THE FIRST EMMA
by
Camille Di Maio
Historical Fiction / Historical Romance / Women's Fiction
Historical Fiction / Historical Romance / Women's Fiction
Publisher: Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing
Date of Publication: May 5, 2020
Date of Publication: May 5, 2020
Number of Pages: 315
***Scroll down for the giveaway!***
The First Emma is the true story of Emma Koehler. Whose tycoon husband Otto was killed in a crime-of-the-century murder by one of his two mistresses – both also named Emma – and her unlikely rise as CEO of a brewing empire during Prohibition. When a chance to tell her story to a young teetotaler arises, a tale unfolds of love, war, beer, and the power of women.
PRAISE for The First Emma:
“Di Maio’s take on a shocking American drama pleasantly blends romantic and historical fiction . . . a sweet memorialization of a real-life female business pioneer in San Antonio.” —Kirkus
“A beautifully crafted portrait of an intriguing woman. Mystery and romance are set against the backdrop of fascinating pieces of twentieth-century history, and a richly drawn setting leaves the reader feeling wholly immersed. Historical fiction fans will love this one!” —Chanel Cleeton, NYT bestselling author of Next Year in Havana
“Di Maio does a brilliant job of weaving together all the threads—from past to present—while unearthing a tale of blossoming love, the power of our chosen family, and the losses that make us whole again.” —Rochelle B. Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends
CLICK TO ORDER ON:
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THE FIRST EMMA
PROLOGUE, PART TWO
Amazon ┃ Barnes and Noble Indiebound┃ Bookshop.org
THE FIRST EMMA
PROLOGUE, PART TWO
San Antonio, Texas
November 12,
1914
Emma’s eyes adjusted to the
light peeking in from the kitchen, and she could barely make out the wild look
on Otto’s face as he crumpled a paper in his hand. She didn’t have to see the
type print on the thin, yellow page it to recognize what it was. She’d known it
would upset him and had anticipated this moment.
He
tossed his bowler hat on a table and took a deep breath.
Emma clenched her fists under
the blankets and felt the quickening of her pulse in her fingers.
“What do you mean by this?” he
asked, throwing the receipt at her with surprising force. Otto Koehler was not
a violent man. Just a headstrong one. But Emma Daschiel’s recent marriage along
with Emma Burgemeister’s refusal of Otto’s proposal had unhinged him of late.
“It is
for the new wheelchair for Mrs. Koehler.”
“The
old one is perfectly good. She hasn’t complained.”
“Not to you, but I noticed
that the turns around your house are difficult for her to maneuver and the
thick rugs slow her down. This new model has smoother bearings and larger
wheels. She’s been quite excited for it to arrive.”
He slumped into the cushioned
chair across from Emma’s bed and ran his fingers through thinning gray hair.
There was something pitiful in his sigh that almost moved her to change her
mind.
She knew he loved his wife.
Had loved her ever since he came over from Germany so many years ago to start a
new life in St. Louis. He’d met her when he was a young man and after they’d
married, he convinced her to move to Texas with the wild idea of starting his
own brewery. Until her car accident four years ago, she’d been quite spritely,
Emma had been told, and her convalescence had been his undoing.
Yes, he loved his wife. To the
degree, at least, that Otto could love someone beyond himself.
Emma softened her voice, not
wanting to argue with him as he had with the other Emma. He didn’t take well to
being challenged by a woman and conciliation was a trait he prized.
“I should have asked you. But
this wheelchair will be good for her, Otto. It’s not as if you can’t afford
it.”
In fact, Otto Koehler was one
of the richest men in San Antonio—and in the country. With business and real
estate holdings so vast that even his lawyers and accountants could barely keep
up. But maybe his miserly ways had been the very thing that built his wealth.
He didn’t spend a penny that wasn’t necessary or that wasn’t an investment of
some kind.
As
proven by purchasing the one house for the two Emmas.
The
less expensive automobile.
His harried breathing calmed
as it always did after his quick rebukes. He stood up and walked to Emma’s bed,
rubbing his hand gently across her aching forehead.
“How
are you feeling today, my love? Any better?”
Otto’s fingers moved down her
face in a familiar journey, brushing her cheek, her neck, her jawline. His
rough skin had earned its abrasive texture from decades of sifting through the
shipments of barley, crushing their pale brown pods between his fingers to
release their scent and deem them worthy—or not—of being used in Pearl Beer.
He always had a faint smell of
sweetness attached to his tweed jackets as well: the pure scent of fresh hops
before boiling water and yeast and spices were added in the vast steel barrels.
Not that she had ever been invited to see them in person. A recent newspaper
article had lauded his magnificent building on Avenue A and showed many
pictures of the operation. The black ink residue on her fingers was the closest
she had ever come to that part of his life.
It was an article
commissioned, no doubt, by Otto, who’d grown more and more anxious of late over
dry activists who campaigned for the prohibition of his beloved industry. Of
his Pearl Brewery.
Otto had always counted on his
mistresses to distract him from such troubles. And now he was losing even that.
Emma bit her lower lip as his
hand continued downward and rested against the side of her breast. For all his
faults, Otto knew how to elicit a response that could make her forget the
unusual nature of their relationship.
He was
an excellent lover.
She curled her toes and tried
to steel herself against the temptation to lose herself in his touch and
escape, even briefly, from the damnable headaches.
But she had to put an end to
this. What small affection she’d once had for him changed when he announced
that he was going to leave his wife.
It was one thing to keep up
this affair, almost an hour’s ride from the opulent home he lived in with Mrs.
Koehler in the Laurel Heights section of the city. To share the comforts of a
warm bed with a man who’d been robbed of that particular pleasure when his wife
was no longer able to be that kind of companion to him. But the thought of
replacing her patient was repugnant. Mrs. Koehler was a formidable woman. Kind
but firm. Smart as anyone Emma had ever met. An excellent employer who had
given her no reason to pursue this betrayal to that extent.
Mrs. Koehler had given her
husband enough slack in the reins to pursue the necessary manly endeavors. But
leave her? She was not likely to be so pliable. She protected the reputation of
Pearl with the ferocity of a mother to a child and the scandal would have made
headlines across the country.
on Tuesday, May 26
for Part Three
Camille Di Maio always dreamed of being a writer, though she took a winding path of waitressing, temping, politicking, and real estate to get there. It all came to fruition with the publication of her bestselling debut, The Memory of Us, followed by Before the Rain Falls, The Way of Beauty, and The Beautiful Strangers. In addition to writing, she loves farmers' markets, unashamedly belts out Broadway tunes when the mood strikes, and regularly faces her fear of flying to indulge her passion for travel. Married for twenty-three years, she home-schools their four children. (Though the first two are off at college now!) She is happy to live in Virginia near a beach.
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ONE WINNER receives a signed copy of The First Emma
May 19-29, 2020
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5/19/20
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Promo
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5/19/20
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BONUS Post
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5/21/20
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Author Video
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5/22/20
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Review
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5/23/20
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Excerpt Part 1
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Review
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5/26/20
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Excerpt Part 3
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Review
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5/28/20
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Review
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