Authorpreneur Dashboard – Don Stevens
A Taste for Death
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Gerard Bellamont, a famous wine critic with French roots, is found strangled with what appeared to be trellis wire at Allenwood Vineyard, where he was one of the guests to a party the previous night. At this party, Bellamont was heard saying something odd when staring at one of the local wine bottles, “I didn’t like it the first time I laid eyes on it”.
Book Bubbles from A Taste for Death
A Body in the Vineyard
I wanted readers to actually visualize the scene, a body in the vineyard--strangled--covered with blood and juice from the grapes of a vine. So many crime novels take murder lightly and skip the raw scenes, such as the crime scene itself, or an autopsy. To feel the novel and care what happens, it's important to actually see the events that follow the death. Every detail is not necessary, a glimpse of routine procedure from a noticeable eye is enough to feel the consequences of a crime.
Fields of Lavender
Investigator Louis Deville cannot remember his past. While investigating the murder he suddenly remembers dark secrets from when he lived as a boy in France. Here is an excerpt of Deville's first memory, which involves a winery where his mother worked. I really liked this scene which is memorable. Picturing young Deville running in the fields of lavender in France is a happy scene, although where it leads to is anything but happy. His mother is a strong woman who works in a vineyard and we soon learn how this affects Deville's life in the present.
Intro for Sydney Keller
Sydney Keller has moved to the Finger Lakes to start a new life. After an unsuccessful relationship and career choices, she is counting on the wine industry to recharge her "positive energy". I enjoyed writing about Sydney, who believes in destiny and is quite spiritual.
