THE AUTHOR

James Dietrich Rottcher was born on January 17, 1952, in York, Pennsylvania, the son of Dietrich Rottcher, and Dietrich’s only known biological son, and has one daughter, Rosemarie. James has a daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Rottcher, and two sons, Thomas Frank Rottcher and Eric James Rottcher.

He spent over forty-six years in the floorcovering industry, holding various roles such as Salesman, Territory Manager, Director of Market Development, Technical Specialist for Flooring Distributors, and National Director of the US Market of Technical Services for a company in Portugal.

Throughout his career, James also ran several small side businesses, including Dietrich Distributing, Dart Core, Nic Nac Paddywac, Video Block, Alluring Hair, Nails, and Tanning (in partnership with his wife, Dawn [Bryan] Rottcher), and Consulting Services and Inspections (CSI).

Dietrich passed down his knowledge of winemaking to James, who made thousands of gallons of wine yearly during the sixties, etching the process into his being. Today, James occasionally makes a few gallons, maintaining a 14 percent alcohol content using no yeast, as is practiced in South Africa. His latest project is to make wine like his brother Daryl’s Wine Shine, with an ultra-high proof. I’ve heard some go up to eighty proof. I doubted this could ever be accomplished until I tasted it. Wow!

In January 2019, James partially retired from his primary employer but continued to contribute to the Portuguese company. Later that year, his son Tom asked if something could be written about his grandfather, an immigrant from Germany. This request led to the five-year journey of writing this novel.