Author Interview: Anne Montgomery discusses inspiration behind "The Scent of Rain"


Anne Montgomery has published multiple novels. Her latest, The Scent of Rain, takes on a thrilling escape from the FLDS. She joins The Book Cove to talk about her inspiration for writing and how her latest novel came to be. 


The Book Cove: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? 
Anne Montgomery: I grew up in New Jersey, just west of New York City. But since that time, I have lived in Ohio, Luxembourg, Washington D.C., Virginia, Georgia, Connecticut, and Arizona. Some of the moves were triggered by my job as a TV sports reporter and anchor. As most women who ply their trade in front of a TV camera will tell you, we have a shelf life. Once one is nearing forty, we are suddenly no longer qualified to do our jobs. With TV stations unwilling to hire me, I moved into print reporting, which eventually morphed into me becoming a fiction author. 

TBC: How long have you been writing?
AM: I started writing when I became a sports reporter. It might surprise people to know that we write what we say on air. When putting together video packages, we are telling 60 second stories. As I mentioned, after my TV career ended, I became a print reporter. The writing process was the same. Expanding to book-length stories came naturally.
TBC: What was the inspiration for your most recent book?
AM: I have lived in Arizona for almost 30 years. As an avid consumer of current events – yes, I’m a news junkie – it was hard to ignore the reports coming out of the twin towns of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. I was astonished when I learned about the radical Mormon sect that lives on what is called the Arizona Strip and their tradition of marrying underage girls, some as young as twelve, to old men. The fact that this behavior could thrive inside the confines of the United States continues to shock me. I wanted to learn more about these people, who – in this time of technology with its cellphones and Internet and 24-hour news cycles – live mostly without any connection to the outside world.
TBC: What was the hardest part about writing this book? 
AM: The subject matter was difficult to handle, at times. There was often a feeling of despair. I even felt sorry for some of the more despicable characters, as it became clear that they had virtually no opportunities to choose a different path. 

TBC: Do you often develop characters from your personal experiences or draw from that of others?
AM: I read every article I could locate on the people of Colorado City, gleaning names of those interviewed in the hope of finding people with intimate knowledge of the group who would be willing to talk about the cult. I was very lucky to find Flora Jessop, who twice escaped the FLDS, and has spent her life working to rescue women and girls from the group. I also located Dr. Theodore Tarby, a retired physician who was the first to identify the devastating genetic illness that has spread among the FLDS people called Fumarase Deficiency. Both were kind enough to allow me to interview them extensively. I have based Rose on the stories Flora told me. The character of Dr. Chase Allred is loosely based on Dr. Tarby. I also traveled to Colorado City and observed the people and the town, which is something I don’t wish to do again. The oppression was palpable, disturbing, and – though I am not fearful of many things, I must admit – frightening. 

TBC: Are your comfortable writing in different genres? What is your go-to genre?
AM: My books are rather all over the place as far as genre is concerned. I've learned not to worry about where a book fits in, especially with how fluid genres have become. I just write the story and then try to figure it out. A bit backwards, perhaps. For example, it never occurred to me that The Scent of Rain would be marketed as Young Adult fiction, but with two teen protagonists, that's where it ended up. 

TBC: Do you have a favorite writing theme?
AM: I have no specific favorite theme, though I generally write about people who are struggling. Alientation, courage, discovery, and hope frequently play parts in my novels.
TBC: When did you decide that it was time to take your writing public?
AM: After I wrote my first novel, I began shipping it out to agents. Following myriad rejections, that story remains hidden in a drawer, probably never to see the light of day. Still, I never shied away from seeking publication. Why write if no one ever reads your work? Perhaps my years as a sports official primed me for all the rejection inherent in the publishing world.

TBC: Is writing your first job? If not, please tell us what you do when you’re not typing or writing away.
AM: I have worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. My first TV job came at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, and led to positions at WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, and ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where I anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter. I finished my on‐camera broadcasting career with a two‐year stint as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. I have been a freelance and/or staff reporter for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archaeological pieces. I teach journalism and communications at South Mountain High School in Phoenix, and am a foster mom to three sons. I have been a sports official for almost 40 years. When I can, I indulge in my passions: rock collecting, football officiating, scuba diving, and playing my guitar. 

TBC: Writers block seems inevitable. Either a plot is not developing how you want or something about your character(s) feels missing. What’s something that you do to help find new inspiration?
AM: So far, I have not been afflicted with writer's block. I am deeply invested in my stories, long before I actually write anything down. As a former reporter, I greatly enjoy digging for a story. I read articles about Colorado City and conducted interviews with people who had lived and worked in the community. And, I find it impossible to write stories without actually visiting the locations where my characters live. So, the short answer is, I go to the places I write about. I interview people who have lived through these situations and observe their surroundings. These are the things that inspire me.
TBC: What is your next writing project?
AM: I will be completing edits on a book in June, the working title of which is A Light in the Desert. It recounts the real-life, cold case sabotage of an Amtrak train in the Arizona desert in 1995, and tells the story of a Vietnam veteran suffering from a psychotic illness called the Jerusalem Syndrome and a teenage girl with a facial deformity who is pregnant after being abused by her step father. Also, my agent is shopping my current manuscript which deals with a serial rapist and a rape survivor who happens to be a National Park Ranger and a mother whose young son has died. The working title is “The Castle,” because most of the story takes place in or around Montezuma Castle National Monument which is a magnificent, ancient, multi-story pueblo structure nestled in a cliff face in central Arizona. 

TBC: Now for one of my favorite requests - tell us a random fun fact about yourself.
AM: As mentioned above, I have been an amateur sports official for almost 40 years. I have officiated football, baseball, ice hockey, soccer, and basketball. I have officially retired from all but high school football, where I serve as an Arizona Interscholastic Association referee and crew chief. That means I'm the one in the white hat who signals what's going on on the field. That also means I'm the one in charge. :)

Comments

  1. Glad to hear you have two more books coming out, Anne! Best of success with all your work!

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