I would of never thought of writing if it weren’t for my mother Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. She gives me hope that I can someday follow in her path. I remember in the 70’s seeing this book written by my mother with me being the leading lady. I sat on the couch and read some of the story. I was completely mesmerized and felt like I was the character in the story.

       A few years after that I received my first pop-up book. I was so excited to see Sleeping Beauty come to life. My mother always bought me new books instead of toys. There were books everywhere even books I shouldn’t be looking at.  I really enjoyed  beautiful big art books. Having a visual of the words was a overload for me. I could sit and look deep into the pictures thinking of the story behind each and every image.

       I loved the smell of the books, and how they felt when I turned the page.  Seeing my mom on the cover of her first book was an amazing feeling.  At first, it didn’t feel real then things changed. I was so proud of my mom and couldn’t believe she could  write books. I used to watch her write  and remember she had to stay focused. If she had a deadline there were no phone calls from us.  She would write for seventeen hours a day taking very little breaks to do anything else.

     She was living a writers dream, but it took a lot of hard work to get there.  We had to be put on the back burner to fend for ourselves. I  have the upmost respect for anyone that has written or attempted to write a novel. It takes a lot of patience to get through it.  I think in the beginning she wrote the same book several times before getting it just right.

        My mother attended school at Gulf Park College in Gulf Port,  Mississippi.  She has three children, and two step-children. She wrote her first book Mitigating Circumstances on a old type-writer and sent it out to many publishers before finally getting a multi- million dollar contract.  With a lot of hard work, and sleepless nights, the rewards started pouring in.

      Life was never the same after that. It was a whirlwind of traveling and promoting. The money was very good,  and my mother was doing something she had dreamed of her entire life.

       Her first novel, Mitigating Circumstances  was published in 1993, and the film rights were obtained by Academy Award  winning director, Jonathan Demme. Her novels have been translated into many languages. The majority of her novels have been  New York Times bestsellers.

       She has also received national acclaim for her writing program for inner city youth called: "Voices of Tomorrow". The Board of Supervisors of Orange County voted her "A Woman of Excellence, Learning for Life" in 1994. She was  also featured on Prime Time Live and in People Magazine for her adoption of a child with a rare, terminal illness called MMA.  Janelle was the longest living survivor of this  disease. 

       I remember watching  Prime Time Live and seeing my mother give this special child a brand new car. Of course, I am crying because I am very proud of her and because she is beaming with love for this girl. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I had so much respect and admiration for what she had become. I can't believe after seventeen years she has published more than a dozen New York Times best sellers! She has shown me that with discipline you can achieve anything, and live the life you only dreamed of living.

Written by~ Chessly Lynn Nesci