{"product_id":"slow-way-home-9780060727673","title":"Slow Way Home","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn the surface, Brandon Willard seems like your average eight-year-old boy. He loves his mama, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and G. I. Joe. But Brandon's life is anything but typical. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWise beyond his years, Brandon understands he's the only one in this world he can count on. It's an outlook that serves him well the day his mama leaves him behind at the Raleigh bus station and sets off to Canada with \"her destiny\" -- the latest man that she hopes will bring her happiness. The day his mother leaves, Brandon takes the first step toward shaping his own destiny. Soon he sends himself spending pleasant days playing with his cousins on his grandparents' farm and trying to forget the past. In the safety of that place, Brandon finally is able to trust the love of an adult to help iron out the wiry places until his nerves are as steady as any other boy's.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut when Sophie Willard shows up a year later with a determined look in her eye and a new man in tow, Brandon's grandparents ignore a judge's ruling and flee the state with Brandon. Creating a new life and identity in a small Florida town, Brandon meets the people who will fill him with self-worth and self-respect. He slowly becomes involved with \"God's Hospital,\" a church run by the gregarious Sister Delores, a woman who is committed to a life of service for all members of the community, black and white, regardless of some townsfolk's disapproval. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMorris, Michael:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eA fifth-generation native of Perry, Florida, a rural area near Tallahassee, Michael Morris knows southern culture and characters. It is the foundation and inspiration for the stories and novels he writes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpon graduating from Auburn University, Michael worked for U.S. Senator Bob Graham and then became a sales representative for pharmaceutical companies. As a sales representative, Michael decided to follow a life-long desire and began writing in the evenings. The screenplay he penned during this time is still someplace in the bottom of a desk drawer. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is when Michael accepted a position in government affairs and moved to North Carolina that he began to take writing more seriously. While studying under author Tim McLaurin, Michael started writing the story that would eventually become his first novel, \u003cem\u003eA Place Called Wiregrass.\u003c\/em\u003e The novel was released in April, 2002 and is currently in its third printing. \u003cem\u003eA Place Called Wiregrass\u003c\/em\u003e was named a Booksense 76 selection by members of the American Independent Booksellers Association as and is part of the southern literature curriculum at two universities. Michael's latest novel, \u003cem\u003eSlow Way Home, \u003c\/em\u003e will be released by Harper Collins on September 23 and his work can be seen in the southern anthology \u003cem\u003eStories From The Blue Moon Café II.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael and his wife, Melanie, reside in Fairhope, Alabama. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperOne","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50459887599890,"sku":"9780060727673","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e33322dc-c681-4814-8878-44409aa598f6.jpg?v=1730011832","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/slow-way-home-9780060727673","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}