, I’m kind of tied up.

You can read more about Norrie in Sauvigone for Good, the fourth book in the “Wine Trail” mystery series, released December 10, 2019.

Can Norrie stop a murderer’s reign of terroir?

The descent of winter on the Finger Lakes means it’s time for the Wine Trail Association’s Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza. Unfortunately, for screenwriter-turned-reluctant vintner, Norrie Ellington, her Two Witches Winery is co-hosting the festivities. Norrie’s duties include wrangling the three international chocolatiers featured at the event—bitter rivals and industry influencers who can make or break Two Witches.

But the heated competition among the celebrity confectioners soon spills out of the professional arena, and before the Extravaganza is over, one of the cocoa pros is dead, last seen sipping a Two Witches’ Cabernet Sauvignon. With spirits souring at the Extravaganza and her winery on the line, Norrie must hustle to find the uncorked killer before Two Witches’ reputation is crushed once and for all.

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About the author
New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, they have authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington), The Wine Trail Mysteries (Kensington Lyrical Underground), and the Marcie Rayner Mysteries (Camel). In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name.

When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching.

Visit their website at jceatonmysteries.com, their blog and Facebook.

All comments are welcomed.