American Odyssey by Michael De Stefano | A Coming-of-Age Tale Set in the Summer of ’77

 Coming-of-age meets second chances in this heartfelt novel that explores what it means to grow up, let go, and hold on to what matters most.

Welcome to my stop on the Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour for American Odyssey by Michael De Stefano! If you're drawn to emotionally rich coming-of-age stories with nostalgic settings and layered characters, this book is worth adding to your TBR. Keep reading for an excerpt, author info, and a chance to win a $10 Amazon/BN gift card!

📘 Story Snapshot

Set in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania countryside during the mid-1970s, American Odyssey follows three young men—Addison, Cillian, and Joey—as they spend a transformative summer working on a rural farm. There, they meet Leila Bennett, a woman with a complicated past who's forging a new future. As they each seek independence, they learn that love, loyalty, and friendship may be what they truly need to grow.

 

🔻 Scroll down to enter the giveaway! 🔻

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📝 Book Details

American Odyssey
By Michael De Stefano
Published by Night to Dawn Magazine and Books on 04/12/2025
Genres: Coming of Age
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 232

As America pivots from embittered passions over her Vietnam initiative to Cold War anxiety, the stars align for three teens seeking independence, encountering the unthinkable. Set in Philadelphia in the mid-1970s, “American Odyssey” chronicles the coming-of-age journey of Addison Caldwell, Cillian James, and Joey Brosco. In their quest for independence, our trio encounters the recently widowed Leila Bennett, a former prostitute turned farm owner.

For Leila, a sultry summer blossoms into an odyssey of hope and healing; for the boys, work and awakening. Leila—a girl discarded and rescued—teaches the threesome that virtue does not lie in the struggle for independence or what one must sacrifice for its behalf but in love that reinforces enduring friendship.

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📚 Where to Find American Odyssey

Available on Amazon:

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📦 KINDLE  |  PAPERBACK 

If the above links don’t direct you to your country’s Amazon page, please feel free to contact me—I’m happy to provide the correct link.

Using my Amazon affiliate links doesn’t change the price you pay. Amazon shares a small commission with me, which helps keep this blog running—thank you!

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Prefer to shop local?
🛍️ You can also purchase American Odyssey from your favorite indie bookstore online.

Bookshop.org is an excellent option that supports indie authors—and book bloggers like me—while avoiding the big-box route.

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Also available at:
📘 Barnes & Noble

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Excerpt from American Odyssey

From Cyndy Pytlewski to Claire Caldwell, I went. Claire was waiting for me at the front door, or so it seemed, assuming her demeanor was any indication. Her mission was clear: to annoy me in a way only a mother can. She handed me a piece of paper known as “the dreaded checklist” and then proceeded to go over it one strenuous item at a time, and the list was longer than my goddamn arm!

Next, Claire escorted me to my bedroom, where, waiting for me atop my bed was an open suitcase surrounded by an apothecary smorgasbord: eyedrops, nasal spray, mouthwash, nail clippers, sunscreen, ointment in case I forgot to use the sunscreen, aspirin, Band-Aids, talcum powder, and a dozen other items including what first captured my attention: a flat, rectangle-shaped yellow box containing anal suppositories.

Able to follow my gaze, Claire defended this idiotic purchase by citing, “The water is sure to be different on a Western Pennsylvania farm, well water, most likely, and if you’re not used to well water, it’s liable to irritate your bowels and cause you to have some difficulty … down there.” Claire shilly-shallied with a schoolgirl’s embarrassment when pointing at my posterior; it was all very un-Claire-like. Then she unnecessarily added, as though somehow it could have slipped my mind: “Remember, you’re a city boy.”

I held my ground while wearing my game face; my expression was akin to Carlton glaring in at a nervous rookie. I rarely display such discipline. But had I let loose even a single utterance, the matter of the flat rectangle-shaped yellow box might have qualified as a conversation, and whatever misadventures that could potentially befall my hindquarters three hundred miles west of Philadelphia was not a subject I was willing to broach.

Then, upon listening patiently to Claire’s rationale in support of her first aid just-in-cases and what-ifs, I handed her the checklist and escorted her from my bedroom. As I expected, she got all huffy and moaned, “Fine! I was only trying to be a good mother. But if you don’t want me to be a good mother, then hell with it!”

For a second, I felt a pang of guilt for having pooh-poohed Claire’s due diligence concerning motherhood, then called to her in the hallway while reexamining the smorgasbord, “What’s the matter; was the drugstore all sold out of Trojans?” If ever there was a just-in-case or what-if item meant to travel with a teen on his first summer away from home, it was a box of Trojans.

Moreover, it was challenging to imagine Claire Caldwell too embarrassed to have condoms rung up at the local apothecary, which meant that she had every reason to suspect that I would begin and end the summer of '77 a virgin.

“It’s not too late, Addie,” she called to me from the hallway, somewhat apologetic for the oversight. “I can still run out and get some if you think you’ll need them.”

“Never mind,” I sourly replied. I did not want condoms as much as I wanted Claire to believe I needed them.

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🖋️ Guest Post by Michael De Stefano

Did you have a minor character who insisted on taking center stage? If so, tell us about it! And if not, what’s your secret to getting your characters to behave?

That’s an excellent question. Often, an ancillary character evolves beyond a novelist’s expectations. A manuscript is a living, breathing entity subject to all sorts of transformations. Sometimes an auxiliary character walks smack into a line, and from that, their personality explodes. Because “American Odyssey” is a first-person narrative, it dives only so far into its periphery.

But there was one character that did surprise me. I call her Claire Caldwell. Claire is Addison’s (Addison is the protagonist and narrator) mother. It surprised me how much the novel’s framework allowed for maternal quirkiness and humor. With each revision, Claire Caldwell, once a minor character, gets more and more of her thumbprint on the whole.

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✨ Final Thoughts

American Odyssey is a poignant, character-driven novel that will resonate with fans of emotionally rich coming-of-age stories. Don’t forget to follow the tour and enter the giveaway below!

📚 If you enjoy this genre, check out these heartfelt reads too:

• The Airs of Tillie by Barbara Casey

• Beyond the Light of the Willow Tree by Daniel E. Chambrello

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🎁 Enter the Giveaway!

One lucky reader will win a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card, courtesy of Night to Dawn Magazine & Books.

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Visit the official Goddess Fish Promotions Tour Page to explore all the blog stops for American Odyssey by Michael De Stefano. You’ll find guest posts, exclusive content, and more ways to enter the giveaway!

🔝 Back to Table of Contents

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