Alumni Book Nook: Monty Russell (BE’77)

Saskatchewan novelist Monty Russell studied agricultural engineering at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), earning his Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in 1977. While his education led him to work in areas such as process engineering, municipal engineering, and information technology, as a fan of historical fiction and mystery novels he also developed a passion for writing. However, Russell’s first book didn’t come together quickly. He began sporadically writing the debut novel in 1976 and completed it years later, during the global COVID-19 pandemic. As Russell, who writes under the pen name Montgomery Colt, noted on his website, “I wrote this story in six months over 45 years, and it took being locked down during a pandemic to complete it.”                                                                                                       

Russell calls Craven his Saskatchewan home, but he set his first book, Rock, in Llano County, Texas—an area that he found to be similar to the Saskatchewan cattle ranch on which he grew up. Paper, the second novel in Montgomery Colt’s Rock Paper Scissors series, was released in July 2024 by Friesen Press. Russell said his latest book examines “the effect of fake news on the lives of fictional and historical characters in Texas and Kansas, circa 1886.” He was inspired to write the book after reading about historical characters and events of the time as documented in archival newspapers. The Friesen Press website describes Paper as “not your average novel about the Wild West. Although it is not without a few gun battles, it really is about powerful people willing to present their own ‘truth’ as reality to get what they want.”

The Green&White asked Russell about Paper and the inspiration behind his Rock Paper Scissors series.

The readers of my first novel have been anxious for the release of Paper, the second novel in this historical fiction series. So far, those readers have reacted to the story with enthusiasm.

I was inspired to write the series when I discovered the story of a carpenter, his bride, and a rare-earth mineral in Texas Hill Country. During my travels to the geographical location and through ongoing research, I discovered a number of related events which lent themselves to a trilogy of adventure. My retirement in 2020 enabled me to complete the first manuscript and continue with the publishing process.

The series centres around John Barringer and his bride, Fannie May Barringer (nee Henderson), who lived in Llano County, Texas, and in their travels cross paths with such historical characters as Theodore Roosevelt, George Westinghouse, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday.

I am constantly rewarded by discovery of adventures that occurred in the 1800s. In the 21st century, the initials JB suggest heroes such as James Bond, Jason Bourne, or Jack Bauer. Although John Barringer lived a relatively obscure life in Texas, I am giving him and his bride a fictional opportunity to seek the same level of adventure.

As you can appreciate, I am a rookie in the publishing business so I will not speculate on the release date of the third novel, Scissors. However, I will say the research and drafts are underway and I will be disappointed if it is not released in the next two years.