<a href="https://annemontgomerywriter.com/" title="Author Anne Montgomery " rel="home">Author Anne Montgomery

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

A lesson learned: The dead and their funerary objects need to be respected

August 30, 2025Leave a comment

***When I was asked by Arizona Highways Magazine to write an article about the man they call The Magician, I didn’t understand that I might be trampling on Native American religious beliefs.*** **(Illustration by Brad Holland)**

I’m not a religious person, so I have, in the past, missed signs that had spiritual implications. For example, when I was researching my novel Wolf Catcher—which was just rereleased by Next Chapter Publishing—I didn’t understand how offensive some of my requests were.

I was hired to write a magazine article about the man they call The Magician. His fabulous, nine-hundred-year-old tomb had been uncovered by archaeologists in 1939, beneath a pueblo on a lonely hillside about ten miles from Flagstaff, Arizona. Back in those days, exhuming indigenous burial grounds was an acceptable practice, which now seems absurd. Logically speaking, there’s not much difference between rifling through the belongings of ancient mummies and digging up one’s modern-day grandmother. Imagine collecting jewelry from grandma’s body and selling her precious possessions on eBay.

As a kid, I sometimes visited the Museum of Natural History in New York, where burial offerings from around the world were often on exhibit. However, while trying to determine who The Magician might have been, I discovered just how offensive it is to put human remains and funerary objects on display. My first hint was a letter my editor at the magazine received when I ignorantly requested a DNA test on The Magician. My reasoning seemed sound. The Magician was described by those who found him as being physically different from the people who buried him in several ways. He was particularly tall for his time and did not resemble the Native Americans who populated the region. He was said to have some Caucasian facial features, so my first thought was how did a man who may have had some European ancestry make it to what would become the American Southwest almost one-thousand years ago.

My request for scientific analysis was met with a hard no from the Hopi tribal authorities. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 stipulates that all remains and funerary objects must be treated with respect and dignity and that the destruction of any portion of a body—even something as seemingly insignificant as a tooth for a DNA sample—is unacceptable and illegal.

At that point, I was so focused on getting my story done, I didn’t understand why my request for scientific testing was such a big deal. Then, when I arrived to interview an archaeologist I’d worked with previously, I was shocked when he didn’t appear. It would be another archaeologist who would gently explain the problem. These scientists are bound by their relationships with Native American tribes. If they want to dig on tribal or even public land, they must get permission. If they don’t follow the rules, they will be shut out, which would hurt their reputations and limit their ability to work. My investigation posed a threat to the man’s career, a risk he wasn’t willing to take.

While researching the story, I picked up a number of pottery shards. My logic was simple. I was on public land, so clearly I had committed no crime. But again, I was wrong. Those beautiful pieces of ancient fired clay, many so bright and vibrant they looked as if they’d been painted yesterday, should never have been taken from their resting places, because once you’ve removed an artifact from its setting, you’ve destroyed its sense of time and place—it’s historical significance—something you can never get back.

After finishing Wolf Catcher, I found myself staring at those thousand-year-old bits of pottery and couldn’t pretend I hadn’t done something wrong. I spoke about my feelings with a friend who was a nondenominational pastor. She quickly responded that I should put the pieces back where I found them.

She and I traveled to Ridge Ruin where I gently returned the shards to the hillside. We stood on the rocky ground under which the pueblo that housed The Magician’s body lay hidden, having long ago been backfilled to protect it from looters. I stared at the spot where the man had been buried with such reverence all those years ago. My friend asked me to apologize for my mistake, which I did.

As I said earlier, I’m not a religious person, and yet, as we left that windswept hillside that held the remains of Ridge Ruin in its belly, I felt better. And I promised myself I would not make the same mistakes again.

If you’d like to learn more about my quest to understand who The Magician might have been and what his world was like, read my novel Wolf Catcher.

Wolf Catcher

Anne Montgomery

Historical Fiction

Next Chapter Publishing

Released August 4, 2025

The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century magician…and uncovers more than she bargained for.

In 1939, archaeologists uncovered a 900-year-old tomb at the Northern Arizona site called Ridge Ruin. The man, bedecked in fine turquoise jewelry and intricate bead work, was surrounded by hundreds of extraordinary funerary objects, including wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands. The Hopi workers stepped back from the grave, knowing what the Moochiwimi sticks meant. This man was a magician.

Sixty-five years later, investigative reporter Kate Butler discovers evidence that The Magician looked notably different from those who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archaeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.

Amazon

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Praise for Wolf Catcher

“Blending archaeology and Native American mythology, “Wolf Catcher” by novelist Anne Montgomery is an original, exceptionally well written, and compelling work of historical fiction…” – Midwest Book Review

“The author’s ability to interweave the past and the present was masterful. The characters were complex and interesting, especially with the underlying theme of rethinking the history of worldly human migration … A real page turner and I am wondering when the movie is going to be made!” – Alicia Williams Goodreads

“The story is very well-paced, reaching a page-turning, action-packed climax to the end. This story has all the elements of a great suspense drama centered around a historical mystery.” – Heidi Slowinski Author

“I was deeply and thoroughly embroiled in this imaginative novel… (that) melds seamlessly much of fact with fiction. Totally recommended! “ – V. Williams Vine Voice

“What a journey! What a story! A truly epic tale that grabs you by a throat and moves your soul. Highly recommend for the readers of all age groups.” – Marina Sardarova Author

“Boy, didn’t this one grip me quickly and keep me glued to the pages! Loved the cliff-hanging chapter endings. Well researched, well-plotted and paced…Trust me, you’ll love it. Totally recommended and out now!” – Rosepoint Publishing

“Once again the author has created a beautiful story with a powerful message. She took a piece of history and brought it to life. I just can’t say enough good things about Wolf Catcher.” – Megan Salcido Wildwood Reads

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

How a sports reporter ended up writing about history

August 16, 2025August 17, 20253 Comments

***The fabulous, Palaeolithic cave paintings in Lascaux,*** ***France inspired my love of ancient history when I was a child.***

This is my 500th blog! Which is shocking. I could never have imagined back in 2017 that eight years later I’d still be at it. Since I like telling stories and enjoy the process, I guess you’re stuck with me.

I know exactly when my interest in ancient history was sparked. I recall a TV program that showcased fabulous 17,000-year-old cave paintings of animals in Lascaux, France, drawings that inspired me to grab a hammer and chisel and head out into my Northern New Jersey garage. I was maybe 12, and can you blame me for wanting to see what ancient people might have left inside the walls of my home? With visions of paintings and arrow points and pottery dancing in my head, I hammered away at that wall. That is until my mother arrived, pointy-toed high heels clacking on the driveway. She gazed at me through black, cat eye glasses. It wasn’t until that moment that I sensed I might be doing something wrong. I dropped my tools and ran. The rest of the weekend I had to stand and watch my father as he repaired the damaged wall, muttering under his breath the whole time.

***The Mesoamerican ballgame might have looked like a cross between basketball and ice hockey.***

I have been fascinated by what happened long ago for almost 60 years. How human lives have changed in myriad ways, but are the same in many others. Still, history was far from my regular world where I spent much of my time involved with sports as both a journalist and an amateur official.

Still, it was my involvment in sports that gave me my first opportunity to write about history. I was hired by Arizona Highways Magazine to research a story on Mesoamerican ballcourts. It turns out there are over 200 ballcourts in Arizona alone, a testament to the popularity of the contest, which looked a bit like basketball with participants padded rather similarly to modern-day ice hockey players.

It was while researching that story that I accidentally discovered the man they call The Magician. I remember the day I arrived at the lonely, high-desert site about ten miles from Flagstaff. Cold raindrops fell on scattered junipers, their piney scent mixed with that of dampened earth. The ground was a rocky mixture of small chunks of red basalt and black cinder left from the eruption of the Sunset Crater Volcano almost 900-hundred years earlier. Beautiful pottery fragments with intricate black-and-white designs littered the hillside. I was interviewing an archeologist from the Museum of Northern Arizona about the ballcourts when he pointed up the slope. “That’s where they found The Magician,” he said.

***It was while reseraching a story on ancient Mesoamerican ballcourts–this one at the Wupatki National Monument–that I learned about the man they call The Magician.***

Later, I looked into the discovery. The fantastic grave was uncovered in 1939 and filled with over 600 exquisite funerary objects: arrow points and pots, mineral specimens and shells from the far-off Pacific Ocean. Fine turquoise jewelry, intricate beaded items, paint pigments, baskets, and mosaics. Then, there were the wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands, objects that identified the man as a sword swallower and a magician.

My novel Wolf Catcher tells two stories. One follows Kate Butler, a former TV reporter who’s no longer pretty enough to be in front of a camera. She’s turned to print reporting, but can’t get anyone to talk about the The Magician. Still, Kate, who has given up any dreams of a personal life to concentrate on her work, is determined to finish the job. Kate’s story mirrors my own, with the exception of the time when bullets are flying.

Kaya lives at the Village on the Ridge in the late 11^th century, shortly after the waking of the Volcano God, whose eruption changed the lives of the people in the high desert. Some, like those on the Ridge, were blessed, while others were left to wander the landscape homeless and hungry. Kaya is a healer who, like Kate, has given up a personal life for her vocation. She is tasked with tending an odd-looking injured man who the People call Wolf Catcher. The massive white wolf that appears with him is both fascinating and frightening. Some believe the arrival of the two is a harbinger.

Wolf Catcher tells the modern-day story of a reporter’s quest to determine whether the descendants of ancient Euroasian people somehow arrived in the New World thousands of years earlier than previously believed and discusses the problems associated with archeological looting and the black market sales of antiquities. It also delves into personal choices and relationships, proving human beings have not changed all that much over the centuries.

Wolf Catcher

Anne Montgomery

Historical Fiction

Next Chapter Publishing

Released August 4, 2025

The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century magician…and uncovers more than she bargained for.

Universal Book Link

Amazon

Praise for Wolf Catcher

“The author’s ability to interweave the past and the present was masterful. The characters were complex and interesting, especially with the underlying theme of rethinking the history of worldly human migration. A real page turner and I am wondering when the movie is going to be made!” – Alicia Williams Goodreads

“I was deeply and thoroughly embroiled in this imaginative novel… (that) melds seamlessly much of fact with fiction. Totally recommended! “ – V. Williams Vine Voice

“What a journey! What a story! A truly epic tale that grabs you by a throat and moves your soul. Highly recommend for the readers of all age groups.” – Marina Sardarova Author

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

A reason to celebrate! Wolf Catcher, my most personal book, is now available

August 9, 2025August 17, 20256 Comments

Here’s the new cover for my historical fiction novel Wolf Catcher. It’s rather edgy and cool, and a handful of you might recognize the title, because this book came out years ago. However, my life didn’t go exactly as planned back then, so few people ever read the story.

Here’s what happened.

Launch day for an author is huge. Like a wedding, or a milestone anniversary, or celebrating a 100^th birthday. Authors plan for these events by locating venues, sending out invitations, courting the media, and soliciting reviews. Then we agonize over the details and hope everything goes as planned.

So imagine when a week before the scheduled launch of my suspense novel The Castle I awoke with Covid. I could barely move. I even hallucinated. The one delusion I still remember is, perhaps, understandable since I’m a writer. I was searching for the answer to a question I don’t recall and was being attacked by words and phrases, none of which gave me what I was looking for. The faster I batted those words away, the quicker they came at me. I felt like a tennis player at Wimbledon. It was like being imprisoned in a vicious writer’s video game.

But that wasn’t the worst part. I got out of bed, walked into the bathroom, and promptly passed out. When I woke up, I tried to stand, but my left leg wouldn’t work. I looked down, saw my foot twisted in the wrong direction, and slowly crawled back to bed. It would be eight months before I could walk properly again. I carry a titanium plate and eleven screws in my leg as a reminder.

So, remember that launch for The Castle? It never happened. As you can imagine, few ever read the book. And, in a sad twist, another novel, Wolf Catcher, came out during the same period and suffered the same fate. There’s a window of opportunity for promoting books, moments that slipped by. Then, the books went out of print when the publisher closed.

But now I’ve been given a another chance. I can’t thank Next Chapter Publishing enough for taking on both Wolf Catcher and The Castle. Do overs are not that common in the publishing industry, so I will be forever grateful for the opportunity.

Of all my books, Wolf Catcher—which was released August 7, 2025—is the most personal. One of the protagonists is a reporter tasked with ferreting out the identity of a man buried outside of Flagstaff, Arizona almost 900 years earlier. A man whose mummified remains looked different from the people who occupied the area at the time, one who was buried with 600 exquisite funerary objects, identifying him as a person of power and prestige.

The story of the man they call The Magician was my assignment when I worked as a journalist for Arizona Highways Magazine. That the reporter’s name in the book is Kate Butler might be a tipoff that she and I traveled the same path in search of the story. With the exception of the time when bullets are flying, just about everything that happened to Kate also happened to me.

Note that as a girl who grew up in New Jersey with little knowledge of Native Americans, the investigation was a long learning curve. I charged into my research with little understanding of the cultural traditions I might be trampling and, like Kate, changed a lot along the way.

So, if you weren’t one of the few who had a chance to read Wolf Catcher you can now.

The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century magician…and uncovers more than she bargained for.

Note: Ebooks are available on all sites. Paperbacks and hardcovers will be out shortly.

Universal Book Link

Amazon

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Praise for Wolf Catcher

“I was deeply and thoroughly embroiled in this imaginative novel… (that) melds seamlessly much of fact with fiction. Totally recommended! “ – V. Williams Vine Voice

“What a journey! What a story! A truly epic tale that grabs you by a throat and moves your soul. Highly recommend for the readers of all age groups.” – Marina Sardarova Author

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

An author’s dilemma: So many social media sites, so little time

July 5, 20256 Comments

Authors understand that they need to be on social media if they want to sell books. At least, I hope they do. In fact, anyone with a merchandise to sell needs to be regularly taping away, telling consumers why their product is a must have.

In case you’re skeptical, note that, according to DataReportal, there are currently 5.31 billion social media users around the world, people who log onto almost seven different social media platforms each month, where they spend over 18 hours weekly visiting various sites.

Despite what youngsters tell you—Kids apparently prefer platforms that cater exclusively to them and don’t like scrolling through postings by old folks.— Facebook is still king in the social media world with over three billion users visiting monthly. I mention this because love it or hate it authors should have a presence on the site.

But where should authors go from there? Depending on who you ask, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok are where they should be. But here’s the thing, when you throw in the effort required to run a website, write regular blogs, participate in podcasts, appear at speaking engagements and book events, as well as posting on myriad social media sites, authors can get overwhelmed. (And I didn’t even mention that they should also find time to write.)

The solution? Think carefully about where you’d like to spread the word about your books. Note which social media sites appeal to you. For example, I struggled with Instagram. The picture/video-dominant platform often confounded me. When TikTok somehow took over my Instagram account and I was unable to retrieve it, I just let it go. Similarly, I’m not a fan of X, still I do share my weekly blogs there.

If you’re looking for a time-saver, I recommend checking the pages where you share your work. Consider that Facebook has dozens of sites for authors, many with thousands of followers. But here’s the problem. There is often virtually no interaction on some of these sites. You can post your blog or ad, and pretty much never get a single like. I have spent time on these sites, but finally, in an effort to streamline, I let them go.

Authors must determine which sites they’re comfortable with, then put their best work into those platforms and build a clientele. If you don’t see results from one site, try another until you’re making progress. Just don’t spread yourself too thin. The hope is that authors will eventually settle in and learn to enjoy the social-media marketing aspect of their job.

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares for the invasion of Europe in 1943. A chance comment has Bud assigned to a Graves Registration Company, where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine, a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose secretive nature and shadowy past leave many unanswered questions. When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

Authors need to polish their interviewing skills if they want authentic characters

May 3, 2025Leave a comment

Authors need lots of skills. And while writing is clearly at the top of the list, interviewing chops might be a close second, especially when one is writing fiction.

While many of us are quite comfortable writing about careers with which we are familiar, good novels are often filled with people who do a variety of different things. So, in order to create believable and interesting characters, we need to talk with real people who live in those realms. Hence the need for interviewing skills.

Before heading out to talk with people, authors should sketch an outline of a character. Perhaps you’re writing about a thirty-something police officer, a woman who’s been working in a small town for five years. She will need a backstory. Is she from the town or did she relocate? What kept her from leaving or what induced her to take a job there? Describe her physical characteristics. What are her quirks or flaws? On the latter, never make a character seem perfect. No one is and stories about unflawed characters are often boring and unrealistic.

Once you have an idea of who your character is, see if you can find a real person to talk to, in this case a woman who’s a small town police officer. The Internet makes this easy. But also think of family, friends, and acquaintances who might be able to help. Now pick up the phone or send an email. I may be old fashioned but I don’t think a text is appropriate at this point, because you will need to explain who you are and why you’d like to do an interview, and an email looks more professional.

I know what you’re thinking. Why would a complete stranger want to talk with me? But fear not! In my experience—I was a reporter for about 15 years, so I did this a lot.—people love to talk about themselves. Simply explain you’re doing research for a book and would love to speak with them. And, on the off chance they say no, do not be deterred. Just find someone else.

If you can, meet with your interviewee in person on their turf. You will get a better picture of who they are. Make sure you have a list of questions prepared, especially in regard to the day-to-day requirements of their job. Note this is especially important if you’re writing about someone, for example, in law enforcement, medicine, or the military. You don’t want to have your characters saying or doing things that real cops, doctors, or soldiers wouldn’t do.

In regard to your questions, there is no reason to religiously stick to them. I often recall the student I sent to interview a new teacher. The prepared questions were not very interesting: What brought the teacher to our school. Where did he come from? Why did he want to teach math? Then the teacher casually mentioned that he’d been an acrobat in the circus and toured the world for 20 years. Still, my student never followed up. I had to send the kid back to ask some more interesting questions.

The point is relax your ideas about your character. Note that I needed to write about a cattle rancher for my book Wild Horses on the Salt. I called one and he invited me to his ranch. While I was there, he mentioned he was a beekeeper and I ended up making my character a beekeeper, as well. In another case, the National Park ranger I interviewed for The Castle had served in the Coast Guard and was a plant specialist who spoke to tourists about the flora where she worked. My character shared those similarities. In another case, I interviewed a deputy sheriff who was a first responder to a deadly train wreck. When I went to his house, I was surprised to see that this “tough guy” collected fine glass objects. And you guessed it, my character also liked objects made of cut glass. So be open-minded.

I always record my interviews, but take notes, as well. I have often gotten more from my written notes than the actual recording, which I use to check for details I might have missed.

Many authors admit to being shy and the idea of interviewing someone makes them a bit nervous. But all you need to do is think of your interaction as a simple conversation with you leading the way. After the initial jitters, you’ll calm down. And, in the end, your characters will be more interesting and well-rounded.

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Release Date: June 6, 2024

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

Authors: Polish that elevator pitch

March 15, 20254 Comments

I was at a book event a while back, and as often happens when you get a bunch of authors together, the same question was asked repeatedly: So what’s your book about?

Seems simple enough. But as I listened to a few of my peers rattle on and on about their books, I wanted to gently point out that the fewer words they use in what is called an “elevator pitch” the better. An elevator pitch, is a brief description of one’s current writing project, one that might pass between the author and the president of a huge publishing house on the occasion that they find themselves in an elevator for 30 seconds or so. Obviously, this pitch is short. Very short.

Writers know that it is much easier to fill five pages than a 30-word paragraph. The latter is extremely difficult as every word must count. Though the above elevator scenario is unlikely to happen, the ability to define your work in a few sentences is important to you and any agents, editors, publicists, or media people who might be interested in your book. So the elevator pitch is a tool that every author needs to have ready.

The pitch should be maybe 20-40 words. It should identify the main idea and what the protagonists are seeking. For example. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: “Two sisters, Anne and Mary, are driven to advance their family’s power by courting the affections of the King of England and a ruthless rivalry develops between them.”

Here are a couple more, like the one above courtesy of Reedsy.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: “When her secret love letters somehow get mailed to each of her five crushes, Lara Jean finds her quiet high school existence turned upside down.”

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown: “A murder inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity.”

The point of course is to make your book unique and compelling and to get that CEO—or whomever your trying to pitch—to say, “Tell me more!”

Developing an elevator pitch that makes someone’s eyes light up and request additional information is the goal. Your handful of words needs to be striking and memorable. So, be clear: Who is your protagonist? What do they yearn for? How do they plan to get what they want? What is standing in their way? Make sure not to include spoilers. Memorize your pitch and be prepared to deliver it in a conversational way. Smile and sound confident

It is ironic that of the tens of thousands of words authors put into their books, the few in an elevator pitch are perhaps the most important.

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

When should you publish your book? It’s not an exact science.

February 15, 20252 Comments

Those unacquainted with the publishing world perhaps don’t know the vast number of decisions an author has to make. Note that I’m in the midst of remodeling my kitchen. It’s kind of like that. One has to consider plumbing and electrical, colors and texture, flooring and countertops, cabinets and appliances, and myriad other options on the road to the finished product.

Authors need to think about things like genre, characters, plot, setting, cover art, and marketing and promotional strategies, including blogs and podcasts and personal appearances.

But there’s another big decision to consider. Timing. When should authors release their baby to the public? For those who go the traditional route—meaning a publisher has acquired their book—the decision is often made for them. Since traditional publishers are paying the bills, they get to decide when to put your book on the market. Still, it never hurts to point out a specific date, if you have one in mind. My most recent book, Your Forgotten Sons—a World War II novel inspired by a true story—came out June 6, 2024 in honor of the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, because I asked my publisher to hold it several months.

Of course, those who choose to self-publish have more options. So, assuming you have control over the timing of your release, what should you consider? One obvious idea is to launch your book alongside a holiday, as I did with Your Forgotten Sons. Are you a romance author? The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day would be a simple choice. If horror’s your genre, time the release around Halloween. A memoire about your mom: Mother’s Day. Note that readers aren’t the only ones thinking about these topics as the holidays approach. Bookstores, bloggers, and podcasters are looking to feature holiday-themed books as well.

November and December are also good times to get your book out there. The idea is that people are buying gifts for loved ones and books are easy choices. Still, you might be surprised to know that January and February are considered a good time for self-published books to be launched. Why? People are itching to use all those new e-readers they got as presents, as well as those gift cards. And don’t forget the spring and summer months, when people have vacations on their minds, times when they are much more likely to sit and read at their leisure. Yes, book sales do tend to slump in the summer, but with traditional publishers heavily focused on back-to-school and holiday sales, there is certainly a window for those who self-publish when people are looking for beach reads.

There are certain books—primarily non-fiction based on or related to current events—that should be published quickly, while subject is a hot news topic. Getting these books out in a timely manner is not easy, but shoot for it if you can.

Despite all of the recommendations, this is not an exact science. There is no perfect date to launch your book. In the end, authors should revel in the fact that their book is out in the world. A finished project.

I wish I could say the same about my kitchen.

“What a brilliant book! I couldn’t put this novel down…It is a solid five-star read… Your Forgotten Sons should be a must-read for all lovers of fiction, especially WWII fiction. The tale was educational, provocative, enlightening..”

Virginia Dill Book Sirens

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Release Date: June 6, 2024

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

A publishing do-over: The tale of an orphan book

February 1, 20254 Comments

We don’t often get do-overs in life. But I’ve just gotten one and I couldn’t be happier. Now let me back up a little.

This past September I received word that one of my publishers was shutting down. I’d like to say this was the first time I’ve faced such a closure, but it’s not. Since I became an author 30 years ago, I’ve had three publishers call it quits. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone considering the crazy state of the industry.

According to the 2023 Brett-Koehler Publishing article “10 Awful Truths about Book Publishing,” “The book publishing world is in a never-ending state of change. The thin margins in the industry, high complexities of the business, intense competition, severe supply-chain disruptions, churning of new technologies, and rapid growth of other media lead to constant turmoil in bookselling and publishing, including the closure and sale of many publishing companies and publication programs each year.”

What does this mean to an author? Orphan books. When a publisher closes, book rights generally revert to the author. But what happens then? When you consider that approximately three million books are published annually in the U.S. alone—two million of which are self-published—it would seem unlikely that orphan books would make it back into circulation, unless an author wanted to foot the bill.

But I am delighted to say that I am getting a do-over courtesy of Next Chapter Publishing, where two of my novels—Your Forgotten Sons and Wild Horses on the Salt—currently have a home.

The book in question is called Wolf Catcher, a work of historical fiction that takes place in the American Southwest both in modern times and in the 11^th century. Of all my books, this one is the most personal. One of the protagonists is a reporter tasked with ferreting out the identity of a man buried outside of Flagstaff, Arizona almost 900 years earlier. A man whose mummified remains looked different from the people who occupied the area at the time, one who was buried with 600 exquisite funerary objects, identifying him as a man of power and prestige.

The story of the man they call The Magician was my assignment when I worked as a reporter for Arizona Highways Magazine. That the reporter’s name in the book is Kate Butler might be a tipoff that she and I traveled the same path in search of the story. With the exception of the time when bullets are flying, everything that happened to Kate also happened to me.

I’m also happy to have a do-over on Wolf Catcher for another reason. In 2021, before the book was scheduled to launch, I contracted Covid, passed out, and suffered a severely broken leg that had to be surgically repaired. I carry a titanium plate and eleven screws as a reminder. Subsequently, there was no book launch and little marketing, as I spent eight months learning to walk again. As you can imagine, few people ever read the book. I’m hoping to change that this time around.

So my thanks to Next Chapter Publishing for taking Wolf Catcher on. I’m not yet sure of the timeline, but I’ll let you know when the mysterious story of The Magician is back.

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Release Date: June 6, 2024

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

Authors, even if you don’t sell a lot of books at a signing it can still be a success

November 30, 2024November 30, 20242 Comments

Authors often have high expectations for books signings, but I wonder if they understand that it’s not all about how many books one manages to sell at an event. I’ve been behind that table, exhorting passersby to stop and take a look at my novels lots of times, and I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed on those occasions when no one seemed interested in buying my books. However, that doesn’t mean the whole endeavor was a waste of time.

***Authors need to consider all the promotional opportunities when participating in a book signing.***

Note here that I am not talking about a book launch, which is generally a one author/new book event. It’s any other time an author sets up a table in public, especially those times when authors come together in groups, which means there are lots of people hawking books in the same place at the same time, so there’s an immense amount of competition.

We need to think of a book signing as more of an overall promotional opportunity. A chance to meet people and hand out business cards. Note that I’m a big believer in those humble little bits of paper. One should never head to a book event—or anywhere for that matter—without a bunch of well-designed business cards boasting a lovely photo of their most recent book cover, as well as a website address and contact information. Remember that today readers have options, and while we authors lug suitcases filled with physical books to our events, we should not forget about the folks who prefer to read audio and e-versions of our work.

Authors should also consider what they’re asking for their books. At a recent event where maybe 25 authors had gathered, the nice man next to me inquired about whether the $28 price he was charging for his paperback book was excessive, since no one was buying his books.

“Yes!” I said without a moment’s hesitation. “It’s too much!”

He looked perplexed.

I didn’t know the guy, but since he asked, I felt compelled to explain. “These events are not necessarily about making money. They’re about getting the word out,” I said. “I’ve given away lots of books, because I want people to read them. If you charge too much, you’ll never get your books in readers’ hands.”

Giving a book away also promotes goodwill. You’ve made someone’s day. That little bit of kindness just might drive business to your website, and the reader might like your book so much they’ll tell others about it. Yes, it’s a bit of a financial hit, but giveaways should be part of doing business. And, hey, you can take the cost off your taxes.

The most important thing an author can do is to bring their most personable self to an event. Your book won’t sell itself. That’s your job. So, look people in the eye. Stand when someone approaches your table. Have a very short speech that explains what the book is about and, if the patron shows interest, explain why you felt the need to write the story. Smile. Be animated. Hand out that business card and thank them for stopping buy even if they didn’t make a purchase

The idea is to get them to remember you and your book. And while you won’t see a rise in your book sales that day, you certainly may see one later on.

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Release Date: June 6, 2024

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.