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Part coming of age, coming to terms, my latest novel is a multigenerational tale grounded in reality and swimming with magical realism.
Memories and a cryptic message written on the wall of an abandoned church, along with an envelope of old letters, provide a bridge between past and present.
Author photo
What's in the water at the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico? Beloved author Rudolfo Anaya set his classic novel, Bless Me, Ultima, in a fictional town based on his childhood growing up on the Llano, the open plain, in eastern New Mexico. The Blue Hole plays a significant role in my latest novel.
Cross-stitch by author's sister
"Landlocked Mermaids"
My baby sis, Jo Rivera, is a champion of my writing. She cross-stitched the “landlocked mermaids” — a theme in the new novel.
Chapter 1, Sister Friends, October 2017
♫ The somber strains of her flute echo through the empty window frames of the abandoned church.
photo of Kathleen by Tom Rodgers
As I turn, my gaze drifts over the walls of graffiti... ♫
photo taken Sept. 2019
Abandoned Church
Painting by Debbie Carroll
The opening chapter takes place in this abandoned church in eastern New Mexico.
"I am always the daughter trying to write my way home."
The public library plays an important role in the story. I grew up climbing the steps to this building that once housed the US Post Office and later the Clovis-Carver Public Library. A church meets here now, but the building lives on as a library in the novel.