by Patricia Bellomo | Feb 7, 2015 | Mob Blog
Mob Blog: The Ferrari, February 7, 2015
In Louie Morelli’s words … How I acquired a Ferrari.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
I’m a rich guy. I don’t mind lending to friends and business associates. But I really hate when people think they can take advantage of me. Case in point: Last year I lend money to a guy named Seymour, runs an adult film studio over on Commercial. Everything’s on the up-and-up, and the first few payments arrive as scheduled. Then Seymour starts the downward slide. He misses a payment, then another. Then I receive a notice of bankruptcy, and I decide it’s time to pay Seymour a visit.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Victor and I drive down to Lauderdale. Seymour owes me big, thirty G’s cash, plus another fifty on paper. Funny, he can’t pay his creditors but his 1971 Daytona Ferrari convertible is parked outside his building. This gets me thinking, and I suddenly recall Seymour boasting about having clear title on the Ferrari, but I don’t say anything, not even to Victor. We go inside, and Seymour starts falling apart, telling me he’s sorry and that he’ll make good on his debt.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
“Sure you will,” I say, giving him a little smile.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Seymour’s nervous because Victor’s carrying, and he can see it. Of course, Victor made sure he did see it, letting his jacket open just a bit. No threats are uttered, just the visual. Casually, I ask Seymour what the Ferrari is worth. Horrified, he says, “Come on, Lou, you’re joking, right?”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
I make it clear that I am not joking. But I do it nicely, like a gentleman. In the end Seymour signs over the title, and I walk out with a 1971 Daytona Ferrari convertible.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
If you enjoyed “The Ferrari”, you may consider reading one of Patricia Bellomo’s mob thrillers. Books include, Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter and the soon to be released The Prince of Mafia Princes.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
The Ferrari was written in the voice of Patricia’s main character, savvy mobster, Louie Morelli.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
All books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in all e-reader formats. Also available on AmazonUK and AmazonEU.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
***Photo: Ferrari by Sattva, Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.***
by Patricia Bellomo | Oct 3, 2014 | Mob Blog
Mob Blog: Books and Pasta
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Mob Blog: Books and Pasta, October 3, 2014[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Pasta e Pasta is hosting Macomb County author, Patricia Bellomo, at their Chesterfield store on Wednesday, October 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
The founder of Pasta e Pasta, Carlo DeAngelis, is a fan of Bellomo’s. “I’ve read every one of Patricia’s books,” say DeAngelis, who gets a kick out of the fact that he shares a surname with Bellomo’s character, Victor DeAngelis. Of course, Pasta e Pasta’s DeAngelis has little in common with Bellomo’s audacious Victor, who is definitely on the “muscle” end of things. [/dcs_p][dcs_p]
What Bellomo’s character and Pasta e Pasta’s founder do have in common is a love of food, and a talent for preparing it. According to Bellomo, “They’re both awesome cooks.”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Carlo and his daughter, Carla DeAngelis, work as a team. Carla also happens to be the owner of Pasta e Pasta. Menu items prepared on site and available for purchase are old family recipes. Pasta is king, whether it’s in the form of lasagna, cannelloni, stuffed shells or ravioli. The DeAngelis’s also make a variety of homemade sauces and soups, distributing their products to local groceries and Italian markets. Except for the dry noodles and sauces, most items are frozen.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Bellomo’s suspense thrillers feature Italian characters. “They love to eat,” says the author. Inevitably, in every book there is a scene or two in which Victor is cooking a meal. Frequently, spaghetti is on the menu, with some kind of sauce simmering on the stove. And, like the real DeAngelis’s, Victor uses all natural ingredients.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
“Because of Victor’s superb culinary skills, many of my readers assume I’m a good cook,” says Bellomo. “But, the truth is, I’m too busy writing to cook. My passion is books.”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
That’s why Bellomo is doing a Books and Pasta night at the Chesterfield store. It’s meet the author, buy a book, get a taste of Italy. And it’s for a good cause, with fifteen percent of all proceeds being donated to American Breast Cancer Foundation.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Pasta e Pasta is located at 48712 Gratiot, in Chesterfield Township, just south of 22 Mile in the Kingston Plaza.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Bellomo’s books include Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. All books are available on Amazon.com, in print and digital form. Also available at most bookstores and on all e-readers. Also available overseas via AmazonUK and AmazonEU.
by Patricia Bellomo | Aug 8, 2014 | Mob Blog
Mob Blog: Facebook Frenzy, August 8, 2014
Mob Blog: Facebook Frenzy
[dcs_p]I don’t get Facebook. I especially don’t get it that my youngest son, Michael, is addicted to Facebook. We’re on the Stella di Mare, cruising south on the Intracoastal, and he’s taking pictures and posting them for his Facebook pals.
Michael’s not exactly a kid. He’s in his mid-twenties, but like most of his generation, he’s connected. Since I’ve spent most of my life endeavoring to be un-connected, I’m clueless. I’m also trying to be nice, but seeing him on the sundeck, oblivious, his fingers tapping away, I’m getting pissed. I say to Victor, “What’s so interesting on Facebook?”
We’re heading south, to Miami. The outing is on account of the fact that Michael’s visiting for a few days. It’s a male bonding thing—me, my two sons, their cousin, and Victor. We’re all here, enjoying the day, but Michael’s on Facebook.
The Fort Lauderdale skyline looms ahead. Michael snaps a photo with his smart-phone, uploads it to Facebook. He’s already posted pictures of his brother and my crew. He focuses his phone on me, catches my expression, and then trains it on a passing cruiser. Victor says, “Michael, no pictures of me or your dad on Facebook, okay?”
Michael bobs his head. Communicating with one of his Facebook friends, he’s grinning ear-to-ear. I look at Victor. How fun can this be?[
Michael’s sitting on the edge of a sun bed, beneath the shade of an umbrella. He doesn’t look up until I’m standing beside him, my hand outstretched. “Let me see your phone,” I say.
He looks a little suspicious, but he doesn’t refuse. He hands over his precious Samsung. It’s burning hot, from overuse. I walk to the boat’s railing and calmly toss the smart-phone into the choppy waters of the Intracoastal. Michael bolts upright. “Dad, my phone—
“F—- Facebook,” I say.
Michael shuts up fast. The look on his face is priceless.
If you enjoyed Facebook Frenzy, you may consider reading one of Patricia Bellomo’s mob thrillers. Books include, Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter.
Facebook Frenzy was written in the voice of Patricia’s main character, savvy mobster, Louie Morelli. All books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in all e-reader formats. Also available on AmazonUK and AmazonEU.
by Patricia Bellomo | Mar 19, 2014 | Mob Blog
Feast of St. Joseph
Mob Blog: The Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 2014
La Fiesta di San Giuseppe, the Feast of St. Joseph, is celebrated today. This is a day Italians celebrate, in much the same way as the Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, although we’ll supplant the green with a little vino. And pastry. And prayer, of course.
St. Joseph is the patron saint of Sicily, and the Feast of St. Joseph is celebrated to honor the spouse of the Virgin Mary. It’s a day to be thankful for what you have and to help those who are needy—a day to feed the hungry.
It’s customary to wear red on the Feast of St. Joseph. Fish-shaped bread and cross-buns are also part of St. Joseph’s celebrations, as is the Fava Bean. This little bean is credited with saving the lives of Sicilians during the famines of the middle-ages and has come to symbolize the festa. It’s considered good fortune to eat the bean on St. Joseph’s Day, as well as to receive a “lucky” bean.
Altars are erected in gratitude of St. Joseph’s bounty, displaying statues of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, along with candles and flowers and traditional Sicilian wine and pastry, most notably zeppole, which are fried puffed shells filled with ricotta or custard or Italian cream, and fig stuffed cookies called cuccidati.
It’s advisable to attend Mass before the feast.
The best place to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph—apart from traveling to Sicily—is in New Orleans. The Italian Amercian Marching Club does an annual parade on the Saturday before the Feast of St. Joseph, with a prime French Quarter route. Incidentally, New Orleans was a destination for late nineteenth and early twentieth century Sicilian immigrants. Sicilian’s settled in the French Quarter even before the mass immigrations began at Ellis Island, giving New Orleans a heritage that is rich in Italian culture.
It’s no coincidence that the main character in my “Louie Morelli” series is from New Orleans. The city is also the setting for my novel, Louie Morelli’s Mistress.
Patricia Bellomo is the author of the crime and mob thriller books Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. Books available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and on all e-readers.
by Patricia Bellomo | Oct 10, 2013 | Mob Blog
[dcs_p]Mob Blog: Miami Beach Mobsters, October 10, 2013[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p] In Louie Morelli’s words … [/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Did I say the Russian’s make me nervous? They’re unpredictable, these new Miami Beach mobsters, with their expensive Cristal and low priced prostitutes. Unfortunately, the way business is today, I’m obliged to meet with them every now and then.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
My venue of choice is my own nightclub, Franco’s, which is a Miami Beach favorite, even for Miami’s new Russian mobsters. I meet a couple of them up in the VIP lounge, where Franco pours the Cristal and Victor offers Montecristo’s.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
It’s a civilized meet, and I’m not expecting trouble, but the Russian’s like to show their muscle. I think they’re amused that I’m so low key, but then, they’re in a much more dangerous line of work than I am, dealing with Middle Eastern fanatics and South American sociopaths. Being a patriot, I object to some of their practices, but then, what they do is their business. As long as it doesn’t encroach on mine. But, occasionally, these foreign-born Miami Beach mobsters come to me for a deal or a favor. And sometimes, like today, it’s me who is looking for information.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Fortunately, the information is provided without a price, as a gesture of goodwill. I graciously accept. After all, it wouldn’t do to offend my unsavory friends. So I let Franco pour the Cristal, and then he brings in the working girls, and the Russians are happy. [/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Patricia Bellomo is the author of the crime and mob thriller books, Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. Miami Beach Mobsters was written in the voice of her main character, Louie Morelli.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Books available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Amazon.UK & Amazon.EU. Books are also available in digital formats.
