Eugene Rodgers has written three books. The most recent is the ebook mystery novel “Femme Fatale Online,” whose Facebook page is facebook.com/rodgersmystery. The other two books were issued in hardcover by major publishers. He was named Virginia author of the year in 1991 by the Virginia College Store’s Assoc. for "Beyond the Barrier: The Story of Byrd's First Expedition to Antarctica," which is described in detail at the book's web site: www.byrdbook.wordpress.com. He also wrote a business book, “Flying High: The Story of Boeing and the Rise of the Jetliner Industry.”
Rodgers was educated in science and writing. He earned a B.S. in chemistry and served a grad school apprenticeship in science writing. He served as Public Information Officer for the U.S. Antarctic Research Program for two years. He spent most of his career in the electric power industry, working for Westinghouse Electric Corporation (where he was Director of Public Relations for the company’s research and development center), Virginia Power (one of the country’s largest electric utilities), the Department of Energy, the trade association of the nuclear power industry, and the Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC), which lends money to electric co-ops.
On his own, he launched and published a newsletter covering research and development in the electric power industry. In addition to his work in the electric power industry, he has been a speechwriter for the top executives of IBM and United Technologies. His freelanced projects include an op-ed solicited by the Wall Street Journal and a major address for the head of the Electric Power Research Institute.
Rodgers earned an M.S. in finance and completed the course work toward a Ph.D. in the history and philosophy of science. He taught business writing and technical writing as an instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University (the huge public university). Rodgers has been interviewed numerous times by reporters for print media, local and network TV and radio news shows, talk shows, and documentaries. Rodgers is married and has a son and daughter, both grown.Add an Author Biography
INTERVIEW
When did you first start writing? In the second grade, when I wrote a story about two pigs who escaped from a mean farmer (still have it!). A couple of years later, when visiting my grandmother, I encountered a typewriter for the first time. I immediately typed a story, "Our Doorbell," about a dog who barked when anyone came to the door. Athe age of 15, I was proud of having a letter-to-the-editor published in "Sports Illustrated," about high-school track athletes (of which I was one). In college, I wrote articles about scientists on campus for the school newspaper. I won a graduate assistantship in science writing at the University of Wisconsin, where I learned and practiced science writing. I chose writing as my profession then.
What's the story behind your latest book? It's bothered me that there are few books about the life of employees in large corporations. Not so for non-corporate professions. I think this is because college grads who work in corporations typically have business or technical degrees, while other professions are dominated by liberal arts graduates. Good writers usually come from the pool of liberal arts majors, and they write most of the books. When I retired from corporate life, I started to write a nonfiction book about corporate life and culture. I soon realized, however, that fiction would give my book greater reach and impact. I read an article in "Fortune" Magazine about the virtual world called "Second Life." While trying it, I was inspired to base my story on anonymous avatars.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you? Being able to entertain and inform readers.
