Meet Carmen Amato: Author, Native of Rome New York, and Historian with Purpose

Thanks to Google, I met author Carmen Amato.

It never ceases to make my heart leap when someone with a similar passion for sharing history finds me on Google. And that's how I met an incredibly skilled author and native of Rome, New York: Carmen Amato.

Carmen's publishing company found this history blog online and reached out to connect us. As I dug deeper and when we got on the phone, I was blown away at how her love for family, and for her hometown, ultimately connected us.

She is so much more than an author, and in my opinion, a serious and thorough historian.

Her background, her passions, it all embodies the words I used in creating the mission statement for this blog- "Create joy and understanding through the people, places, art, objects, and their stories that embody our American history."

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Note: there are quite a few links in here! They will all open into a new tab so you can continue enjoying this post and have them ready to go when you finish!

The bio.

A 30-year veteran of the CIA where she focused on technical collection and counterdrug issues, award-winning author Carmen Amato loads her stories with danger and deception.

First in her Galliano Club historical fiction series, Murder at the Galliano Club won the 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical. Inspired by her grandfather, a deputy sheriff during Prohibition, the series has been embraced by readers who love The Godfather, Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders.

Standalone political thriller The Hidden Light of Mexico City was longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Award.

Starting with Cliff Diver, her Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. Optioned for television, National Public Radio hailed it as “A thrilling series.”

A judge for the BookLife Prize and Killer Nashville’s Claymore Award, her essays have appeared in Criminal Element, Publishers Weekly, and other national publications. She writes the popular Mystery Ahead newsletter on Substack. (open a new tab to subscribe here!)

Originally from upstate New York, after years of globe-trotting Carmen, and her husband enjoy life in Tennessee.

Book covers for the Galliano Club series, courtesy of Carmen Amato

Question 1: Please share how you started your journey into historical fiction.

Strange to say, but it’s all because of covid.

I was happy writing the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco (Cliff Diver, Narco Noir, Barracuda Bay, etc.) but covid propelled me into Al Capone’s world of bootleggers and blackmailers.

During the lockdown, my mother was in New York, struggling with masks and isolation. I was in Tennessee and called her every night. Talking about her childhood in our shared hometown of Rome, New York, always put her in a better mood.

I’d get her to describe the Italian-American neighborhood where she grew up called 'East Rome.' The lifestyle, stores, and new immigrants from Italy who passed through looking for jobs and a better life.

Sometimes we talked about her late father’s experiences as a deputy sheriff of Oneida County during Prohibition. Upstate New York was a rough-and-tumble place back then. One of my grandfather’s wildest escapades was the night he hid in a cemetery to catch bootleggers who’d staged a mock funeral for a casket full of booze!

All of those conversations led to the Galliano Club historical fiction thriller series (Road to the Galliano Club, Murder at the Galliano Club, Blackmail at the Galliano Club and Revenge at the Galliano Club).

Whether you prefer e-book, paperback or audiobooks, the Galliano Club takes you to 1926 to witness the epic battle between an Italian immigrant and a Chicago bootlegger for control of the Galliano Club, a social hub for Italians in upstate New York.

Historic Galliano Club, Rome, New York courtesy of Carmen Amato

Please share the steps you took to ensure accuracy when you began your research.

I knew from the start that the series would be an historical journey walk through my hometown during prohibition, infusing the books with as much reality as I could.

Rome would become the fictional city of Lido, NY.

The Revere Copper and Brass Rolling Mill became the Lido Premium mill. Dominick Street, the big boulevard that runs through the Italian neighborhood of East Rome became Hamilton Street running through East Lido.

The original Galliano Club still stands on Dominick Street. All I had to do was enlarge it and retain the dance studio where I took lessons throughout high school.

East Lido borrowed the architecture of East Rome, with its narrow streets and double decker multi-family houses. Rome also contributed brick and iron factory buildings, a round park in the posh part of town, a number of churches and the cultural divide between Italian and Polish mill workers.

True story—in its heyday, one tenth of all copper used in US manufacturing came from Rome, which has long called itself the Copper City.

America grew on copper in the 1920’s. Copper wire for telephone exchanges, copper tubing for residential plumbing, and copper sheets for ship hulls. Copper mills also became part of the Galliano Club story, helped by an interview my grandfather gave about working at Revere after his law enforcement career ended.

The hunt for authenticity meant sifting through hundreds of maps, train timetables, first-hand accounts, the history of beer in upstate New York (!) and reams of old photos and scrapbooks at the Rome Historical Society and the Oneida County Historical Society.

I devoured newspapers from the 1920’s, anything beer and bootlegger-related, plus books about the Italian-American experience and the politics of New York state during Prohibition.

Highlights of research trips include Saratoga, famous for horse-racing and gambling, and tours of the West End Brewery and the Stanley Theatre in Utica, NY.

The Galliano Club building was inspired by the real Galliano Club in Rome, NY, courtesy of Carmen Amato

What facts have you discovered about your grandfather’s experience as a deputy sheriff during Prohibition that would surprise readers?

While combing through the archives of the Rome Daily Sentinel newspaper, I came upon a reference to my grandparents’ wedding reception. In 1927, they married in Newark, New Jersey. Following the ceremony, the deputy sheriff and his new bride took a train to Rome for a reception in the city where they’d make their home.

That night, all the deputies including my newly married grandfather were called to duty at the courthouse. A double murder had occurred. The perpetrator was on the run.

Not only did my grandparents know killer Vito Stagliano and the two victims, but all three had attended their wedding reception just hours before.

Stagliano was caught the next day.

What an auspicious start to married life for my grandparents!

The wedding photo of Carmen’s grandparents, Joe and Ann Sestito, courtesy of Carmen Amato

When we spoke, you shared your goal of creating awareness for the history of your hometown of Rome, New York. Can you tell us why this is so important to you?

Rome was a vibrant city for years, even hosting Charles Lindbergh on his tour across America after flying the Atlantic! Heavy metal manufacturing and immigration fueled growth, aided by access to both the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. After World War II, a major Air Force base became another important employer.

But in the 1970’s, the historic downtown economic hub was razed to make room for the reconstruction of Fort Stanwix. The base shrank and was shuttered. A nearby state hospital was converted to a prison.

Rome is still trying to recover from these crippling economic blows. While it would be great if the Galliano Club books prompted a throng of tourists to the area, the real impact may be to energize those trying to recapture the city’s prosperity.

This sign on a bridge leading into Rome in the 1920s proclaimed the city’s pride in its contribution to American manufacturing, courtesy of Carmen Amato

Please share two or three a-ha moments you’ve had as you’ve evolved into an historian (because you have!).

Thanks for the kind words!

My first a-ha moment was finding out how much history is for sale on eBay! I scooped up postcards and out of print books for next to nothing. My best find was a genuine railroad stock certificate, which was a pivotal plot twist in Revenge at the Galliano Club.

The second a-ha moment was understanding that just when you think you know all there is to know, another detail you didn’t know you needed will appear. This happened during my tour of the West End brewery.

The brewery had concocted products to stay afloat during Prohibition, including “rickey” sodas, malt syrup (complete with cookbook!) and “Champannetto Mum,” a non-alcoholic fizzy beverage with a name trying to convince buyers it was a substitute for Mumm’s champagne. Of course it makes an appearance in the Galliano Club books!

This stock certificate dated December 8, 1926 inspired a pivotal scene in the last book of the series, Revenge at the Galliano Club, courtesy of Carmen Amato

What are two or three sites highlighting Rome’s history, and therefore American history, you recommend we visit in Rome, if possible?

While I regret that it replaced Rome’s historic downtown, Fort Stanwix is a wonderful Living History experience. Walk through those giant log gates and you are in the movie The Last of the Mohicans, looking for Hawkeye and the redcoats.

Run by the National Park Service, the fort is an authentic replica of the original made famous for commander Peter Stuyvesant’s bold response when the British demanded his surrender, “I reject with disdain . . .”

BTW, the fort never surrendered. Instead, Stuyvesant tricked the British into ending their siege.

RELATED: Get the book: The Last of the Mohicans here.

The Rome city cemetery is a park full of walking paths and historic markers. It’s the final resting place of Francis Bellamy, who composed the Pledge of Allegiance.

Beyond Rome, a tour of the West End Brewery in Utica is a must. There’s a speakeasy room, a display of vintage brews and giant copper tanks that are 130 years old. Old gives way to new when you emerge into the sparkling modern brewery with conveyors sending cans and bottles clattering through the process.

Incidentally, the West End brewery was the first to ship beer after the end of Prohibition!

RELATED: Dive deeper into Carmen's research of the West End Brewery here.

Police call box at Rome Historical Society, courtesy of Carmen Amato

If there’s one piece of knowledge or advice you’d like readers to walk away with about preserving and understanding history, what would it be?

People make history exciting, both then and now.

Understanding history is really about understanding people and that’s where I think fiction can bring it to life.

• What motivated them?
• What pressures did they face?
• What resources and assets did they have?
• What were they willing or compelled to do?

The best thing about researching history is the people you meet along the way.

Throughout my Galliano Club journey, everyone I reached out to and met was excited to help. They were fascinated by history and the lessons it holds for us now. Like you, Daphne!

Thanks so much for this blog and for shining a light on the forgotten corners of history.

Street sign of where the Galliano Club stands, courtesy of Carmen Amato

Calls to action.

Buy the books, starting with her historical fiction homage to Rome and her grandfather.

The Galliano Club Series.

Follow and connect with Carmen.

Website: https://carmenamato.net/links

Newsletter: https://mysteryahead.substack.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/authorcarmenamato

Instagram: https://instagram.com/authorcarmenamato

Download the Explore Here app.

Click here and have it on hand to find historical jewels in every hometown. I'm thrilled at how Carmen has shared Rome with the world, and hope you're inspired to share your hidden gems of history in your own way.

Utilize the Galliano Club travel guide from InWoodOut.

Yes, a writer from New York City named Michele put together a curated itinerary for anyone visiting Rome, New York. (I love those-- as you may know I'm doing them for Colonial Williamsburg visitors!)

Click here to see Michele's itinerary!

Closing words from history.

Have you ever read he 18th amendment to the Constitution? You know, the one about Prohibition. Here it is. Source: Cornell Law School. Click here to open their site in a new tab.

Want to dig deeper on the history and repeal? Click here.

Amendment XVIII

Section 1.

After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

Section 2.

The Congress and the several states shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Section 3.

This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several states, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the states by the Congress.

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There is a huge practical disclaimer to the content on this blog, which is my way of sharing my excitement and basically journaling online.

1) I am not a historian nor an expert. I will let you know I’m relaying the information as I understand and interpret it. The employees of Colonial Williamsburg base their presentations, work, and responses on historical documents and mainly primary sources. In the case of interviews, I am sharing the words of the interviewee: their values, beliefs, and interpretation of research, highlighting any notes of my own as mine.

2) I will update for accuracy as history is constant learning. If you have a question about accuracy, please ask me! I will get the answer from the best source I can find.

3) Photo credit to me, Daphne Reznik, for all photos in this post, unless otherwise credited! All photos are personal photos taken in public access locations or with specific permission.