My books are based on true stories, many uncovered in my genealogy research. Southern family drama at its best – and worst. Suggested order of read: Madam May, After Madam May, Dorothy May, and MotherLove. Read more about each book and reviews below.
LINKS TO PURCHASE:
After Madam May: AFTER MADAM MAY
MotherLove: MOTHERLOVE
Works in Progress
DEAR DAUGHTER: Five generations inexplicably linked from past to present.
BECOMING NO ONE: A memoir. Sometimes in trying to become someone you become no one.
Previously Published
These books are not a series but there is a character thread that runs through them. Suggested order of Read: Madam May, After Madam May, Dorothy May, and MotherLove. This Teacher Talks stands independently.
I would love to visit with your book club if you choose to read MOTHERLOVE or any of my other books. I am also available to speak to reading or writing groups about my writing journey and my books, or do in-person book signings. Just send me an email – georgiajanetatl@gmail.com
The Reviews are coming in and they are AWESOME!
Kelly Ahl Paul
Just finished this intriguing and incredibly well written book…. soooo good! Based on a true story of the struggles & survival of girls you could have grown up with who become ladies you could be friends with, the author does an excellent job of telling the story & sharing perspectives from various characters through the book. I literally could not put it down & felt an emotional connection to some of the characters, cheering them on, celebrating their triumphs & feeling tearful with the hurts & losses. (And literally hated one of them).
AND it’s available on Kindle right now for less than $4!!! Excellent read.
(Trigger warning: perhaps not for victims of incest or child sexual assault, unless you are ready for possible wounds to be opened. However, for someone who worked with children forever including victims of incest, it did a great job helping someone who has not experienced this empathize & sympathize and just brings to fruition awareness of what goes on behind closed doors more than we are comfortable acknowledging)
!! Great book!!!
*Becky Condon, Author of: City Slicker’s Guide To Country Living and She Flies Short version: Wow! I could not put this down.
Longer version: This is a gut-wrenching story of a family torn apart by abuse, lies, and secrets. The main character, Louann, is based on a real person. As a small child, Louann knew by words and deeds that her mother hated her. She was raised by her great-grandparents. As they aged, the young girl was passed from family member to family member, never understanding why her own mother couldn’t stand taking care of her. It was late in her life that she finally figured out why, and knowing was the turning point for healing. This is a riveting, well-written story, interestingly told from the perspectives of the main character and several other family members. You won’t be able to put this book down, and afterwords you will likely come away with a different idea on observing an unruly child, wild teenager, or sad, unmotivated adult. How someone could hurt a child, particularly their own child, is unimaginable. The secrets are what fester and cause the worst damage. Excellent and important book, Janet.
*Michael A. Dubrow Author, American Judas Brutal and beautiful at the same time
Motherlove tells the story of why Louann’s mother Joycie always hated her. Tackling the subject of child abuse is never easy, but Janet Hogan Chapman handles it with unblinking honesty in this well-written story. Told from shifting points of view, Motherlove is story that touch your heart and stick with you for a long time after you’ve read it.
*Indie Authors Book Reviews (Mary Massey Treadwell)
In MotherLove, author Janet Hogan Chapman brings to life a powerful and moving story about a dysfunctional family. This story tackles many issues, including child abuse, addiction, grief, and some family violence. Told from different points of view by four different generations, we see how a mother’s love or lack of it shapes these characters’ lives. You will be drawn in as Louann begins to tell her story. Having never known her mother’s love and not knowing why leaves many questions for her and shapes her life in ways that will take years to understand. Along the way, she faces heartbreak and rejection, and ultimately acceptance.
Ms. Chapman does an excellent job of telling Louann’s story. I was moved to tears in more than one passage. When I finished the book, I had to just sit there for a moment and take it all in.
Lastly, kudos to the real Louann for allowing your story to be told. May others find strength and courage from your journey. https://indieauthorbookreviews.com/2021/04/15/motherlove/
*Lee St. John Author of: SHE’S A KEEPER! Cockamamie Memoirs from a Hot Southern Mess and TEACHER TATTLETALES and Other Southern Shenanigans
Motherlove is a sobering story of one family’s secrets that were committed and lasted several generations. Like Girl on the Train, Hogan-Chapman alternately weaves the storyline through several players telling their version of painful accounts inflicted by their own family members. Unlike Girl on the Train, these events are real. This family’s story is genuine, shocking, and heartbreaking and defines, in several ways, a mother’s love.
*Marsha W. Another homerun by Janet Hogan Chapman
MotherLove deals with a difficult subject in an honest, unflinching way. What I love about all of Janet Hogan Chapman’s books is that the characters are so well developed. They are authentic representations of people who could be your neighbors or relatives. This book is no exception. Louann and Joycie had “a hard row to hoe” (as we say in the South). The ways they deal with it are heartbreaking, but honest and realistic. This book will stay with you for a long time. If you haven’t read Chapman’s other other books, I strongly recommend that you do. Read Madam May first, then the following two books–After Madam May and Dorothy May.
*Katie Hart Smith, author of: High Cotton and Magnolias, Hope Never Rests, Aspirations of the Heart, and Couch Time with Carolyn
Motherlove is rooted in the true story of a travesty that befell a family that was shrouded in secrecy and lies. Told from different perspectives, forgiveness and redemption are ultimately realized in the form of a mother’s love. And, I loved the call to action and help lines at the end.
*Susan Sands, author of The Alabama Series, Books 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Chapman lends an empathetic voice, and in the end, hope, to women who’ve suffered such a tragic fate. Wonderful read.
*Glo Tinsley Tough subject that needed to be revealed!
I thoroughly enjoyed Motherlove. It was a difficult subject which Ms. Chapman handled “gingerly” but effectively. A real page-Turner. She is an excellent writer. I felt like I knew Louann personally!
Janet’s Other Books
Janet’s debut novel . . . Madam May: A tale of madams, morphine, moonshine, and murder.
Madam May was a mother and grandmother, and most likely was a madam, moonshiner, morphine addict and murderer. Willie May Wheeler left rural Georgia in 1898 and came to Atlanta as a young bride, albeit in a contrived marriage. She was determined to escape her hardscrabble country life and become an independent woman, not an easy feat in that day and time. She was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish her goal. Once in the city she was embroiled in bigamy, blackmail, prostitution, and murder. Although she appeared to settle down later in life, she remained eccentric. I know her story intimately after discovering the mysteries that followed her to the grave – because Willie May Wheeler Collis Stamper Hogan Cobb was my grandmother!
Many five-star reviews!
Fascinating story – great story-telling! I loved the historical detail, and I loved May, who, in spite of her dubious character (or maybe even because of it!) held my interest all the way. I couldn’t wait to see what May’s next scheme would be or how she would finagle her way out of the trouble she kept getting into with the law.
AFTER MADAM MAY
What happened to May after the murder trial at the end of Madam May? This novella tells the rest of the story. Now available on Amazon in paperback or Ebook.
DOROTHY MAY
The beautiful and mysterious Dorothy was May’s informally adopted daughter. This novel, based on true events, will pull your heartstrings and give you a new understanding of family.
Five-Star Review: Well written account of a young girl, so blinded by her deep emotional feelings of abandonment, that she failed to see the exceptional love that actually surrounded her. This is the sad catalyst for a life spent searching for what she already possessed.
DOROTHY MAY was recognized with honor in the historical fiction category of the 2019 Georgia Independent Author of the Year awards.
Also by
Dr. Chapman. . .
What if a child you knew or loved begged to not go back to their classroom? Find out what happened in…
This Teacher Talks: What really goes on in America’s schools.
This memoir gives an account of the culture and events among teachers and administrators in a suburban elementary school. The first part is anecdotal background about educational experiences that influenced my philosophy as an educator and details the journey that led me to this school.
The second part began as an academic research exercise for my doctoral dissertation. Journal entries chronicle a complete school year and describe tumultuous events, relating the day to day experiences among the adults in the school, and showing how those experiences affected them and their ability to teach the students. This is where you learn the raw truth about what really goes on in some of America’s schools.
The third part proposes a model for how and why school cultures could be transformed, an important accomplishment in an era where so many teachers leave the profession within their first five years of employment. finally, this focused memoir offers hope for the floundering and frustrated souls in America’s public schools.