Writing Franklin at the Library
Monday, November 30, 2026 · 6:00 p.m.
Meeting Room, Main Library · Williamson County Public Library
1314 Columbia Avenue, Franklin, Tennessee
I set Jetson’s Journey in Franklin before I’d ever set foot in Tennessee. Then I followed the book here—not for a job, but for the same thing Michael Sawyer finds when he arrives: community.
On November 30, the Williamson County Public Library is hosting an evening about that. I’ll walk through the real places in the novel, what I got right about a town I’d never seen, and what I got wrong. I’ll read from the book. And I’ll tell you what I found when I finally got here.
Then I’ll turn the question over to you: Why Franklin? Born here or just arrived, you’ll get a small card to answer it in one sentence, no name. I’ll read a few aloud before Q&A. Afterward, the library’s Special Collections will keep every card in its Manuscript Room, alongside the library’s own history files: a snapshot of why people call Franklin home in 2026.
About 45 minutes of talk and readings, then Q&A and signing. Jetson—the real one—will be there.
Books at the table. I’ll have signed copies of Jetson’s Journey: hardcover $31, paperback $20, plus sales tax. Already have a copy? Bring it, and I’ll sign it.
Can’t make it? Order a signed copy: Hardcover, $39.99 shipped · Paperback, $28.99 shipped, plus sales tax.
Want a head start? Here’s a walking tour of the novel’s real Franklin.
About the Book
Michael Sawyer lost his family in a single day. He drives east with his daughter’s black Lab and lands in Franklin, Tennessee, where he stocks groceries, walks the dog, and quietly begins to write. A bookstore owner sees him before he’s ready to be seen.
“I’ve written about a dog who upended a family, so I’m a hard sell on dog books. Jetson’s Journey isn’t one. It’s a clear-eyed novel about grief and second chances that happens to have a great dog at its center—and it announces a writer worth watching.” —David Elliot Cohen, New York Times bestselling author of The Wrong Dog
“…a story worth reading—and loving.” —D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Thank you to the Williamson County Public Library and its Special Collections team for the evening.
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