Author Archives: russtowne

About russtowne

I'm awed by the beauty of nature and the power of love and gratitude. Some of my favorite sensory experiences include waves crashing on rocky shores, waterways in ancient redwood and fern-filled forests, and rain. My wife and I have been married since 1979. We have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren. I manage a wealth management firm that I founded in 2003. My Beloved is a Special Education teacher for Kindergartners and First Graders. I'm a published author of approximately 60 books in a variety of genres for grownups and children.

The Day the Girls Rescued Me

Posted on September 2, 2013 by russtowne

(A Re-post for newer readers to this site.) Many years ago I was in a high school Marine Corps JROTC program as the Vietnam War was coming to an end. It was not a real popular time to be in … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Anger, Bullying, Choices, Community, Friendship, Non-Fiction Writing I've Done, True Stories I've Written, Uncategorized | Tagged author, boys, bullies, bullying, girls, high school, JROTC, media, non-fiction, non-fiction stories, taunting, uniform, USMC, writer, writing | 11 Comments

Sock War!

Posted on August 29, 2013 by russtowne

One day when our boys were still fairly young, I kidded my Beloved about something as she sorted and matched a basket of clean socks, rolling the matched pairs into little balls to keep them together. The next thing I … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-fiction Stories I've Written | Tagged author, boys, children, family fun, humor, non-fiction, non-fiction stories, parenting, tradition, writer | 32 Comments

Love Is…

Posted on August 28, 2013 by russtowne

Originally posted on Russ Towne's A Grateful Man :
I love this cartoon and it’s message, and have learned that perhaps the most important time to show I care is when I’m most angry. When I can say “I love…

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Collateral Compassion and Kindness

Posted on August 27, 2013 by russtowne

(A re-post for newer readers of this blog.) When you see a man led to prison say in your heart, “Mayhap he is escaping from a narrower prison.” And when you see a man drunken say in your heart, “Mayhap … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Joy & Happiness, Kindness, My Beliefs | Tagged compassion, Kahlil Gibran, kindness, Love, my beliefs, quote, understanding, wordsmith.org | 4 Comments

Don’t Smile!

Posted on August 25, 2013 by russtowne

(A repost for newer folks to this site.) My Beloved and I found that one of the hardest things about disciplining our young children was staying serious when scolding them—especially when every instinct in our bodies and minds wanted to … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Family, Family "Fun", Fun, Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged child, children, discipline, fun, humor, parenting, scolding, wife | 6 Comments

Something I Learned About Myself

Posted on August 24, 2013 by russtowne

When the packages containing the physical proofs of my first two books arrived, I was quite surprised that rather than being excited and anxious to open them–like a young child at Christmas–I was reluctant to do so. I put the … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Creativity, Fun, Growth/Learning, Joy & Happiness, Writing | Tagged "Clyde and I", author, children, children's books, children's stories, Cyde and I Help a Hippo to Fly", Grandchildren, growth, Grumbly Grumpadinkle, kindness named Love, learning, pet kindness named Love, printing, publishing, Rusty Bear, Rusty Bear and Thomas, self-publishing, Too, Wendly Goodlight, writing | 10 Comments

Full-Color Sketchiness and Poetic Silly Ideas

Posted on August 24, 2013 by russtowne

If you haven’t checked out my other blogs lately you’ve missed out on a lot of full-color sketchiness and poetic silly ideas. At A Grateful Man’s Poetry http:agratefulmanspoetry.com I’ve shared two brand new poems. At Clyde and Friends http://clydeandfriends.com I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Project Updates for Children's Stories/Poems I Wrote | Tagged author, children's books, children's stories, Fred and the Frog are Friends, Fred the Toad, poetry, Rusty Bear, Rusty Bear and Thomas, Todd and the Toad Rode the Bull, Todd the frog, Too, writer | 4 Comments

A Child’s Smile and Laughter

Posted on August 23, 2013 by russtowne

I often write children’s stories and books with very silly characters and situations. That because I love to see children smile and laugh. Sadly, there are many children who don’t have much to smile or laugh about. Many are fighting … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Children, Healing | Tagged abuse, burn survivors, children's books, gifts, ill children, illustrations, notes, poems, seriously ill children, survivors | 9 Comments

“So Many Caring People In This World”

Posted on August 23, 2013 by russtowne

(This is a re-post for newer readers.) “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To … Continue reading →