Book Spotlight: Just Another Home
Do you have a home away from home? What makes a place feel like home for you? Guest Author Kimberly Banet is talking about a place that felt so much like home to her she set her new book there. And hey! It's not too far from where I live. ;) Read on. 
My book, Just Another Home, was released two months ago. It’s about a teen in the foster care system, Sam, who goes to live with a couple in their fifties, John and Abbie, whose biological kids have grown up and moved out of the house.
Something most people don’t know about the book is that the setting of the story, Franklin, Tennessee, was not just some random town I chose for the backdrop of Sam’s story. Franklin is a place that I’ve visited many times and is near and dear to my heart.
In 2015, our daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Derek, moved to Franklin. That’s a little over three hours from our home in Indiana where my husband Jeff and I have lived all our life, and still do. Of course we were sad to see them move away, but it was for a great job opportunity, and we would get the chance to visit frequently. That’s exactly what we did.
In the four years Nicole and Derek lived in Franklin, we went to visit for the weekend just about every other month. We loved the small-town, rural feel of Franklin, with its rolling fields and farms and the scenic beauty of the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge. It also satisfied everything we wanted in a small city with its unique shops, boutiques, and locally-owned restaurants on Main Street and in nearby Cool Springs.
My favorite things about Franklin, though, were the great family weekends we spent there. The memories of one weekend in particular always makes me smile. It was December, our son Brandon was able to go with us, and we attended the Dickens of a Christmas Festival on the square in downtown Franklin. It was just one of the many festivals they have there, but the one I love the most.
It was a blustery, cold day for Middle Tennessee. The high was only 30 degrees and snow flurries were flying. With coffee in hand, we braved the streets and saw all our favorite Dickens characters—Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Tiny Tim, among many other famous Dickens characters. There were vendor booths, and to top it off, a giant, beautifully lit Christmas tree in the square. It was a cold, festive, Christmas-like day with both our kids together in the same place at the same time. When we got too cold to walk anymore, we ducked into a pizzeria to have lunch and warm up. Then we finished the day at our favorite local bookstore, Landmark. This mother’s heart was full.
Does all of this sound familiar? If you’ve read Just Another Home, it does, because this exact story is played out in Chapter 20 as Sam attends the Dickens Festival with his foster family. It’s the first time he is genuinely happy since he can remember. He is with a family that cares about him, and all his basic needs are met. And more. He can enjoy the day with them without having to fight for survival or worry about what tomorrow brings. For once he is free and his heart is not troubled.
Kind of like this momma’s heart, having her whole family in the same place at the same time.
Just Another Home
Sixteen-year-old Sam Keller has lived in foster homes and group homes most of his life and has long ago given up on the dream of a stable, forever family. Adults have always let him down, and so has God, and he has no use for either.
John and Abbie Grayson are a respected, successful couple in their fifties with two grown children. They live in their dream home in Franklin, TN, an idyllic suburb of Nashville, where John is a successful college basketball coach, and Abbie works part-time at their local church. But Abbie feels something is missing from her life and convinces John they should become foster parents.
Their worlds collide when Sam is placed in the Grayson home for a few days. Days turn into months, and Sam thrives with the Graysons and allows himself to dream of a forever family, while John and Abbie realize the teen has found his way into their hearts.
As the Graysons begin to investigate the possibility of adopting Sam, an evil agenda emerges, and a secret past is revealed. Nothing short of a miracle can save Sam from a harrowing ordeal and keep the Grayson family together.
Kimberly Banet holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She started writing in 2020, and in 2023 Just Another Home was a Genesis Finalist. Kimberly and her husband Jeff have been married more than thirty-six years and have two grown children, Nicole and Brandon. They live in beautiful Starlight, Indiana with their two dogs, Daisy and Winnie.
Connect with Kimberly:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyBanet.Author
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimbanetauthor2023/
Twitter https://twitter.com/kimbanet_author
My book, Just Another Home, was released two months ago. It’s about a teen in the foster care system, Sam, who goes to live with a couple in their fifties, John and Abbie, whose biological kids have grown up and moved out of the house.Something most people don’t know about the book is that the setting of the story, Franklin, Tennessee, was not just some random town I chose for the backdrop of Sam’s story. Franklin is a place that I’ve visited many times and is near and dear to my heart.
In 2015, our daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Derek, moved to Franklin. That’s a little over three hours from our home in Indiana where my husband Jeff and I have lived all our life, and still do. Of course we were sad to see them move away, but it was for a great job opportunity, and we would get the chance to visit frequently. That’s exactly what we did.
In the four years Nicole and Derek lived in Franklin, we went to visit for the weekend just about every other month. We loved the small-town, rural feel of Franklin, with its rolling fields and farms and the scenic beauty of the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge. It also satisfied everything we wanted in a small city with its unique shops, boutiques, and locally-owned restaurants on Main Street and in nearby Cool Springs.
My favorite things about Franklin, though, were the great family weekends we spent there. The memories of one weekend in particular always makes me smile. It was December, our son Brandon was able to go with us, and we attended the Dickens of a Christmas Festival on the square in downtown Franklin. It was just one of the many festivals they have there, but the one I love the most.
It was a blustery, cold day for Middle Tennessee. The high was only 30 degrees and snow flurries were flying. With coffee in hand, we braved the streets and saw all our favorite Dickens characters—Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Tiny Tim, among many other famous Dickens characters. There were vendor booths, and to top it off, a giant, beautifully lit Christmas tree in the square. It was a cold, festive, Christmas-like day with both our kids together in the same place at the same time. When we got too cold to walk anymore, we ducked into a pizzeria to have lunch and warm up. Then we finished the day at our favorite local bookstore, Landmark. This mother’s heart was full.
Does all of this sound familiar? If you’ve read Just Another Home, it does, because this exact story is played out in Chapter 20 as Sam attends the Dickens Festival with his foster family. It’s the first time he is genuinely happy since he can remember. He is with a family that cares about him, and all his basic needs are met. And more. He can enjoy the day with them without having to fight for survival or worry about what tomorrow brings. For once he is free and his heart is not troubled.
Kind of like this momma’s heart, having her whole family in the same place at the same time.
Just Another HomeSixteen-year-old Sam Keller has lived in foster homes and group homes most of his life and has long ago given up on the dream of a stable, forever family. Adults have always let him down, and so has God, and he has no use for either.
John and Abbie Grayson are a respected, successful couple in their fifties with two grown children. They live in their dream home in Franklin, TN, an idyllic suburb of Nashville, where John is a successful college basketball coach, and Abbie works part-time at their local church. But Abbie feels something is missing from her life and convinces John they should become foster parents.
Their worlds collide when Sam is placed in the Grayson home for a few days. Days turn into months, and Sam thrives with the Graysons and allows himself to dream of a forever family, while John and Abbie realize the teen has found his way into their hearts.
As the Graysons begin to investigate the possibility of adopting Sam, an evil agenda emerges, and a secret past is revealed. Nothing short of a miracle can save Sam from a harrowing ordeal and keep the Grayson family together.
Kimberly Banet holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She started writing in 2020, and in 2023 Just Another Home was a Genesis Finalist. Kimberly and her husband Jeff have been married more than thirty-six years and have two grown children, Nicole and Brandon. They live in beautiful Starlight, Indiana with their two dogs, Daisy and Winnie.Connect with Kimberly:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyBanet.Author
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimbanetauthor2023/
Twitter https://twitter.com/kimbanet_author
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