Michael Montgomery is a freelance illustrator. He has created images for newspapers, magazines, books and advertising agencies. His illustrations have been used in several children's books including Night America, The Itty Bitty Kiddies, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Johnny Appleseed and Night Rabbits. His latest book, Over the Candlestick: Classic Nursery Rhymes and the Real Stories Behind Them is the first book he has both written and illustrated. In 2000 his program was used in high schools throughout the Southeast during BellSouth's 'National Communicate with Your Child Month'. Michael attended Georgia Southern University, the University of Georgia and the School of Visual Arts in New York. He currently lives in Georgia with his wife, two children, four dogs, a cat and the occasional lizard or strange looking bug. "When I first began illustrating, I worked only in black and white and for years all of my work was pen & ink cartooning. My first jobs were sports page cartoons for The Athens Observer. I was known as a cartoonist and so most of the job offers I received were of that type. In the early '80s My wife Kathy and I moved to New York where I worked as an editorial cartoonist for the New York City Tribune. Occasionally I was offered more serious illustration jobs for magazines or ads but primarily it was still lighthearted illustration". "After the birth of our first child we moved to Jonesboro, Georgia and I began to work more in color. Kathy and I were happy to be back in Georgia near our families. I received my first children's book job at this time. The name of the book was 'Night America and it was published in 1989. It is still one of my favorites". "I have always used my family as 'sounding boards' for ideas and criticisms of jobs I am involved in. Sometimes - no - all the time, they are brutally honest. Believe me, you have to have a thick skin to be a freelance illustrator". Michael and his family now live in Dacula, Georgia and most of his work consists of signed prints and children's books. | 
