Lisa: We’re so pleased to welcome author Russell J. Sanders to The Novel Approach today to celebrate the upcoming release of You Can’t Tell by Looking, on October 2, 2018 from Harmony Ink Press. Welcome, Russell! Let’s start things off with an introduction. Will you tell us a bit about yourself?
Russell: I’m a Texan, born and raised. In fact, my novel All You Need Is Love is largely based on my teen years in Ft. Worth, Texas. I live in Houston with my incredible husband. The tourist bureau once used the slogan “Houston’s Hot,” but they soon realized that slogan was not enticing at all. For much of the year, Houston’s hot. But it is a huge, diverse city with wonderful attractions and restaurants. Me, I like Tex-Mex food, so Houston’s Heaven for me. Other than a lifetime spent eating enchiladas, I’m also an actor/director/singer and amateur chef. I also read the Houston Chronicle newspaper live on the radio for the blind and visually disabled. And, despite all that, I find time to travel.
Lisa: Is there any one author, or authors, you would say inspired you to become a writer yourself?
Russell: Which one didn’t? I’ve had a book in my hand since I was old enough to see two words put together and know they made sense. My mother was an avid reader, and I followed in her footsteps. So beginning with the Trixie Belden books in elementary school and progressing to numerous books made into movies (I always had to see the movie and then explore the book,) and then discovering the classics like Hawthorne, Cather, Hardy, and Henry James, I’ve learned from the best. Currently, I consider the biggest influences in my writing are my mentors Kathi Appelt and Kelly Bennett, plus my friend Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Lisa: What compels you to write Young Adult/Teen fiction? Do you feel like you draw quite a bit on your own life experiences when shaping your stories and characters?
Russell: I taught high school for many years, so I know the teen psyche. A recent reviewer of my book Titanic Summer praised my use of the teen voice. I suppose teaching teens all those years just ingrained in me how they talk. As for how I shape stories, I just re-read my first three novels--Thirteen Therapists, Special Effect, and The Book of Ethan—and I was reminded that they are filled with incidents that actually happened to me as a child and teen, plus there are things there that I based on news stories I’ve read. The rest is just a runaway imagination.
Lisa: Without giving up any spoilers, will you tell readers a bit about this story, some of the conflicts that you feel are important to it?
Russell: You Can’t Tell by Looking is a story about two boys who are very different indeed, but they share common bonds: being gay and loving The Walking Dead. Gabriel, the new kid in town, is infatuated with Kerem at first sight. Gabe thinks Kerem is the most gorgeous guy he has ever seen. He soon finds out Kerem is Muslim, and thus Gabe sets out to find out everything he can about Islam, particularly if Islam accepts homosexuality and if Kerem is gay himself. Stirring the pot is a conflict involving Kerem’s cousin Timur. But I stop here because anything else I say would be spoiler after spoiler after spoiler.
Lisa: Do you consider this a ‘statement book’, and if so, what do you hope readers take away from it?
Russell: In a way, it definitely is. It is a romance, and in that respect, the only statement it makes is that being gay is okay. But it also makes the case that we are all the same in this world, and that in our differences, we find common ground always if we look for it. I suppose I wanted, in our current climate, to paint Muslims as people who deserve our respect and indeed our love.
Lisa: Do you have a favorite scene in the book, one you remember being particularly memorable to write? If so, would you share what made it special?
Russell: Now, now, now—we’re getting very close to a spoiler here. But let’s just say that the backstory of Timur is something I’m quite proud of.
Lisa: Let’s talk a bit about your cover. Who is your artist, and what do you feel its art conveys? Was it a long process to get things just right?
Russell: Aaron Anderson is the magnificent artist who has done the covers for almost all of my books. He is a wonder. I fill out a questionnaire, and he goes from there. In a short, short time, he sends me three choices and then I pick the one I like the most, plus I get to tell him how I want it changed a bit to further fit my ideas, and he always comes up with the perfect cover. For You Can’t Tell by Looking, he took the idea of a young man totally confused by the melding of two cultures, traditional Islam and mainstream America (whatever that is!) and voila! A beautifully evocative cover was born. And to top it off, I let Aaron know that my favorite color is purple, so he added more purple tones to his original design. What more could an author ask for?
Lisa: Let’s take off your author cap and put on your reader cap for a moment: what do you look for in a book, what sort of protagonists do you love, and do you have a favorite genre/sub-genre?
Russell: As a young adult author, I love to read young adult novels, for they reinforce for me that I’m doing something right—or not, as the case may be. I love it when any novel is set in the South, particularly Texas, plus if a book is about the theater or dance or movies or art in any way, I’m in heaven. But I’m also a fiend for biographies, murder mysteries, and comedy. Right now on my “to read” shelf, you will find several novels I bought on a recent trip to Atlanta and Asheville (I love to pick up local authors’ books while on vacation,) plus a book written by a man who was the subject of a documentary I saw on Netflix, an autobiography of a transgender, two of the Miss Julia books of Ann B. Ross, and a book about crime and corruption in turn of the twentieth century Chicago (one of my favorite cities.) And Amazon, which I single-handedly support with my multitude of purchases, will soon be delivering a book on the history of Southern food, a book about an iconic Atlanta restaurant, and a book about Christmas at Biltmore House. So—would you say I’m an eclectic reader?
Lisa: What’s the one genre/sub-genre you haven’t written yet, but would love to? What’s kept you from it so far?
Russell: I have a years-old idea for a comedy set in Texas that would be a book for adult readers, tentatively called Quada Fay and the Mayor. But I haven’t gotten past the first chapter, no doubt fearing that I can’t capture adult voices well enough for them to be featured in an entire novel. But my newest manuscript, still unsubmitted, has three major characters that are college-aged, so maybe my writing skills are progressing past teen characters.
Lisa: Describe your ideal fantasy writing environment—the beach in Monaco, a sidewalk café in Paris, a thatched cottage in the English countryside—wherever you can dream of.
Russell: That’s a great question. When I write, I want total solitude, total silence. So holed up in my study with no one around is my ideal writing environment. I know myself—if I were in Monaco, Paris, the English countryside, or any other wonderful place like that, I would never write. I’d be too busy exploring. And looking for Mexican restaurants.
Lisa: Russell, thank you so much for being here with us today. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you! Will you share your social links with us so we can all find you on the internet?
Russell: Facebook || Website || YouTube book trailers: Thirteen Therapists || Special Effect || The Book of Ethan || Colors || All You Need Is Love || Titanic Summer || You Can’t Tell by Looking
Russell: I’m a Texan, born and raised. In fact, my novel All You Need Is Love is largely based on my teen years in Ft. Worth, Texas. I live in Houston with my incredible husband. The tourist bureau once used the slogan “Houston’s Hot,” but they soon realized that slogan was not enticing at all. For much of the year, Houston’s hot. But it is a huge, diverse city with wonderful attractions and restaurants. Me, I like Tex-Mex food, so Houston’s Heaven for me. Other than a lifetime spent eating enchiladas, I’m also an actor/director/singer and amateur chef. I also read the Houston Chronicle newspaper live on the radio for the blind and visually disabled. And, despite all that, I find time to travel.
Lisa: Is there any one author, or authors, you would say inspired you to become a writer yourself?
Russell: Which one didn’t? I’ve had a book in my hand since I was old enough to see two words put together and know they made sense. My mother was an avid reader, and I followed in her footsteps. So beginning with the Trixie Belden books in elementary school and progressing to numerous books made into movies (I always had to see the movie and then explore the book,) and then discovering the classics like Hawthorne, Cather, Hardy, and Henry James, I’ve learned from the best. Currently, I consider the biggest influences in my writing are my mentors Kathi Appelt and Kelly Bennett, plus my friend Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Lisa: What compels you to write Young Adult/Teen fiction? Do you feel like you draw quite a bit on your own life experiences when shaping your stories and characters?
Russell: I taught high school for many years, so I know the teen psyche. A recent reviewer of my book Titanic Summer praised my use of the teen voice. I suppose teaching teens all those years just ingrained in me how they talk. As for how I shape stories, I just re-read my first three novels--Thirteen Therapists, Special Effect, and The Book of Ethan—and I was reminded that they are filled with incidents that actually happened to me as a child and teen, plus there are things there that I based on news stories I’ve read. The rest is just a runaway imagination.
Lisa: Without giving up any spoilers, will you tell readers a bit about this story, some of the conflicts that you feel are important to it?
Russell: You Can’t Tell by Looking is a story about two boys who are very different indeed, but they share common bonds: being gay and loving The Walking Dead. Gabriel, the new kid in town, is infatuated with Kerem at first sight. Gabe thinks Kerem is the most gorgeous guy he has ever seen. He soon finds out Kerem is Muslim, and thus Gabe sets out to find out everything he can about Islam, particularly if Islam accepts homosexuality and if Kerem is gay himself. Stirring the pot is a conflict involving Kerem’s cousin Timur. But I stop here because anything else I say would be spoiler after spoiler after spoiler.
Lisa: Do you consider this a ‘statement book’, and if so, what do you hope readers take away from it?
Russell: In a way, it definitely is. It is a romance, and in that respect, the only statement it makes is that being gay is okay. But it also makes the case that we are all the same in this world, and that in our differences, we find common ground always if we look for it. I suppose I wanted, in our current climate, to paint Muslims as people who deserve our respect and indeed our love.
Lisa: Do you have a favorite scene in the book, one you remember being particularly memorable to write? If so, would you share what made it special?
Russell: Now, now, now—we’re getting very close to a spoiler here. But let’s just say that the backstory of Timur is something I’m quite proud of.
Lisa: Let’s talk a bit about your cover. Who is your artist, and what do you feel its art conveys? Was it a long process to get things just right?
Russell: Aaron Anderson is the magnificent artist who has done the covers for almost all of my books. He is a wonder. I fill out a questionnaire, and he goes from there. In a short, short time, he sends me three choices and then I pick the one I like the most, plus I get to tell him how I want it changed a bit to further fit my ideas, and he always comes up with the perfect cover. For You Can’t Tell by Looking, he took the idea of a young man totally confused by the melding of two cultures, traditional Islam and mainstream America (whatever that is!) and voila! A beautifully evocative cover was born. And to top it off, I let Aaron know that my favorite color is purple, so he added more purple tones to his original design. What more could an author ask for?
Lisa: Let’s take off your author cap and put on your reader cap for a moment: what do you look for in a book, what sort of protagonists do you love, and do you have a favorite genre/sub-genre?
Russell: As a young adult author, I love to read young adult novels, for they reinforce for me that I’m doing something right—or not, as the case may be. I love it when any novel is set in the South, particularly Texas, plus if a book is about the theater or dance or movies or art in any way, I’m in heaven. But I’m also a fiend for biographies, murder mysteries, and comedy. Right now on my “to read” shelf, you will find several novels I bought on a recent trip to Atlanta and Asheville (I love to pick up local authors’ books while on vacation,) plus a book written by a man who was the subject of a documentary I saw on Netflix, an autobiography of a transgender, two of the Miss Julia books of Ann B. Ross, and a book about crime and corruption in turn of the twentieth century Chicago (one of my favorite cities.) And Amazon, which I single-handedly support with my multitude of purchases, will soon be delivering a book on the history of Southern food, a book about an iconic Atlanta restaurant, and a book about Christmas at Biltmore House. So—would you say I’m an eclectic reader?
Lisa: What’s the one genre/sub-genre you haven’t written yet, but would love to? What’s kept you from it so far?
Russell: I have a years-old idea for a comedy set in Texas that would be a book for adult readers, tentatively called Quada Fay and the Mayor. But I haven’t gotten past the first chapter, no doubt fearing that I can’t capture adult voices well enough for them to be featured in an entire novel. But my newest manuscript, still unsubmitted, has three major characters that are college-aged, so maybe my writing skills are progressing past teen characters.
Lisa: Describe your ideal fantasy writing environment—the beach in Monaco, a sidewalk café in Paris, a thatched cottage in the English countryside—wherever you can dream of.
Russell: That’s a great question. When I write, I want total solitude, total silence. So holed up in my study with no one around is my ideal writing environment. I know myself—if I were in Monaco, Paris, the English countryside, or any other wonderful place like that, I would never write. I’d be too busy exploring. And looking for Mexican restaurants.
Lisa: Russell, thank you so much for being here with us today. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you! Will you share your social links with us so we can all find you on the internet?
Russell: Facebook || Website || YouTube book trailers: Thirteen Therapists || Special Effect || The Book of Ethan || Colors || All You Need Is Love || Titanic Summer || You Can’t Tell by Looking