Friday, February 7, 2025

Local Author Prepares to Release Eighth Novel

(Photo provided by Camille Di Maio)

WILLIAMSBURG— Local Author Camille Di Maio will be soaring in with her eighth historical fiction novel, “Come Fly with Me,” in mid-February.

Di Maio, who moved to Williamsburg about eight years ago from Texas, gave up a career in real estate to start writing.

“Ever since age 12, I wanted to be one of those authors who helps people with escapism,” said Di Maio.

She started writing in earnest in her 30s, and her first book was published when she turned 40.

The historical fiction novel follows two Pan Am stewardesses navigating an adventurous new life in a story about love, friendship, and escape. Di Maio notes she tends to write stories set in the mid-20th century and the new novel fits right in.

“My new idea, ‘Come Fly with Me’ is set in 1962 and what I love about the era as mid-20th century is that it was really a time when women were emerging into new opportunities and possibilities,” Di Maio said.

With a love of aviation, she began researching Pan Am in 2020. She said the pandemic allowed her to interview people for hours on end to help with her novel.

According to the Delta Flight Museum, Pan American World Airways, or “Pan Am,” was the principal international air carrier of the United States for most of its lifetime — first flying mail between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba, in 1927. By the 1950s, Pan Am offered “around the world” service and its brand was as familiar abroad as Coca-Cola. Facing challenges and increased competition in later years, Pan Am declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in December 1991.

“I created a fictional story, as I do, but I used a lot of detail [the former stewardesses] had given me about their careers and their lives and so has a very international scope, very 1960s scope, and there’s always a romantic element in my book,” explained Di Maio.

“[Pan Am] was the airline to fly on. It was the gold standard,” she added.

Di Maio said what she found the most interesting about researching for the novel were the little details. One example is that every single stewardess she interviewed, except for one, said that their favorite layover was Hong Kong. There, they said they would be greeted at the airport by a man with a measuring tape around his neck. He would take them to his shop and have their measurements taken for custom clothing that they said was super cheap. Between that and the jewelry they purchased, Di Maio said they built up lavish wardrobes .

Also interesting to Di Maio was that the galley on the plane where meals were prepared was all made-to-order. From beef wellington to eggs, she noted it was silver service — even in coach — and it was amazing what they could do with such a small space.

The novel will be released on Feb. 18 and will be available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Di Maio is currently working on organizing local events for book signings but nothing is set yet.

For more information, visit Di Maio’s official website.

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