By His Own Blood is John Montandon's first book. Writing it was a true labor of love for him; love of his father, "Doc" Montandon, love of his family, and love of his rural West Texas upbringing. Born in 1946, John brings to life the incredible story about his father, the tragic way he died, and his own experiences growing up in the 50s and 60s in a sparsely populated, sprawling farming and ranching county with fewer than 4,000 residents. Anyone who reads his work should relate directly to his story and the lessons learned in this broad emotional ride from the whimsical to the tragic, with several unexpected turns of events that will keep the reader asking for more.
Publishing his first book is a natural extension of his professional journey as John is a successful business owner who has spent his adult career in publishing, agricultural communications, data management, and marketing. He is a co-founder of several business media companies that include magazines, radio and online publishing. John was also an owner of one of the world's largest agricultural data services as well as a data processing business. Graduating from high school in 1965 in Knox City, Texas, he went on to receive an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas Tech University and an MBA from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
After living in cities and towns all over the United States, John and his wife, Karen, a banker and real estate professional, settled near the beach in southern California, where they lived until 2017 before moving back to Austin, Texas.
John's journey with his book began shortly after his father's death over 22 years ago when he started making notes for what he thought would, one day, become the story he felt compelled to tell the world. He became seriously involved in organizing and developing a manuscript in 2008. After a long period of "just writing everything I could remember about my childhood, my years on the family farm, and the tragedy that hit our family and eventually took my father's life", John began to organize his notes and stories into a manuscript. In 2009, with help from his cousin, Pat Montandon, herself a well known author, By His Own Blood began to take shape.
Telling the story of Doc Montandon's death and John's experiencing redemption and forgiveness only achieved through his father's sacrifice by his own blood was the realization of the legacy of the principles his father left him. By His Own Blood has taken John's life in a new direction.
