PALABRAS: Historical Fiction Author Alma Rodriguez Publishes Family History, Tales of Cultural Identity

Alma P. Rodriguez, former educator and author of "Los Marmolejos: The Dance of the Alleles Vol. 1," is a novelist who is committed to sharing rich stories about family history, and passionate tales about the origin of identity.

Born in San Antonio, Rodriguez spent several years in Crookston, Minnesota before she returned to Texas following her parent's divorce. Although bittersweet, the homecoming resulted in her enrollment in David Crockett Elementary, a school that the author credits for offering her fundamentals in grammar sentence structure, vocabulary, literature and math. Her tireless, caring teachers were wholly dedicated to her and her classmates, which cemented a lifelong love for education and writing.

"I had entire notebooks in school filled with notes, poems and stories," Rodriguez told Latin Post. "I always wanted to express myself in writing. But, I didn't publish my writing until later in life, in my fifties, after my husband became very ill. One January, I sat down at my computer, and I had such a heavy load in my body and heart in regards to my ancestors.

"Then, the story just poured out. I didn't have to do a draft, I didn't have to do an outline, and I didn't have to think about it. It's like someone had already started the process in my head, and my hands could not type it fast enough. This core story of my ancestors poured through: background, history and dialogue, and I nurtured it."

"Los Marmolejos" is a saga of Rodriguez's ancestry. The first book in the mini-series, "Los Marmolejos: The Dance of the Alleles Vol. 1," is historical fiction based on the author's real family, and it documents the Marmolejo family's roots in Mexico and the U.S. "Los Marmolejos: Origins, Volume 2" explores generations of a new people, the Mestizo. Finally, the third volume, "Los Marmolejos: El Baile Cordova," is still in progress, and it continues to tell stories of unfurling identity and evolution.

"I have, in my heart, a strong desire to reach back into time and then reach forward into the future, and link together the ink and drawing, the reason and the motive, and find out why my ancestors were the way they were, the effect that had," Rodriguez said. "And I have a desire to leave a legacy to my children and grandchildren so they have some understanding about who they are. I spend a lot time home a lot taking care of my husband, so this writing gives me an avenue to find some kind of fire, some kind of success in my life."

Rodriguez began college in 1976 and didn't graduate until the year 2000. Her marriage, children and medical issues threatened her education, but she never stopped going back to college. Rodriguez obtained her B.A., in Early Childhood Education and Bilingual Education from University of Texas at San Antonio during the spring of 2000.

"I had strong interest in my culture, and I had a strong interest in being a teacher, and doing research. And for 22 years, I researched my ancestry," Rodriguez said. "I learned how to research from a professor that taught us how to study seven different types of research. He assigned us a paper. He let us write whatever we wanted, whatever mattered to us.

Researching my ancestors was not only very difficult, but very personal. But it took research and understanding to unravel the internal knot and helped me to just write, and make a product that wasn't too sentiment."

During the interview, Rodriguez spoke about her mother, grandmother and cousins with love, stating, "I've always wanted to answer the question, 'Who were these people? Where did they come from? And, What makes them so special in my eyes? Without sounding arrogant, there was so much quality in their lives, so much humility and it produced so much success."

According to the author, there's always an ulterior motive to her writing, and that's to grab onto Hispanic youth and instruct them because they don't know who they are. Rodriguez believes that too many are rebellious, lost or besmirched by Donald Trump. Her desires as a writer aren't too dissimilar from her desires and an educator.

"I became an educator when I decided that I need to impress upon my student the idea, 'Yes, I'm learning how to learn.'" said Rodriguez. "I wanted to give them the skills to learn. I didn't want them to be dependent on me. I wanted them to just love learning, and I wanted to give them the tools learn."

As a self-published author, Rodriguez communicated that the only downfall was she's her own editor. Nonetheless, her readership has always kind, supportive and encouraging, and eager to learn more about the author's family history. She hopes someday there will be a film that presents the Mexican American experience through her stories, helping the nation to better understand the presence of Mexican Americans.