by Jess Montgomery | Oct 22, 2020 | Gratitude, Inspiration, Sanity Check
Please note that this is a throwback to my Sanity Check humor column that I wrote for the Dayton Daily News. Since I wrote it several years ago, please note that this writing retreat did NOT take place during the past six months of COVID-19! But,...
by Jess Montgomery | Sep 17, 2020 | Gratitude, Inspiration, Sanity Check
Dear Reader, I admit it; I felt a bit salty when our older daughter pointed out in a Skype call that I’ve been complaining about having trouble with find walking shoes–as in, practical tennis shoes–for years. Upon reflection, though, I had to...
by Jess Montgomery | May 29, 2020 | Gratitude, Inspiration, Sanity Check
Note: This is a throwback to my Sanity Check humor column that I wrote for the Dayton Daily News. I think of this column, and my Great Aunt Cassie, every Memorial Day. I recently read it on my Facebook Live “Tea with Jess” series, a Facebook Live video...
by Jess Montgomery | Apr 24, 2020 | Inspiration, Sanity Check
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I once had a stint as a humor/lifestyle columnist for the Dayton Daily News. The editor-in-chief who signed off on that gig was Jeff Bruce, now writing a mystery serious about, well, a columnist (whose column is quite...
by Jess Montgomery | Apr 16, 2020 | History, Inspiration, Story Behind the Story, The Hollows, The Widows
My protagonist, Lily Ross, is inspired by Ohio’s true first female sheriff in 1925, Maude Collins. In real life, Maude’s husband, Fletcher, was killed in the line of duty as sheriff of Vinton County, Ohio. Maude worked as his jail matron. After his non-mysterious but...
by Jess Montgomery | Mar 27, 2020 | Baking, Inspiration
A fascinating book club question At a book club a month or so ago, a reader asked me if I’m more like my protagonist Sheriff Lily or her ally Marvena in responding to adversity. I thought that was a fascinating question. I said something along the lines that I’m a...
