Award-Winning Author Visits West Point Kiwanis

by David Rorick

Exotic locales and mysterious characters populate the romantic novels conceived by local celebrity Mary Montague Sikes. She recently visited the West Point Kiwanis Club to talk about her approach to writing, and the exotic locales that have inspired her writing.

(Right, award-Winning author and artist Mary Montague Sikes shows off several of her books, assisted by her husband (and West Point Kiwanis member) Olen Sikes.)

Monti is a prolific author and artist with a series of novels and non-fiction works among her published works. Her novels often feature mysteries, murders and romance, all tied to fascinating places. Hearts Across Forever takes the reader to Jamaica; Secrets by the Sea sails for Antigua; and Eagle Rising flies to Sedona, Arizona.

Along the way Monti has spent many nights on the road, leading to the beautiful volume Hotels to Remember, a book filled with the history and color photographs of some of the most memorable hotels she has visited. Her experiences with the business of writing led her to write Published! Now Sell It!, a how-to book for aspiring authors.

Monti is also an accomplished artist. In addition to exhibits in numerous galleries, she has illustrated the dust jackets of several of her books. Holder of a Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, she studied with New York artists Peter Saul, Jane Kaufman, and Diana Kurz, and California artists Robert Burridge, Elaine Harvey, and Raleigh Kinney.

The West Point Kiwanis Club meets for dinner at six p.m. the first and third Mondays of each month in St. John's Hall at St. John's Episcopal Church. Visitors and prospective members are always welcome. To learn more, call Mary Ann Seward, Club President, at 843-3418.