About the Book

Book: Just Another Home

Author: Kimberly Banet

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction, Women’s Christian Fiction

Release Date: May 7, 2024

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.

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About the Author

Kimberly Banet received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She started writing in 2020. Her debut novel, Just Another Home, was a 2023 ACFW Genesis Finalist.

Kimberly was married to the love of her life, Jeff, from 1988 until his passing in December, 2024. Together they raised two children, Nicole and Brandon.

Kimberly lives in beautiful Starlight, Indiana, with her two fur babies, Daisy and Winnie.

More from Kimberly

My debut novel, Just Another Home, was released in 2024. It’s about a teen in the foster care system, Sam, who is placed with a couple in their fifties, John and Abbie. Something most people don’t know about Just Another Home 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 I’ve visited many times and is near and dear to my heart.

In 2015, our daughter and son-in-law moved to Franklin, a little over three hours from our home in Indiana where my husband and I have lived all our lives. We visited frequently. 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. It also satisfied everything we wanted in a small city with its unique shops, boutiques and locally-owned restaurants on Main Street and 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. 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 downtown streets and met all our favorite Dickens characters—Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Tiny Tim, among others. There were vendor booths, and a giant, beautifully lit Christmas tree in the square. It was a beautiful, Christmas-like day with our whole family 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 there, 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 as Sam attends the Dickens Festival with his foster family. It’s the first time he is genuinely happy since he can remember. 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.

Interview with Kimberly

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

It’s always been in the back of my mind. I spent twenty years in corporate Human Resources, then was laid off in March 2020 when covid hit. I decided I wasn’t going back to the corporate world and decided to write. I had the very basic premise for a contemporary Christian novel and started from there. That book became my first novel, Just Another Home.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I finished Just Another Home in 2021 and began entering it into contests. Eventually, it was a 2023 Genesis Finalist, and was published by Scrivenings Press in May, 2024. I was 58 years old. I’m living proof it’s never too late to live your dream!

Do you base your characters on real people?

No one character has been based on one person. However, there are elements of people and personalities mixed into my characters. For instance, my best friend knows which character has inherited some of her characteristics and stories, and there are some secret nods to her in the stories.

How many books have you written?

I’ve completed three and am working on my fourth. My third will be released this August. Which is your favorite? That’s kind of like asking which of my kids is my favorite! If I had to pick a favorite it would be Just Another Home. It was the first one published and took the longest to write, so the story lived in my head for a long time. It’s near and dear to me. And it kicked off what would become the Family Forever series of four books. But my soon-to-be published book, Just Grace, was the most fun to write. It’s the third book in the Family Forever series.

Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

I’m working right now on the fourth (and final) book of the Family Forever series. It’s a Christmas novella and is set to release in October, 2027. It will wrap up the story of Sam and his family.