Friday, January 31, 2014

Upcoming Book Signing and Wine Tasting event at Domaine Chandon Feb. 9th

Get in the Valentine’s Day spirit with a book chat and wine tasting at one of Napa Valley's best sparkling wine producers! I am so excited to host this event with two other Wine Country female authors. The event is from 2-4 PM on Sunday, February 9th. Please RSVP on EventBrite or Facebook. Copies of our books will be available for purchase and signing. Hope to see you there!chandon-billboard-lotstolove
In addition to myself, the following two authors will be attending: Sonoma’s Lisa Mattson, author of The Exes in My iPod: A Playlist of the Men Who Rocked Me to Wine Country; and Napa’s Emily Brown, author of Stories from the Sisterwives: How I Survived Dating a Sociopath. This event will feature a lively Q&A discussion about a range of juicy topics led by Ian White, Wine Country Director of 7x7 magazine and Creative Director of Napa Valley Life’s “INK,” followed by a book signing and wine tasting.

In case this is the first you're hearing about my novel, here's what it's about: 
During a weekend of wine tasting in Napa Valley, Olivia Goldstein falls in love with the beautiful landscape, the amazing wines, the friendly locals, and one particularly attractive male tour guide. For shy and introverted Olivia who never takes chances, this wonderful weekend is enough for her to make the most spontaneous and terrifying decision of her life. She puts her lackluster job in Los Angeles on hold and enrolls in a wine education program in Wine Country. But she spends the summer learning about more than just the wine industry. As soon as Olivia arrives, she meets three wine-savvy young women who encourage her to step out of her comfort zone. As she dabbles in the Napa dating pool, her awkward and often hilarious experiences teach her to appreciate her newly acquired confidence and her supportive friends. With their help, Olivia pursues a new career path and finally discovers her dream job. This is the first novel in The Wine Country Series and it is about following your passion, learning to trust your intuition, and working your way towards happiness. http://www.authorcortney.com/novel/
Buy it on Amazon ($3.99): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FBWUJU8
Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorCortney 
Follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorCortney
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About The Exes in My iPod: When Harley Aberle got her first iPod, she created the kind of playlist every girl wants to keep on solitary lockdown. She called it The Exes—a collection of long-lost songs that instantly steamrolled her down a memory lane of men wider than a six-lane freeway. The Exes in My iPod: A Playlist of the Men Who Rocked Me to Wine Country is a no-holds-barred account of Harley’s quest to win the hearts of a motley crew of men during her twenties—that golden decade of poor judgment where college, career, alcohol and romance run a crash course. With a musical time capsule of “lucky 13” songs, Harley takes you on a rockin’ journey through laugh-out-loud heartaches and headaches, as this redneck waitress from a long line of alcoholics searches for true love and her calling in life—finding both in California wine country. Grab some earbuds, pour a glass of wine and kick back with an amusing e-book that will inspire you to create your own Exes playlist and discover the hidden beauty of all that baggage. http://exesinmyipod.com/eBooks on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Kobo ($3.99): http://exesinmyipod.com/purchase/Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/exesinmyipodFollow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lisamattsonwine
my-coverAbout Stories from the Sisterwives: How I Survived Dating a Sociopath: Emily Brown was a single woman in her mid-30s living in the Midwest when a Dark Prince found her online dating profile. Fearing it was now or never, she relented to his persistent persuasion and immediately began ignoring the instinctual pulls telling her something wasn't right. Their tawdry relationship centered around guilt, shame and withholding served up by the Dark Prince until Emily put her foot down. Well, actually, she put her foot in his backpack. And that showed her all she needed to know. Emily shares the painful discovery of how the man she loved was sharing his life with other women, how she went on to befriend her "Sisterwife," and how she found herself again. “Stories from the Sisterwives” is the remarkable true story of heartbreak, friendship, love and triumph over the darkness. http://storiesfromthesisterwives.com

Saturday, January 18, 2014

My book is featured on the Traveling Wine Chick blog!

In the January 6th edition of #WIML: What's in my Library on the Traveling Wine Chick wine and travel blog, my debut novel was featured among two other wine-savvy books!

Where I Want to Be is now available on iTunes and the iBooks Store (in addition to Amazon). For additional reviews, please visit AuthorCortney.com.

Here's the review from the Traveling Wine Chick:
A friend loaned me this book and I ended up with two Kindle copies, one gifted to me and one purchased by me, so it was a sign to read this book. My friend kept telling me I had to read it because the similarities between the main character, Olivia, and me were so similar. He was right.
While this is a book about Napa Valley wine country culture and living, it’s also a book about learning to love yourself and learning to take risks in order to live a passionate, fulfilling life. Like me, Olivia had a passion for wine, but had not yet developed the confidence and self-esteem to pursue her passion until she decided to temporarily move to Napa Valley to take an intensive wine course. The wine course is not the focus of the book, but rather Olivia’s growth as a self-confident woman and wine professional. She steps out of her comfort zone many times and takes great risks to achieve her dreams and become a happier person.
I am thankful that my friend recommended this book to me, as I have embarked on the same journey and am moving to Napa Valley in less than a week. If you are someone who has been hesitant about following your passion, then this is the book for you.
Check out TravelingWineChick.com for more wine-related fun!