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About

Head and shoulders shot of Author Elaine Russell

Writing is a journey that has taken me down unexpected paths. When I begin a new novel, my characters soon take over and lead the writing. I feel as if I am only an instrument for telling their stories. It is a thrilling process that never ceases to delight me. My love of travel and history have contributed significantly to my writing, as I weave the culture and past of other countries into my stories. 

 

My latest novel, When the Tamarind Tree Blooms, (April 2024) is about a young métisse, half-Lao/half-French, in 1931 French colonial Laos. As Geneviève Dubois turns eighteen and leaves the French orphanage where she has been trapped for fourteen unhappy years, she is determined to uncover the story of her parents and locate her missing twin brother. Stepping into the deeply divided societies of French colonials and native Lao, she finds neither group readily accepts her mixed heritage. Where does she fit in? 

 

I am also the author of In the Company of Like-Minded Women (2018), which explores the complexities of bonds between sisters at the start of the 20th century when women struggled to determine their future and the “New Woman” demanded an equal voice. 

 

My novel, "Across the Mekong River" (2012), is now available in French, De l'autre côté du Mékong. This story evolved from my interest in the Hmong and Lao refugee communities in my home town of Sacramento. 

 

My children’s works include two picture books, All About Thailand (2016) and Thai Celebrations for Children, (2022) with Tuttle Publishing. I am also the author of the middle grade Martin McMillan mystery/adventure series, which features skateboarding heroes Martin and Isabel: The Lost Inca City, The Secret of the Ruby Elephant, and The Sacred Stones. These books are fun reads, appealing to both boys and girls, and good for This included close to 280 million cluster bombs,reluctant readers. 

 

My young adult novel, Montana in A Minor, stems from my passion for music, an interest in the complexities of modern family life, and a belief that everyone appreciates a good love story! 

 

I was born in San Francisco and raised on the peninsula in the Bay Area. I attended the University of California at Davis where I earned a bachelor’s degree in history, then California State University Sacramento for a master’s degree in economics. I live with my husband in Sacramento, California. 

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Awards and Endorsements

Next Generation Indie Book Awards

 

ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards

 

Independent Publishers Book Awards (IPPY) 

 

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Book Awards 

 

Indie National Excellence Awards 

 

USA Regional Excellence Awards

 

Indie Reader Discovery Awards

 

Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards

 

Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

 

Creative Child Magazine – 2017 Preferred Choice Award

 

Library Journal Self-e Selection

 

BRAG Medallion Honoree

 

Indie Reader Approved

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