By Marice Richter
Photography by Thanin Viriyaki
As one of six siblings, Kathleen M. Rodgers recalls her childhood wish was to have her voice heard.
“It’s hard to be heard when you are one of six kids and right in the middle as the third child in my family,” she recalled.
That experience, in many ways, shaped the course of her life, prompting her to become vigilant in her pursuit of the goal of becoming a professional writer. Her relentlessness ultimately paid off. Beginning as a cub reporter at the local newspaper in her hometown of Clovis, New Mexico, to a writer for national magazines and ultimately the author of five novels, with a sixth book in the works.
But the Colleyville author’s own story isn’t just about navigating a rocky path toward success, it’s also about developing the self-confidence to persevere and shake off rejection to turn dreams into reality.
With the release this month of her fifth novel, “The Llano County Mermaid Club,” she relishes telling aspiring writers: “My story is that if I can do it, you can do it, too.”
Growing up, Rodgers had an active imagination and often created stories in her head. Eventually, she started writing down her thoughts, which led to writing poetry and short stories. Her writing eventually caught the attention of her English teachers, who were encouraging and supportive. From there, she began writing for her high school newspaper.
After graduating from high school, she took night classes at a local community college and became even more determined to become a professional writer. She summoned the courage to approach the local newspaper, the Clovis News Journal, about working there.
“I got an interview with the managing editor, who told me, ‘We don’t have any openings’ but two hours later, he hired me,” she recalled.
The job mainly involved writing obits and community news. But then a remarkable opportunity came along. The newspaper learned that the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force’s flight demonstration team, would be arriving at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis.
“It was 1977, and I was one year out of high school, and I got to do the interview,” she recalled. “My story ran on the front page the next day, on Sunday.”
Besides her breakout article, she met Air Force pilot Tom Rodgers, who would become her husband in 1979. As a military wife, her husband’s transfers from base to base impacted her education.
“It took me 30 years to finally get my associate’s degree,” she said. “I finally got it from the Northeast Campus of Tarrant County College.”
Her husband’s military assignments took the couple to Tucson, Ariz., and then to Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, where he was an officer assigned to a role that interfaced with the Army.
Rodgers kept busy writing articles for the officers’ wives’ newsletters but never abandoned her dreams of greater success. She received advice and encouragement from writers who were guest speakers at luncheons for officers’ wives, as well as visiting writers in towns near the military bases.
She recalled meeting a woman writer, who told her, “It doesn’t matter whether you get paid $5 or $5,000, you are getting paid, and you are getting published.”
Rodgers achieved her goal of getting her writing published in magazines such as nationally circulated Family Circle, Military Times and others. Among her articles published in Family Circle was a personal account of her long, personal struggle with an eating disorder.
A passionate reader of fiction, Rodgers wanted to transition to writing novels.
She quickly realized that would be a long, complicated process.
“It took me 16 years to get my first book published,” she said. “I had to teach myself how to write fiction. I faced so much rejection and probably revised it more than 100 times.”
Through her writing journey, she became a mother and then, later, a grandmother. After Tom retired from the military, the family settled in Colleyville and her husband went to work as a pilot for American Airlines.
From the beginning, Rodgers was determined never to self-publish her books.
“All of my books are traditionally published and all by small presses,” she said.
Rodgers defines her writing as contemporary fiction with a hint of magical realism. Her first four books delve into family dynamics, friendship, mystery, social issues and military life. Her first book, “The Final Salute” was released in 2008; “Johnnie Come Lately” followed in 2015; “Seven Wings to Glory” was next in 2017; and “The Flying Cutterbucks” debuted in 2020. Her books are also available in other formats, including audiobook and large print.
She was also a contributor to “Here’s the Story…Nine Women Write Their Lives,” a collection of essays, stories and poems, published in 2024. Her latest novel, “The Llano County Mermaid Club,” debuted this fall and incorporates themes of friendship, relationships, tragedy and dark discoveries. It is a departure from previous novels with no military presence. It was published by the University of New Mexico Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster.
Rodgers’ books have received many honors and awards, and she was honored as the Military Writers Society of America’s Writer of the Year in 2024. Other honors include being named a Distinguished Alumna from the Northeast Campus of Tarrant County College.