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Ted Russ

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https://tedruss.com

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July 2016

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Ted Russ is a writer living in the Carolina mountains with his wife, Anna, their dogs, Charlie and Ripple, and a bunch of chickens and bees.

In a distant prior life, he served as an army officer after graduating from West Point. Ted left the military in 2000 with experience as a special operations helicopter pilot and a philosophy degree.

Possessing no marketable skills, he went back to school and got an MBA. His 25 year journey through the business world was winding - from startups to fortune 500s, domestic to expat assignments, general management and sales to M&A.

He discovered writing late in life, publishing his first novel in 2016 and now tries to make a living writing full time.

Exploring themes of identity, loyalty, and the complexities ...more

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Ted Russ Spirit Mission is based on my experiences as a West Point cadet, Army officer and special operations helicopter pilot.

It took a long time for me to w…moreSpirit Mission is based on my experiences as a West Point cadet, Army officer and special operations helicopter pilot.

It took a long time for me to write Spirit Mission, and I am glad. It’s a much different book than it would have been had I finished it in the mid nineties. Time gave me a deeper appreciation of my experiences, the lessons of West Point, and the ideals of duty, honor and country.

I hope it comes through in the book.
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A comment rather than a question? - In Spirit Mission, you refer to an honor scandal affecting the class of 1976. The honor scandal actually involved the class of 1977. The investigations began after spring break in 1976 so that is probably the source of the confusion. While the scandal is not a source of pride for the class of 1977, we do own it and I don't want another class to be unfairly tarnished by it.

Ted Russ Thanks for the note, Rich. You are actually the second Old Grad to point this out to me. I'm trying to get this corrected in future editions of the te…moreThanks for the note, Rich. You are actually the second Old Grad to point this out to me. I'm trying to get this corrected in future editions of the text. I wish I had been more precise. I appreciate you calling it out. (less)

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Ted Russ’s books

Average rating: 4.59 · 323 ratings · 65 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	Spirit Mission 4.58 avg rating — 222 ratings — published 2016 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Duty's Cost 4.56 avg rating — 32 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Spirit of the Bayonet (Ōkami Forward Trilogy, #1) 4.61 avg rating — 28 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Betrayal (Spirit of the Bayonet Book 1) 4.57 avg rating — 23 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sacrifice (Spirit of the Bayonet Book 3) 4.80 avg rating — 10 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Odysseus (Spirit of the Bayonet Book 2) 4.75 avg rating — 8 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Spirit Mission: A Novel 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Betrayal 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Odysseus 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sacrifice 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Ted Russ's Blog

On Voice

Voice gets tossed around a lot in the writerly world. There are a million definitions out there. They all poke at the gooey notion of the choice of words, tone, syntax, punctuation, and rhythm that the writer uses to tell their story. It’s a hard thing to define, but you know when you hear it. And when it works, it elevates the reader’s experience.

For me, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller is a great

Ted is Currently Reading

Ted Russ is currently reading

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Nineteenth Annual Collection

by Gardner Dozois

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Dec 30, 2019 06:36PM

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The Year's Best Science Fiction: Eighteenth Annual Collection

by Gardner Dozois

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Dec 29, 2019 06:26PM

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The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

by Patrick Rothfuss (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 27, 2019 07:05PM

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Ted Russ wrote a new blog post On Voice Voice gets tossed around a lot in the writerly world. There are a million definitions out there. They all poke at the gooey notion of the choice of wo Read more of this blog post »
Feb 26, 2026 05:28AM · like