 Russell became a fan of science fiction and in 1934, while living near Liverpool, he saw a letter in "Amazing Stories" from Leslie J. Johnson, another reader from the same area.Russell met up with Johnson, who encouraged him to embark on a writing career.Together, the two men wrote a novella, "Seeker of Tomorrow", that was published by F. Orlin Tremaine in the July 1937 number of "Astounding Stories".