Rosemary Neri Villanella was born in Gravesend, Brooklyn in the “Duck and Cover” era as the child of two very loyal lifelong Brooklynites. She has always loved reading and discovered her love of writing while attending Lafayette High School, where she joined the staff of the award winning school literary magazine: “The Marquis”.
After graduating from Brooklyn College Rosemary worked as a teacher (Pre-K through Grade 8) in the public and private schools of her home borough. After leaving teaching, and while raising a family, she had articles published in the “Garden City News” and “Long Island Parent” and has written study guides for children’s literature (as Rosemary Villanella). She also worked as the Director of Publicity at Old Westbury School of the Holy Child and pursued her dream of writing a book after leaving that job. She jump started that process by taking creative writing courses at Nassau Community College where "Duck and Cover" began as an assignment in one of those classes.
Throughout her writing Rosemary holds fast to the advice given her by the faculty advisor of “The Marquis” so many years ago: that a famous writer had once said: “I am not a writer; I am a rewriter” - so is she.
