FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ACCOMPLISHED AUTHOR BETH WINEGARNER RELEASES FIRST NOVEL, "BELOVED"
FIRST PERSON WHO SOLVES PUZZLE WILL WIN KIRIN'S DAGGER

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. -- Native Bay Area author Beth Winegarner has released her fourth book and her first novel, "Beloved," an unusual memoir of war and triumph in the fictional city of Damas.

"Beloved," named for the song by VNV Nation, is told by Kirin -- a young girl nearly orphaned and left in the care of her older brother, Emlyn. After a charismatic, tyrannical king takes control of Damas, capitalism and slavery are forced on its people. Kirin watches as her peers are sold into forced labor. Emlyn, fearing the same fate for his sister, enrolls her in the city's university for historians -- and begins to teach her to fight like a soldier, a path that ultimately leads them both into exile and war.

As Kirin grows from a child of seven to a young woman of seventeen, her tale unfolds with shades of trauma, love, honor, and betrayal. She learns the value of family -- and just how crucial it is for historians to document the truth.

In conjunction with the release of "Beloved," Beth Winegarner is offering Kirin's dagger as a prize to the first person who correctly determines the name and location of the real-world stones Kirin describes at the end of the book. The dagger, a beautiful 16" Damascus-etched blade with an elegant black sheath, represents the weapon Emlyn gives to Kirin. Guesses should be directed to beth@bethwinegarner.com.

"Beloved," ISBN 978-1-4303-1915-3/1-4303-1915-1, is available now from online sellers and bookstores worldwide.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Beth Winegarner, a full-time news reporter for the San Francisco Examiner, is the author of three other books: "Dream Brother," a collection of short fiction and poetry chronicling the bittersweet romance between two young friends; "Sacred Sonoma," a study of sacred sites and alignments in Sonoma County, California; and "Read the Music," an anthology of Winegarner's essays on pop music. Her poetry has been published in Lime Green Bulldozers, Bardsong, New Verse News and Dispatch. Winegarner is a former music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, Addicted to Noise, BAM and ROCKRGRL. She lives in San Francisco with her partner of 11 years.