Chanta Alliman: stories of the heart
The West End author tells us about her recently self-published book, True Love, and her journey as a writer.
Chanta's book True Love
When we met Chanta Alliman in her West End Toronto Community Housing neighbourhood, she greeted us warmly in front of her townhouse. We sat down in her backyard and asked her about her recently self-published book, True Love, and her journey as a writer.
Describing herself as a quiet person, Chanta’s writing has become an outlet for self-expression. She said she’s always wanted to become a writer but didn’t take it seriously until she came across an old notebook, and a neighbour asked about a story she wrote a few years ago. Her passion was reignited, and after many late nights, she turned her notes into a 550-page novel, using the pen name Chanta Janelle. True Love centres around Misha and Marques, a couple navigating love, betrayal, sisterhood, and redemption. She says it’s a story about choosing yourself, rebuilding from the ashes, and learning that honest love starts from heartbreak.
Chanta is most interested in writing urban romance, drawing inspiration from authors like Eric Jerome Dickey and Sister Souljah. Although she would love to turn writing into a career, it’s a hobby for now. She’s interested in seeing how her characters evolve and is planning a three-part series. She’s already started to write the sequel and hopes to have a prequel once she’s finished. As any self-published writer would testify, the biggest challenge is turning her book into sales and building a fan following. Chanta has been working on her social media posts and has had some success with TikTok. Mainly, though it’s been through word-of-mouth.
When she’s not writing, Chanta loves listening to R&B, watching Black films, and creating visual content to bring her characters and stories to life online. For anyone interested in writing a novel, she says, “don’t let anybody stop you from following your dreams.”
