If she could go back to the glory days of New York's night club scene of the 80s and 90s, Diane Morton-Gattullo said she would be there in a heartbeat. Instead, she's publishing a book series about the lifestyle she once lived and loved to share a slice of life behind the velvet rope.
"It’s Sopranos meets Sex and the City," Morton-Gattullo said.
“This life of Ours: Fairy Tales of Mob Bartenders” is the first book in the fictional series by the Staten Island author. It's a female's perspective in the male-centric story of New York City Mob life.
"They’re not that tough guy persona that everybody sees in The Sopranos, The Godfather, [instead] they will get down on their knee for a girl that the love," Morton-Gattullo described.
The two main characters, Babe and Dani, start a complicated love affair the day Babe gets out of prison.
"Babe is a jealous person and doesn’t want to see Dani live the lifestyle that he was attracted to, and the lifestyle that he lives. So, he throws her in the trunk of a car so she doesn’t go out," Morton-Gattullo said, adding, she knows many women who have had that experience.
The stories in the book, she explained, are loosely based on her and her group of girlfriends of more than 35 years, including the late Big Ang of VH1's Mob Wives fame. She said their experiences were fun and wild, but full of life lessons.
"You always want to be attracted to the wild flame of fun, but sometimes when you get too close to the flame you get burnt," Morton-Gattullo said.
The book is currently available on Amazon. Morton-Gattullo says a dollar from each sale will be donated to Pink Tie to support cancer research, education, and cures.