April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
MURDER AND MEMORY
Albany native pens dramatic novel
Characters tend to "take over" as the Catholic author writes. "Sometimes I just have to walk away," she told The Evangelist. "The assassin [character] gets so evil that I just have to leave the computer."
The 72-year-old Albany native prays for the redemption and growth of such antagonists - and she'll have a chance to lead them there in the next installments of her historical fiction trilogy, which she has been researching and writing for two decades.
Mrs. Dronchi grew up in an Italian section of downtown Albany across from the former St. Anthony's Church. She attended the former St. John's School, Cathedral Academy and Cardinal McCloskey (now Bishop Maginn) High School before working as a secretary.
For almost 30 years now, she and her husband have lived in Vero Beach, Fla., where she owns a salon and spa. She never thought about writing until a client began prodding her for family stories.
"She kept digging and digging," Mrs. Dronchi said. "I said, 'You must either be a cop or a writer.'"
The customer, an author, saw something in the stylist's storytelling abilities and encouraged her to pursue her talent. Somewhat reluctantly, Mrs. Dronchi started taking community center classes in the early 1990s.
Soon, her work was being published in magazines and anthologies. Her first novel, featuring a protagonist who refuses to abort her child, was self-published in electronic format under a pseudonym a few months ago.
Mrs. Dronchi also self-published "Blood Feud," which debuted in January. About 15 editors combed through the manuscript, and she hired professionals to format the book and design the cover.
The story follows Agostino Rossini, who as a five-year-old in 1906 witnesses his grandfather, Carlo Batista, murder his mother in Italy. Carlo also seeks to kill Agostino because he was conceived out of wedlock, but Agostino's father, Victorio, whisks him away to an orphanage.
Years later, Agostino moves to America and grapples with nightmares of the incident and the desire to confront the people who wronged him and his mother.
Agostino travels to Italy, where Carlo has become a powerful banker, and where his half-brother, an assassin known as The Leopard, targets him. Agostino, who sees the good in everyone, turns down opportunities for revenge and instead seeks to learn the truth about his family and make amends.
The protagonist is based on Mrs. Dronchi's grandfather, whom she suspected was involved in organized crime in Albany. Her extensive research into the Mafia and the time period included a trip to her mother's childhood home in Italy.
"They say, 'Write what you know,'" she said. "I just started writing and that's how it came out."
"Blood Feud" has received positive reviews on the internet; Mrs. Dronchi has sold about 200 print copies and about 300 electronic copies.
"I'm in awe," said Mrs. Dronchi, who intends to continue her hairstyling career. "I'm speechless about it. I don't think I'm a good writer. I think I'm a good storyteller."
In May, the author held book signings in the Albany area, including one organized by Bishop Maginn High School's alumni association that raised $500 for the school.
She said her faith informs much of her work: The Leopard, for instance, prays the Rosary along with a woman he's about to kill.
"I don't know if he was mocking her or mocking God," Mrs. Dronchi said. "In my mind, he's going to come to meet God. He's going to come around.
"I feel [God is] in my writing, whether it's good or bad," she continued. "I never even dreamed that I could write a book. He sits me at this chair every day when I'm not working. He puts the words in my mind."
In her free time, Mrs. Dronchi enjoys telling stories to her two children and three grandchildren.[[In-content Ad]]
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