TEMPLE, Texas - s4story -- Forty-eight-year-old Corbett Thomas, a one-hit wonder of the 90s, now works as the lead sommelier at Napa Valley's hippest restaurant. Set to become one of the few Master Sommeliers in the world, Corbett self-destructs during his final exam, ruining his last chance at capturing the stardom and adoration he got a taste for in his youth.

When billionaire game designer, Brogan Prescott, asks Corbett to consult on a major vineyard acquisition, Corbett sees it as a shot at redemption, until he learns of Brogan's ridiculous vision of a virtual-reality, Woke Ant Colony Winery. Disgusted, Corbett decides to buy the vineyard himself and preserve its magic and history. Cashless, clueless, and with his reputation in tatters, Corbett enlists the help of his bass-player-turned-lawyer Seamus O'Flaherty, who may have finally lost his stomach for Corbett's bad ideas; his uber-rational daughter Remy, who wants Corbett to uncork some family secrets he'd rather leave in the cellar; and Sydney Cameron, whose sudden appearance in Corbett's life may repair his heart or shatter it forever.

More on S For Story

• Jeffrey Alan Gruhlke Announces "7 Days of Revelations" — The True Divine Series Release Schedule for July 7–13, 2026
• Special Alert! Highly Undervalued Stock: $317M Revenue in 2025 for Telecom Leader IQSTEL, Inc. (N A S D A Q: IQST)
• Igniting High-Growth Transformation With Launch of XMax AI Subsidiary, Leveraging Global Furniture Dominance to Enter Explosive AI Markets: XMax Inc
• Acuvance Earns 2026 Great Place to Work® Certification
• Wordeee Announces the Publication of Gwen Stokes' "A Life Wrapped in Lies: Searching for Truth"

But if Corbett can get out of his own way long enough to purchase the vineyard first, he'll be faced with the hardest decision of his life: take the fame and fortune he desperately craves, or save the soul of the valley he loves so much.

"This story has that life lesson of, "it's never too late to start over" embedded into it. It's a great read that you won't be able to put down."
-Derra Nicole (Award Winning Author of Slumberland)

"John Taylor's debut novel offers a hilarious look into the Napa Valley wine scene from the perspective of a self-involved sommelier who can't seem to catch a break--though it's mostly self-inflicted."
-Wining with Mel (Award Winning Certified Sommelier, Napa Valley Wine Advocate, and Author of Wining With Mel)

John Taylor has been writing about wine since 2012, but his meanderings on life began way before that. Born and raised in San Diego, California, John moved to Los Angeles in 1982 to pursue dreams of screenwriting and filmmaking. He attended the University of Southern California, where he majored in Shattered Dreams and False Hopes, with a minor in Getting Gut Punched By Reality. After being handed a degree in Journalism in 1987 as a consolation prize, John dove into a career in music. Because getting gutpunched just isn't painful enough. John is the author of three novels, including the aptly-titled Pairs With: Life, which will be released by Hurn Publications in September 2020.

More on S For Story

• Local Author Candace J. Thomas Featured on NYT Best Selling Author Brandon Mull's Podcast
• As Global Tensions Rise, Demand Grows for Private Spaces to Process Thoughts and Speak Freely Online
• Award-Winning Bilingual Children's Author's Book Featured in Mesa Public Library
• Cryptsoft demonstrates Hybrid-PQC Authentication Token use for quantum-safe systems and infrastructure
• Expert Law Attorneys' Top Law Firms to Know: March 2026

Learn More: Website: https://hurnpublications.com/pairs-with-life/