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Father of One by Jani Anttola
Quick Summary:
Father of One by Jani Anttola is a gripping tale of survival, love, and the brutal cost of war. As Maka escapes the fall of Srebrenica, he risks everything to find his wife and the son he's never met. Raw, urgent, and deeply human—this is historical fiction at its most powerful.
Author Giveaway:
A randomly chosen winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN GC.
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Father of One by Jani Anttola ~ $25 Gift Card ~ #WarFiction #LiteraryFiction ##FamilyInWar #HumanResilience #BosnianWar #Survival @GoddessFish
Book Details
![[Spotlight] Father of One by Jani Anttola ~ $25 Gift Card ~ #WarFiction #LiteraryFiction ##FamilyInWar #HumanResilience #BosnianWar #Survival @GoddessFish](https://ginaraemitchell.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/BookCover_Father-of-One-300x470.jpg "[Spotlight] Father of One by Jani Anttola ~ $25 Gift Card ~ #WarFiction #LiteraryFiction ##FamilyInWar #HumanResilience #BosnianWar #Survival @GoddessFish")
Father of One By Jani Anttola
Published by The Book Guild on July 28, 2023
Genres: Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Military
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 320
Maka, a young Bosnian soldier, has survived three years under siege. When the enemy forces launch their final attack on his hometown, he must escape to the hills. But traversing the vast woods is a task against all odds: to stay alive, and to find his infant son and his wife, he is soon forced to make a desperate move.
Set against the harrowing background of raging guerrilla warfare and the genocide in Srebrenica, Father of One is, at heart, a story of deep humanity, compassion and love. It is the account of one man’s desire to reunite his family, separated by war, and of bonds unbroken by trauma, sustained by loyalty and tenacity.
Writing in a voice that rings with clarity and authenticity, the author lays open a dark moment in Europe’s recent history.
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Excerpt from Father of One
They walked up to the plaza where narrow streets led from the ancient town gate towards the centre of the promontory and the Saint George’s church and its cemetery gardens that overlooked the old fishing town. Most of the shops lining the plaza were shuttered. Turning up towards the rectory, they came to the café bar. A young, lean man in a dress shirt and round eyeglasses was sitting by the window with an espresso and listening to the radio that the waiter had placed on the counter. A newscast was on and a woman newsreader was talking in rapid, tense sentences about something.
“Good morning,” said the waiter. “Lovers up so early?” He was an acquaintance of the hotel owner, a smooth-mannered boy who came from the lavender country in Istria. The old man had recommended the place for their shop-roasted coffee.
“Good morning,” Maka said. Amelia dismissed the innuendo with a little laugh. “How are you?”
“I’m good as always.”
Maka, leaning to the counter and taking off his sun hat, looked at the radio. “What’s the news?”
“Their Teritorijalna Odbrana got the orders to start a counteroffensive.”
“No,” Amelia said, looking at the grave-faced waiter.
“When was that?” Maka asked.
“Last night. There’s armoured columns advancing towards Ljubljana. Six JNA brigades.”
“It’s happening too fast. They declared independence only three days ago.”
“Well, it’s happening, all right,” the waiter said. “Yesterday they shot down two helicopters. Now there’s fighting on the Italian border. The Slovenians have bogged the tanks down and are busting them.”
“But it’s insane,” Amelia said. “Everybody’s lost their mind.”
“The generals seem to think it makes perfect sense,” said the bespectacled man by the window. He lit a cigarette and blew smoke towards the ceiling, his head leaning back, then stared out to the street, where a group of loud young men was passing, waving Croatian flags.
Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.
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Purchase Links for Father of One
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Also available at BN and BookGuildUK.
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Jani Anttola is a Finnish novelist and a medical doctor. In the 1990s, he served in Rwanda with the French military and fought in Bosnia as a soldier of the Bosnian army. His works have been published in the United Kingdom and Finland. He has spent most of his adult life abroad, working in Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific.About Jani Anttola
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Interview with the Author of Father of One
Where did you get the idea for this book?
It’s based on a true story about a married couple and their infant son during the war in Bosnia. There are always thousands and thousands of individual stories that come out of such tragedy and that could be told. But when I heard about this one, it had so many unusual facets that I knew I wanted to write it out.
What advice would you give to a new writer just starting out?
I’m still young myself, as a writer, so I don’t think I should be giving much advice. Everybody will find their own way. If I must squeeze something out, I’d just tell them to read good books, go out and live a good life, don’t take it too seriously.
Is there a writer you idolize? If so, who?
There are many good ones that I look up to and try to learn from. But idolizing is a bit too strong a word for me. I think such attachment wouldn’t be healthy from the writing perspective. Also, some of the great authors whose works I admire were deeply flawed as human beings.
What responsibility do authors have to their readers?
Whether the reader wants pure entertainment or some deeper reflection, they always expect your work to be well-written, with some layers of complexity, in return for their time and money. The author should fulfill that contract in a meaningful way. But the reader also shares some responsibility when choosing their book. If they think they’re not comfortable with hard content matter, for example, they might as well pick up something other than a war novel.
Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?
No, I don’t, and I hope I never have to.
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Giveaway!
A randomly chosen winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN GC.
Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for Father of One
Full Tour Schedule:
April 29: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
May 1: Wake Up Your Wild Side
May 6: Sarcastically Yours, Jen
May 8: Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love
May 13: A Wonderful World of Words
May 15: Gina Rae Mitchell
May 20: The Avid Reader
May 22: Joanne Guidoccio
May 27: Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 29: Boys' Mom Reads!
June 3: Fabulous and Brunette
June 5: Always Reading
June 10: Author C.A.Milson
June 12: Ellwyn's Blog
June 17: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
June 19: Sapphyria's Books
June 24: Country Mamas With Kids
June 26: Westveil Publishing
July 8: Our Town Book Reviews
July 10: Teatime and Books
July 15: The Faerie Review
July 17: @jinxxysbookcorner
July 22: Dawn's Reading Nook
July 24: Straight From the Library
July 29: TBR Addictions
July 31: Wendi Zwaduk - Romance to Make Your Heart Race
August 5: This Writer's Life
August 7: It's Raining Books
August 12: Long and Short Reviews
August 14: Welcome to My World of Dreams
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This sounds like an interesting book! Thanks for sharing!
[…] Yours, JenMay 8: Aubrey Wynne: Timeless LoveMay 13: A Wonderful World of WordsMay 15: Gina Rae MitchellMay 20: The Avid ReaderMay 22: Joanne GuidoccioMay 27: Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good […]
Happy first day of summer.
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How did you develop your characters?
[…] If you would like to read my interview with Jani Anttola, please click HERE. […]
Thanks for the giveaway.
Good luck 🍀
Is there anything you wish readers knew about the book that they might not get from reading it?
Was there anything significant that got cut from the final version?
Awesome read.
Is there anything you wish readers knew about the book that they might not get from reading it?
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
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What is your favorite scene or passage in the book?
Question for author-What's the strangest or most interesting thing you had to research for this book?
Are there any real-life people or experiences that inspired the characters?
This looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for this story.
This sounds like a good story, Gina. I like books based on real events and people.
Sounds amazing!
What is your favorite scene or passage in the book?
Question for Author--What inspired you to become a writer?
This so sounds like a great read.
Thanks for the great excerpt. The book sounds very interesting.
This sounds like a good book. Thanks for sharing.
I liked what I read so far.
Enjoy Tuesday.
This sounds like an exciting book that is a real page turner!
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I liked the excerpt.
Jani Anttola is a new author to me. I really want to read this. I read the blurb and my heart skipped a beat. It seems like the type of book that will pull at my heart strings.
Thank you for featuring FATHER OF ONE today.
Question for Author--What inspired you to become a writer?