Interview with Sue Montgomery 2026

When did you feel called to become an author?

My love for words—reading, writing, and oral storytelling—began in my childhood with my mom, who was a teacher. She’d start a story, I’d pick up where she stopped, and back and forth we’d go. That continued throughout my life, even into her final season when she lived with my husband and me. One of my writing teachers in high school was another great encouragement. They both gave me a springboard into a world in which writing in various forms would become a hobby and eventually a profession.

My first foray into being an author began when John Grisham’s The Firm released in 1991. Though I was working as a nurse, I longed to be a novelist one day. I was inspired by Grisham’s ability to use his legal expertise as a foundation for his fiction. So, I did the same, applying my nursing/medical background to my first novel, which was never published. Like many authors, I found that one to be good practice that reinforced the fact that I could write a long and somewhat-coherent story. It also planted a seed that would eventually grow into a second novel, as well as a healthcare writing business.

That second novel was medical suspense. When I first wrote it, I wasn’t walking closely with the Lord. But after Jesus came running after this wandering lamb, I revised it for the Christian market. Although it was a top-ten finalist in the Christian Writers Guild’s Operation First Novel, my agent wasn’t able to find a publishing home for it. I got discouraged and set my writing dreams aside for a season.

Eventually, I asked the Lord what He wanted me to write, which is when the initial idea for Final Moment emerged.

What did you learn while writing this book?

The importance of involving the Lord in the writing process; the value of persistence and leaning into the encouragement of others (my husband encouraged me to dust off Final Moment and see it through to publication); and that we should never give up on a dream the Lord has planted in our hearts.

What is the toughest part of writing in your genre?

One of my biggest challenges was not in the writing itself, but in trying to figure out which genre was the best fit. During an online book marketing course I took, one of the instructors was a big help. He’s a famous author and said he had the same conundrum. When he listened to my storyline and read a bit of my manuscript, he tagged it as “slipstream,” a relatively new genre that doesn’t really fit the traditional mold. The closest is speculative fiction, which is what I usually go with. Though likely a bit too general, contemporary fiction also works, if needed.

>If someone were to look at your Google search history (all for research of course!), what types of things would we find?

Since I’ve been a healthcare writer for so many years, my search history would include all kinds of common and not-so-common healthcare topics covering both the U.S. and other parts of the world.

Plus lots of searches about various pet-health topics that neurotic dog-moms like myself fret about.

And travel. My husband and I are looking forward to doing a lot more of that in the season ahead.

If you could have coffee with an author, dead or alive, whose work you admire, who would that be? What would you ask him or her?

Ann Patchett, whose writing I absolutely love. I’ve read all her novels, both for enjoyment and to improve my own writing.

I’d ask her about her writing process—where she gets her ideas, how she conducts research, and what her daily writing discipline looks like.

What’s your go-to drink while writing?

Coffee—often too much, but never enough.

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Start focusing on your writing earlier in life.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?

Spending time with my loved ones—my husband, our sweet boy Blue, other family members, and the fabulous friends the Lord has blessed me with.

Being involved in both our church and Community Bible Study.

Anything that involves being outside savoring God’s creation all around—including sitting on the porch with my coffee in the morning no matter how cold it is.

Playing the piano.

And reading, of course.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shockley
Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox
Whistler by Ann Patchett (coming in June)

What can we look forward to next?

The Memory Keepers, due out from WordCrafts Press in Spring 2027.