In the ‘about me’ section of his website, Ross Montgomery states that he ‘has worked as a pig farmer, a postman and a primary school teacher writing books was the next logical step.’
By his own admission Montgomery likes to make children laugh with his stories. And when we chat with him, he makes us laugh too. It’s clear to see his natural, easy humour and personality reflected in his books and in his characters, though he confesses that it his writing process involves plenty of trial and error.
Montgomery has written picture books as well as novels for early readers. We catch up with the wonderful author to discuss his latest book, The Midnight Guardians (aimed at kids between nine and 12), the importance of his first coffee of the day and how it’s practically impossible to kill a cactus.
First thing’s first, tell us about your new book, The Midnight Guardians.
The Midnight Guardians is about a boy called Col, who discovers that his old imaginary friends – a six-foot tiger named Pendlebury, a badger in a waistcoat called Mr Noakes, and an argumentative knight called the King of Rogues – have come to life to take him on a perilous quest. The book is set in December 1940, when enemy planes were dropping bombs on British cities almost everything single night: Col and his Guardians must travel 150 miles to London in seven days before a terrible raid hits the city and kills Col’s sister. But along the way, they’re pursued by The Midwinter King – the lord of all darkness, who has his own reasons for stopping Col’s quest…
Col has quite a bit to overcome in the story, war bombs, a sister in peril and an evil icy dark overlord, though obviously with unwavering support from his magical buddies. What messages do you want kids to come away with at the end?
A few years ago, a friend’s father gave me some fantastic advice: “things are never as bad as you think they are”. Even when everything seems truly terrible, when it all seems beyond hope, it never is – things are always getting better, one way or another. I think there’s a lot in that in that to help us at the moment!
Did you enjoy writing a historical novel? And how easy was that to over lap with the fantasy element?
This is my first attempt at writing a historical novel – normally, I’m just making things up as I go along. It was super interesting at times, but incredibly hard too! I’m not sure I’ll do another one for a while at least – it was a real balancing act, working out what I could make up and what I couldn’t, and how I could put hundred feet tall giants into a story set just outside London!
It has been compared to a modern-day Lord of the Rings, what are your thoughts on that?
Hahaha, I am unbelievably flattered! I definitely wanted to give the book a feel of a classic book – some of the ones that I remember reading as a child myself, that felt like a window into an older time. At the same time, I wanted to try and make it a book that had something new to say as well.
You have produced so many wonderful children’s books. Is there any one thing, or maybe things, that you need to keep in mind when writing narrative that appeals to kids?
Thank you. It’s a tricky thing to do, and one that I have to have a lot of attempts in order to get right – often, my first tries are a little too “grown-up”, in that I’m thinking about what the adult-me would find interesting rather than ten-year-old-me. One thing that I do believe in, though, is that children aren’t stupid: they know when they’re being lied to and when they’re being talked down to. I honestly believe that no subject should be off-limits to them, even the really frightening ones: what matters is how you talk about it.
And you manage to write successfully across several age groups…
I do write picture books for younger kids as well. I have two so far with David Litchfield, and I have two more with Sarah Warburton coming out over the next couple of years. The first is called Ten Delicious Teachers – a rhyming book about teachers who go for a walk in a forest and get gobbled up by naughty monsters.
Do your ideas come to you when you’re doing anything specific, and what about your inspiration, where does that come from?
Ideas usually jump out at you while you’re doing other stuff – the trick is to write them down so you don’t forget them. As a result, I always get my best ideas while out on walks or on buses, daydreaming – usually just after the first coffee of the morning.
Do you have a favourite book from those you’ve written? And a favourite character?
It’s impossible to choose a favourite – it’s like asking a parent who their favourite kid is. But I always end up being most excited about the one that I finished last. As a result, I’m super proud of The Midnight Guardians and I’ve never quite gotten over the fact I got to put a badger in a waistcoat, so maybe Mr Noakes is my favourite character… but then the King of Rogues was so fun to write. And the Midwinter King is so deliciously evil… No, it’s impossible, I can’t choose.
Which children’s book authors do you admire?
There are so many of them – I truly think that we’re in a second golden age of children’s literature at the moment, children have never had access to so many amazing writers. I think what Katherine Rundell does is amazing – she’s like the Heston Blumenthal of kids lit, taking old favourites and turning them into something new and strange and exciting and reminding you exactly why you loved them in the first place. But I could honestly talk all day about different authors.
What are your favourite childhood books?
There are books I loved at the time, and books that I realise looking back meant a huge amount to me. I honestly don’t believe I’d have become a writer if it wasn’t for the Horrible Histories series, Jacqueline Wilson and Terry Pratchett – all doing totally different things, and all showing me what books could do.
You have a passion for cacti we understand, where did that come from? How many do you have?
My passion for cacti stems from the fact that it is almost impossible to kill them, no matter how dreadful you are at looking after plants. You actually have to be quite determined to kill a cactus.
What things do you always have on your person?
Usually I’d say: empty crisp packets and that stuff you put on your nails to stop you biting them. However, due to COVID I’ve managed to stop biting my nails… Finally… Sort of! So now the answer would be: hand sanitiser and a 50p coin that I’ve had since February.
Be inspired
Montgomery says that he would never have become a writer if it weren’t for the Horrible History books, children’s author Jacqueline Wilson and Terry Pratchett who wrote fantasy novels. He also loved reading the BEANO annual when he was a teenager.
