Camille di Maio
Author Interview - Camille di Maio
Author of The Beautiful Strangers, The First Emma, COME FLY WITH ME
and Five Things You Don’t Know About Me: A Guest Post
About COME FLY WITH ME:
It’s 1962, the dawn of the jet-set era. Hope takes flight for two Pan Am stewardesses navigating an adventurous new life in a novel about love, friendship, and escape by the bestselling author of The Memory of Us and Until We Meet.
Welcome to a glamorous gateway to the jet age.
Judy Goodman and Beverly Caldwell have different reasons for putting continents and oceans between themselves and their disparate pasts, but they have the same desire―to earn a coveted position on an elite team of stewardesses for Pan American Airlines. For Judy, running away from an oppressive marriage in small-town Pennsylvania is a risk she must take. And for Beverly, leaving behind the gilded cage of New York society will allow her to pursue a future of her own making.
Embracing the culture, etiquette, and strict rules of a thrilling and unpredictable new world above the clouds, Judy and Beverly are bound for faraway destinations and opportunities that other women dare only to dream about. But as they build a deep friendship, encounter love and danger, and discover what’s truly important, Judy and Beverly must also confront the secrets that could change their lives all over again―and forever.
Author I draw inspiration from:
I am a great admirer of Kate Morton's work. They are not only compelling stories, but she chooses such excellent words.
Author Interview - Camille di Maio
Favorite place to read a book:
I love to be cozy by a fireplace. However, I no longer have a fireplace, so my next favorite place to read is at the beach. And I do live quite close to one!
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I love this question! I could easily be stuck in an elevator with Anne Shirley. I think the conversation would never get dull.
Author Interview - Camille di Maio
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I spent many grade school recesses in the library. I read through all of the Nancy Drew books among others. I was fascinated by who the authors were of these books - the were legendary in my mind and I wanted to be one of them.
Author Interview - Camille di Maio
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I most love reading paperbacks - they fit well in my purse. I also love seeing the beauty of the covers in person rather than on a screen.
The last book I read:
2024: THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl
2019: I just finished THE CHELSEA GIRLS by Fiona Davis.
Author Interview - Camille di Maio
Pen & paper or computer: I
write on my laptop - it is the most practical thing. But I love the tactile experience of paper and ink and so I send out many handwritten letters.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I'm certain I'd be good friends with Jane Eyre. We could be very content reading in the same room together and prefer simplicity to pageantry.
Author Interview - Camille di Maio
If I wasn’t an author, I’d be a:
Travel agent. I absolutely love trip planning, both for myself and for friends. They are doing ME a favor to ask me to help them select hotels, activities, etc. I could spend hours and hours in front of maps.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I love the 1940s. Women were feminine, but not too fancy. And they wore hats!
Place I’d most like to travel:
I would next love to go to Thailand and see elephants!
My signature drink:
I drink a lot of water. I know - so boring! But if I were having a social drink, I would have an amaretto sour.
Favorite artist:
I love the mother and child paintings of Mary Cassatt. So imagine my delight when I was researching my book The Way of Beauty about Penn Station in New York and learned that it was the brain child of Alexander Cassatt - her brother!
Number one on my bucket list:
I would love to own a bookstore someday - one that also has a coffee shop and a place to host small concerts.
Find more from Camille, here:
Visit my Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/camilledimaio
Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/camilledimaio/
Follow me on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/camille-di-maio
Visit my website: www.CamilleDiMaioAuthor.com
Like my page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camilledimaio.author
About The Beautiful Strangers:
A legendary hotel on the Pacific becomes a haven where dreams, love, and a beguiling mystery come alive.
1958. Kate Morgan, tethered to her family's failing San Francisco restaurant, is looking for an escape. She gets her chance by honoring a cryptic plea from her grandfather: find the beautiful stranger. The search takes her to Hotel del Coronado, the beachfront landmark on the Southern California coast where filming is underway on the movie Some Like It Hot.
For a movie lover like Kate, it's a fantasy come true. So is the offer of a position at the glamorous hotel. And a new romance is making her heart beat just as fast. But as sure as she is that Coronado is her future, Kate discovers it's also where the ghosts of the past have come to stay. Sixty years ago a guest died tragically, and she still haunts the hotel's halls.
As the lives of two women--generations apart--intertwine, Kate's courageous journey could change more than she ever imagined. And with Coronado wending its way through her soul, she must follow her dreams...wherever they may lead.
