Today, I have author Russell J. Sanders in the interview chair. We’re discussing his latest release Bud, a transgender, interracial, new adult romance. Be sure to read my review.
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1. Hi, Russell. Readers have an idea of the writer you, but what about the everyday you? Can you share about your personal life?
Russell: I wish I could say that I spend my time in the grand cities of Europe, being pampered and waited upon. But I’m just an ordinary guy. I live in a suburb of Las Vegas, Nevada, with my husband. I love to cook and can whip up a gourmet meal in an instant. I’m also an avid reader. But I go beyond just the reading. I review each and every book I read and post on Goodreads and Amazon. As an author, I wish everyone would do that, and so I try to honor my wish by doing it myself.
2. I’ve been perusing your Goodreads page and see you enjoy writing young adult novels. Can you share why you chose to write in this genre?
Russell: My long career was as a high school teacher, teaching music, drama, literature, and writing. I loved all my students, and oddly enough, I seemed to love most the ones who thought they could give me trouble. But almost all of them finally realized I wasn’t having it, and they accepted the love I was dishing out with my subject lessons. So I learned a lot about how a teenager thinks and acts. So “they” say to write what you know. I know teens.
3. Your latest release is BUD, a contemporary new adult title. Can you share what inspired you to create this book?
Russell: I’ve had thirteen therapists in my lifetime. My first novel was even about a teenager who had had thirteen therapists in his short life and is called just that, Thirteen Therapists. So the best of them, those thirteen jewels who counseled and taught me, was Nell Bly. After I stopped seeing her professionally, we remained friends. Nell has been a champion of my writing, praising my books and even recommending them to her clients. Several years ago, she suggested I write a transgender story. I thought I would never be able to do that, but one day I got a sudden inspiration, started researching, and I came up with Bud.
4. Let’s talk about the main character. What do you love most about Shelly?
Russell: I love that Shelly never gives up hope. Shelly goes through major changes and always is looking for the next challenge, knowing all will be right in the end and that you can’t give up, ever.
5. We all have imperfections. Can you share one imperfection about Shelly that gets on your last nerve?
Russell: Oh, come on. That’s a loaded question. I love Shelly. I created Shelly. I’m Shelly’s dad. And no parent wants to admit that anything about their kid gets on their last nerve. But okay, I suppose Shelly could be a bit more assertive, at first, with Craig. He’s a lot to take and is persistent. But he’s lovable.
6. Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favourite scene to write and why?
Russell: The courtroom scene. Just when I thought I had it right, I consulted with Nell about the therapist’s scenes and realized that the courtroom testimony of the Shelly’s therapist was problematic. So it was back to the drawing board.
7. If a reader asked you why they should read BUD, what would you tell them?
Russell: Bud is a roller-coaster ride of emotions, a journey to acceptance, a fulfillment of dreams, and most of all, a love story. I’m not just talking about the romantic love Shelly finds, but also about the kind of love Shelly, at the beginning of the story, is convinced will never be there. Shelly finds a family, friends, a teacher, a superstar, and a boyfriend, all who love Shelly for who she is. And that’s a reason to read—for the sheer joy and warmth it brings.
8. What can we expect from you in the future?
Russell: I currently have a first draft completed of a New Adult novel called Storm! A Galveston Story (title could change.) Set in 1900, it tells of the son of a German immigrant to Texas who falls in love with a young Black man. The action includes a wild ride through the “storm of the century,” the great hurricane that decimated Galveston, the most prosperous city in Texas, at the turn of the twentieth century, and the storm is sort of a metaphor for the relationship the two men experience.
9. I enjoy doing random questions, so humour me:
• What’s your favourite movie?
Giant, the classic Elizabeth Taylor/Rock Hudson/James Dean movie about Texas.
• What book is currently in your e-reader?
I prefer words on paper, so my e-reader is pretty much untouched.
• Who’s your favourite musical group?
Now you want me to sound dated—the sixties folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary
• What song puts a smile on your face?
When I Fall in Love
10. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Russell: Just that my whole purpose in writing the books I have written is to show that being gay, or in Bud’s case, transgender, is just another way of looking at love. That we love is more important than who we love. I want my readers to get that message above all.
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Title: Bud
Author: Russell J. Sanders
Genres: Contemporary interracial new adult romance
Tropes: Transgender love story
Themes: Transgender sexual awakening, acceptance of self and others
Pairing: Transgender MF love story
Tense/POV: First person/past tense
Heat Rating: No sexual content
Release Date: December 1, 2024
Length: 65 000 words/336 pages
Publisher: JMS Books
Is young dancer Shelly Sheridan transgender? What does that mean? Will Shelly’s new guardian, the uncle Shelly’s never met, understand? What’s next in Shelly’s life?
Blurb: Suddenly homeless, young dancer Shelly Sheridan, heartbroken at Christmas, is taken in by an uncle Shelly has never met and didn’t know existed. The burly ex-Marine uncle and his husband welcome Shelly with a shower of love and acceptance. Their friend Estrella, a retired ballet star, is enraptured by Shelly’s dancing.
Shelly makes a new friend the first day of school in this strange place but isn’t happy, feeling out of place and very different from the other boys. The new friend eventually suggests something Shelly didn’t even know was possible. Could Shelly be transgender?
When Shelly embraces this new idea, problems immediately arise. His former nanny doesn’t approve, and the trustee of his mother’s estate fights Shelly’s newly formed decisions.
With his new family’s unconditional love, Shelly hopes all will be well. It’s Christmas once again, and it will be a merry one if Shelly’s problems go away, and Christmas works its magic.
Note: It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Available at:
JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK
We barely got through the front door before Greta scooped me into her arms.
I finally pulled away so I could look Greta in the eyes. I was gonna tell her to back off. I’d had enough of whatever she was doing — loving, laughing, crying, whatever. I had to get upstairs to text Mimi. I was gonna give her an earful for ruining our special time. But I saw the deepest heartache in Greta’s eyes, deeper than I’ve ever seen in anyone’s.
“I’m so sorry, Liebchen. She loved you so much. You were her treasure.” And then she thrust something into my hand. “Keep this. Keep it safe. She would want you to have it.”
I opened my fingers, and there was the ballerina necklace. Why are you giving me my mother’s necklace? And what is all this you’re saying?
And then I heard the booming voice. Unmistakable. My mother’s lawyer. Mr. Stern. Standing in the arch leading to our living room. Commanding the world in his dark gray three-piece suit. He musta had a closet full of those suits. He never dressed any other way.
Why is he here?
Looking over half-glasses, he ordered, “Come here, son.”
I’m not your son.
He held out his hand, his fingers gesturing I should follow him. His face was stern, like his name, not a trace of a smile. Greta gave me a nudge in his direction. I followed him into the living room. He pointed toward the sofa. “Sit.”
Greta, right behind me, lowered me onto the soft sofa cushion. She sat next to me, closely — like she was protecting me. Shawn too, who I had forgotten was even there, followed and sat in the chair facing us. Mr. Stern towered in his dark suit, his grim face hovering. That face didn’t bother me. He always looked like that. Angry.
“Sheldon, I have some news for you,” he said. “I don’t know how to say this, but I’ve always felt bad news is like a Band-Aid. Yank it off, and it doesn’t hurt as much. So I’m just going to say it.” He paused — a long time.
What is all this yank it off stuff, if he isn’t going to tell me? It can’t be as bad as he makes out. My mother probably is going to be gone longer than the two days Greta said she’d promised.
“Son, your mother’s car slid out of control tonight. She was going up the mountain, the road must have been more slippery than she planned for — who knows? — and she lost control.”
What? I yelped. “What hospital is she in? Take me there. Now.” The anger I wanted to text her was gone, replaced by worry.
Mr. Stern held his hands up, palms out. He patted the air like he was motioning for me to sit, although I hadn’t gotten up, and he was not even close enough to touch me. Greta put her arm around me. Even Shawn, I noticed, looked sad.
“Boy, I’m sorry. Your mother’s dead.”
Uh-uh. Not possible. Mimi’s in Park City. She’s at a client meeting.
“You hear me, son? Amelia died tonight.”
“No,” I lunged at him. “You’re crazy. My mother’s with her client. She made Shawn take me to the ballet. Very important meeting.” I beat his body with both fists until I suddenly stopped. I stood a moment. “Somebody’s told you a lie, Mr. Stern.”
Mr. Stern was playing a joke or he’d been given bad intel, as they say, or something, at least, was wrong, very wrong. My mother was not dead.
“Sheldon,” he said, “you’ve got to face it.” As he pushed me back to the sofa, he said, “Your mother, Amelia Sheridan, is gone.”
Greta leaned over and talked in my ear. “It’s true, Liebchen. I wish it weren’t, but it is.”
Greta would never play a trick on me like that. If she said it was true, it was.
I screamed. A blood-curdling wail. A scream that coulda woke the dead. Neighbors miles around musta heard it.
When I stopped, I stopped. I wasn’t wasting another tear because it wouldn’t bring my Mimi back. I remember thinking, “Lord –” I didn’t even believe in God “– please put my life back together. I’ll go to church. I’ll be the best little Mormon boy I can be. Just bring Mimi back to me.”
But God wasn’t listening.
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I liked the blurb, so I signed up to read and review this novel for a book blog tour. As stated in the blurb, Shelly is suddenly without a mother, so Uncle Sarg comes to the rescue, taking Shelly from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas.
I must say, the author is either a Las Vegas native or visits the city very often, because the setting was described brilliantly. I really felt as if I was there.
Although this book was listed as a romance for the blog tour, it doesn’t appear until the last 1/4 of the novel. The main character is in grade seven and eleven or twelve years old for the majority of the story. I’d class this as LGBTQ+ middle-grade fiction, something for youngsters and parents to enjoy. As a matter of fact, everyone can enjoy it, since it gives a deep look into Shelly’s transition from male to female.
I enjoyed Shelly, who showed a certain amount of maturity when it came to decision-making, although the many emotional outbursts conveyed a tween trying to move on to the next stage of life, which is the teenage years. Well done author.
I thought the transition was portrayed realistically and with care. It helped that Shelly had Sarg and his partner Will (another awesome character) to assist. They were very supportive guardians. I must say I adored the hell out of Sarg. Who wouldn’t want such an awesome uncle?
This is a peek into the life of a youth transitioning while dealing with the death of the one person who is most important to all children: their mother. My heart went out to Shelly. Such loss shouldn’t be experienced by the young, but sadly, it happens. And the author did a great job taking us through Shelly’s grief.
If you would love to read about a youth transitioning while coping with loss, do yourself a favour and get a copy. It’s a wonderful story with great supporting characters.
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A life spent in Texas led to a relocation adventure, and native Texas author Russell J. Sanders now resides in Las
Vegas, Nevada. He and his husband were compelled to set out for parts unknown, and that led them to Vegas, where they are supremely happy. But they don’t stay put. They’ve traveled the world, journeying to England, France, Italy, Japan, India, Bali, Jakarta, Toronto, Quebec City, Nova Scotia, Vancouver, Alaska, and Hawaii. And his novels are infused with locations as near as Ft. Worth, Chicago, Houston, and Las Vegas and as far away as Halifax. Who knows where he will lead readers next?
But one thing is known, there will be Mexican food. Russell’s on a quest to check out the Mexican cuisine in places both near and far. The not-so-good he has tried was in Wyoming; Jakarta, Indonesia, though, has some pretty decent enchiladas. The quest is to try, not to always be satisfied at what is found. So this Mexican food loving teacher, actor, director, singer, chef, and author loves adventure. And mostly, Russell’s goal is to tell the world, through his writing, that we are all put on this earth to love one
Follow Russell: Website | Facebook
Maggie Blackbird 