“I am a farmer living in California,” Paula Moulton says. “To most people the mention of ‘farmer’ conjures up pictures of a man dressed in dungarees with a piece of hay dangling from the side of his mouth as words like ‘darn,’ ‘dangit,’ and ‘little missus’ slip from his tongue. The truth is I do not fit this picture at all. Instead, I’m more likely to be seen as a gal raising money for a charitable cause and dancing around at the benefit in an evening gown and a pair of sexy stilettos – yet I owned acres of land that I cultivated with my own manicured hands – on top of that I am a business woman, a mother, a widow, a winemaker and an author. This is my story in my own words…”
Moulton has lived enough life for several people. She is sharing her unique story of struggle, despair, hope and triumph through her insightful memoir and wine making guide, Seasons Among the Vines: Life Lessons from the California Wine Country.
Moulton’s poignant memoir is part manual on natural grape farming techniques that inspires readers outside the realm of farming. It is also an adventurous book; with heart-warming anecdotes and stories. Gardeners, lovers of good stories, and wine-loving suburbanites all will relish in the unique blend Moulton serves up.
“When I wrote Seasons Among the Vines I was writing about the metaphor or comparison of the seasons in nature to the emotions one feels during the process of farming,” Moulton explains. “After the death of my husband, this later became the comparison of the seasons of nature with the emotions of life and the changes one must cope with. The farming lessons throughout the book became life lessons that contained two meanings: the literal meaning and the symbolic meaning.”
Seasons Among the Vines is not just about farming and winemaking but also reveals:
Being a woman in the male-dominated world of farming
Life lessons learned through struggling with farming and nature
Shifting from traditional to organic farming
The business side of the very complicated world of wine.
“All the stories in the book have hidden lessons attached to them that I learned to use in creating a new life for myself after the tragic death of my husband in a fatal car accident just three days before the release of the book,” Moulton explains. “When I stepped back, adjusting to life as a single mother, the book brought back clear reasons as to why I wrote about farming and nature and how it relates to day-to-day life. The book became my family’s tool for survival and the handbook we use to continue on with our new lives which I hope will translate to my readers who are facing life’s many lessons.”
Paula Moulton grew up in a suburb of San Francisco. She graduated from Berkeley with a Bachelors Degree in Rhetoric and from Santa Rosa Junior College with an Associates Degree in Viticulture. She worked for a commercial printer and as a sports columnist before becoming a viticulturist and award winning winemaker. She currently lives in Sonoma, CA with her children, stepchildren and husband where she nurtures her grapes and her passion for writing.
Seasons Among the Vines can be purchased from www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.randomhouse.com, www.northatlanticbooks.com and ordered through most booksellers.