I grew up in the great state of West Virginia. My respect and appreciation of the people and culture of Appalachia as well as the love of my students and family have all inspired me to write my books. As an author and teacher, I believe very strongly in the power of literacy and am dedicated to inspiring students to be passionate readers and writers.
My Newest Selections
Breathe Easy
Ann and her husband, Bobby, are from generations of coal miners in Southern West Virginia. When Bobby joins their ranks and begins working underground, the reality of the dangerous mining conditions haunts her. She recalls, with great anxiety, watching her father, who suffered with Black Lung, fight to take his last breath. Ann experiences much turmoil and many losses in her life. She has loved and been loved; has been both cherished and abused; and, she has faced extreme loneliness and despair yet is able to find great happiness working with children. She has easily loved others, but not herself. This heartfelt story follows Ann’s tremendous journey to not only love again, but more importantly, to love herself.
What People Say
“Breathe Easy is a tale of struggle and hardship, set in the mountains of West Virginia—the story of a young woman who experiences love and loss but remains true to her roots and her family traditions. Ann Montgomery has extraordinary gifts as a teacher. Life presents a series of challenges that she overcomes with grace and strength. This is a journey tale and bildungsroman that will hold every reader’s attention but will speak particularly to young adult readers about the importance of holding steady and never giving up.” —Dr. S. Bailey Shurbutt, Shepherd University Distinguished Professor of English, Emerita
A Kindergarten Story
My inspiration for writing A Kindergarten Story came at an unexpected time! I was in the beauty shop having my hair done, and a colleague was waiting to get a haircut for one of her sons. We were talking about how much we loved working with Kindergarten students. We talked about how amazing their growth was in just a short period of time. We marveled at how much they changed from month to month. Then, my colleague shared with me that an experienced Kindergarten teacher in our county once explained her Kindergartener students’ growth to her.
She explained that when pumpkins were being drawn, Kindergarteners started to show great gains. Then, she said that after they returned from the holidays, it was as if a magical change occurred…almost like fairy dust had been sprinkled on them!
After I heard this, I said, “This would be a wonderful story!” And soon, I began writing it. And Lisa, whose beauty shop story inspired me, became my illustrator!
We worked together, revising and editing, drawing and recreating until we were pleased with the story we had created.
It is a sweet story that offers comfort to Kindergarteners and their parents that everything will be OK as they begin this most important step in their lives. I also strive to convey the beauty of relationship building between students and their teachers. As an experienced educator, I consider positive, supportive teacher/student relationships one of the most important influences in student success.
Dr.Darcey
My inspiration for Dr. Darcey was an incident that occurred in my classroom. Like Dr. Darcey, I have a hearing loss. One day in class, a student made a statement to me, and I totally misunderstood what she said. When I repeated to her what I thought she had said, everyone in the class burst into laughter (including me). Then I thought about how much students in my third-grade class enjoyed the Amelia Bedelia series. In these books, Amelia Bedelia interprets everything that is said to her literally. As a result, her actions lead to a funny and silly story. I thought that I would use this idea and create amusing mishaps that occur in a classroom
because the teacher misinterprets what students say due to her hearing loss.
Dr. Darcey also centers on the importance of student-teacher relationships in the classroom. I attribute nearly every success I have made in teaching to the strong bonds I form with my students.
Dr. Darcey is an excellent book for children to read on their own or with a parent or grandparent. It is an outstanding read-aloud book for the classroom. It is an excellent book for principals and other school leaders to share with colleagues as a first of the year inspiration to encourage strong student-teacher relationships. Dr. Darcey is a sweet story of a teacher who loves her students and students who love their teacher and all the benefits that are derived from this reciprocal relationship.
A New Children’s Book is in the Works!
Update
I am working on a delightful new children’s book! It is a joyful story about doggies and their “masters!” All dog lovers will relate and enjoy this humorous little book filled with fun illustrations!
News & Events
Xi Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa
“The Connection Between Reading, Relationships, and the Brain”
I have written a new novel about a woman’s struggle to love herself. She experiences great losses in her life. She has loved and been loved. She has been respected and put on a pedestal but has also been abused. It gives insight into loving someone who is an alcoholic and the immense struggles with loving the man and hating the alcoholic. It delves deeply into feelings of loneliness and not only conquering this but learning to cherish time alone. It has beautiful love scenes that are tastefully written.