Mary Montague Sikes -- From her childhood days, lived dangerously when she explored forbidden spots far from home, "Monti" has loved to read and to put words on paper. Her longing to travel to far-away places was not fulfilled until early adulthood. Since then, she has visited many parts of the world, but it is the Caribbean that holds a special charm for her. It is the islands of the Caribbean where she most enjoys setting her stories and creating her paintings. Unless she is traveling to a tropical destination, Monti dislikes the arrival of late fall and winter. A baseball--St. Louis Cardinals--fanatic and a dedicated tennis player, she finds spring and summer the most glorious times of year. She wonders how to bring her love of sports into her writing. For as long as she can remember, Monti has been attracted to the world of paranormal stories and mysteries. When she first visited the city of Vienna, Austria, she was certain she had walked those streets before in some other distant time. Perhaps that is why she incorporated the theme of reincarnation in her first novel, Hearts Across Forever, set on her favorite island--Jamaica. Whether in her studio, in a wooded setting in Virginia, or in her writing office, Monti is always asking the question, "What if?"

"Passenger to Paradise" series of books with exotic settings:
Hearts Across Forever
Eagle Rising
Secrets by the Sea
Passage Unknown (coming in 2009)

Coffee table book:
Hotels to Remember

How to book:
Published! Nowe $ell It!

Marquis's Who's Who 2008

Many one-person art exhibitions
Art work in numerous public and private collections