Growing up in a fishing family on the coast of Maine, Russie loved the foggy mornings most of all. He would gather with his father and uncles in a circle down on the dock, where there was nothing to do but tell stories until the fog would lift enough to "go ta haul". They say that fishing gets "in your blood". Russie tends to disagree. It is the storytelling that gets "in your blood", the fishing just gets in the way.

Russie spent the first half of his life trying to get away from Maine and the second half trying to get back. He plans on staying put for the third half.

As a lifelong stutterer, Russie Lane prefers keeping in the shadows. A self-proclaimAlthough identifying himself as The Reluctant Storyteller, he can’t stay in the background for long.