Where the Wild Ideas Are and How I turn them into Romance Novels.

Four years ago, while hiking behind Bartholomew Park Winery, (Bartpark to locals), in Sonoma Valley, a what if moment occurred. 

I was on a dusty incline where the trail bumps up against the Buena Vista Winery property, peering through blackberry bushes.

From that unusual vantage point, I had an amazing view of Bartholomew Winery and could imagine how the rolling acres of vineyards might have looked  in 1857, when Agoston Haraszthy purchased the property and dubbed it “Buena Vista.”

After the hike, I didn't go straight to my car and detoured to the villa, the replica of the beautiful home Count Haraszthy built for his family. I walked around the property and then sat on its front steps and looked out over the vineyards.

And then I wondered what if:

The property wasn't a winery and was still a home?
What if a relative of the original owner lived there?
What if the relative fell on hard times and needed to rent rooms to keep the villa running?
What if three single friends, lived in those rooms?
What if each of those women found their happily-ever-after in Sonoma Valley?
What if there was another family (of sexy, sweet, and smart brothers) in Napa Valley. What if they owned a winery?

... And that is how the story of Sarah Dupont, Danica Vargas, Juliet St. John and their landlord, Lulu Castelli came to be.  Count Harasthy's villa is called Bella Villa in my story. And the sexy men of Napa Valley Winery fame are called the Santino brothers. :-)   

Here's a snapshot of Just a Kiss, book #1 in my Wine Country Romance Series and the first book I've ever written. 

Just a Kiss

Three roommates
One wine country villa
Six Santino brothers

Reeling from the loss of her mother, Sarah Dupont catches her fiancé doing the nasty on top of her pastry table at their San Francisco Bakery. Devastated, she calls her best friend, reporter, Danica Vargas. Danica convinces Sarah to start fresh and move in with her at Bella Villa mansion in rural Sonoma Valley.

With two roommates who act like the sisters she never had and a feisty landlord to stand in as the grandmother she always wanted, Sarah’s opens a café on the Sonoma Plaza. 

Her life changes the moment the little bell on the door rings and the notoriously sexy actor Jamie Santino, swaggers in.
Jamie, one of the six wealthy Santino Brothers, of Napa Valley Winery fame, needs baking lessons for his new movie and Sarah is just the woman to teach him. Wine flows and their love seems undeniable until a femme fatale from Jamie's past enters the scene.

Can Sarah believe Jamie isn't acting, when everything he says sounds too good to be true?

Each book in the series is a standalone read. There are no cliffhangers.

Thank you so much for reading.
To learn more about me, visit my website:
www.katekisset.com

Until next time,

xo Kate