Headshot 1 (2024)
Headshot 2 (2025)
Bio 1
Master of illusions, Captain of industry, a leader of leaders. Russell J. Fellows is none of these. He is a storyteller, however. Russell believes that stories weave magic into everyday life, especially the magic of faith, hope, love, and family in its myriad forms. Deep in the heart of Oklahoma, Russell lives with his beautiful wife and two amazing children. When he’s not dreaming of new stories to tell, he loves spending time outdoors with his family, playing Everdell or many other family games. Visit his website and share your stories. He would love to hear from you.
Bio 2
Russell J. Fellows is a storyteller. Whether through the written word, voice acting, or audio production, Russell loves bringing stories to life. The best part is when readers live those stories with him. Russell lives with his amazing wife and two wonderful children in Oklahoma–though he still isn’t sure how he ended up there.
You can visit Russell on his website russelljfellows.com. He is always open to listening to your stories, too.
Books (Synopses contain spoilers)
Children of the Ancient Heroes: Dreams and Nightmares
(A Lighted Lands Journey Book 1)
Synopsis:
After reading a spell from an ancient book, thirteen-year-old Tirza and her nine-year-old brother Eli are cast into a parallel world full of magic and monsters. Tirza, separated from Eli, is immediately taken to a palace where she discovers that her parents once lived in this world and are hailed as heroes. Eli finds himself alone in the cave of a dragon. He’s rescued by an unseen voice that turns out to be the villain of every story their father told them. He escapes and is rescued by a giant talking tiger that reunites him with Tirza.
Together again, Tirza and Eli and treated as royalty and invited to partake of the celebrations of Renewal. Magic awakens in them, and they find out that they are part of a long family line of powerful magic-users called Naari. During the celebrations, Queen Penelope, a dear friend of their mother, is poisoned and falls into a coma. The children try to find out what happened and how they can help. Two powerful Naari, Ziglin and Merry, task the children with finding the three ingredients needed for an antidote to cure the queen. The problem is, they must travel separate paths in order to fetch all of the ingredients in time. If they don’t, all of creation will unravel.
Children of the Ancient Heroes: Hope and Despair
(A Lighted Lands Journey Book 2)
Synopsis:
On their journeys, Tirza and Eli are accompanied by two guardians–an oversized Chocolate Labrador that Tirza calls Choco, and the giant tiger that rescued Eli that he calls Tati. The children are faced with the henchmen of the evil Ravena, who will stop at nothing to kill the queen for a crime she believes Penelope committed long ago. Two of the henchmen join the children to help them, realizing what will happen to everyone if they fail. A greater evil threatens the children in the form of the bodyless voice of the old villain, Xaphad, who is really the children’s grandfather. The children gather the ingredients, only to be thwarted in the end by Ravena. At the last moment, when everything seems hopeless, Eli gives in to Xaphad’s wooing and becomes incredibly powerful. He traps everyone in a magic stone, sends Tirza back to our world, and decides to rule the magic world with the help of Xaphad until the queen recovers.
Downloadable Flyer
INTERVIEWS
FAQs
Who is your favorite audience to write for and why?
My favorite audience to write for has to be what we call “Middle-Grade”–the 8 to 13 year old children. This simply is because they have the greatest taste in books and are still predominately guided with optimism and hope. They are open for all sorts of experiences, but still long for the good outcome, the stories full of heart.
Who are your favorite authors?
Always C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, George MacDonald, E. Nesbit, Shakespeare, Montgomery, Alcott, Elliot, and so many of the classics – but today would probably be James Riley, Chris Colfer, Jessica Townsend, Johnathan Stroud, Suzanne Collins, Alexandria Rogers, Theodora Goss, and so many others. There are so many incredible books right now, so many stories, it’s hard to choose.
Why is storytelling important?
Storytelling builds bridges–it weaves strands of belonging from person to person to person. It tears down walls and helps us see each other–our humanity, our hopes, our dreams, our magic. Storytelling inspires us, lets us know we’re not alone–and helps us know that there is something bigger than us, than our fears, in this world. Stories give us hope and help us strive to be better.
Tirza and Eli are such fun characters to read! How did they come to you and how did you really go about writing them? I know that lots of authors say that dual POV can be hard, and so did you ever struggle with that?
Tirza and Eli began as my own kids. They are their basis, though they have developed into their own persons along the way. I always find it difficult to fully describe how I come up with all my characters as they are, because a lot of people (including my wife) look at me as if I’m mad. I listen. Other writers say similar things, I know, but it’s true. Sometimes, I simply listen to what my characters have to say.
What inspires you?
People inspire me. Kindness and hope. We’re so often caught up in worrying about sounding too sappy or cliche, but love is really so very powerful and it can transform us. Real love can. Love that causes us to reach out a hand to help, to befriend the friendless, to offer kindness and humility wherever we go.
How do you come up with titles for your books?
The ideas usually come to me somewhere along the way – maybe one of my characters tells me, or I pick from a few that have jumbled around inside my head for a time. There isn’t really one single way, though I do have them early on.
What are the essential characteristics of a hero you can root for?
I’m going to come back to kindness. Kindness, to me, shows a level of strength that goes deeper to the core and soul of who we are as humans than anything else. Power doesn’t mean a thing without love and kindness.
Do you have any tips for young writers who really want to start writing and get their books out there?
Never stop writing. It can feel overwhelming and discouraging at times, but keep writing.
Keep learning the craft, find critique partners, and never give up.
Keep reading, too. Glean what you can from books in the genre you’re writing.
Russell J. Fellows 