Ann Robinson, the main character, is orphaned at the age of eight and sent to live with her Uncle Dave and mean-spirited, manipulative Aunt Harriett. Ann is smart and determined, works hard in school, and goes to college. While working as a summer intern, she becomes engaged to a doctor. But after she catches him cheating on her, disillusioned, she ends the engagement and stops dating. Ann graduates at the top of her class with a degree in economics, and accepts a job as a sales manager. When she sees Ray Collins presenting a paper at professional meetings, she becomes infatuated with him. But she learns that he's married with a family, although his marriage is troubled. Ann starts dating again, but she can't get Ray off of her mind, and ultimately decides that if she can't have Ray, than she'll never get married. She goes back to school, gets her master's degree, and climbs the corporate ladder at the Global Soft Drink Company. Ray's marriage finally ends, and when he and Ann go on their first date, they fall deeply in love, have an incredibly romantic courtship, and get married. Ann is devastated when their marriage comes to an unexpected and abrupt end. She accepts a position as the chief financial officer for the Columbia Creek Winery, and moves to Napa, California. With the help of an equity investment from the Global Soft Drink Company, Ann buys the winery. She subsequently makes wines and develops new wine blends that become very popular and gain international recognition. Sales soar and she grows Columbia Creek Winery into the largest wine company in the world.
Praise for the Wine Queen
"The Wine Queen is a very interesting book with a great story line. The writer is confident, intelligent, assertive, and obviously understands women. He takes us through the looking glass and into the pages by depicting this story from several points of view. He does this through love, happiness, manipulation, tragedy, and professional successes. This book is passionate, witty, and thrilling as it covers a broad range of subjects keeping the reader yearning for more. The exploration of romance, love and tragic loss associated with it is extremely attention-catching and makes it almost impossible to put down. An absolute must read, particularly for women." - Sumer Rohrs, Winner of Six National Championships in Track and Field, and the 2009 NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
"In The Wine Queen, Allen Morris weaves the story of Ann Robinson from a tragic event in her childhood to a successful career. The reader learns about different industries as Ann works hard and climbs the corporate ladder. Ann's career choices take her from the Southeast United States to the Napa Valley of California. All the while, her quest for true love continues. This book contains a strong cast of supporting characters who offer friendship and guidance along the way. The story held my interest throughout and I think others will enjoy it, too." Candi Erick, Winter Park, FL
About the Author: Robert Allen Morris, a Florida native, is an agricultural economist with more than 35 years of experience in agribusiness. He spent most of his career working for large companies, first as an economist, then in middle, and finally in senior management. These companies included Duda, a company with agricultural operations in Florida, Texas, and California; The Coca-Cola Company; Tropicana Products; Cutrale, one of the world's largest citrus processors, growers and exporters, based in Araraquara, Brazil; and Prudential Agricultural Investments. In 2007, Allen joined the faculty of the University of Florida in the Food and Resource Economics Department, with responsibilities for both educational programs and research. In April 2012, he resigned his faculty appointment and joined Blue Lake Citrus Products as vice-president of sales and marketing. Blue Lake Citrus Products produces and markets the Noble brand of high-end specialty citrus juices as well as bulk citrus juices for other brands and labels. Allen has published more than 30 articles on agribusiness in trade and professional journals and has given numerous presentations world-wide. When Allen worked for the Coca-Cola Company in the 1980s, his responsibilities were in The Wine Spectrum, their wine subsidiary. The Wine Spectrum, which was comprised of the Taylor Wine Company in New York State, and Taylor California Cellars, The Monterrey Vineyard, and Sterling Vineyards in California, was the second largest wine company in North America. While working there, he was sent to wine school, and taught the basics of viticulture, enology, and wine tasting. These experiences provided a lot of his background for writing The Wine Queen. Also, having been an only child, adopted, and raised by his mother after his father was killed in an accident when he was seven, Allen has a lot of respect for single mothers who triumph and succeed in the face of daunting challenges, as Ann does in this book. He wrote this novel because he wants to explain the intricacies of the rise to prominence of California wines while making it an interesting story. Allen currently resides with his wife Kate in Winter Haven, Florida, and can be reached at Allenmors@aol.com. Visit www.AllenMorrisOnline.com for more literary works by Allen.