California Vines, Wines & Pioneers (Monahan)

Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Where—state of Illinois, USA
• Raised—state of New Jersey
• Education—N/A
• Currently—lives in Raleigh, North Carolina


Sherry has written several non-fiction books on the Victorian West. Her most recent include Mrs. Earp: The Wives and Lovers of the Earp Brothers and California Vines, Wines & Pioneers. She also penned books about Tombstone, Pikes Peak and The Wicked West.

She's currently working on Ethel's Decision, which is the remarkable true story of an upper-class family who settled the rugged land of Lake County, California in the 1880s. Their motive was to gain back the money they lost in England, but these high-society aristocrats preferred cricket, boating, and acting over the chores of farming.

In addition to being an author, she calls herself the Genie with a Bottle because she traces the genealogy of food and wine. She coined the term, Winestry, and likes to say, "History never tasted so good."

You may have seen her on the History Channel in many shows, including Cowboys and Outlaws: Wyatt Earp, Lost Worlds: Sin City of the West (Deadwood), Investigating History and two of the Wild West Tech shows. She was honored with a Wrangler Award in the Western Heritage Awards for her performance in the Cowboys and Outlaws show in 2010.

She has her own column called "Frontier Fare" in (and is a contributing editor) True West magazine. Her "Frontier Fare" column is being turned into a book that will be released in 2015.

Other publications include the Tombstone Times, Tombstone Tumbleweed, Tombstone Epitaph, Arizona Highways, and other freelance works.

She's the incoming President of Western Writers of America and holds memberships in the following organizations: Women Writing the West, the Authors Guild, Wild West History Association, The James Beard Foundation, Association of Professional Genealogists, and SASS. She's also a charter member of the National Women's History Museum.

In addition to writing, she works as a marketing consultant and professional genealogist.

Sherry is also the author of history books on the North Carolina towns of Apex, Cary, and Southport. Each includes 200+ images and historical details and recollections. (From the publisher.)