Location: United States
Member Since: Jan. 29, 2011
5 users have added this author as a favorite.

Russ Durbin


Biography

Russ calls himself a "Pennsylvania Hoosier." Born and raised in Indiana, he has lived in Bucks County, PA, for 30 years. He began his career as a newspaper and broadcast journalist in news and sports. After a career in corporate communications, Russ has turned to writing fiction, specializing in short stories. Genres include westerns, sports, historical, romance, and character delineation stories.

Books

The Decision    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 2960 words. Published on April 6, 2012. Fiction.
Judge Henry Davis is faced with deciding whether a young man, convicted of murder, should live or die. The case has generated national media attention and opposing forces are lined up outside the court. Adding to the mounting pressure on Judge Davis, himself a candidate for political office, is pressure from a king-making publisher who wants him to duck the decision. What will the judge do?
The Suburbanites    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 2570 words. Published on March 30, 2012. Fiction.
(5.00 from 1 review)
It was colder inside the car than outside when Jim slid out. He made no attempt to kiss her...Janet slid behind the wheel and backed Jim's classic BMW viciously out of the parking space, her mind still busy on events of the previous evening. It had been "one of those days" for Jim and Janet, but each had a different perspective on the events.
The Crossed Guns    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 2540 words. Published on March 23, 2012. Fiction.
(5.00 from 1 review)
"...the crossed guns in Mr. Howard's parlor drew me like a magnet." That how my grandfather began his favorite story. His pa, my great-grandfather, had been the marshal of a quiet Ozark town that one day erupted in gunfire and an old-fashioned shootout. As a 10-year-old, my grandfather witnessed the gun battle. (This fictionalized account is loosely based on the assassination of Jesse James.)
The Last Stage    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 1230 words. Published on March 17, 2012. Fiction.
0.25 star(4.33 from 3 reviews)
The high-wheeled mud wagon stood before the Yuma House behind two spans of mules. John Dudley stepped into the bright moonlight and handed his valise to the driver who tossed it unceremoniously into the carrying rack. Dudley was leaving to catch a steamer in San Diego bound for New York and, ultimately, to the woman he was to marry. But there was a complication...and her name was Margo.
Marshal    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 4680 words. Published on March 10, 2012. Fiction.
(5.00 from 2 reviews)
Summer was still in the air when Murdock walked down the main street of the town. He was no longer Marshal Murdock. Now, he was John Murdock, rancher and private citizen. But trouble was brewing between a cattleman and a farmer that could end in a gun showdown. And the new marshal wasn't dealing with it. What should Murdock do?
Moment of Glory    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 5240 words. Published on February 28, 2012. Fiction.
Demas could hear the rats scurrying about in a corner of the cell, and he thought, wryly, that Antonia was not particularly noted for its accommodations or pleasant company. His cellmate was sleeping. Amazing how a man could sleep so soundly only a few hours before his execution! Demas had seen these Roman executions before and knew how slow and painful they could be.
Cool As A Cucumber    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 2150 words. Published on February 22, 2012. Fiction.
"He's as cool as a cucumber." It fit. Kenneth Cary Coulson was as calm and self-possessed as any rookie pitcher that I had ever seen. With the playoffs on the line, Cucumber was called to pitch. With his dad and his girl friend watching, Coulson calmly reared back and threw two blazing fast balls. What happened next shocked everyone, including me in the press box.
The Test    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 3310 words. Published on February 22, 2012. Fiction.
His knees trembled and he felt weak. The trek through the burning sands had been long, and longer still the climb up the mountain. The breeze that inhabits the high places found him at last as he looked toward the river, now hardly more than a bright ribbon from his lofty perch. Jesus felt very faint; his fast had been long since his baptism by his cousin, John.
A Private Little Affair    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 2030 words. Published on February 7, 2012. Fiction.
(4.00 from 2 reviews)
Betsy was in love. From the tips of her toes to the top of her pixie-like brown hair, every fiber of ber being seemed to vibrate with a special kind of joy. But the focus of her admiration was seemingly unaware of her...as a woman, that is. Unknown to Betsy was the fact that her young professor was quite aware of her.
An Irish Love Story    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 35620 words. Published on February 7, 2012. Fiction.
(5.00 from 1 review)
One Irish Spring (circa mid-1970s) An American businessman on his first trip to Ireland meets Maggie, a brash red-head who has a low opinion of Yanks. Despite her attitude, he invites her to be his tour guide after hearing her passionately describe Ireland's beautiful beaches and mountains. They start out for the beach and wind up lost in the mountains.
A Quiet Man    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 1070 words. Published on January 19, 2012. Fiction.
0.5 star(4.50 from 2 reviews)
Henry Willeford III was a quiet man. He was tidy and neat. He never varied his daily routine...until today!
The Old Woman from Catspaw    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 1450 words. Published on January 19, 2012. Fiction.
(5.00 from 2 reviews)
Felicity Furr was a cranky old crone nobody liked. Known as "the cat lady" in Catspaw, Indiana, she lived high up Devil's Elbow with her black cat, Lucifer. The night before Halloween, young Tommy Wilson and his buddies set out to do mischief at the old woman's cabin. Surprise and mystery await.
The Comeback    by Russ Durbin
Price: Free! 1700 words. Published on January 17, 2012. Fiction.
(4.00 from 1 review)
The odds are stacked against him, but Jim Roberts, once great pitcher, is determined to make his comeback to the Major Leagues from a devastating injury and an alcoholic limbo that threatened to end his career permanently.

Russ Durbin’s tag cloud

1970s    1990s    aer lingus    antonia    arizona territory    badge    baptism    barabbas    baseball    bethlehem    black cat    blarney castle    bmw touring    bob ford    books    bounty hunter    boys    buckboard    carpenter    cats    catspaw    cattleman    charlie ford    christ    christmas    cleanup hitter    college    colt 45    comeback    cork    cork city    county cork    court    cowboys    crucifixion    crush    dad    dancing    death penalty    decision    dinner party    divorce    dreams    dublin    eire    execution    farmer    fast    femme fatale    fisherman    flagellum    flat tire    frank james    girl friend    god    golgotha    gouganne barra    greek    gunman    guns    halloween    high place    hitter    holsters    horses    howards    humanness    indiana    ireland    jail    jerusalem    jesse james    jesus    jewish    john the baptist    joseph    judge    justice    kinsale    kiss    lawyer    legionnaire    literary agent    literature    london    love    lucifer    maneater    marshal    media    messiah    moustache    mules    murder    nazareth    old woman    ozarks    peace    penitent    philadelphia    pistols    pitcher    playoffs    political    precise    press box    printer    printers devil    printing press    prison    procurator    professor    publisher    publishers    quantrill    quiet    rancher    razor    relationships    river jordan    roman    romance    rookie    saloon    satan    shotgun    silver star    sixshooter    sodbuster    sports injury    sports writer    st paddys day    stpatricks day    surprise    temptations    testing time    the times    the yanks    thief    tiberius    tidy and neat    town marshal    turf    valetine    vanity    via dolorosa    warrant    youghal    yuma   

Russ Durbin's favorite authors on Smashwords


Smashwords book reviews by Russ Durbin

  • The Pluck of O'Reilly on March 15, 2012
    star star star star
    Interesting story with a delightful twist at the end. Just right for St. Paddy's Day.