Many of us, no matter how happy or lucky we may be, have two lives: the life we have and the life we dream about pursuing. For Miriam Parker, that dream life revolves around escaping the responsibilities and stress of a nine-to-five job in New York City to enjoy a simpler, more romantic existence in the California wine country. This July, Parker invites readers on a journey into this duality with her novel, THE SHORTEST WAY HOME – and introduces us to Hannah Greene.

All her life, Hannah Greene has done the sensible thing. She went to the right schools, secured the ideal, high-paying job in Manhattan, and found the perfect boyfriend, Ethan, who is ready to settle down and create a future with her. But during a romantic weekend trip to Sonoma, Hannah is unexpectedly offered a marketing job at a struggling yet impossibly charming winery – and she suddenly realizes that maybe the “perfect” life she has planned isn’t actually the one she wants.

Surprising herself, Hannah accepts the position at the winery and leaves behind the safe, planned-out life waiting for her in New York. Her new life seems to have everything she dreamt of—a cozy cottage on the winery’s property, an adorable dog, a creative job. And then she meets William, the handsome son of the winery owners, who captures her heart before moving to the very city that she left behind. Hannah throws herself into a quest to save the failing business, a mission that requires her to learn to believe in herself as much as she believes in the winery and the family that runs it. As she sheds the expectations that her upbringing gave her, Hannah finds out that home is as much of a choice as it is a place and figures out how to claim her own happy ending.

With all the complexity and delight that you find in your favorite bottle of wine, Miriam’s debut will leave readers enchanted and inspire them to reexamine what is possible.