Who is Monti?

"Monti Just for Fun" ©Monti Sikes

Who is Monti?

As I struggle with branding, I find myself asking that question more and more often.

 Mary Montague Sikes, sometimes Mary Montague Hudson, is the name I sign on my paintings and have listed on the covers of my books. However, most of my friends call me “Monti”.

 Often, that name is used for groups and events. But it interferes with branding my legal name.

 The first day of college, my three roommates decided that Mary Montague was too much of a name for them to say. (Yes, Mary Washington College was overcrowded at the time and had four girls crammed into a room together. They were in the process of building a new dorm complex where we would live for our sophomore year, so we had to make do as freshmen.)

When I went off to elementary school, my mother told me, “Never let anyone call you, “Mary”. I didn’t, and to this day, I tense up when someone addresses me that way. I couldn’t be “Mary”.

One of my college roommates came up with the nickname, “Monti”, and it stuck. More and more people started to use it.

Now I am asking myself what to do. Should I brand two names?

Should I have two websites—one for Mary Montague, the other for Monti?

Is Monti the Passenger to Paradise in my books, set mostly in the Caribbean?

Is she the one who painted the “Monti Just for Fun” series of paintings? If you look at my work, she is indeed the more fun-loving artist.

What do you think? Should I sometimes be Monti? Does that hurt the branding for my real name? Will people know we are the same person?

Who is Monti?

https://artstore.marymontaguesikes.com

https://montisikes.com   

Checking Your Name in Google

How often do you check your name in Google to see what comes up? I try to do it from time to time just to find out what is registering there and what is listed at the top. Today, when I searched "Mary Montague Sikes," I got 367,000 results with Notes Along the Way on the top, followed by my website, then my Amazon page. Nothing unusual there, so, just for fun, I decided to search "Monti Sikes," my nickname that I have been trying to avoid for the last year or so in order not to brand two names. Much to my surprise, that name got almost one million results.

I was amazed.

What was especially amazing to me is that under Monti Sikes, I pulled up a whole long list of various references to Arch Adamson, the New Age novelist character I created in my book Eagle Rising. It appears that Arch Adamson has taken on a life beyond what I ever imagined.

"Buy Eagle Rising in India. Price:Rs.595 Discount:18% + Free Shipping on ... series presented by enigmatic New Age novelist and lecturer, Arch Adamson. ... www.flipkart.com" This is a place I know nothing about.

It was rather disconcerting and surprising to find my character's name on a page with background checks and vital records. Then, beneath all of that, this long list describing Arch Adamson as the "popular novelist" and "New Age lecturer." Of course, all of this is completely fictitious, but it looks a little real when you see it all listed in black and white. I know characters often take over from me as I'm writing the story, but taking on a life of their own is a new one for me.

What about you? Have you found your characters making an impression beyond expectations?

Do you Google your name periodically?

In Franklin's House, A Review of a novel by Beverly Lauderdale

Yesterday, author Beverly Lauderdale contacted me to tell about an internet blog post that included my review of her book, In Franklin's House. I loved her novel which features many of the paranormal elements that always intrigue me. The surprise for both of us regarding the blog post was that it was on an accident attorney's site located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Lauderdale must be the connecting element. No matter, it's always good to have publicity for our books!

Here is my review of Beverly Lauderdale's book:

In Franklin's House by Beverly Lauderdale is a poignant story filled with rich descriptions that depict the anguish of a wife whose husband cheated on her with the wife of his business partner. Because of his indiscretions, the family is uprooted, moving from Iowa to California. However, the couple's only child, Molly, refuses to move with them, choosing instead to complete her senior year in high school in her hometown.

From the moment of her arrival in the old house they purchased in California, Kate begins to make discoveries. She finds a necklace and a diary that once belonged to Amy Elliott, an owner of the home in the early 1900s. When Kate puts on the ceramic necklace, to her disbelief, a man appears and tells her that by wearing the jewelry she will summon him. Not frightened by the ghost, Kate develops a friendship with him, even agreeing to help him get his poetry published. At the town library, she learns what she can about Franklin who built the house for his wife, Amy, and who died soon after in a tragic horse riding accident. Kate develops an unlikely friendship with Lorraine, a part-time librarian and hippy who enjoys cheap red wine and sailing.

Whether or not the reader believes in ghosts, In Franklin's House is a hard book to put down, and it's difficult to let go of the compelling characters. I look forward to reading more of Lauderdale's work.

Favorite Halloween Show is a Scary Topic

When I signed up for the Small Packages Blogfest, I didn't know what a scary event I was in for. After all, the topic of my favorite Halloween TV program is full of fear for me because I never watch regular TV programs until after the baseball season and World Series are over!

Now how scary is that?

I've taken a look at several other blogs about Halloween TV and have discovered I'm over my head with this subject. The event is sponsored by Cerebral Lunchbox which has a good post on the subject.

I'm still watching baseball--the Rays and the Rangers tonight--although my beloved St. Louis Cardinals are out of it!

So, if you want to know about scary TV, take a look at some of the hangouts listed at Cerebral Lunchbox.

Play ball and "boo" do go together, so scary may find me as I watch more baseball...

Jefferson Hotel Staircase Makes Dramatic Statement

 Anyone who has ever seen the staircase at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia knows it makes a dramatic statement. For a long time, many people believed it was the staircase where a segment from Gone with the Wind was filmed. It wasn't, but that staircase was modeled after the one at the Jefferson.

Ever since I was a child visiting the Jefferson with my parents, I've been fascinated by that long, wide staircase. It's such an amazing attraction that it eventually became part of the storyline in my new book, Dangerous Hearts. Here are some of my thoughts as the story developed:

What if a pretty young woman in the early 1900s meets a charming young prince while visiting the Jefferson? 

What if he is forbidden to marry her but gives her a gorgeous diamond and emerald necklace as a symbol of their forever love?

What if my heroine inherits the priceless necklace that once belonged to a European royal family?

Suppose two murders are committed that may be connected to a quest for the necklace.

Suppose my heroine is the intended victim in the latest murder.

Suppose she is on the run and fears for her life.

Suppose the man she is depending on is after the necklace as well.

 

Who can she trust?

These thoughts eventually grew into the plot of my mystery/suspense novella.

And my story is linked to the awesome staircase at the Jefferson.

End of Baseball Season Marks a Sad Day

As some of you already know, I am a fanatical baseball fan. Today is the last day of the regular baseball season, and I feel very sad to have the season end.

The St. Louis Cardinals are my team and they didn't even make the playoffs--which would prolong the season for me. On paper, they were a great team. They have two of the game's greatest hitters--Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. They had three of the game's best pitchers--Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia. Wainwright is up for consideration for the Cy Young Award. Garcia might get consideration for Rookie of the Year.

Still, that was not enough. The team had injuries--lots of them, to their pitchers, and to their third baseman, David Freese who was eventually out for the season.

The Cardinals were expected to win their division championship. Instead, team members are headed back home. As in other things in life, if you are going to be a champion, you have to play the games and you have to win them.

Fate got in the way. I'm counting the days until the start of spring training!