Author Biography

The author is Don Ladolcetta. It is an Italian name, as his paternal grandparents came 

from southern Italy, but he also claims Irish ancestry from his mother’s side who came 

from Newfoundland.

He is one of two brothers, raised in New York in what he jokingly refers to as the town of 

Leave It To Beaverville, where all the mothers wore pearls and aprons in the kitchen 

while baking cookies and all the dads took the daily train to work in New York City. He 

spent his whole life attending Catholic Schools where he went on to earn a bachelor’s 

and master’s degree in business.

He married right out of college, raised two kids and started his career in banking but 

ended it as a self-employed owner of a small CPA tax practice. He is still married today 

to his beautiful wife and muse, Patty. The two of them struggled for 40 years raising a 

family in Florida before following their sons and grandchildren to retirement in Texas. He 

has five young Grandchildren, four boys and one girl. In retirement Patty and Don travel 

overseas 3 or 4 times a year and have enjoyed extensive travel as a result.

He never planned to author a novel, but in 2020 he became a shut-in like the rest of the 

world when the Covid 19 virus descended upon us. As he stood there staring at the four 

walls, his son Frank chided him into doing something else besides watching TV during 

this time, and thus he gave birth to the historical fiction, Hannah: The Lighthouse Girl of 

Newfoundland. It didn’t take long before a publisher picked it up and now sells the novel 

at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, and Walmart.

Since writing his first book, many fans have asked him whether he will write another and 

in March of 2023, Don started his second novel called… A Brooklyn Tale. It is the story 

of Don’s Italian heritage, centered around his father Matteo (Matthew) and the Italian 

grandparents who had significant immigrant experiences through Ellis Island and the 

Italian ghettos of New York. It is written in a style similar to his first book.

Don and wife Patty travel extensively every year and Don is an active volunteer for the 

Georgetown Lions Club, The Caring Place, and the Santa Rosa Knights of Columbus. 

When he is not traveling or writing he loves being creative with woodworking, carving 

and woodburning.