Synopses & Reviews
Would life have been different for Johnnie if she'd been named after a woman rather than her dead uncle? Or if her mama hadn't been quite so beautiful or flighty? The grandparents who raised her were loving, but they didn't understand the turmoil roiling within her. And they had so many, many secrets. Why did her mama leave? Would she ever return? How did her Uncle Johnny really die? Who was her father? Now Johnnie Kitchen is a 43-year-old woman with three beautiful children, two of them grown. She has a handsome, hardworking husband who adores her, and they live in the historic North Texas town of Portion in a charming bungalow. But she never finished college and her only creative outlet is a journal of letters addressed to both the living and the dead. Although she has conquered the bulimia that almost killed her, Johnnie can never let down her guard, lest the old demons return. Or perhaps they never went away to begin with. For Johnnie has secrets of her own, and her worst fear is that the life she's always wanted--the one where she gets to pursue her own dreams--will never begin. Not until her ghosts, both living and dead, reveal themselves.
Review
THE FINAL SALUTE: "Until the very end, readers are intrigued by her colorful cast of characters that bring everything from love to betrayal amid the added struggle of military life."
--Fort Worth, Texas Magazine
Review
"Johnny Come Lately is a thoroughly compelling story of a family in crisis. Rodgers has combined humor, tragedy, and ultimately love, in what is an uplifting story of the human spirit. There were times that I laughed and cried and shouted for joy, and I am not ashamed to say it."
--Dwight J. Zimmerman, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Lincoln's Last Days
"The remnants of Johnnie Kitchen's childhood traumas threaten the life she needs and wants now--a deep and enduring love, children, and an orderly family life. Award-winning author Kathleen Rodgers has written a brave and uplifting novel that will move anyone who has faced a long, lonely road back from disaster and despair."
--Joyce Faulkner, past president of Military Writers Society of America and award-winning author of Windshift and In the Shadow of Suribachi
Synopsis
Would Johnnie's life be different if she'd been named after a woman instead of her dead uncle? Or if her mama hadn't been so beautiful or flighty? The grandparents who raised her were loving, but they didn't understand the turmoil roiling within her. And they had so many, many secrets. Now Johnnie has a loving family of her own but also her own secrets... secrets that are poisoning her life.
About the Author
Kathleen M. Rodgers' stories and essays have appeared in Family Circle Magazine, Military Times, Family: The Magazine for Military Families, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Albuquerque Journal, Clovis News Journal, Her War Her Voice, "Spouse Buzz" at Military.com, Women's Independent Press, and in the following anthologies: Because I Fly (McGraw-Hill), Lessons From Our Children (Health Communications, Inc.), Stories Of Faith And Courage On The Home Front (AMG Publishers), Home of the Brave: Somewhere in the Sand (Press 53), and Red, White and True, (University of Nebraska Press/Potomac Books). Rodgers is a recipient of a Distinguished Alumna Award from Tarrant County College/NE Campus 2014. She lives in a suburb of North Texas with her husband, a retired fighter pilot/commercial airline pilot, and their dog, Denton. Johnnie Come Lately is Rodgers' second novel. She is also the author of the award-winning novel, The Final Salute, featured in USA Today, The Associated Press, and Military Times. The Final Salute has been reissued by Deer Hawk Publications in 2014. She is currently working on a sequel to Johnnie Come Lately, Seven Wings to Glory, and is represented by Loiacono Literary Agency. You can find Rodgers online at: kathleenmrodgers.com.