HAVENWOOD FALLS — While Russell Higgins maintains a reputation of being a lone wolf and keeping to himself in his cabin outside of town, we all know how he protects our borders at night. According to the allegedly fictional story Old Wounds, he recently found a visitor nearly buried alive in the woods. “Allegedly” being the keyword because we’ve seen Higgins with his new girl around town. So we asked him to sit with us for an exclusive interview.
Tell us about yourself – e.g., who are you, what do you do for work, favorite subject in school, what do you do for fun?
Well, I will answer these questions to the best of my ability, but as I am a little bit unusual I am not sure how much I will remember of school since I am, well, a little older than I look (chuckle). First, I am Russell Higgins, but I prefer folks to call me Rusty. I’m a park ranger with a little knack for changing into a wolf once in a while. Until I met Sherry, that is Sherry Grimes to you, I was often seen prowling the woods around Havenwood Falls, protecting both the town and the tourists from things that go bump in the night, I guess. I didn’t really have a favorite subject in school; at my age school is a very distant memory. For fun, well, since meeting Sherry, most of my “fun” activities are probably not appropriate to mention here, but before then being outdoors was what I loved to do most. I live deep in the woods in a cabin I built myself. It isn’t much, but it is cozy and home to me. Another thing I like to do now that Sherry is here is go into town and visit with some of our friends and take in the festivals and events in town. Life sure is different now.
What is something unexpected that most people don’t know about you?
Well, now, other than the obvious shifting into a wolf thing, I guess something most people don’t know about me is that I like to read. I am not too specific about what I read, either. I read a lot of romance and one of my favorite authors is Kristie Cook. Umm… don’t tell anyone about that, not sure my friends would understand – they might think I’ve gone soft.
What do you love about living in/visiting Havenwood Falls? What frustrates you most?
I love how Havenwood Falls is never the same. And, I guess that is what frustrates it most about me, too. We are constantly getting visitors who don’t understand what we are about and how to act around us. We’re just people. Some of us have a little something special about us, but seriously, we’re just people.
Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?
I think, if I couldn’t live in Havenwood Falls anymore, I would live in the Black Forest in Germany. I have cousins out there I think.
Where’s your favorite place to hang out in Havenwood Falls and why?
Okay, this might sound really corny, but seriously, any place Sherry is, is my favorite place to be. Unless you mean being in my forest? If that is the case, then it would be the woods. I love the way the moon slants through the trees at night, and seeing the stars sparkling overhead is like being in heaven to me.
What’s your favorite holiday/festival/special thing to do?
Havenwood Falls is a delightful town and the residents are constantly having a festival for this, that, or the other all the time. I think I like celebrating Halloween the most. I have a costume already (chuckle), with Christmas a close second. The town really brings out the magic for those two holidays and you cannot help but be affected by it. I love the food, the friends, and the way Sherry’s eyes sparkle in the starlight when we walk around town at night.
Thank you for taking time to visit with me. I hope you enjoyed our conversation as much as I did.
By the moon, I’m glad that’s over – oops, is this thing still recording?
Find out about the beginnings of Rusty and Sherry’s relationship in Old Wounds by Susan Burdorf.