Morgan Callan Rogers credits Truman Capote as a major influence in her writing career, but probably not in the expected way. Capote was a brilliant writer, true, but when she was a teenager, Callan Rogers was afraid of the dark. To hold back that darkness, she listened to a small AM radio at night. Music soothed her and made her feel safe. Nobody dies while listening to music, she figured.

But then she began to read Capote’s “In Cold Blood” and discovered that the daughter in the farm family was murdered while in her room, listening to the radio. That safe haven destroyed, Callan Rogers began to tell herself stories to help her fall asleep. “They grew into novels, with complete settings, complex characters, drama, and narrative themes,” Callan Rogers said. “I learned to write without putting pen to paper. I credit that to Mr. Capote.”

Callan Rogers is the author of two novels, “Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea” and the sequel, “Written on My Heart”. The book features Florine Gilham, 12 years old in 1963 when her mother disappears on a weekend away. The books follow Florine’s struggle to move forward while grieving the loss of her mother and wondering what happened to her. The books are set on The Point, a Maine fishing village. “They’re located close to the Phippsburg and Small Point areas, with Wolfe’s Neck State Park in Freeport thrown in between to break it up. The locales are real, but the landscape is mine,” she said.

While the premise is grim, the books themselves are not. “These are Maine people, and they have the best, driest, most understated sense of humor in the world,” Callan Rogers said. “The Point consists of three families who have lived there for generations, and they know each other well. So, while sadness is a theme, the larger-than-life characters are going on with their daily business. And trust me, at least part of every day life is a riot.”

Callan Rogers grew up in Bath and West Bath, and has lived in a number of areas, including Seattle, South Dakota, England and Ireland. She currently lives in West Bath in the cottage (which is now a house) she and her family lived in every summer. “I began to write about horses there, when I was 8,” she said. “I had an one-eyed Irish Setter named Molly. Great dog. I only heard her bark once in her 12 years. We would walk through the woods, and I would dream up a story. It was a wonderful time of my life, and the place is still magical to me.”

Her jobs have been many and varied. “I’ve been a grocery clerk, a librarian, a teacher, an actress, a house cleaner, a singer, a secretary, and a newspaper reporter and editor,” Callan Rogers said. “Each of them has enriched my writing in different ways. While I may have been bored at the time during some of those jobs, they gave me enough materials for two lifetimes.” 

She is honored to be reading at the Southport Memorial Library. “I first heard about the library from my friend and colleague Suzi Thayer, food columnist and reporter for the Boothbay Register,” Callan Rogers said. “She said, ‘You ought to go down there,’ when I first began reporting.”

Callan Rogers has reported some of her favorite stories while on Southport. “I walked Hendricks Head Beach on March 21. It was the day before the Leprechaun Leap and I wanted to find the place before the event. It was a beautiful day and I got a really good piece out of just being there. I even stuck my feet into a tide pool. Cold, but awesome.” Callan Rogers has also written pieces on the departure of Mrs. Durost (Mrs. D), then principal of Southport Central School, the Author’s Tea held at the Newagen Seaside Inn, and Chipmunk Island Forest, a special outdoor education classroom behind the school. “I like crossing the swing bridge,” Callan Rogers said. “Southport is very much its own place and I feel privileged to have been picked to read here.”

Callan Rogers loves the area in general. “I’ve reported on people who do things that blow me away. Volunteers, committed and creative teachers, town administrators, conservationists, all sorts of folks,” she said. “Boothbay is at the end of a peninsula off the main track, so there’s a sense of isolation even though it’s a major tourist destination. It’s unique, and so are its residents. I’m always impressed by the efforts people make to keep this an amazing place to live. I also happen to think the writers and editors at the Register do a fabulous job. I’ve been proud to work there.” 

Morgan Callan Rogers will appear at the Southport Memorial Library on Thursday, July 27 at 7 p.m.  Call the library at (207) 633-4721 for more information.