Thee Champagne Trilogy
A collection of three novellas: Thee Champagne Earthquake, embracing a personal implosion to find oneself; Thee Champagne Hurricane, rebuilding the pieces to live in a more enlightened state; and Thee Champagne Flood, uniting with humanity to embrace One Love.
Thee Champagne Earthquake follows three wine industry professionals in San Francisco — Edie, a bipolar wine rep desperately searching for love; Ernest, a depressed sommelier who attempts suicide after his mother's cancer diagnosis; and Sammy, a philosophical restaurateur seeking deep connection — as they navigate existential questions about purpose and belonging. Told through Master of Wine Erin Jolley's whimsical wine tasting notes that mirror the characters' emotional states, the novella explores whether humanity can achieve unity if each person undergoes an internal "implosion" to discover their true self. Woven throughout with lyrical references that create a soundtrack to the characters' lives, the story will resonate with music lovers who recognize the poetry in a well-chosen verse. Set against San Francisco's fog-drenched, soul-heavy landscape of bistros, natural wine bars and late-night conversations, Thee Champagne Earthquake is a cry for collective authenticity.
Thee Champagne Hurricane is the second novella in Master of Wine Erin Jolley’s Champagne Trilogy. While her first novella, Thee Champagne Earthquake, explores whether humanity can achieve unity if each person undergoes an internal implosion to discover their true self, Thee Champagne Hurricane takes the reader to the next level in examining how individual gifts can light up the collective consciousness. The sensory-rich novella follows three characters in Miami — Edie, a bipolar wife and mother whose manic episode lands her in a psychiatric ward; Mavis, a restless single woman whose nights of drinking and impulsive encounters mask a deep hunger for love; and Joni, a restaurant industry veteran turned counselor navigating the raw, chaotic world of an addiction and mental health treatment center. Woven throughout with musical references that score the characters' inner lives, the story will resonate with anyone who has ever found truth in a song lyric.
Thee Champagne Flood, the third and final novella in Erin Jolley MW's Champagne Trilogy, weaves together three intertwined stories in Fort Lauderdale’s recovery community. Marjorie, a bipolar singer-songwriter, spirals towards mania while navigating relationships with her ex-husband Steven Patrick and fellow recovering addict boyfriend JW, all while racing to write a song she hopes will define her comeback. Alejandro battles depression and a secret gambling addiction that threatens his marriage to Destiny, pushing him towards a hard reckoning and hope for reconciliation. Andy, haunted by childhood trauma and depersonalization-derealization disorder, fights ongoing relapses while seeking peace with his girlfriend Vivi and navigating his budding faith. Set against a reunion, wedding and funeral, the novella moves through addiction's chaos towards hard-won grace, exploring how three flawed people search for love, meaning and connection to God in One Love.