When Russell Blake sold his real estate development company in 2002, he could have moved anywhere, but ended up in Mexico and has never looked back. He started writing suspense and thriller novels but was unable to find a publisher. In 2011, he started self-publishing and sold his books on Amazon. His idea was to write and publish books quickly, and at one point he released 25 thrillers in 30 months. This led him to become a New York Times bestselling author.  What brings Russell to our podcast is not a novel but a non-fiction book. In 2020, he released Retirement Secrets of Mexico, which focuses on eight select retirement locations. These are places that are not, for the most part, brimming with expats. Russell notes the book is “a description of places where one can live an exceptional life with modern infrastructure and conveniences, eating and drinking well, without having to worry about safety, comfort or health care quality.” Today, Russell lives in the city of Colima. On Episode 33 of Retire There with Gil & Gene, he talks about Colima and other jewels of Mexico.  Russell’s book on Mexico is Retirement Secrets of Mexico: https://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Secrets-Mexico-Russell-Blake/dp/B08M8CRLPP/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=retirement+secrets+of+mexico&qid=1621668439&s=books&sr=1-1Russell’s highly rated Argentinian steakhouse and pizza restaurant in Colima is Russell Blake’s Mendoza Grill: http://mendozagrill.com/?fbclid=IwAR3Ca4O03OJ4JhFaU1rlICmggaWncbf_S8DdTkcyoS-KRcUtcX4gAUdeCicFor the Colima residential golf community development Russell is involved with and to check out amenities and model homes: http://elencantoaltozano.com/ Russell’s website is https://russellblake.com/For an intriguing 2021 interview of Russell from WorldClassPerformer.com: https://worldclassperformer.com/short-life-lessons-from-russell-blake/?fbclid=IwAR0NCxILlRyJYRYyl6nA_vdI3nLZXa5uX8eTBoI3UnDXGeBupOzSehOu1SAThe Wall Street Journal published an article in 2014 on Russell’s writing career, titled Fast-Paced Best Seller: Author Russell Blake Thrives on Volumes: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303640604579298604044404682