Where I Want to Be

Bored with her predictable life in Los Angeles, Olivia is thirty-one and doesn’t realize how badly she needs a change of scenery. It seems wine is the only thing that excites her these days and she has a thirst to learn more about it. With all the signs pointing her towards Wine Country, Olivia enrolls in a three-month wine program. While living in the Napa Valley for the summer and attending classes, she tries several new things and finds herself in some unique and challenging situations. Her passion for wine encourages her to embrace change and enjoy living her life.

Bored with her predictable life in Los Angeles, Olivia is thirty-one and doesn’t realize how badly she needs a change of scenery. It seems wine is the only thing that excites her these days and she has a thirst to learn more about it. With all the signs pointing her towards Wine Country, Olivia enrolls in a three-month wine program. While living in the Napa Valley for the summer and attending classes, she tries several new things and finds herself in some unique and challenging situations. Her passion for wine encourages her to embrace change and enjoy living her life. Early in her wine-filled journey, Olivia becomes friends with three dynamic, young women who work in the wine industry and live in her new neighborhood. Between wine tasting, dining at nearby restaurants and attending parties, they help Olivia appreciate the many facets of life in a small wine-centric town. She even takes a job as a winery tour guide and surprises herself for overcoming her shyness and insecurities. By the time Harvest arrives, Olivia’s glass is half-full and she’s not ready to leave Wine Country just yet…

Cortney Roudebush grew up in Sausalito, California with her parents and younger sister. As a child, she recalls many family vacations to the Napa Valley. During these trips, she would devour the pages of Nancy Drew stories or books by R. L. Stine. At age 10, Cortney knew she wanted to be a writer. In high school, under the instruction of a published author and Creative Writing teacher, Cortney started writing short stories. While attending the University of Southern California as a Creative Writing student, she penned many English essays, poetry and more short stories. In her final year before graduating from USC, she penned a weekly wine column for the Daily Trojan. After graduating, Cortney moved to San Francisco for a job at a fashion magazine. From there, she landed a position at Wine Spectator Magazine and then worked at Spruce Restaurant. While training to become a sommelier, Cortney’s passion for wine encouraged her relocation to the Napa Valley. She began a wine blog, Sip Swirl Savor, when she moved to St. Helena in 2009. She held hospitality positions at various wineries until 2011, at which point she started—and finished—her first novel. Where I Want to Be is the first ebook in the Wine Country series. Cortney currently lives in Marin County and is busy writing the second novel of the series.