REVIEWS AND PRAISE

MOSTLY TRUE
"No doubt about it: Janie Dempsey Watts has the storytelling gene. In Mostly True, she shares personal memories, family lore, and slices of rural life. Whether you grew up south of the Mason-Dixon or just wish you had, her stories will make you nostalgic for family time, home-cooked meals, small-town characters, and simpler times. Pull up a chair and let Janie Dempsey Watts tell you a story—most of it’s true, and all of it’s delightful." —Mockingbird, Amazon Reviewer

"Remembrances of a time when life was sweeter and the okra was cooked to perfection, Mostly True is filled with tales of old Ford trucks, friendships with those society tends to overlook, and a host of horses whose lives fill our hearts. Highly recommend!" —Renea Winchester, Award-winning author of The Mountains Remember

“Janie Dempsey Watts collects stories and memories, and instead of housing them on display, writes them down in a compelling way. No dust needs to be blown off of Janie's possessions of fresh narratives and insightful reflections. She has collected these stories as a chronicle of her life as a woman of Northwest Georgia roots, wife, mother, journalist, horsewoman, and lover of nature.” —Barbara Tucker, Award-winning author of Lying In

“Watts’ writing style is effortlessly engaging—like catching up with an old friend who happens to be a gifted storyteller. Whether she’s chronicling the adventures of tending horses, the wisdom and love found in her grandmother's kitchen, or the unexpected joys of country living, Watts finds the extraordinary in the ordinary.” —Amber Lanier Nagle, author of Seeing is Believing

PAP PAP GOES TO PARIS AND SO DOES RICKY!
"Pap Pap Goes to Paris and So Does Ricky! is an exciting travel story about a boy and his grandfather who make a pilgrimage together to Paris, and climb the Eiffel Tower. Joyous colored illustrations show young Ricky's excitement over the snowglobe of the Eiffel Tower and his grandfather's planned trip to Paris. Although Pap Pap had planned to go with Ricky's Uncle Tony, a phone call changes that plan because of a bicycle accident leaving Uncle Tony with a broken leg. Tony will be unable to make the planned trip to Paris with Pap Pap. Ricky decides it would be a fine idea to accompany his Pap Pap to Paris instead. They work hard to convince Ricky's mother and father of this new plan. Charming illustrations show Ricky's mother holding two baby twins who are crying while she is discussing the trip with Ricky. Finally, both parents agree to the plan, and Ricky promises to bring them back presents, and even a present for the twins. The exciting plane trip to Paris is on! Ricky learns some French expressions such as s;il vous plait, bon soir, bonjour, merci beaucoup, and more. The French vocabulary words are listed with their pronunciations at the end of the book. Ricky learned many wonderful things about Paris on his trip with Pap Pap, learning to list things that Parisians love as they climbed the many steps of the Eiffel Tower. What do Parisians love? cobblestones, croissants, dogs, statues, steps and more! But Ricky loved best of all being with Pap Pap at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Pap Pap Goes to Paris and So Does Ricky! is a wonderful book for children and also adults who long to visit the famous city on the Seine. —The Midwest Book Review, Volume 28, Number 11

MOTHERS, SONS, BELOVED, AND OTHER STRANGERS

"Stories with details and plot points that feel fresh and engaging...the author has a gift for dialog which is frequently how both character and plot are developed...Sadie in 'Runaway Ruby Yacht' and Maggie in 'River Run' are particularly good and will definitely interest readers.- —BookLife Prize, critic's report

"The endearing, sweet, and mostly light stories exploring family in Janie Dempsey Watts' MOTHERS, SON, BELOVEDS, AND OTHER STRANGERS are driven by strong, authentic settings and are best when venturing into weightier territory...Watts succeeds in evoking a strong sense of place no matter the chosen setting, and in this case, "setting" is much more than location, encompassing era, age, and even the families themselves, always with meticulous detail. The writing is swift, precise, and continually pushes the narrative. The stories never drag or overstay their welcome...the variety present in the collection ensures every reader will find something to like and come away with a different view of those they call family." —Indie Reader

RETURN TO TAYLOR'S CROSSING

"Janie Dempsey Watts is a fine storyteller, weaving her tale of love and loss with scenes from a landscape she knows well. Return to Taylor's Crossing is a bold and brave story, whose characters you will love."  —Cassie Dandridge Selleck, award-winning author of The Pecan Man

"What happens when two acts of violence impact multiple lives? This is the question posed by author Janie Dempsey Watts in her second novel, Return to Taylor’s Crossing. In this emotionally charged story, which takes place in 1959 and present day rural Georgia, Abednego and Lola are in love. But they soon are separated by racial viciousness at its worse.

I love the way the author examines these horrific events from multiple points of view, specifically three blacks and three whites. I became completely invested in the lives of Abednego and Lola. I particularly enjoyed the story of two little girls, one white, one black, who bond over their love of horses. They too are impacted by the violence in this novel. It was an act of genius by the author to contrast the girls’ innocence with the darker events.

This is a real page turner. I was pulled in immediately by one of the best opening chapters I’ve read in some time. Watts has a great feel for scene, conflict, and tension. She sprinkles in just the right amount of humor. Her characters are believable. The love between Abednego and Lola is compelling, but this is no facile love story. If I have any complaint, the novel was not long enough. I wanted to immerse myself more deeply in the terrifying and absorbing world of Taylor’s Crossing." —Carol W., Amazon Reviewer

MOON OVER TAYLOR'S RIDGE

"She masterfully mixes Cherokee history, mystery, romance and humor to create an undeniably entertaining and moving account of loss, reflection, soul searching, and at last--redemption." "  —Southern Bookshelf Reviewer for Dalton Living Magazine

"Loved this book! A true Southern story that understands the South and richly shares the stories of the Cherokee people. Realistic characters you can just dive into and connect with. Engaging story that helps you look inside yourself as Avie finds her strength." —Melissa S, Amazon Reviewer

"Avie has come back to her childhood home to serve as executor of her father’s estate in northern Georgia – a substantial family farm worth more than $1 million. Splitting the proceeds from the estate with her brother and half-sister ends up becoming a metaphor for the way her own life is being torn apart. As Avie sorts through her father’s belongings to evaluate their worth, she begins her own search for the value of her life up to this point: Her 15-year marriage with Michael back in California is crumbling, her son’s asthma has become the central part of her life instead of her writing, and her belief in herself has left her vulnerable.

Back in Taylor’s Ridge, Avie rekindles old friendships and family conflicts, makes new friends, and joins her son in a hunt for a silver mine that had belonged to the Cherokees before their forced relocation to Oklahoma in the 1830s – The Trail of Tears – and never found since.

Avie’s relatives have their own agendas: Mean-spirited Uncle Earl has always hated her and believes he can intimidate her; Aunt Ardelia meddles in everyone’s lives and uses binoculars to spy on Avie’s every move; Griffin, her brother, hopes to develop the land and make them all multimillionaires; and Jolene, her half-sister, steals Avie’s jewelry to buy new clothes so she can woo her latest beau. With help from an old friend, storeowner Xylia, and new one, a part-Cherokee man, Will, who lives in a cabin up on the ridge, Avie works to make some of the most difficult decisions of her life in terms of her father’s estate, her marriage, and her life.

On the old TV show, Designing Women, Julia Sugarbaker, the lead character, noted that while all families have crazy relatives, the difference between people in the North and people in the South is that northerners hide these family members in the attic, while southerners proudly parade them out for everyone to see. Watts has done just that, creating memorable characters that entertain us, scare us, and redeem us.

This fast-paced novel will also keep readers intrigued as it weaves several stories together into one seamless narration. Richly crafted descriptions turn Taylor’s Ridge into one of the main characters, as its own force of nature that Avie must overcome. But Watts’ descriptions also take us into the heart of the South and make us feel welcomed. Here’s what a visit to the local Waffle House is like:

The waitress turned to another customer, a good-looking, silver-haired man with a generous girth.

“Hello honey, how you doin?” she asked in a syrupy voice. She took his order and recited her mantra, and the cook responded again. In the background, the custodian’s squeegee scraped again the window. The chanting of the waitresses and the cook, the squeaking noise against the glass and the scraping and flipping clang of the spatula against the grill created a rhythm of its own. Performance art, southern style.

This is the type of book that fulfills the southern axiom: Come in, put your feet up, and stay awhile. Watts’ novel envelopes you with good southern charm and intrigue." —Nancy Hatch Woodward, Reviewer for BookPleasures.com

Click here to read a wonderful review by the National Association of Baby Boomer Women.