Camille Di Maio's culinary tour....plus a book giveaway

We're so glad to have Camille Di Maio at CLC today. We're celebrating her pub day and also kicking off Food month. Camille wrote a wonderful piece about the characters in her latest novel, The Way of Beauty (reviewed here), and which New York City restaurants would be a good fit for each of them. Thanks to Get Red PR, we have one copy of this novel to give away!

Camille Di Maio left an award-winning real estate career in San Antonio to become a full-time writer. Along with her husband of twenty years, she enjoys raising their four children. She has a bucket list that is never-ending, and uses her adventures to inspire her writing. She’s lived in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California, and spends enough time in Hawai’i to feel like a local. She’s traveled to four continents (so far), and met Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. She just about fainted when she had a chance to meet her musical idol, Paul McCartney, as well. Camille studied political science in college, but found working on actual campaigns much more fun. She overdoses on goodies at farmers markets (justifying them by her support for local bakeries) and belts out Broadway tunes whenever the moment strikes. There’s almost nothing she wouldn’t try, so long as it doesn’t involve heights, roller skates, or anything illegal. Camille's debut novel, The Memory of Us, was a finalist for the Holt Medallion Award for Literary Excellence. Her sophomore novel, Before the Rain Falls, was released in May 2017. (Adapted from Camille's website.)

Visit Camille online:
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Synopsis:
Vera Keller, the daughter of German immigrants in turn-of-the-century New York City, finds her life upended when the man she loves becomes engaged to another woman. But Angelo Bellavia has also inadvertently opened up Vera’s life to unexpected possibilities. Angelo’s new wife, Pearl, the wealthy daughter of a clothing manufacturer, has defied her family’s expectations by devoting herself to the suffrage movement. In Pearl, Vera finds an unexpected dear friend…and a stirring new cause of her own. But when Pearl’s selfless work pulls her farther from Angelo and their son, the life Vera craved is suddenly within her reach—if her conscience will allow her to take it.

Her choice will define not only her future but also that of her daughter, Alice.

Vera and Alice—a generation and a world apart—are bound by the same passionate drive to fulfill their dreams. As first mother and then daughter come of age in a city that is changing as rapidly as its skyline, they’ll each discover that love is the only constant. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

THE WAY OF BEAUTY characters take New York

With the new release of my third book, THE WAY OF BEAUTY, I’ve been asked to write many articles about my inspiration for the story, my writing process, etc. So Chick Lit Central Guru Melissa Amster intrigued me when she posed one that I knew would be a challenge: writing an article about my characters and what they would eat in New York, where the book is set.

I write historical fiction, but instead of exploring food in the first half of the 20th century where they live, I’m going to pretend they have a time machine (though don’t even try to ask me to write sci-fi) and will be visiting the New York of today.

Vera Keller – daughter of German immigrants. Her father has sacrificed his health to work as a sandhog, one of the men who dug tunnels under the East and Hudson Rivers. Angelo Bellavia is the only man she’s ever loved – and then she learns he’s engaged to someone else.

Vera would enjoy the food trucks of New York City. Most of the owners are immigrants, like her parents. The food is inexpensive, delicious, and accessible to anyone. I would introduce her to my favorites – the halal trucks, where I always get gyros. She might enjoy the fizz of a Fanta – maybe the pineapple flavor. Because she has always dreamed of going to a tropical island.

Pearl Pilkington – daughter of a clothing magnate. Widowed and mother to a young boy, she has walked away from her fortune to be an ardent activist for the suffragette movement. However, she knows that she still needs to hobnob with the elite to win them over to her passion for the right to vote.

I would take Pearl and her friends to a historic dining establishment like Delmonico’s in the Financial District. Knowing she would want to meet with the city’s movers and shakers and raise money and interest for her latest causes, the steaks, history, and location of this triangularly-shaped restaurant on cobblestone streets could not be more ideal.

Angelo Bellavia – Italian immigrant who owns a newspaper stand near Penn Station.

Angelo embraces all cultures, but he is Italian through and through. I would take him to Little Italy, where he could eat his favorite pasta – bucatini, and enjoy stracciatello gelato, just like his nonna used to make.

Alice Bellavia – Alice is a college student in the 1940s who is just beginning to see the opportunities for women that were fought for long before she was born. She has a taste for adventure but dearly loves her city.

I would take Alice to the newly opening Bluebird at the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle. Related to the famous see-and-be-seen restaurant in Chelsea, London of the same name, it is still approachable. She will love the cosmopolitan flair of the food while looking out across the building at all the amazing things to see – the view of Central Park, the sweet Sugarfina stand in the central hall, the plethora of produce in the basement Whole Foods. In this one space, Alice can be a citizen of the world.

Emmett Adler – This mysterious photographer has secrets to hide. His accent is difficult to place, but when he speaks, it is with a gravity that compels people around him to listen.

I would take Emmett to the Algonquin Hotel, not far from Times Square. With its staggering literary history and a hotel cat named Hamlet, Emmett would feel comfortable speaking about serious world topics while sipping cinnamon-topped cappuccinos in the wood-paneled lounge.

Thank you to Chick Lit Central for this culinary character journey through my favorite city!

Thanks to Camille for visiting with us and to Get Red PR for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends May 6th at midnight EST.