#GuestDayTuesday featuring Author #DebbieRussell

/ Marcia Meara

 

It’s #GuestDayTuesday once again, folks, and today, I’m happy to have Debbie Russell with us to talk about her upcoming book, Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite A Memoir. This book sounds very intriguing, and you have a chance to get the first chapter free, too, which is always nice! With that in mind, let’s all welcome Debbie to The Write Stuff.  And Debbie, that’s your cue to take it away! 😀

Thanks so much for having me! I really enjoy your lovely blog and I’m so excited to share Crossing Fifty-One with your audience!

In essence, it’s a love letter to my dad. The idea for the book first came to me in 2005 when I stumbled across a file of family letters from my grandfather’s stay at the “Narcotic Farm.” I remember feeling really stunned by the discovery, especially since no one in the family had ever mentioned it. The letters revealed a loving and strong family dynamic, in a time when communication by letter was typical.

When my dad was accepted into hospice in 2016, I became acutely aware that my paternal lineage was disappearing. I’d always been interested in family history and genealogy and felt enormous pressure to preserve everything I knew about my dad and his family. I wanted to understand my dad through his experience as a son and brother, so I brought the letters out again. The events that followed were so remarkable that I knew I had to somehow weave my own experience with that of my grandfather’s.I’m still offering the first chapter free to new subscribers to my monthly newsletter, which you can find at my website HERE

BLURB:

A week before Christmas 1951, Dr. Ralph Russell, a successful San Diego surgeon, risked everything to voluntarily enter a locked federal drug-treatment facility known as a “narcotic farm.”

Sixty-five years later, Dr. Russell’s granddaughter Debbie suffers a debilitating crisis of identity when her father, (Dr. Russell’s oldest son) always her biggest fan, is accepted into hospice.

Debbie’s investigation into her paternal lineage reveals family secrets and ignites her mother’s volatile outbursts, propelling her into therapy.

When therapy fails her, the grandfather Debbie never knew saves her, and she collaborates with her dying father one last time to make her biggest dream come true.

Crossing Fifty-One pulls back the curtain on the internal struggles of midlife and provides a blueprint for redefining one’s self beyond the constraints of addiction and dysfunctional family dynamics.

READERS’ FAVORITE 5 STAR REVIEW EXCERPT:

Debbie Russell’s Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite a Memoir is a touching reflection on familial history that doubles as a personal exploration of the author’s own identity. The book follows Russell’s journey as she faces her father’s terminal illness, exploring her ancestry as a means of coming to terms with her grief. Through her research, Russell uncovers a volume written by her great-grandfather, a man of ego and destiny, whose characteristics mirror her own. Russell goes on to examine the scientific basis of her genetic traits, a concept that she believes is informed by both the men and women in her family. Her grandfather, a medical doctor, passed down a wealth of knowledge to her father who, in turn, passed on his loving nature to Russell. Ultimately, Crossing Fifty-One serves as a reminder that our familial histories are often deeply ingrained within us, shaping who we are and who we will become…

Here is an author who had done some serious homework and all I had to do was pick a comfortable chair and let her tell me how it went. The writing is exceptional, and the delicate balancing act between the tangible science and the emotional journey is really, really well done. I found myself choked up multiple times and had difficulty putting the book down even though it was past my bedtime…Very highly recommended.

All of my Readers’ Favorite advance reviews can be found HERE

More advance reviews can be found at Goodreads HERE

Author Debbie Russell

Debbie Russell is a lawyer turned writer. She spent twenty-five years as an Assistant County Attorney in Minneapolis, prosecuting numerous high-profile cases and fighting off several nervous breakdowns. At age fifty-five, Debbie took early retirement, giving up a full pension for the freedom of time. She now spends that precious time writing, restoring her property to native prairie and wetlands, and training her rambunctious retrievers.

Debbie’s first published article appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2001. After that small triumph, her writing focused primarily on legal briefs and memoranda, which were consigned to district court files. Debbie resumed creative writing in 2014 when she began her storytelling blog, sharing personal stories and professional experiences that have touched her life in a significant way. Debbie’s article “Getting the Most out of Therapy: Easier Said than Done,” partially based on events in her book, was top ranked in the December 2021 issue of Elephant Journal, an online magazine that celebrates the mindful life.

Buy Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite a Memoir Here:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE

Find Debbie on Social Media Here:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

You can contact Debbie HERE

 

 

43 thoughts on “#GuestDayTuesday featuring Author #DebbieRussell”

  1. Debbie’s book sounds very interesting, he family were obviously fascinating. A reminder that most of us don’t know as much as we should or could of our families. It was only after a maiden aunt, perhaps on the autistic spectrum, died that her summary of her life was discovered, which was a great insight. I wish my grandparents who died when I was a toddler had left behind as much writing as I am going to leave!

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    • What a wonderful discovery for you and your family! For some, writing is so much easier than verbal communication. Sounds like you’ll have plenty to share!

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    • I agree that Debbie’s book sounds very interesting. (And don’t forget, you can get a free first chapter if you want to take it for a “test drive!” 😀 ) I also wish my grandmother(s) had left some writing behind. Their lives would have no doubt been very interesting to know more about.

      Thanks for stopping by today, Janet, and here’s to a great rest of the week! 😀 ❤

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  2. Congratulations, Debbie, on your new release. Sounds like your book was therapeutic to write as well as an opportunity to delve into family history.
    I have boxes of letters my maternal grandmother wrote that I keep promising myself I’ll go through. You’ve inspired me.

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    • Don’t wait too long to dig into those letters, Sharon. As I deal with various health issues that are slowing me down, I wish I’d at least finished going through the MANY large boxes of family photos that go back to before my maternal grandmother was married. I’m still gonna give it a go, but I have every photograph my grandmother ever took, every photo my mother & father took, and many, many of my own. It’s gonna take a long time, for sure.

      Thanks for stopping by today and don’t forget you can get a free Chapter 1 of Debbie’s book! Have a great week! 😀 ❤

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    • It sure does, Beth, and I know it’s going to be a fascinating read. (Don’t forget to grab the free first chapter while you can. I have a feeling it’s going to pull those who read it right into Debbie’s story!)

      Thanks for stopping by today and hope you have a great week ahead! 😀 ❤

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  6. Congratulations to Debbie on her new release and the feature here this morning! It sounds like writing the book was a therapeutic exercise in and of itself, and her family’s history is a huge part of the writer Debbie is today. And I know well the exhilaration of not having to write legal memos, briefs, etc., anymore and instead being able to write whatever comes to mind. I’m very happy for Debbie.

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    • I’m so glad you enjoyed Debbie’s post today, Amy, and I agree with your summation, too. (Well, not the part about knowing the exhilaration of not having to write legal briefs, of course … but the rest of it, anyway! 😀 )

      Thanks for stopping by today, too. It’s always great to see you visiting, and I hope the the remainder of your week is a great one! 😀 ❤

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    • Thank you, Amy, for your kind words! It’s been a wonderful pivot, that’s for sure and it sounds like you’ve experienced a similar one. I’ve learned so many things about writing and publishing. Looking forward to the future!

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  7. It’s a curiosity the way the weaknesses of some family members become either the strength of others or the demise of others. It is interesting to read about how families deal with their dynamics. Crossing Fifty-One would likely pull me right in!

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    • I agree with your thoughts, Nancy, and don’t forget you can download the first Chapter for free and see if it does pull you in as you suspect it will. In the meantime, thanks so much for stopping by today and taking a moment to say hello. Hope the rest of your week is a great one! 😀 ❤

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    • Thanks for your comment, Nancy! I’ve had advance readers tell me how the book has impacted them as they reflect on their own family dynamics. Everyone has a family, and many of them don’t function as we wish they would.

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  10. This sounds like an amazing book! After my grandmother died, and I realised there were things I hadn’t asked her, I interviewed my father-in-law talking about his life and video’d my mother doing the same. These things are some of the most precious things I own. There’s clearly a fascinating tale to be told in Crossing Fifty-One and I’m about to click on the button to read the first chapter. Many thanks, Marcia! ❤❤

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  12. Debbie’s book sounds great. I’m researching my family history and learned some things I never knew. I found evidence that my mom was married and divorced before she married my dad! These family “secrets” have been a surprise to say the least. I will definitely read her book. 🙂

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