It is an honor and a pleasure to host Jason Zandri today. And so I am asking book club members and followers to please take the time to read Jason’s post, leave a comment and share this post. He will appreciate that. If you like what you see, pick up a copy of his book. Let’s give him a huge welcome!

—————————————————————————

On a number of occasions I have been asked if I have a favorite part in “Another Sunset”; one part about the story that stands out, above everything else, as an absolute favorite.
I answered that question in the prior segment of the blog tour and I got to thinking on the same topic for “As Life Goes: Elementary.” Interestingly enough, I have the same dilemma with this book as I did in “Another Sunset.”

I explained, in that blog post, that I had to “asterisk” my choice because, it is technically my second favorite part. The problem with the one I REALLY like as a favorite is that it is a pivotal turning point for one of the characters in the story and listing it gives too much of that portion of the story away.
So as much as I did in that prior post, this is – *my favorite part in “As Life Goes: Elementary”.
There is a segment of the story where Matthew meets up with Tim, the school tough guy / troublemaker. Matthew’s father always taught him that people deserve a fair shake, and that they should have at least one opportunity to redeem themselves. Matthew felt, after a particular incident, that Tim wasn’t getting that opportunity. At the same time, he wasn’t exactly sure how to remedy that, so he turned to his father for advice.

The reason I wrote this into the story was twofold. What might seem like the obvious first reason is the lesson of “everyone should have at least one opportunity to redeem themselves.” I really believe we don’t see enough of this in everyday life. Do some people take advantage of the kindness of others? Sure, and that is why the statement is “everyone should have at least one opportunity to redeem themselves” with an emphasis on “one.” The caveat there is “fool me once shame on you” as the saying goes, if they should try to take that advantage of the consideration of others, offering that chance at redemption.

The other, less obvious reason is Matthew making the choice to go back to his father for advice when he becomes stuck on what to do. I think too many parents are unavailable to their children in this manner. Yes, we parents have the responsibility to be parents to our children and not their friends so to speak, but at the same time, we need to teach them that it is okay to stumble and fall or to drop back to seek help before moving forward. In a society today where it seems failure and mistakes are totally unacceptable, we all need to remember, we are only human and the natural course is to err. Recovering from that is what makes us stronger and better than we were.

About As Life Goes: Elementary
“Every new beginning starts from nothing. Understanding that you can have everything in the love of one person, isn’t that worth the risk of personal capital? Isn’t that kind of love worth it?” – Diane Wakeford

“Have I ever told you, you’re the nicest boy I’ve ever met?” – Melissa Bancroft

“I will have the friends I want. I don’t care what boy likes me or what boy I like. You’re an awesome friend. I am not giving you up because we’re going to different schools or for any one person either.” – Elizabeth Wellsworth

Mark Sanford returns to his hometown with his son Matthew in tow to rebuild their lives. Recently divorced, and with the mother totally abandoning her parental responsibilities, both father and son are beginning their fresh start together.

Matthew begins to make new friends in the neighborhood and at school while he tries to find his place among people that have been friends with one another for years at elementary school.

Mark takes over the reins of the former family corner store with the help of a young woman looking for work. The ability to love and trust that woman entering his life is difficult for him because of all he has lost. For Matthew, that “first love” is difficult to understand without a motherly influence and with a father that has been deeply hurt.

As Life Goes: Elementary – Links to Excerpts

As Life Goes: Elementary – Excerpt I

“As Life Goes – Elementary” – Excerpt I – Author Jason Zandri

As Life Goes: Elementary – Excerpt II

“As Life Goes – Elementary” – Excerpt II – Author Jason Zandri

As Life Goes: Elementary – Excerpt III

“As Life Goes – Elementary” – Excerpt III – Author Jason Zandri

Books and links

Before Another Sunset (The Sunset Series Book 1)

Another Sunset (The Sunset Series Book 2)

I Hero: The Beginning

I Hero: Nathan Returns

As Life Goes: Elementary

As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence – (expected November 2015)
As Life Goes: The Reunion – (expected April 2016)
As Life Goes: The Wedding (expected July 2016)
As Life Goes: The Funeral (expected October 2016)

I Hero: Untitled Book 3 (Expected first half 2016)
I Hero: Untitled Book 4 (Expected second half 2016)
I Hero: Untitled Book 5 (Expected first half 2017)

Social Media links
Twitter – @GUNDERSTONE https://twitter.com/gunderstone/
Facebook Author page – https://www.facebook.com/jzandri
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonzandri
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+JasonZandri/
Author blog – The GUNDERSTONE Review https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/

ABOUT JASON ZANDRI

Jason has been working in the information technology field in one form or the other since 1996. He is currently employed full time at Bloomberg LP as a Systems Engineer in the R&D group. Jason lives in Wallingford Connecticut, with his wife Renata. He is the father to four children, three boys and 1 girl – 11 years (Andrew), 9 years (Angela), 7 years (Adam) and 6 years old (Alex).

“This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com.”