Zackary Russell is a Fightin’ Texas Aggie and proud member of Generation X-Wing. From a young age, he traveled the Oregon Trail, explored the island of Myst, and conquered the dungeons of Hyrule. The worlds of Shannara, Middle Earth, and Shadowrun opened his imagination to impossible places. His journeys alongside Wesley Crusher, John Connor, and Neo instilled a cautious fascination with all things technological.

After plotting out a college degree in Creative Writing, Zackary soon switched to Telecommunications Engineering. During those days, he breathed in Wifi and 3G signals while most of his friends were tied down to landline phones. But the world was slowly becoming digitized. And before it was captured by the Giants of Silicon Valley, the internet used to be really fun.

Soon, another world altogether captured Zackary’s attention: the dark lands where God’s Word was completely unknown. The stories of brave men like Jim Elliot, Brother Andrew, and Hudson Taylor lit a fire his heart could not contain. His first international flight was thus a mission trip, to a place of wonder across the vast ocean.

Zackary spent several years undercover in an undisclosed location, showing a beloved people how their own language points to a lamb who covers us with true righteousness. And one day, while wandering through a convenience store in Thailand, he spotted a beautiful young woman. A fellow missionary, Naomi shared Zackary’s heart for bringing the hope of Jesus to all nations. She captured his heart, and the next year they wed.

Their journey of ministering together brought them close to people from distant countries—international students at U.S. college campuses. It became apparent how these internationals longed for a better story. A main role Zackary adopted, therefore, became crafting stories that portray eternal hope in Christ. He’s written screenplays such as Cabernet and The Stamp Collector, compiled documentary short films like Russian Fairy Tale, and penned voice overs like Whole Campus Whole World.

Zackary and Naomi have welcomed four children into their home in Central Texas, where they are partners at Austin Stone Community Church. Zackary leads the Austin Christian Novelists group, and co-hosts the Fantastical Truth podcast.