Using her experiences growing up in an Atlantic City Italian American neighborhood once home to infamous organized crime figures, retired Cape May County Technical High School teacher Diane Zimmerman has authored her first novel, “The Other Side of Tenderness.”
Zimmerman takes readers into the inner sanctum of the gambling world with a colorful cast of dishonest dealers, unscrupulous tricksters and unruly tourists. Multiple scams are gleaned from her early employment in the casino industry; she worked in 1981 at the Playboy Hotel and Casino when it opened.
“I grew up in Ducktown,” she said about the Atlantic City neighborhood where Italian immigrants heavily settled in the early 20th century and named it for the duck houses they built along the bayfront, where they raised poultry and waterfowl. She now lives in Egg Harbor Township.
“The novel represents nostalgia; I cherish the memories I have of growing up there, where the grandmas and moms all looked out for each other and each other’s families, where if you misbehaved, your mom knew about it by the time you got home,” she said.
“I have only fond memories of my old neighborhood. It was the safest in the city. Everyone knew each other, looked out for each other and protected each other.
“I went to a show at one of the casinos there last year, and it was so sad to see all the closed shops. It not like when I grew up anymore.”
Retiring six years ago after 22 years of being a substitute school nurse and teaching health services and career exploratory (a rotation through four exploratory technical classrooms that every incoming ninth grade student and transfer 10th grade student experiences), Zimmerman said the idea for her book had been simmering in her mind for awhile. The actual writing took about a year.
A steamy love story/murder mystery, “The Other Side of Tenderness” is set against the backdrops of both Atlantic City and Las Vegas. It follows the turbulent life of organized crime casino owner Nick Rusano as he attempts to shield his true identity from the story’s love interest, a naive woman being stalked by a serial killer.
“This is not a story for the faint of heart, as violent scenes are depicted,” she cautioned.
While her novel, which is 393 pages, was released in July and is available on amazon.com, Zimmerman is already planning four more books.
“The next one is about the sons of the main character,” she said, “and will be called ‘The Four Horsemen of Perdition.'”
Contact the reporter, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
