Guest Post

Guest Chick: Donna Schlachter

It’s my pleasure to introduce Donna Schlachter to the Chicks on the Case for her inaugural visit!

The Mafia in America in History—through to the 1890s

In researching my most recent release, Claire, I discovered some interesting facts about the mafia in America.

• For readers who have watched The Godfather, it comes as no surprise that the mafias we recognize originated in Italy. However, similar organizations exist in many other countries, including Greece, Corsica, and Romania. Wherever there is a criminal element looking to take advantage of others, the mafia will be there, front and center.

• The American Mafia, or the Italian-American Mafia, arrived in America with the influx of immigrants. For example, in New York City alone, the number of Italians jumped from 20,000 in 1880 to 250,000 in 1890, to 500,000 by 1910. This comprised ten percent of the city’s population.

• While most Italian immigrants were law-abiding, simply having an Italian name often meant persecution from other ethnicities because of their perceived connection to the mafia.

• The first published account of the mafia in the US dates back to 1869, when the New Orleans Times reported that their Second District had become overrun with Sicilian murders, counterfeiters, and burglars.

• The Black Hand was not a group, but an extortion method used in Italian neighborhoods in the late 1890s. Businesses paid protection money to allow them to keep their shops open.

• The first known mafia member to emigrate to the US was Giuseppe Esposito. He fled here after he and six other Sicilians killed eleven landowners. Law enforcement arrested him in 1881 and extradited back to Italy.

• Some of the more famous gangsters of the 1890s to 1920s started out working for Paul Kelly in the Five Points Gang in Little Italy in NYC. Al Capone and Lucky Luciano were two of the then household names who both fascinated and horrified law-abiding folks.

In my book, Claire, she boards a train to flee New York after her mafia father is murdered and a contract is placed on her head. Toby, an undercover Pinkerton operative, heads for Denver, finding himself on a train with a woman who is vaguely familiar to him. Toby, to add to his cover story, has placed an ad for a mail-order bride. Claire replies to the ad, neither realizing their connection. Can they solve the mystery of who is trying to kill her? And will Toby open his heart to love?

Do you think it would be easier to disappear in 1894 or today? Why? How would you do it? Would you need an accomplice or would it be a solo activity?

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She also coaches writers at any stage of their manuscript.

Connecting Online:

www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive 2 free ebooks simply for signing up for our free newsletter!

www.DonnaSchlachter.com/blog

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter

Books: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-schlachter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=donna+schlachter

Need a writing coach? www.donnaschlachter.com/Tapestry 

14 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Donna Schlachter”

  1. Interesting history, Donna. I enjoyed reading Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, but many more people have watched the 1972 film version.

    According to a Hollywood Reporter article, in 1969, Puzo sold rights to adaptations of his famous book for $50,000. As of 2012, the estate estimated those rights had a reasonable value of $100 million. And by the way, those adaptations generated over $1 billion in revenues.

    It would seem, in this case, crime pays. Kudos on your latest book!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  4. Thanks for being here, Donna! Enjoyed learning all these facts!

    I think it’d be hard for me to disappear in 1894 or today. In both cases, an accomplice would be super helpful. I don’t have enough planning skills or connections to pull it off alone!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. My mother is Italian but my Jewish grandfather was the family mobster (Although various Italian family members did have mob connections). He disappeared in 1933. I went to school in NOLA and spend a lot of time there. I learned through researching a stand-alone mystery inspired by his disappearance that the Mafia did start in New Orleans in the 1870s. As a native New Yorker, this surprised me!

    Thanks so much for guesting, Donna. The book sounds great!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Hi, Donna! *waving* Thanks for visiting us today. Your book sounds fun!

    As others have said, there are many more cameras and such to make it hard to disappear, but I think disguises have gotten better, so I think it can still be done. Wouldn’t it be fun to try??

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Thanks for visiting Chicks, Donna, and all this great info re: the Mafia. Congrats on Claire as well. I have a feeling one’s chances of successfully disappearing these days depend on why one might need to vanish. All in the motivation of the party looking, I suspect!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Lisa. But just think of terrible tragedies, such as landslides, volcanoes, and hurricanes. Folks disappear, their bodies never found. Presumed dead. But what if they weren’t? I recall movies from years ago where somebody stages their death to escape a bad marriage, jumps from a boat or a ship, and carries on a new life somewhere else. Ooh, I see a book there…

      Like

      Reply

Leave a reply to donnaschlachter Cancel reply