Safety Harbor

Joe is Safety Harbor's most beloved citizen. Through his gift of simple hospitality for all, and the quiet sharing of his wisdom with those who frequent his diner, he has influenced the lives of many for good. Now, Joe is missing, leaving behind only a cryptic note that simply says, ""Carry on."" What does it mean to ""carry on"" as Joe intended? Did he leave of his own accord or is his absence a sign of something more sinister? Through the struggle with these questions, and the ensuing search for Joe, Safety Harbor discovers that it is in the middle of a cosmic struggle between light and darkness that takes some of them to the very edge of time and eternity. They find that heaven is not far from earth, and that our ordinary, flawed lives are indeed both miraculous and extraordinary.


""Safety Harbor is a novel you might mistake at first for fantasy, but you'll find the people of its Oregon coast town to be familiar, funny, flawed, and real. What begins like a missing person whodunit with a sprinkle of magic realism unfolds as a meditation on loss and courage and evil.""
--Wendy Dasler Johnson, Washington State University, Vancouver

""Safety Harbor is a journey of spiritual discovery. . . . a delightful read that reminds us that we are better off working together than worrying about being left behind.""
--Philip Shaw, Vicar, Trinity Episcopal Church

""Cooper's boldly imaginative narrative unfolds a dizzying array of characters and their life stories in a harbor town in Oregon. . . . The liminal spaces of death are explored in mystical visions played out alongside some grim, darkly disorienting events that disturb the community as it battles with archetypal forces of good and evil.""
--Philomena Ewing, author of Floating In The Blue

""Cooper spins a lovely tale of common people, like us, who are transformed into community by an encounter with mystery and heart.""
--Charles Berger, retired clinical pastoral educator, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.

""Hospitality is one of the oldest and most important institutions in all of history. Charles Cooper brings us into the heart of mystery in a story of hospitality leading to communion. A deeply moving read.""
--John Blackwell, author of Origin of My Birthplace


Chuck Cooper, a graduate of Claremont School of Theology (1978), served three Christian Traditions during his active ministry. He has lived in Oregon for thirty years and has a special affinity for his adopted state's coastline and beaches. His passion is for the spiritual well-being of those who are marginalized or alienated from the church as institution. He lives in Wilsonville, Oregon with his wife, Patty, and their two dogs, Bugsie and Murphy. This is his first novel.