Jim Wheat was raised in Texas and grew up in Dallas. Later he attended college at the University of Houston and then on to Arlington State University. Most of his adult life was in sales, eighteen of those years he spent in the wine business. He developed his knowledge of wines through tastings, wine seminars, and visiting wineries. He loved spending time with wine vintners and observing first hand how each one applied their traditional wine making skills. His love for wines made his career of selling an easy task. He sold what he liked. Many of his experiences were laughable. Dealing with customers, suppliers and management often left him scratching his head as he walked away grinning, thus his desire to write. Being a big mystery buff he decided to combine his wine knowledge with his love of mysteries for his first book. Jim lives in a small town in southeast Oklahoma with his wife, two cats and a Maltese named Maddie.