Our guest blogger this month is Megan Mayfair, author of The Things We Leave Unsaid, Tangled Vines, and the soon-to-be-released The Problem with Perfect.
Welcome to the Breathless Blog, Megan!
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| Image courtesy of giphy |
Let’s be clear. I have absolutely no knowledge of how to make wine. Or how to sell it. Or how to grow grapes. My entire life is based in metropolitan Melbourne. I literally wouldn’t know where to start, but yet, the idea is so compelling, so intriguing and so romantic.
What is it about wineries that make them so romantic? I can’t be the only one to think so – they are an extremely popular setting for books and movies, particularly within the romance genre.
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| Blairgownie Estate Winery |
Is it the fact they are often so prettily situated in gorgeous locations like South Australia’s Barossa Valley or Western Australia’s Margaret River? And that’s just Australia! There are plenty of glorious wine regions around the world such as Napa, Tuscany, Bordeaux. Just typing these locations makes me think of rustic buildings set atop of hills overlooking rows of grapes with the sun setting in the background. What an ideal setting for a hero and heroine to fall in love. Swoon.
Or perhaps it’s the luxury of the product? Sitting on a balcony sipping a glass of bittersweet champagne or a plummy merlot is a moment of luxurious bliss away from traffic jams, school pick-ups and deadlines. There’s something about stopping and enjoying a drink with my real-life hero that always feels like a slither of lux in a busy world. Not to mention that some of life’s most beautiful moments are celebrated with the popping of a champagne cork or a heartfelt toast.
Whatever the appeal, I love a novel or a movie set on a winery. While, at least not for the moment, running away to run a winery isn’t quite on the cards for me, I could at least let my imagination run wild in my most recent novel, Tangled Vines.
My hero, Frederick runs a winery called Fox & Grey in Victoria’s Heathcote area, which is well known for peppery Shiraz due to the climate and soil. I enjoyed trekking to wineries such as Blairgownie Estate near Bendigo for inspiration, along with spots on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. Ahh, the things we do for research!
About Tangled Vines:
Desperate to escape a humiliating scandal, Amelia seeks refuge with her aunt, Jill. Amelia quickly finds comfort in the arms of Frederick, a business owner battling for control of his winery, but as their relationship grows, an explosive secret in Jill's past threatens to re-surface.
Can they find happiness or will history repeat itself?
Https://mybook.to/tangledvines
I love to love… a romance amongst the vines.
I love to laugh… with friends over a drink.
I love to learn… about all our beautiful wineries throughout Australia so please let me know your favourites!
