Melanie here. Today is very exciting for me because it is Speak Easy's official book birthday and the first day of the blog tour!
Book Description...
Temptation is everywhere.
It's July, 1923. By day twenty-year-old Tiny O’Mara works for her father’s smalltime bootlegging operation. By night she craves the roll-your-stockings-down lifestyle of a flapper, but with her mother gone, she’s usually stuck at home with two younger sisters—until her father is kidnapped by a mobster in Detroit's exploding organized crime scene, and it’s Tiny who has to come up with the ten-thousand-dollar ransom.
In one week.
Enzo DiFiore’s screen-idol looks and dangerous charm leave her breathless, even though he’s the son of the mobster holding her father hostage. But when the forbidden spark between them refuses to burn out, she tries to use their powerful attraction to buy more time.
And then there’s Joey Lupo, the irritatingly handsome pest from her childhood who’s got the street smarts Tiny needs to smuggle enough booze to make a quick ten grand. But he’s got his own agenda where gang rivalries are concerned, and despite his promise to protect her, Tiny isn’t sure she can trust Joey—or stop her growing feelings for him.
To save her father’s life, she’ll have to choose between them. But deciding whom to trust isn’t easy in a world where everyone wants something—be it booze, money, power, or sex—and no one cares what it takes to get it.
I even have purchase links for Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
So for this stop on the tour, I thought I'd share some cool stuff about the book. Most of the other stops are doing reviews or excerpts--if you'd like the tour schedule, click here. You'll also get to see some of the swag in the grand prize pack! :)
10 Fun Facts about Speak Easy
1. The OʼMara family is entirely fictional, but during the early 1920s the Detroit area was full of smalltime bootleggers like Jack (Tinyʼs father) who brought carloads or boatloads of whisky and beer across the narrow waterway separating Michigan and Canada.
2. In the early days, theyʼd just cover up the bottles with a blanket--women and children were good to have in the car or boat because they made it less likely you would be stopped and searched.
3. Here are two photos from Detroit during Prohibition. How cool that someone labeled them with bootlegging terms!
5. I was inspired by this quote from the Ken Burnsʼs documentary Prohobition: “Itʼs not that sin is so terrible; itʼs that itʼs very attractive. Thatʼs why weʼre always tempted to do it.”
6. The headlines from the newspaper Tiny reads on the street are authentic (from the Detroit Free Press in the 1920s) as are the quotes in the article--only the names are changed.
7. The only person based on a real life figure is Raymond DiFiore; there was an actual guy in the Purple Gang who messed up words all the time. “Pishmission” was one of them! ;)
8. The meat sauce that Joey makes at Tinyʼs house is based on my Italian grandmotherʼs recipe. I will share it in a future blog post! Joey cooks more in the sequel as well...
9. I interviewed a guy in his 90s who told me how his father used to remake old Cadillac hearses for bootleggers...it gave me a great idea. Hereʼs an example of a 1920s hearse:
10. And finally, my favorite picture of all. Speak Easy is about temptation, and Tiny spends a good amount of time in the book trying to fight an attraction to bad boy Enzo DiFiore--for good reason. But she's not terribly successful, and nor would I be since in my mind Enzo looks like this:
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And now for the giveaways! Good luck!
US ONLY: One grand prize swag pack which includes: Valentine Vodka Swag, JewelNinjas Agatha Bracelet, Chrome Cocktail Shaker, MAC Lipstick, Great Gatsby Soundtrack or $10 iTunes gift card, Gatsby Style Flapper Headband, Signed Copy of Speak Easy, $25 Amazon Gift Card: Total Value: $150 USD
INTERNATIONAL: Eight (8) eCopies of Speak Easy: mobi or ePub only; value $3.99 USD
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I love that you added the 10 fun facts about Speak Easy
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