About the Author

Nancy began her love of books in Grandma Lilly's lap, usually in the sunny library of Lilly's home in Cleveland Heights. Grimm fairytales, Aesop fables, A.A. Milne to name a few. She continued that love of reading and also developed a love of storytelling that she learned from her (other) grandmother in Atlanta and other relatives. "Every Southerner can tell a good story," she says with a smile, "there must be something in the water."

She loved the drama of a well told story and began to practice. In hindsight she wishes she would have explored acting. "I certainly never dreamed of becoming a writer. My biggest wish was to get a good job and a station wagon with wooden panels. And maybe a sheep dog."

After graduating from Miami University (Ohio), Nancy taught school for five years. She recalled that it was hard work and not as much fun as her mother, a teacher, made it look. She quickly moved into business in 1972 with Xerox, in sales, and later commercial real estate brokerage. Her business career spanned 35 years where she won many awards. "Thank goodness I made some bucks in business because I certainly needed it once I decided to try something easy ... like writing," she laughed.

She began writing by attending boot camp type writing conferences every summer. There she began to study and learn the components of writing. She was humbled, she got better. "The skillset necessary is more complex than anyone can imagine," she said. There were many masterful teachers along the way but her favorites would become Dorothy Allison and Abigail Thomas. Both women are admired teachers and skillful writers. They encouraged and coached her.

In 2005, after six years of studying and practicing, she began her first book. First Love, Last Dance. It took five years to complete and was met with less than enthusiastic response from New York agents. Over eighty agents were queried. Ultimatley, she self-published, set up a website, and began marketing the book. Luckily NBC in Atlanta liked the idea that Rossman proposed to do an interview with Elise and Peter about their love story and the book. Things took off. Then another lucky break when CNN picked up the story to air for their feature story on Valentine's Day.

"All of that was great, but it was the tribute I got to pay to my mother and all the fun she had with the attention that I really liked," Rossman said. "It was priceless and well worth everything I had to go through."

Nancy recently has finished her second book, also a memoir, titled Nothing for Tomorrow. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband Sheldon.