Fairytale connected to M'ville author's family

Donna Rendina seeks to teach, inspire and delight readers with her first book, "The Golden Leaf."

The 29-page fairytale was published in October by Burton House Publishing and is based on the love story of her son and daughter-in-law.

"I wrote it for my granddaughter as a Christmas present," Rendina said. "It's about the way her father loves. He loves with honesty, without judgment, and doesn't drag old hurts around.

"I wanted her to use the story as a measuring stick when finding her mate, and to see how kind and good and loving her father is to her mother," Rendina added.

The book is about an orphan named Joycee who wishes on a golden leaf to change her life of misery and confinement. She wishes for someone to save her, and that someone is Prince Rajah and his ever-intuitive horse.

Rendina began writing the book four years ago, and although it's a fairytale, it's not just for children.

"It's for any age," she said. "I've had women in their 60s buy it for themselves. It's a story about faith and tenacity."

The Merrillville resident worked with illustrator Karen Kmetz Bronowski to make the story come alive.

"I worked with her at a bank 25 years ago. She was always very artsy, and I loved the way her illustrations looked like they were moving. When I got published, I went straight to her."

Rendina has two more books planned, continuing the Golden Leaf series. "Heart Sounds" will be her second book, and "Autumn's Wish," named after her granddaughter Autumn, will be the third.

"This is my first book, but I've always written. I have written poems for weddings and have done work for a doctor's office about artificial insemination. I've just always felt like writing was a God-given gift. My son's love was my inspiration," she said.

Rendina works as an accountant and owns Gram Guardian Associates.

"My business is named in honor of my mother. She's my guardian angel, and my son called her 'Gram,' so it all came together well," she said.

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