Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Only Way Home by Jeanette Minniti

 

Join us for this tour from July 6 to July 19, 2021!

​Book Details:

Book Title:  The Only Way Home by Jeanette Minniti
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +) , 242 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Coming of Age
Publisher:  Penning Press
Release date:   4/1/2021
Content Rating: PG + M. My book is rated PG+M for a brief attempted rape scene. The main character, male, is laying down in a field on a ranch, with his eyes closed. A male worker comes up to him and turns him over but before anything more can happen someone saves him. One other scene where Tucker is accosted by someone with a knife briefly...but is then saved by Robert. The man with the knife yells out “ bastards" to them.
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Book Description:

Desperate times. Danger on the rails. A journey to save a family.

It is 1933 inside a sweltering courtroom in Macon, Georgia. Fifteen-year-old Robert sits on a bench awaiting sentencing after being picked up for vagrancy and spending a night in jail. He left his home in Illinois with a neighborhood friend to ride the rails and find work to help their families. The friend turned back, too afraid to face the perils ahead. But going back empty-handed isn’t an option for Robert.

THE ONLY WAY HOME is the story of one boy’s determination to survive loss and hardship to help his family — and how fate and a violin touch the course of his life.

Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and Sold On a Monday by Kristina Morris will love this story set during the Great Depression of a fatherless boy fighting to keep his family together.​

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon ~ B&N
IndieBound ~ Book Depository ~ Abebooks
Add to Goodreads

 

Meet the Author:

As a member of the American Association of University Women, she coordinates the Foreign Policy Association's Great Decisions discussion group and participates in several AAUW interest groups. 

Jeanette and her husband enjoy all that Colorado renders in outdoor activities including hiking and biking.
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connect with the author:  website  ~  facebook   ~  goodreads​​

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Guest Post:

Writing Advice—Odd? Maybe Not

Over the years, I have had the good fortune of advice on writing coming my way at just the perfect time. Whether it be from an agent, author, classes, conference workshop, or from reading about the process of writing, support from knowledgeable and experienced individuals has found its way to me.

It is such a gift to get literary critiques on your work. Maybe not always what a writer wants to read, but necessary. At other times it is just what you want to read, especially on days you are trying to pull yourself together after being stuck from moving forward, often called “writer’s block.”

The first words on the page for my book, The Only Way Home, were set in motion in a novel-writing class. Fortunately, I had the initial idea for the protagonist and a setting in mind, which allowed me to get the most out of the course. After that, the story just spilled out as I moved through the class assignments. It was a stretch, but I was able to get the first three chapters 

written and critiqued by the professor.

At the end of the class, he wrote: “My major suggestion is to keep pushing forward. My one worry is that sooner or later, everything will not click as it has so far, and my recommendation, in that case, is power through it regardless of the level of writing. I know, odd advice from a writing teacher, right? But this often happens to first-time novelists who start on a roll, full of energy, and then hit a wall that everyone has to deal with at some point.”

And hit that wall hard I did! I appreciated having his advice, encouragement, and the warning in the back of my mind. I’ve learned over time what works for me to get past that wall. As I sit 

staring at a blank page and what is to be another chapter, I first work through the intimidation of the blankness, knowing that once I get the first sentences or paragraph formulated and on the page, the rest of the words will follow.

Tour Schedule:

July 6 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway
July 7 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
July 8 –Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / guest post / giveaway
July 9 – Heck Of A Bunch – book review / guest post / giveaway
July 12 – Welcome To MLM Opinions Reviews – book review
July 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – book review / giveaway
July 14 – @twilight_reader – book review / guest post
July 15 – Splashes of Joy – book review / author interview / giveaway
July 16 – Books for Books – book review
July 16 - I Read What You Write - book review / author interview / giveaway
July 19 – Bigreadersite – book review / giveaway

Enter Giveaway:

 

THE ONLY WAY HOME Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

My Review: 

The Only Way Home is my first introduction to the talents of Jeanette Minniti. I greatly enjoyed this book. It tells the story about a fifteen year old Robert who leaves home in the familiar and the comforts of the state of Illinois to find work in Macon, Georgia after his father has passed away. The historical details made me feel as though I was transported back in time to the Great Depression era in the 1930s Georgia. I loved and admired Robert’s strong willed determination, courage and bravery throughout. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next for him from scene to scene. I enjoyed watching him grow and mature. This is one of those books that readers will not want to put down until they have completely consumed it in one day. For me, it was a day very well spent. I thoroughly enjoyed taking this adventure with Robert. 

The Only Way Home is getting a very well deserved five stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading well written historical fiction, especially, set during the Great Depression in the United States. I will definitely be on the look out for more books by Jeanette Minniti in the future. This one is definitely not one to be missed. I know many readers like me will not be disappointed. 

I received a paperback copy of The Only Way Home from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.