Kissing the Right Frog

September 14, 2016 · by Janet Hogan Chapman | in The Writing Life | tagged Book Proposal, David Baldacci, GeorgiaJanet, How to Get a Literary Agent, Kim van Alkemade, Kwame Alexander, narrative nonfiction, Newberry Medal, Pitch Slam, Print-on-demand Self Publishing, Writer's Digest Conference 2016, Writers' Conferences, Writing Platform | 9 Comments

Tables line the walls of a huge hotel meeting room. Fifty literary agents sit in alphabetical order behind the tables. Outside the door, there are two hundred of us lined up, awaiting entry into the hallowed chamber. We have paid for this opportunity. We have traveled from distant states and countries. We have written and […]

Let’s get pinned! Pinterest for Readers and Writers

June 15, 2016 · by Janet Hogan Chapman | in The Writing Life | tagged Author Platform, Basic Information on Pinterest, Exposure through Pinterest, Famous Authors on Pinterest, Pinners and Pinning, Pinners' Boards, Pinterest for Readers, Pinterest for Writers, What is Pinterest | 6 Comments

Let’s start this piece off with an important clarification. P-I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T is not a misspelling! Pinterest is the correct spelling of an online application for sharing pictures, links, and content. In essence, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board. Pinterest can be an amazing tool for readers and writers. Gurus that tout the benefits of author platforms […]

A book here, a book there; books, books, everywhere – What writers read and why

March 23, 2016 · by Janet Hogan Chapman | in The Writing Life | tagged Eudora Welty's home library, How reading influences writing, Leah Price and authors' libraries, Reading more to write better, The importance of the home library, World building in novels | 7 Comments

When I walked into Eudora Welty’s home in Jackson Mississippi, what first struck me were the books. That books were in bookshelves goes without saying, but even more enchanting were those NOT on or in bookshelves. There were books everywhere. Books adorned every plausible surface – the floor, the end tables, the chairs, the sofas, […]

What Would You Do if You Were Orphan #8?

December 16, 2015 · by Janet Hogan Chapman | in Book Reviews | tagged Historical Research for Novels, Kim van Alkemade, Lesbians and "Unnatural Tendencies", Orphan #8, Orphan Stories, Orphans used in Medical Experiments, The Fascination of Orphan Stories, The New York Orphan Asylum, The Side-effects of X-rays, Treatment of Orphans Early 20th Century | 5 Comments

Orphans – we are captivated by their stories. From Huck Finn to Oliver Twist to Jane Eyre to Anne Shirley, their stories endure. Even children, perhaps from fearing the unthinkable loss of parents, find orphan stories fascinating. I’m thinking of Madeline, The Box Car Children, The Whipping Boy, and Mary Lennox in her secret garden. […]

From Heart to Page: Lancing the Boil of Grief

September 9, 2015 · by Janet Hogan Chapman | in Poets/ Poetry/ Performances, The Writing Life | tagged Five Stages of Grief, Grief from Loss of a Child, Jay Chapman Memorial Fund, Poetry and Grief, Poetry as Grief Therapy, Writing as Therapy | 5 Comments

Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there. I do not sleep…. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there, I did not die. (Excerpts from “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” by Mary Frye) Once upon a time I would have found this poem […]

Raising the Dead through Research: How an Academic Became a Novelist

July 15, 2015 · by Janet Hogan Chapman | in Craft, The Writing Life | tagged Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, Atlanta's Tower prison, Creating your family tree, Everyday life 100 years ago, Franklin M. Garrett, genealogy and family secrets, genealogy how-tos, Janet Hogan Chapman, Madam May, Prostitution in early 1900s Atlanta, Researching public records, Turning genealogical research into fiction, Using newspaper archives | 3 Comments

Our newest blogger, Janet Hogan Chapman, debuts today. She was born in Atlanta and has lived in different areas of the city her entire life. She has a variety of life experiences: wife, mother, grandmother, physician’s assistant, caterer, costumed party character, minister, preschool teacher/director, elementary school teacher, university professor, and last but by no means least, […]