I have just added quite a few titles to my want to read list! Thank you so much for sharing this insightful interview. I really appreciated the insights about how little we control, particularly with regards to the affection of others, be they people, or creatures!
Thank you Jane and Russell for this excellent interview.
First of all, I say "Yay to Russell's amazing wife, her ripple effect is wide". Next, I appreciate your desire to be kind to your future self. I have never heard a goal worded like this and yet it's the best goal, and outcome, any of us could wish for. Thank you for sharing it.
So much to love about this interview: bunny lessons in love, his love/admiration for his wife, and "be kind to future Russell." So much goodness packed in this gem!
I love this quote 'You think you don’t have room in your heart to love another thing, but then your heart opens another chamber and you realize your ability to love is infinite, and you can love everything 100%.' Always so beautiful to hear people talk about their connections with animals 😊
Love it! To foster fascination is a great reminder--and from someone who clearly is so deeply fascinated! My favorite piece in this is the commitment to being kind to future Russell. That’s brilliant. I’m going to adopt it. Thanks, Jane and Russell.
So I’m already a huge fan of Russell, but the bunny story has catapulted him into a new level of personal regard. Thank you for such a lovely feature, Jane! (Also, truer words than “bunnies destroy everything they touch” were never spoken.)
Great line: "I am constantly asking myself if future Russell will be happy with a decision I made or not. Sometimes, of course, future Russell is angry with me because you need to center the present, but I like to be kind to him, even if it means suffering a bit in the moment." This is insightful about the man...and the best way I've found to be kind to my future self, is to read the writing of my former-self. Nice work, Jane.
"I’m just going to be corny and call out my wife. I was not a great human when I met her. I was every bit the entitled, white, millennial, man stereotype and watching her neverending fount of kindness for everyone around her, and the grace she showed to everybody really snapped me out of the way I looked at the world and showed me how to move through the world with more grace." Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity to learn, and I guess even fewer actually take it. So my admiration and thanks to you, Russell, for the reminder on how we can learn grace from others if we open ourselves to the possibility of doing so.
“I am going to keep putting good into the world regardless, and if somebody wants to manipulate it then that’s their problem, not mine.”
It’s taken me most of my life to really understand and accept this. Thank you for articulating these feelings so well. Once I got it, it made life easier. No expectations on my part, just to keep putting kindness out there.
What a lovely interview! Always so nice to hear from a fellow author, and also to hear shoutouts for my friends’ books (Caraval, the Hazelwood). Thanks for this piece!
Russell Nohelty's insights into literature, life, and personal growth are truly profound. His passion for books, especially the Caraval series and The Hazel Wood, reflects a deep appreciation for storytelling and the power of imagination. I admire his commitment to staying fascinated by the world around him, even in the face of challenges and disappointments.
Explore captivating Contemporary, Romance, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Horror, and more stories on my Substack for FREE at https://jonahtown.substack.com
Yes; yes and yes! Mary Oliver’s admonition “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it”. Life is full and joyful when we’re kind to ourselves and others.
I have just added quite a few titles to my want to read list! Thank you so much for sharing this insightful interview. I really appreciated the insights about how little we control, particularly with regards to the affection of others, be they people, or creatures!
Thank you Jane and Russell for this excellent interview.
First of all, I say "Yay to Russell's amazing wife, her ripple effect is wide". Next, I appreciate your desire to be kind to your future self. I have never heard a goal worded like this and yet it's the best goal, and outcome, any of us could wish for. Thank you for sharing it.
So much to love about this interview: bunny lessons in love, his love/admiration for his wife, and "be kind to future Russell." So much goodness packed in this gem!
I love this quote 'You think you don’t have room in your heart to love another thing, but then your heart opens another chamber and you realize your ability to love is infinite, and you can love everything 100%.' Always so beautiful to hear people talk about their connections with animals 😊
Love it! To foster fascination is a great reminder--and from someone who clearly is so deeply fascinated! My favorite piece in this is the commitment to being kind to future Russell. That’s brilliant. I’m going to adopt it. Thanks, Jane and Russell.
So I’m already a huge fan of Russell, but the bunny story has catapulted him into a new level of personal regard. Thank you for such a lovely feature, Jane! (Also, truer words than “bunnies destroy everything they touch” were never spoken.)
Great line: "I am constantly asking myself if future Russell will be happy with a decision I made or not. Sometimes, of course, future Russell is angry with me because you need to center the present, but I like to be kind to him, even if it means suffering a bit in the moment." This is insightful about the man...and the best way I've found to be kind to my future self, is to read the writing of my former-self. Nice work, Jane.
A great interview, Jane!
"I’m just going to be corny and call out my wife. I was not a great human when I met her. I was every bit the entitled, white, millennial, man stereotype and watching her neverending fount of kindness for everyone around her, and the grace she showed to everybody really snapped me out of the way I looked at the world and showed me how to move through the world with more grace." Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity to learn, and I guess even fewer actually take it. So my admiration and thanks to you, Russell, for the reminder on how we can learn grace from others if we open ourselves to the possibility of doing so.
“I am going to keep putting good into the world regardless, and if somebody wants to manipulate it then that’s their problem, not mine.”
It’s taken me most of my life to really understand and accept this. Thank you for articulating these feelings so well. Once I got it, it made life easier. No expectations on my part, just to keep putting kindness out there.
What a wonderfully grounding, healing read. Thank you both.
What a lovely interview! Always so nice to hear from a fellow author, and also to hear shoutouts for my friends’ books (Caraval, the Hazelwood). Thanks for this piece!
Russell Nohelty's insights into literature, life, and personal growth are truly profound. His passion for books, especially the Caraval series and The Hazel Wood, reflects a deep appreciation for storytelling and the power of imagination. I admire his commitment to staying fascinated by the world around him, even in the face of challenges and disappointments.
Explore captivating Contemporary, Romance, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Horror, and more stories on my Substack for FREE at https://jonahtown.substack.com
Yes; yes and yes! Mary Oliver’s admonition “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it”. Life is full and joyful when we’re kind to ourselves and others.