Joni Rodgers
BOOKS
Click here to view ghostwriting projects and other collaborations.
COMING JANUARY 29, 2022
The SIXO Collection
Bald in the Land of Big Hair
20th Anniversary Edition
Crazy for Trying
25th Anniversary Edition
The Hurricane Lover
10th Anniversary Edition
Sugarland
Kill Smartie Breedlove
Boxing the Octopus
New paperback, ebook, and audiobook editions
Bonus material and reading group guides
Fabulous new covers by Kapo Ng
BALD IN THE LAND OF BIG HAIR
(HarperCollins, 2001)
International Bestseller and Book Club Favorite
A young mother discovers new purpose and reinvents her life while fighting to survive a lethal form of blood cancer.
"(Rodgers) manages the rare literary feat of being painful and funny in one urgent breath." Entertainment Weekly
"Thoroughly enjoyable, idiosyncratic, and funny…an uplifting celebration of life." London Daily Mail
"Memoirs of a cancer survivor with a delicious sense of humor and a well-defined sense of self. Darkly comic…inspiring…" Kirkus
"Funny…heartbreaking…free-spirited." Library Journal
SUGARLAND
(Bertelsmann,1999)
Regional Bestseller and multiple award shortlists
Two pregnant sisters spread their wings, reconnect with each other, and find healing in the wake of trauma and betrayal.
"Heartbreaking and hilarious…poignantly authentic." Southern Living
"Alternately wrenching and humorous…" Publisher’s Weekly
"Richly appealing…" Library Journal
"Bittersweet…priceless…" Chicago Tribune
"Pure charm…full of humor and compassion." Tampa Tribune-Times
THE HURRICANE LOVER
(Stella Link, 2011)
Amazon #1 Bestseller
A liberal meteorologist and a conservative journalist join forces to trap a con artist who uses natural disasters as cover for identity theft and murder.
"The book has an undoubted political edge. It’s hard to miss the deep underlying anger at the woefully inadequate response to the hurricane. It comes through in the verbatim reproduction, as chapter headings, of published emails to and from the Head of FEMA – the organisation charged with preparing for and coping with the disaster. Yet Rodgers avoids polemic by giving the ‘opposition’ their own rounded, sympathetic characters. This is a powerful book that deserves to be read both for the yarn it spins and for the real-life story it uncovers. Highly Recommended."
Triskele Book Blog
CRAZY FOR TRYING
(MacAdam-Cage1996)
Barnes & Noble Discover Award Finalist
A nomadic disc jockey in 1970s Montana finds her tribe, falls in love, and makes peace with her troubled past .
"Think Jane Eyre with rock’n’roll." Houston Press
"Terrific…a rollicking ride through emerging feminist sensibilities." Billings Gazette
"Refreshing and provocative…" Houston Chronicle
"Truly captivating…Rodgers’ prose and style are unique." Texas Books in Review
"At her best, her prose is dazzling, risky, and intoxicating, and at its heart, Crazy for Trying is an inspired debut." Pam Houston
THE SECRET SISTERS
(HarperCollins, 2008)
Reeling from a series of family tragedies, a wealthy widow enters into a sensual game of cat and mouse with an enigmatic shopkeeper.
"There is a sweet wickedness in this one." Austin Chronicle
"Believable...brilliant...beautifully written..." Armchair Reviews
"Honesty, humor, and fearlessness..." Houston Chronicle
"An emotional maelstrom worth getting wrapped up in." Easton Express-Times
"Rodgers wisely resists the temptation to whip up tidy endings, and her smart choices give The Secret Sisters the necessary measure of grit." Texas Monthly
FIRST YOU WRITE: The Worst Way to Become an Almost Famous Writer and the Best Advice I Got While Doing It
(Stella Link, 2012)
Gimlet-eyed observations about writing life and the tectonic shifts in the publishing industry paired with the wisdom of authors that inspire me.
"Rodgers’ writes with wit and candor not only about her circuitous route to becoming a New York Times bestselling memoirist (Bald in the Land of Big Hair, a searingly funny account of her journey through cancer) and a critically acclaimed small-press novelist (Crazy for Trying; Sugar Land), but also about her pioneering adventures in self-publishing on Kindle. Rodgers’ willingness to experiment (isn’t that what artists do?) and to turn preconceived publishing notions on their ear is wonderfully refreshing, and her whip-smart observations will keep you turning (virtual) pages."
Dawn Raffel, Center For Fiction: Essential Books For Writers
BACKLIST / LIMITED RELEASES
Click here to view ghostwriting projects and other collaborations.
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR BOOKS BY JONI RODGERS
Good Housekeeping Bonus Book and Readers Digest Select Editions Best Nonfiction of 2001
"Rodgers lives, loves, and thankfully, writes without a safety net…a mix of Molly Ivins’ blowsy wit and Anna Quindlen’s suburban logic…(Rodgers) manages the rare literary feat of being painful and funny in one urgent breath." Entertainment Weekly
"Thoroughly enjoyable, idiosyncratic, and funny…an uplifting celebration of life." London Daily Mail
"Candid and amusing…" People Magazine
"Gutsy…impressive…engaging honesty…and a steady supply of wisecracks." New York Times
"Memoirs of a cancer survivor with a delicious sense of humor and a well-defined sense of self. Darkly comic…inspiring…" Kirkus
"Funny…heartbreaking…free-spirited." Library Journal
"This is the stuff of book club discussions." Publishers Weekly
"Bald in the Land of Big Hair is a very important book. It’s like reading an adventure story and a humor story and a love story and a tragedy and a deeply spiritual story all at once. ...It’s also a book about how to ground yourself in the life you’re living. It’s about how to let go of false concepts of beauty and of self, and start living a far richer, truer life than you might ever have imagined. ...makes you laugh more than cry, I promise, and has an ending that will make you want to leap up and cheer... I say again, this is a very important book. Read it.” From Elizabeth Berg’s foreword for Bald in the Land of Big Hair: 10th Anniversary Edition
"Rodgers’ writes with wit and candor not only about her circuitous route to becoming a New York Times bestselling memoirist (Bald in the Land of Big Hair, a searingly funny account of her journey through cancer) and a critically acclaimed small-press novelist (Crazy for Trying; Sugar Land), but also about her pioneering adventures in self-publishing on Kindle. Rodgers’ willingness to experiment (isn’t that what artists do?) and to turn preconceived publishing notions on their ear is wonderfully refreshing, and her whip-smart observations will keep you turning (virtual) pages." Dawn Raffel, Center For Fiction: Essential Books For Writers
Barnes & Noble Discover Award finalist
"Think Jane Eyre with rock’n’roll." Houston Press
"Terrific…a rollicking ride through emerging feminist sensibilities." Billings Gazette
"A fresh pleasure…Rodgers writes unconventional love scenes that scorch the pages." Orlando Sentinel
"Refreshing and provocative…" Houston Chronicle
"Truly captivating…Rodgers’ prose and style are unique." Texas Books in Review
"Joni Rodgers can write sex scenes that’ll make your toes curl and your hair stand on end. At her best, her prose is dazzling, risky, and intoxicating, and at its heart, Crazy for Trying is an inspired debut." Pam Houston, bestselling author of Cowboys Are My Weakness
PMA Benjamin Franklin Award finalist
"Heartbreaking and hilarious... Every character in this novel resonates with life. This talented author knows how to bring pen-and-ink people to flesh and blood fulfillment…poignantly authentic." Southern Living
"Alternately wrenching and humorous…Rodgers’ strength is her knack for realistic characters…and a womanly wise, laugh-through-tears appreciation of life." Publisher’s Weekly
"Richly appealing…" Library Journal
"Bittersweet…priceless…" Chicago Tribune
"Pure charm…compelling…full of humor and compassion. Sugar Land is a delight to read, and Rodgers is a terrific discovery." Tampa Tribune-Times
"There is a sweet wickedness in this one." Austin Chronicle
"Believable...brilliant...beautifully written..." Armchair Reviews
"Honesty, humor, and fearlessness... illuminates the internal landscapes all women navigate." Houston Chronicle
"A page turner, full of surprises, insight, and spine-tingling erotica..." Helena Independent Record
"A rough gem of a narrative...Pia's tale has it all: death, danger, sexual discovery, and resurrection." Missoula Independent
"An emotional maelstrom worth getting wrapped up in." Easton Express-Times
"A modern tragedy...Rodgers wisely resists the temptation to whip up tidy endings, and her smart choices give The Secret Sisters the necessary measure of grit." Texas Monthly
"Rodgers' tale finds its full measure as a story of a woman who comes through the most painful losses with a renewed appreciation for life." Booklist