Lynne Russell

LYNNE RUSSELL, author and journalist, anchored CNN HEADLINE NEWS for almost 20 years, breaking ground as the first woman to anchor a regular network nightly newscast (33,000+ of them).

For her new novel, STREGA - MAGIC: THE SPIRIT NEVER DIES, she draws upon her Italian family’s wealth of stories and legends to create the challenging world of a modern-day young woman and the ancestors who continue to shape her destiny.

Russell’s wacky, entertaining PJ SANTINI romantic crime series includes HELL ON HEELS, HEELS OF FORTUNE, and LOVE HEELS!. PJ Santini is the TV journalist and private eye whom Rita Zekas of The Toronto Star calls "the love child of Janet Evanovich and Elmore Leonard". Enough said. Russell’s style is compared to James Patterson and his character Alex Cross.

Russell, like PJ Santini, is a TV journalist and private eye. Coincidence? We'll let you decide. Hint: PJ has a penchant for stilettos, dark chocolate, and a certain handsome man whose scent is a mixture of Fahrenheit and gun oil.

Lynne's Russell’s memoir, HOW TO WIN FRIENDS, KICK ASS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE (St Martin's Press), explores the liberating concepts of women's appreciating and utilizing their own abilities and talents...along with peaceful coexistence with the opposite sex, and a healthy celebration of "La Difference!". Actor-comedian Richard Belzer says, "If Xena, Warrior Princess could tell her story, this would be her book."

Her long-standing dedication to the People's Right to Know was recognized in THE NEW YORK TIMES, which called her a "just-the-facts stalwart of CNN Headline News"...but also a "news anchor with the personality of a professional wrestler". So much for charm school. In THE WASHINGTON POST: "We are, frankly, devastated by the news...Lynne Russell is leaving...the future seems a little sadder." Lynne hosted the first U.S. cable in the classroom project, as her "CNN Week in Review" was introduced in schools.

She is a former Deputy Sheriff/Jail Officer in Fulton County [Atlanta] GA, holds two black belts in the martial art Choi Kwang Do, is a certified open water SCUBA diver, certified keelboat sailor, and enthusiastic - if clumsy - hockey skater.

After CNN, she launched Lynne Russell Red Lipstick, and is the creator of the Benevento Lampshade Company, featuring personally handstitched, one-of-a-kind luxurious Italian silk lampshades. A nod to her Italian heritage and the romance of the Old Country.

Lynne and her husband divide their time between Washington, DC and Italy.