Morgan Callan Rogers, Michael Perry and Sandra Brannan

Dakota Midday - 08/31/2012

Morgan Callan Rogers talks about her debut novel. "Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea" tells the story of Florine Gilham whose idyllic childhood is turned upside down when her mother disappears during a weekend trip. With her mother gone, the heart falls out of Florine's life and she and her father are isolated as they struggle to manage their loss. Both sustained and challenged by the advice and expectations of her family and neighbors, Florine grows up with her spirit intact. And when her father's past comes to call, she must accept that life won't ever be the same while keeping her mother vivid in her memories. Rogers holds a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. She currently splits her time between her beloved Maine and western South Dakota.

Michael Perry talks about his new book, "Visiting Tom," another witty, poignant, and stylish paean to living in rural Wisconsin. The author of "Population: 485," "Coop" and "Truck: A Love Story," Perry takes readers on his uplifting visits with his octogenarian neighbor one valley over - and celebrates the wisdom, heart, and sass of a vanishing generation that embodies the indomitable spirit of small-town America.

Sandra Brannan talks about her third Liv Bergen mystery novel, "Widow's Might." The book picks up right where the second one left off - the murder of Liv's future sister-in-law has been solved, but an older rancher has been bludgeoned to death in a style eerily reminiscent of a long-inactive killer known only as the Crooked Man. After living in Wyoming, Washington, D.C., Washington state, and Colorado, Brannan has returned to her hometown in South Dakota, where she is surrounded by family.

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