John Anthony Pulos

I was born and raised in a small town in New York’s Finger Lakes region—back when Harry S. Truman was in the White House. Like many of my fellow Baby Boomers, I came of age in a time of profound change, attending Hobart College from 1966 to 1970. Those turbulent years shaped not only my worldview, but the stories I would later tell.

My professional life has been anything but ordinary. I began as a teacher and coach at my former high school, before returning home to run my family’s restaurant in the Watkins Glen area—a role that immersed me in the rhythms, characters, and challenges of small-town life. After selling the business, I transformed that experience into new ventures, opening a bed and breakfast and launching a catering company.

A desire to better understand wine led me into the vineyards of the Finger Lakes—and ultimately into writing. My first book, Looking at Wine Through a Different Window, offers a fresh, accessible perspective shaped by hands-on experience. I followed that with a deeply researched work on the Sinking of the RMS Titanic, uncovering the stories of local individuals connected to one of history’s most enduring tragedies, and later, a memoir drawn from my years in the restaurant business.

My novel, Death in the Vineyard, brings together everything I’ve learned—storytelling, setting, and a lifetime of observation—into a mystery rooted in the world I know best.

I continue to work at Wagner Vineyards on Seneca Lake, where I stay connected to the land, the people, and the inspiration behind much of my writing.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to experience moments few could imagine: an audience with Pope Paul VI, lunch with Robert F. Kennedy, a run with Muhammad Ali, and dinners with Sandra Day O’Connor, Billie Jean King, Margaret Chase Smith, and Hillary Clinton. I’ve also had the privilege of coaching championship teams—experiences that taught me as much about people as any classroom ever could.

But beyond the books, the careers, and the remarkable encounters, my greatest source of pride is my daughter—who continues to inspire everything I do.