Westchester Brothers Publish First Book

Gabriella Di Leo is one lucky three-year-old.

Her father Jerry and his twin brother, Patsy Di Leo, recently wrote and published a book based on her love of flowers.

Gabriella and Her Bouquet of Friends is the first book for the Mount Vernon natives who graduated from Fordham University.

Patsy, a budget analyst, and Jerry, owner of J Dileo Landscaping, never thought they would be published authors.

"It started as a fun project," said Patsy, who has been a Tarrytown resident for 10 years.

The brothers explained the story evolved from observing Gabriella's interests and mannerisms, and Jerry thought it would be neat to make the flowers into friends for her.

"She always goes and smells the flowers in the garden and picks them," he said.

Patsy wrote a story based on the idea, and later found illustrator Silvina Maldonado to create the book's 30 pictures. Photos of Gabriella were used to ensure a likeness in the illustrations.

"Her eyes lit up when she first saw the book," said Jerry, who brought the finished product to Gabriella's pre-kindergarten to share with the class.

"It's just exciting to see the book and see her name and our names on the cover," said Patsy. "It's very rewarding."

It took around six months to complete the book, the majority of which was spent waiting for the illustrations to arrive. Patsy used online publisher LuLu.com to format and publish the book from start to finish.

"As I was typing it and uploading, I didn't know if it was going to actually work," he said.

They have received nothing but positive feedback from buyers so far, and have taken their momentum into brainstorming three additional books—all, of course, inspired by Gabriella.

"One is about numbers. Gabriella counts to 1o in different languages; it's an educational type of book," revealed Jerry. "In another she's a pirate and sails the five seas, teaching a little something about each ocean."

All of their books, though lighthearted and fun, can teach audiences something, emphasized Patsy.

Gabriella and Her Bouquet of Friends, for example, discusses the shapes of different flowers, including tulips, daisies and Gabriella's favorite, roses.

With about 20 copies sold so far, the brothers are looking for ways to market the book, from holding book signings to attending to book fairs. They additionally created a 2011 calendar with the book's images, also through LuLu.com.

The Di Leos aren't going to quit their day jobs yet, but Jerry and Patsy are excited for what's next with their writing.

"If it takes off, that would be nice," said Patsy.

To purchase a print or digital copy of Gabriella and Her Bouquet of Friends, or a calendar, visit the Di Leo's LuLu storefront.