Psychological fiction · New release
The Watershed Butterfly
Before he became the drifter in The Feral Butterfly, Thomas Murphy was a family man in Brooklyn. Then his daughter vanished.
Author · Speaker · Advocate
Real life.
Said out loud.
I’m an award-winning author and speaker who tells stories about the space between us — where real life happens, where people struggle, survive, and connect.
Literary TitanBook Award winner
What Sheila does
- 01AuthorStories that dig into identity, mystery, and the human mess. No regard for genre.Browse the books
- 02SpeakerHonest talks for everyday people: senior centers, book clubs, libraries, and conferences.See the talks
- 03AdvocateFounder of the Alabama Pet Pantry. Gives free books to older readers.See the causes
New release · The Butterfly Reckoning
The Watershed Butterfly
Before he became the mysterious drifter in The Feral Butterfly, Thomas Murphy was a devoted family man in Brooklyn.
Then Mary vanished.
The heartbreaking prequel to the Butterfly Reckoning series. It stands completely on its own.
Launch party: Edgar’s Bakery, Pelham, AL. Details below
Healthcare · Free presentation
Ditch the Gown & Head for Town
What every adult over 55 should know before a hospital stay, and how to get yourself home faster.
The time to learn how to pull a car out of a ditch is not when the car is already in the ditch. It’s years before.
From a nurse of more than thirty years. Free for senior centers, retirement communities, churches, libraries, and caregiver groups.
Books
On the shelf
Urban fantasy · Out now · Audiobook too
Doryto and the Door of Wanderers
Doryto O’Shannassy can find anything — until one impossible search pulls him beyond Birmingham and into a web of magic, mystery, and worlds that should never collide.
Psychological fiction · Out now
The Feral Butterfly
A haunting, tender novel for anyone who has ever been told to quiet their wildness.
What readers say
Engaging from the first sentence. I felt things with the main character that I have felt in my own life. I believe that everyone that reads it will find themselves here somewhere.
Only an author like Sheila Ray Montgomery can craft something so fantastical, yet believable and all-engrossing, that readers fall entirely headfirst into it.
Montgomery’s genuine and heartfelt storytelling has left an indelible mark on readers’ hearts.
Engagements & events
Come meet Sheila
Launch parties, talks, and fundraisers.
1:30–3:30 PM
The Watershed Butterfly launch party
Edgar’s Bakery, Pelham, AL
Grab a snack and a special printed hardcover ($25) before they’re gone.
Directions (opens in a new tab)
Advocacy
Standing up for the ones who can’t stand up for themselves.
- FounderAlabama Pet PantryHelping families keep their pets fed and together through hard times.Learn more
- CreatorBooks on the BeachFree books for older readers, one senior center at a time.Learn more
- Opening comicFunnies for FurbabiesThe Alabama Pet Pantry’s biggest fundraiser: a night of family-friendly comedy and music.Learn more
About Sheila
“I give a voice to the parts of real life most people carry quietly.”
My mother was a storyteller, and when she died, her stories went with her. I decided that wasn’t going to be me, so I started writing.