Q&A with Kathleen M. Rodgers

 

 

 

Kathleen M. Rodgers is the author of the new novel The Llano County Mermaid Club. Her other books include The Flying Cutterbucks. She lives in north Texas. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Llano County Mermaid Club, and how did you create your character Marigold?

 

A: Thanks for having me, Deborah. I appreciate all you do to elevate writers and books and the reading community.

 

For years I longed to write a novel that incorporated writers and books and elements of magical realism into the narrative.

 

Marigold Hubbard came to me one morning when I was making coffee and feeding my dogs. I tried to ignore her voice as I was preparing for the publication of my fourth novel, and I wanted to take a break from writing.

 

But Marigold was persistent and she brought along her best friend, Melody Calloway. As they talked to me and told me their stories about growing up in the desert southwest, I heard three other girls calling to be included. 

 

Once Marigold’s two sisters, Clover and Tansy, showed up, along with Tansy’s best friend, Ruthie Romero, I knew I couldn’t let them down. I promised them I would tell their stories.

 

At that point, I knew I had the beginnings of a coming-of-age tale and that Marigold was the right choice as the narrator.

 

But then the Hubbard sisters’ young mother, Letty, with her unfulfilled dreams of going to college, began to nudge at the corners of my heart. I realized then that Letty Hubbard and her librarian friend, Miss Mavis, had important roles to play in a story that went from coming-of-age to what I like to call coming-to-terms fiction.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The title jumped out at me when I was writing a key scene in Chapter 8 titled “Calling of the Mermaids.” Letty Hubbard, her three daughters, and their two best friends are outside on a hot summer’s day in 1968. There’s a sound in the air that changes everything for Letty and the five girls.

 

Q: The writer Sue Boggio said of the book, “Shifting lyrically between the past and the present, this story of betrayal and death shattering the idyllic joy and innocence of childhood dreams allows us to see the value of an adult perspective in making peace with the past and experiencing the healing power of forgiveness.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I love Sue’s endorsement. She read the novel long before it was published. I’m especially drawn to stories that deal with betrayal and long-held secrets often wrapped around tragic events or estrangements between relatives.

 

My favorite novels weave together the past and the present and often deal with the return of a prodigal in their quest to uncover the truth. Many of the books feature libraries, bookshops, book clubs, avid book lovers, and an occasional writer as the protagonist or narrator. That’s what I tried to do in The Llano County Mermaid Club.

 

Q: The novel is set in New Mexico--how important do you think the setting is to this book?

 

A: What sets my book apart is the physical location. Instead of the story taking place by the shore of an ocean, lake, or winding river, my story is set in a small dusty railroad town on the high plains (the llano) of eastern New Mexico. Water or the lack of water is a theme woven throughout the narrative, especially in the chapters that take place in the past.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Another novel set in a small town in the desert southwest. Let’s just say I’m intrigued by the idea of how the stories and novels of Willa Cather and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis have an effect on my characters in my work in progress.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Several historic literary figures and their works are featured in Llano County Mermaid Club. By including such classics as The Awakening or the once scandalous Peyton Place, my hope is that readers who’ve never read these books will give them a chance after reading my novel.

 

And just for fun: At 67, I still hold my nose when I jump into a swimming pool. Just ask my grandsons.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Kathleen M. Rodgers.