Meet Gregory Montagnino

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gregory Montagnino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gregory , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience is a deep inner strength, and reserve, I know it comes from within. I was born with it. It’s a need to be content in life, and balance out my creative and artistic side, with the often burdensome elements of reality.

I don’t notice my resilience as much as others do, but then it’s pointed out to me at certain moments. When I wrote and read the eulogy for my younger sister four years ago, it was done on a YouTube stream as many people could not attend due to the pandemic. I made it through the speech without crying, and delivered it with pride, as loved ones watched from around the world. But it wasn’t about me, it was about paying tribute to the life of an extraordinary person, who also happened to be my sister. In my early period of grief, I needed something to focus my energy on and channel my feelings into, so I took what little resources I had and started my own small business for writing and editing services.

This past year, I put off getting hand surgery for about 9 months, because I was determined to finish writing and editing my novel. I’m recovering well, and can type with both hands again, but my handwriting is still very much not what it used to be. Over the coming weeks, practice will help, and use of the hand in general. This may seem like a minor event, but for a writer, it’s a great deal more. The healing process is vital, and I knew I wouldn’t rest properly if I was still in the editing stage. I’m not one to rest, I like to keep busy and be proactive. Admittedly, before my injury, I didn’t think much on how vital our hands are daily, and about their long-term use. Aside from being an author, I’m also a home organizer, and I’m gaining my former strength back to return to doing what I love. I know I’ll be fully healed soon, and I look forward to it!

I go through life with a resilience to take on what the universe brings, and I try to keep on going as best as I can. If we don’t bounce back from the challenging elements of life, how can we then go forward and grow and learn from them? Everything happens for a reason, and of course we can’t help but to wonder why, when tragedy strikes; it’s a balance for all the good moments we have. Things fall into place when the timing is right.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My novel, Teddy Madison, has been a part of my life for about 16 years now. 10 years ago, I tried self publishing but I didn’t have the mindset or courage to market it. I’m not sure if subconsciously I didn’t think the story was ready for readers. I’ve since gained that confidence.

In January 2025, I re-published an extended edition of Teddy Madison, and it has been such a memorable experience! I am a writer and editor who works with people on bespoke pieces, from obituaries, to wedding ceremonies, to academic papers. But writing and editing my own manuscript was much more challenging. I’ve also edited a few other manuscripts, I prefer to edit other people’s work. I began eulogy and obituary writing as a part of my business in 2021, I wanted to help others express their grief and find catharsis in writing as I did. Right after, I became an ordained minister to be able to officiate weddings. Currently I’m writing a memoir with a client which is quite astounding, as my novel features the main character having his memoir written, and I portray the bittersweet process of curating a life story. I don’t believe in coincidences, and I truly think that I was given this opportunity at a fitting time in my writing career.

The writing and editing stages of a novel can be encapsulating, and also unexpectedly isolating. But I am forever pleased with having finished it. I’ve reconnected with many people post publication so far, and it’s been truly delightful. Even though sometimes years go by, I still think of people who were a part of my life when I wrote certain scenes ages ago.

I designed a relatable but hyperbolized society within a historical fiction novel. I hope that history can be revisited from a lighter and open perspective. The idea that labels and expectations on gender and sexuality, and that elements of marriage, relationships, parenting, and appearances, can be normalized, but in a historical setting, will hopefully help set Teddy Madison apart from other fictional period pieces. The characters don’t have issues as gay or straight individuals or couples, they just have issues. Teddy Madison is a story about people with a controversial nature. They are exposed to situations that we wish we’d never find ourselves in, while living a very inflated reality. Their lives are interwoven by fate, family, and circumstance. The narrative speaks of the costly intrigue of desires and vices, and contending with the price of unrequited love, alongside the different loves and relationships of a lifetime; long and short, close and apart, what is seen and unseen, given and taken; the beloved in the conditional and unconditional.

Promoting a novel is similar to how other people or businesses promote their products. Readers invest their time in a novel as well, and it’s been such a learning experience on how to pick content from the narrative that will draw the most attention, keeping in mind I have a diverse reader base. I am the creator of a unique fictional universe that I have to try and persuade people to like. Once a novel becomes known, then it is seen as ‘something.’ I’m sincerely thankful for the enthusiastic support, and for everyone who has called this an achievement.

My next engagement to tackle is turning a fragmented narrative, inside a linear storyline, with multiple characters, into a compelling audiobook. I’m also working on writing a prequel and sequel to Teddy Madison. This is a very exciting year!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

In retrospect, the big three most impactful areas of skill and knowledge have involved determination, passion, and creativity.

Determination: being intent, decisive, mindful, patient, and brave.
Passion: a strong drive, affection, dedication, and appreciation for your craft.
Creativity: enhancing elements of the imagination within the confines of the real world.

It’s a wonderful feeling to think that I could inspire other writers, who have a story to tell. Many people have the determination to write, even a project as vast as a novel, they just need to find the drive and passion to do so. Teddy Madison started as a short story for a creative writing course I took during a summer in college. In a world that measures achievement based on monetary worth, it’s very difficult to maintain a desire to put so much effort into a creative project that one can only hope takes off. The unforgettable stories of most authors begin in simplistic surroundings, living a humble life, counting on the power of one’s imagination, while dreaming of success and recognition. Patience is the virtue they forgot to give me, but for my writing it seems to have been granted outside of my control.

My advice is to discover your niche and boldly make it a part of your career. Don’t be intimidated by the increasing threat of AI to the art of writing. And channel your creative energy without compromise, don’t worry about what others think of how you dedicate yourself to your writing – it’s worth the time.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I’m an old soul in a modern age. I’m happy and honored to discuss my novel, I just sometimes wish that notoriety as an author didn’t go hand in hand with having an online presence. The upside to this is the increased exposure, if one can stand out in the crowd. The expression ‘wearing many hats’ becomes a humorous understatement, for the post publication lives of most authors, who just want to be happily immersed in their writing.

Our society is increasingly based on appearances behind a new media veil. I pose a question: Does it truly matter what an author looks or dresses like? Or am I the secret weapon to promoting the futuristic immersive quality that I portray in Teddy Madison? I think of how my novel takes place 100 years ago, and how different it was for writers – they meant a great deal more then, and their work and effort was more respected. Very few authors get that treatment presently, one has to be very lucky.

People are inundated on social media each day with draining, negative stories and images, it’s very hard to break through the barricade and offer good news, particularly something relating to an achievement. In a more positive light, some people share news of a new baby, a new home, or a new job; a new chapter in their life that is worth celebrating. For me, that is my novel, Teddy Madison. Writing and editing this story has been my life’s work, and now there’s the more difficult stage of trying to make my novel known, in an increasingly digital world that is flooded with new books every day.

Keeping elements of the traditional book release in mind, I desire to bring people together over this milestone. The thought of being exposed as an author is quite terrifying, but then I remember how grateful I am to have people read my novel. This is truly an amazing journey!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.GLMontag.com
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@g.l.montag