JOHNNY COME LATELY by Kathleen M Rodgers
Book Cover:
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 past and present, reveal themselves.
My Review:
Kathleen Rodgers not only tells a great multi-layered story, she also gives the reader something to think about after finishing her book. She skillfully weaves information throughout the book without making it feel like one is in a classroom or being preached at; instead, she connects and enlightens. She deals with difficult subjects such as bulimia, abandonment, infidelity, and fear, in a genuine, sensitive, and compassionate manner. As the secrets are revealed, there was one I didn’t see coming. It made me actually put my hand to my mouth and gasp. I wonder if that secret will do the same for you?
— Linda Apple, Author Culture
Kathleen Rodgers
Kathleen Rodgers’ stories and essays have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. Johnnie Come Lately is her 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. She lives in a suburb of North Texas with her husband, a retired fighter pilot/commercial airline pilot, and their dog, Denton.