Monti Sikes- Author and Artist
Marilyn: I met Monti at a PSWA conference and we share the same publisher so I do know a bit about her, besides being a writer, she is an accomplished artist. Why don't we begin by you telling us something about your background? Monti: I’m a native Virginian who loves to travel. My husband and I have three grown daughters who seem to have picked up that wanderlust from us. Right now, two of them are traveling in Australia—said they planned this trip to attend the Australian Open tennis. Marilyn: Which came first the art or the writing? Monti: I don’t know. Both have always been there. Mother saved drawings I did when I was three years old. Each year when school started, I was treated to a new box of crayons and I could hardly wait to get them. You can imagine how much I cherished one of those bigger 24-crayon boxes! As an art teacher, even today, I am thrilled when I open up the new art supplies I order for the children. My studio at home is filled with hundreds of tubes, bottles,...