top of page

“If you are born to be a tamale,

the leaves will fall from the sky”

 

TAMALE COVER.jpg

Step into a tale of intertwined destinies over the millennia that crosses continents, a parallel narrative that delves deep into the human spirit, exploring themes of resilience, identity, and the enduring power of family. If You Are Born to be a Tamale, author J.T. Dodds, paints a vivid portrait of two individuals whose paths converge across two borders, against the backdrop of a changing world. Prepare to be captivated by this compelling tale that examines the complexities of migration, the bonds that transcend borders, and the strength of character that is accessed in the face of adversity.

Harriet, a retired librarian, embarks on a life-changing journey from Winterpeg, Canada to Ajijic, Mexico in the early 1900’s, while Jesus Ramos Rios sets out from the same pueblito on a quest fsor the American Dream. As the new millennium dawns, Jesus finds happiness but his indomitable spirit is tested when faced with rising political animosity for the undocumented other, and the death of his wife. After tragedy strikes, he returns to Mexico with his young daughter, where their lives intertwine unexpectedly with Harriet's.

“An easy read, for me who does not pick up a book too often anymore. I loved the characters and J.T. Dodds made the closeness of the familia and the celebrations that make up life in Mexico come alive.” – Carol

“I just finished reading "If You Are Born to Be a Tamale". I opened it at 12 noon, thinking I'd make a start. I've been sitting here reading ever since. I always like "blended" stories. Well woven. Well told.”– Lorena

“I couldn't stop reading, had to see what happened next. The mix-in of the beautiful Spanish language was music to my ears.” –Gar

NOVELS
J.T. Dodds

To Each Their Own Goodbye

A Trilogy

Sometimes life takes you on a pendulum’s swing, and when you end up on the other side of yesterday you gotta go with the flow, or it’s going to swing back real fast, and leave you hanging.

B00K 1.jpg
BOOK 1

Luc Barbon was on autopilot, about to bury himself, he assumed, in a southern cubbyhole, a place where the world evolved around a Dairy Queen, insulated from the insanity

of the Vietnam War and National angst. Somewhere he could write

a love story.

BOOK 2.jpg

BOOK 2

Somewhere just never seemed to arrive on Luc’s doorstep. When it approached, it was gone as soon as he opened the door. History kept turning the pages before he had a chance to read them.

Wanting To Breathe.jpg
BOOK 3.jpg
BOOK 3

Tumbleweed susceptible to the winds of chance, Luc travelled from dawn to dusk holding onto only what he could carry, starting his journey in the Ozarks, ending where the sun sets in Texas.

Wanting To Breathe Her In

Wanting to Breathe Her In' is a heartwarming tale of keeping love alive in your heart, of embracing second chances, and cherishing the serendipity of life. In a world of self-discovery and cross-cultural connections, this enchanting novel reminds us that love can find us when we least expect it. Some may call it fiction,

but others may say it's simply the way life is meant to be."

POETRY
John Thomas Dodds

GONE FISHING.jpg
cover COMES A TIME.jpg

Comes a Time of No Return is a collection of poems and essays exploring the aging process (senescence), and the attributes (essence) that make us who we fundamentally are. The reader is never too far from finding humor where time becomes a diminishing number of cells doubling. Dedicated to all the sexagenarians, septuagenarians, octogenarians, and nonagenarians, who are no longer capable of dividing but are still alive and metabolically active, Comes a Time looks at age more like a gem of polished driftwood washed up on a white sandy shore, rather than a gnarly old oak tree all bark, no bite.

 

In these pages old age means reinventing yourself verses becoming a product of a disposable world: If you don't use it, you know, it wears down from lack of friction with life, and rusts. Old age is a cocktail of awe & wonder with an olive of doubt. The music you love no longer plays at the top of the charts, the melody that rattles in your mind is vinyl, and stages of your life begin and end like mile markers on the interstate. Songs grow old and lose their shape. Memories lingering long in the recesses of the mind, ever present, we wait for the future to sit down beside us, and listen to the music. Aging is journeying a lifetime to get to where there Comes a Time of No Return, you have a need to step out of the picture, and elevate the consciousness of illusion in an endeavor to know yourself.

bottom of page