Mary Montague Sikes

From her first visit to the Caribbean, award-winning artist and author Mary Montague Sikes has been enchanted with the islands. Her love of the tropics inspired her to set her first novel, Hearts Across Forever, in Jamaica. Because of Sikes’ fascination with exotic destinations, her publisher created the Passenger to Paradise series for some of her books. She is author of eight novels and five non-fiction books, including Hotels to Remember, a coffee-table art book. A Fredericksburg, Virginia native, Sikes is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington with a BA degree in psychology. Following her love of art, she studied painting and sculpture at the College of William and Mary and earned a MFA in painting from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been featured in numerous one-woman shows in the United States and Canada. A freelance writer and photographer as well as artist and book author, Sikes presents programs for local groups and for state and national conferences. She is a member of Virginia Press Women, Virginia Romance Writers, and Virginia Writers Club where she is a former member of the Board of Governors. She is also a member of Metropolitan Richmond Artists Association and is a signature member of the Maryland Pastel Society. For more information on Sikes, her books and art, please visit http://marymontaguesikes.blogspot.com and www.marymontaguesikes.com . Her latest Passenger to Paradise novel, Jungle Jeopardy, is a sequel to Secrets by the Sea and features adventures among the lost ruins of the Maya in Central America. An exhibition of her large Maya Ruins paintings was on view in conjunction with the release of Jungle Jeopardy.