Janie Dempsey Watts

A Chattanooga native, Janie Dempsey Watts grew up riding horses at her family farm in Woodstation, Georgia. Her curiosity about most everything steered her to journalism and a writing career. Her novel "Return to Taylor's Crossing" (2015) earned an Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion, won first place in the Knoxville Writers' Guild novel excerpt competition, and third place in the Frank Yerby Literary Award. Her first novel, "Moon Over Taylor's Ridge," was a Georgia Author of the Year Award nominee for a debut novel and nominated for a S.I.B.A. Her collection of short stories, "Mothers, Sons, Beloveds, and Other Strangers" (Bold Horses Press, 2017) won an Indie B.R.A.G. medallion. Her children's book, "Pap Pap Goes to Paris, And So Does Ricky," is the story of a boy who wants to travel with his grandfather to climb up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower. Janie won the 2019 Georgia Independent Author of the Year Award for this book, and also an Indie B.R.A.G. medallion. After living in California for many years, she returned to northwest Georgia to live near the family farm. She is married and has two grown sons and three grandchildren. When not playing with her horse at the farm, she can be found at her desk writing. For a complete list of her published works, and more on horses, please visit her at: www.janiewatts.com.