Steubenville-born author featured on CBS, signs books downtown

STEUBENVILLE -- A crowd of amicable family friends and supporters met Harold Rogers on Saturday as he began his book signing in downtown Steubenville's BookMarx Bookstore.

The 26-year-old Rogers had just traveled into Steubenville, his birthplace, from his current home, New York City. Nearly always showing a bright smile, Rogers mingled with the book signing's attendees, who sold BookMarx out of Rogers' debut novel, "Tropicalia."

Complete with drinks and desserts, the event was a homecoming celebration for Rogers, whose fledgling career in fiction writing seems to have received its first big break.

"Tropicalia," released on July 18, was picked for the New York City Book Club by CBS News, hosted by Emmy award-winning TV journalist and author Mary Calvi. Rogers' novel vied for the book club selection against two other literary fiction novels with plots or authors connected to New York City, New Jersey or Connecticut.

Four thousand total votes were cast, WCBS-TV reported, and "Tropicalia" won out. Viewers of the book club show were given five weeks to read "Tropicalia" before the airing of an Aug. 29 show featuring Rogers to discuss the book. Rogers appeared on WCBS-TV on July 26 to give viewers a preview of his book.

"That was fun," Rogers said of the TV appearance as he settled into his seat at BookMarx for the book signing. "Being on TV to talk about my book? That's awesome."

The book was published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster publishing company. Simon & Schuster's imprints have had a total of 219 New York Times bestsellers, including 29 No. 1 bestsellers, the company says in its online corporate overview.

"It's about a family in Rio de Janeiro," Rogers said of the book's plot. "Tragedy ensues on the New Year's Eve holiday, and they have to reckon with their past, with everything they've been through, and try to move forward."

Reagrding his book gaining traction, Rogers said he thought the book would be largely ignored because it is "too literary," commenting, "Who's reading contemporary fiction anyway?"

"I'm happy. … Just to have it published is wonderful and a dream come true."

Rogers was born in Steubenville, grew up in Toronto until he was 7 years old, and then moved to Steubenville. During those years, and up until high school, Rogers would travel frequently with his family to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where his mother, Monica Rogers, is from.

"I was always moving back and forth," Rogers recalled, "We'd usually go about twice a year and spend several months in Rio. (Monica Rogers) would take us out of school and homeschool us, to the consternation of the teachers."

Harold Rogers attended Catholic Central High School, during which time he would still go to Rio in the summer. While in high school, Rogers applied to and was accepted into Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a scholarship.

Although he was never really studious during his early days in school, Rogers said, he was always inclined to read. He began writing during his senior year of high school, though he kept it a secret.

He began writing more seriusly in college, getting some pieces published in the university's magazine. His stories were "kind of maniacal," Rogers said, the quality of which were attested to by his sub-par grade in a freshman-year creative writing class. His stories were always fiction, at times dealing with a fictionalized version of Steubenville.

"For some reason, I had the conviction that I was really good," Rogers said. "The proof wasn't showing that, so I kept going. But without that delusion, it would've never panned out."

Rogers graduated from Miami with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and went on to obtain a master's degree in fine arts from Columbia University, where he studied fiction writing.

"Tropicalia," which Rogers wrote while living in Steubenville during the coronavirus pandemic, started as a silhouettte of Rogers' life, he said, but the characters began to take their own unique shape as he wrote.

"I'm close to the material," Rogers said, later adding that, although there are similarities, everything is fiction.

Apart from writing, Rogers works as a boxing coach at Church Street Boxing Gym in New York City, where he works with his twin sister, Rhiannon Rogers. Harold Rogers has fought twice in the National Collegiate Boxing Association Chamionship. He also does stand-up comedy, having gotten his start at the Spot Bar in Steubenville.

Rogers said his plans for the future involve simply doing more of what he loves and, hopefully, writing "a bunch of books." To that end, Rogers said, "I've got something cooking."

Now, with his first book published and rising in exposure, Rogers has done several promotional events for his book. The latest of those stops was at BookMarx, a bookstore Rogers has patroned before. Rogers asked his mother to contact BookMarx's owners to see if the store stocked his book. John Kuhner, the owner of BookMarx, reached back out and invted Rogers to have an event at the store.

Betty Ann Kessler, who attended the signing, said she read "Tropicalia" the day it came out and finished it in one day.

"It enthralls you to go on," said Kessler, a friend of the Rogers family. "It was that good. It's a page-turner."

Author and retired journalist Bill Steigerwald praised Rogers, saying, "He's going somewhere. Maybe he's the next Dean Martin."

Joining Rogers at the event were family members Lucia Cunha, grandmother; Monica Rogers, mother; and Jon Rogers, father.

Monica Rogers said, "Harold has a very kind, loving heart, and that's what makes me more proud of him than anything."

Jon Rogers said he is proud of Harold Rogers and his sister, adding, "I listen to him talk, and I think to myself, 'Is he really my son? Where did he learn all this stuff?'"

Lucia Cunha said, "I love my grandchildren."

Some sillhouettes of Harold Rogers' life present in the book include a chocolate cake that is baked in the book, representing a tender moment between two characters. The cake exists in real life, having been a recipe in Rogers' family for 70 years, Monica Rogers said. Lucia Cunha baked the cake for book signing attendees to enjoy.

Another sillhouette is Steubenville, which is mentioned in "Tropicalia" as the home of certain characters. John Kuhner noted in his analysis of the book that Steubenville plays the role of paradise in the book, a nod by Rogers to Dante's "Divine Comedy."

Rogers said he still considers himself a Steubenville kid, saying, "I rep Steubenville. Everyone in New York, I tell them, 'Steubenville -- that's where my family is at.' Steubenville and Rio, I rep both of those places."