Author & Agent discover characters from new novel on T-shirt

My literary agent and I spent another fun Saturday afternoon in historic Grapevine, TX, scouting possible locations for the book launch of my second novel, Johnnie Come Lately, forthcoming from Coffeetown Press later this year. As Jeanie Loiacono and I strolled up and down Main Street, chatting and brainstorming, I kept pointing out specific places that I’d fictionalized in the novel. At times I felt like I was living in two different dimensions: the real life setting before me and the fictional town of Portion, TX, modeled loosely on Grapevine’s historic district, the nearby lake, and the bustling DFW Airport on the other side of the freeway. I fully expected to see one of my characters lumber out of a bright yellow building and head north on Main Street in his vintage VW bus, my protagonist, Johnnie Kitchen, staring after him in dismay.

After Jeanie and I left the Convention and Visitors Bureau where I introduced her to my dear friend, Billie Cooper, who’s been volunteering for the city for years, we stepped into a cute shop called ooh lala! Time stopped as we both stared at a T-shirt of a red bird andbig dog, displayed high on a wall. For both of us, it was one of those moments when we knew God had sent us a sign. For you see, a male cardinal and a Chocolate Lab play key roles in my adult novel about recovery and redemption. Jeanie and I looked at each other and grinned.  “It’s Johnnie Bird and Brother Dog!” we blurted out loud, our excitement spilling over into the friendly, but curious face of our saleslady. After introducing ourselves and paying for two shirts, we posed proudly in front of the shop for a photo op.

What I really wanted to do was fling my arms in the air and run up and down Main Street, calling to the rest of my characters to come out and play. “Hey, Johnnie and Dale and the kids, Granny Opal and Grandpa Grubbs, you too, Mr. Marvel. And please don’t be shy, Mama. Guess what, y’all get to live!”

To read more about Johnnie Come Lately, please visit my website:  http://www.kathleenmrodgers.com/johnnie-come-lately.html

Or the official press release announcing the acquisition by Coffeetown Press:

http://www.prlog.org/12265957-kathleen-rodgers-novel-johnnie-come-lately-has-been-acquired-by-coffeetown-press.html

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