This Week's Book Giveaway: Terms of Interment

This week, Coffee with David is honored to bring its readers a tale of deceit and desperation. A story that is shadowy, slapstick, and surreal as it follows one man's "ordeal from the opulence of his Central West End parlor to the dark, grim graveyard in this fantasy novel by award-winning author Marcel Toussaint. This interview and giveaway was originally posted on The Writers' Lens. The winner never claimed their prize.

Marcel Toussaint published his first book in the 90’s, Remember Me Young, a collection of poems written over his many years. His poems are also featured in fourteen anthologies, including America at the Millennium. He has read on various radio and TV stations including National Public Radio and the Education channel. In early 2009, Toussaint entered the National Veterans Poetry Awards competition and won gold medals in the categories of Patriotic, Personal Humorous. His poem in the Patriotic category is featured in the National Veterans Poetry Anthology. Toussaint won an award for his two poems entries at the St. Louis Writers Guild Poetry Throwdown at the Focal Point in St. Louis in 2010. He has been a featured poet at the Observable Readings, at the Missouri of Modern Arts Museum, Poetry Per Chance at Washington University to name a few events. A selection of his poems have been published in Korean, in Wilderness January 2011. Toussaint writes in English, French and Spanish and has been translated to Dutch, German, Catalan, Korean. He has read his poetry in Paris at the Club des Poetes and in Valencia, Spain 2008. The poet reads his poetry at various open mikes in the Metropolitan area.

His new novel Terms of Interment, came out October 2011.

Poetry of a Lifetime, was published in 2009.

Marcel Toussaint represented The Saint Louis VA at The National Veterans Creative Arts Nationals in Fayetteville, Arkansas October 2011 and brought back a National Gold Medal Poetry. He was selected to perform his entry in costume on stage and the show was videotaped to be run on PBS in November 2012.

An interview with Marcel Toussaint:

David Alan Lucas: When you are starting to work on a novel, what do you find brings the story into focus for you? A Character? A setting? Something else?

Marcel Toussaint: A human interest will be most motivating.  I do observe all that surrounds me at all times. I try to be very discreet about it. The smallest spark can become a novel. I often write a novel within a month and a half. Preparing for eventual publication takes more time than that. So I read and re-read the manuscript, inventing more scenes and embellishing as I go.  There comes the time when the novel has to be assumed completed, and there it goes to the editor. I do not follow what I have been taught! I write in scenes and this allows for the placing of them where I find them to be best suited. I do not follow an outline from A to Z.  I may have the ending before even writing the beginning.  Many scenes in between are written as they come up to my mind. Fresh ideas move me immediately.

DL: What brings your poetry into focus?

MT: Oddly enough, I often write a title for a poem and then write the poem. Since I write poetic portraits, anyone who strikes my curiosity by his deportment or conversation is a very motivating subject for writing. In some instances just an interesting nature scene or event will wake up my muse and influence me.

DL: What themes in your fiction writing seem to drive you the most? Are they the same with your poetry?

MT: I get all wrapped up in unusual characters and I build a story around them. The characters could develop into a mini story for a poem, a short story, or a novel.  It depends on the strength of events that develop in my mind as the writing progresses. If I see that there are many meandering possibilities in the process, it becomes a novel.

DL: Do you work on multiple projects at once? If so, how many?

MT: Definitively. I wrote three novels at the same time when the three ideas came to mind at about the same time.  One of the novels typically will take up most of my time while the other two give me a change of pace for my thoughts, away from the primary novel.  Ideas cannot be wasted; they must be used immediately.

DL: How easy was it to take the leap of faith to become a serious writer and chase this career? What did you find that you had to do to take the step?

MT: Having written and drawn from the age of twelve, it has been an ongoing passion. I did it at first for pleasure and curiosity. Then I graduated to get attention and see how creative my writing could be. Eventually I wanted to collect my poetry and novels to hopefully display a substantial accomplishment. This progressive passion took me into many courses in writing to see if I was up with the changing times. Looking back, my first publication was at the age of twelve with a series of cards in a fourfold featuring a small drawing on the front page. U.S. soldiers began to notice my cards as they came to our house for a family dinner.  They initiated me on the mimeograph processes and facilitated my budding business in buying my cards.  The cards were done on a waxed paper and put into one of those marvelous print repeaters. Business was good at twelve in Morocco.  Many years later, I took a course about being published at Meramec Junior College here in Saint Louis.  The course was so grand that I presented my poetry to various anthologies.  After an initial rejection, I ended up in fourteen publications within a year or so, following the steps I had been taught in the course.

DL: When you plot your novels, from whose point of view do you plot from? The protagonist’s? The antagonist’s? The narrator’s? Someone else?

MT: I have written five novels.  I would say I have covered all those bases. It depends on the individual story.

DL: What was your biggest fear when you decided to first be published as a novelist or a poet?  Do you still have those fears with each new book or are there other fears that come up?

MT: I have been very fortunate. Editors of university journals, book editors and publishers have all shown interest in my poetry. I have more fears presenting my work to contests. Judges have likes and dislikes and are very set in their ways.  Many of them feel grandiose at deciding if a poem will make it to the finish line or not. They favor the style they approve irrespective of the quality of the poems.  Some of them have so many excuses for eliminating an entry for some ridiculous detail whether the title is in bold or you used the “old” accepted way of capitalizing the major letters of the title. One judge just did not accept poems centered on the page! So eliminating those poems and again keeping the fee!  No contest I have looked into has ever mentioned such rules! The interesting thing is they keep your entry fee but trash your poem without reading it! Some contest like obscured poetry! I wonder what is the use to write something that no one will want to read past a few verses? My French professors insisted on clear well written verses that, in those days rhymed, that made sense and were part of a well constructed poem. 

DL: What is your writing schedule like?

MT: I write when I feel like it.  This means continuously. Any idea is immediately put to paper, even while driving.  I just make quick notes at stoplights and during traffic stops, using my steering wheel as a writing desk. This later helps me recall what is important for a story or a character. I get up in the middle of the night when an idea dawns and write for hours, before going back to sleep in the early morning hours.

DL: If you could have coffee (or drink of your choice) with four other authors from any time period, who would you choose and why?

MT: Verlaine and Baudelaire, because some of my verses, I am told, trigger their works in the minds of my readers. Moliere for his comedy and De la Fontaine for his fables that are mini stories, much like my poems.

DL: How could our readers learn more about you?

MT: To know a writer is to read his works. Poetry of a Lifetime is an autobiography that my editor, Linda Dahlheimer, commissioned me to assemble under her watchful eye.  She was most interested to find that my life’s time line was parallel with my poetry time line. She found the poems that were most conducive to be included in the publication. Her creative insight is superb.  She insisted that a photo album be included along with some of my quotations.  Terms of Internment, also edited by Linda, I wrote with the collaboration of Cyrus Pars.  Both can be found at www.nacgpress.com.  My business card, which I regularly hand out, includes a QR code that can be scanned to reach the publisher’s site.

Thank you Marcel for your interview. 

How do you win a free copy of this book?  To enter the contest, simply leave a comment or question on Coffee with David blog between now (July 21st) and midnight July 27th, 2012. Please include your email so we can reach you if you win. The more comments you leave, the greater your chance of winning the contest. If you refer others to Coffee with David who mention your name in their comments, I'll enter your name again in our random number generator along with theirs, also increasing your chances at winning! The winner will be chosen after midnight on Friday, July 27th and the announcement made on Saturday, July 28th. Good luck and comment often.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

The winner of Hitchcock on Hitchcock is . . .

The winner is Carl.


Congratulations!
 
Please send me your shipping address to David@DavidAlanLucas.com

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

Writing the Fight Scene: "Can a Woman Take on a Man in a Fight and Win?"

As I wrote on July 3rd, I have changed this month's writing the fight scene topic to answer a question posed by one of my readers. The reader wrote on June 19, 2012, "Hi David. I wondered if you might have any insight regarding hand-to-hand combat with a female protagonist.

"I recently read somewhere that a woman cannot "take on" a man, period. No way, no how.

"I know that upper body strength is an obvious issue, but wonder if there are certain things she can optimize, use to her advantage, or take advantage of in a male opponent, etc. And I don't mean basic self-defense either. I'm thinking equivalent to a trained, female soldier.

"Appreciate any thoughts."

After I wrote the first draft of my response to this, I found I was over ten pages single spaced on Microsoft Word.  Most blog readers don't want to read something long, so I have decided to split the answer into two blogs. This is the first.

Before I begin, I must warn you of three things:

• It will still be lengthy;
• It will be answered frankly and honestly as this Sandan (3rd Degree Black Belt) in Chinese (or Tracy's or Original) Kenpo sees it based on both personal experience and those he has had the honor of calling sisters in the brotherhood of black belts; and
• If you harbor a false male ego that men are superior fighters because they are physically stronger, your ego will be shattered like a porcelain doll---a very girly porcelain doll. (I think I hear some shattering already.  Oh well. "Clean up in aisle 6! Clean up in aisle 6!")

Obviously, the answer to question if a woman can defeat a man is yes. Before I explain why it is, and at the risk of sounding like I am providing a mathematical proof, let me lay down a few things to be sure you and I are on the same page.

1. I am assuming that neither the man nor the woman have any injuries, illnesses, mental problems, or so that would limit them.
2. I am also assuming that these people do not have special abilities or magical powers, and so forth. If they do, this would still be true—as long as your world is treating them equally in the sense that they would otherwise be normal people.

I write the following with both the Kenpo Code and the Oath in mind. I have taken this oath since I was ten and done my best to live by the oath and the code.

The code is:

• I come to you with only open hands, other weapons, I have not. But should Right or Honor require it my hands will bear me out.

 My oath is:

• I solemnly pledge that I will use the art of Karate solely for the purposes of defense, never for purposes of aggression.
• I will treat with respect both my teachers and fellow students.  
•  I will strive to impart an attitude of respect and appreciation for the teachings of Karate, and an understanding of the responsibility that a knowledge of Karate entails.
• I will never sanction the use of Karate for destructive or harmful ends.  I make these promises solemnly and on my honor.

Let’s begin by defining the word "fight". If we are looking at a ruled completion (as in a ring match) where there are certain things that are either required or disqualified, then either person may be over matched. I know rules are meant to make a competition fight fair, but they usually lean towards one style or ability (such as strength) over others.  Unless you are writing the next Rocky or Karate Kid tournament novel, rules will not apply to what you are writing.

(Sidebar: Police officers do have to follow certain rules on the street. Contact your local police department on what those are.)

This leaves us with either with hand-to-hand combat or a street fight. In either case, I personally follow these philosophies:

1. (To borrow from Joss Whedon who said it best with his Character Mal Reynolds in Firefly) “Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back!” (Sidebar: Just because you are defending yourself doesn’t mean you may not be arrested. However, a good lawyer can get you out of a jury of twelve. He can’t get you out of a box carried by six.)

2. There is no such thing as the undefeatable opponent. Everyone and everything has a weakness. The trick is finding and exploiting it.
3. There is an old Asian (I think Japanese) saying I heard as a twelve-year old boy that has stuck with me and I have passed it along to all those who I have taught any self-defense to: “A butterfly could knock down a man if it only knew where to place its wings.”

I will show you those weak points and how to exploit them below under “Butterfly Wing Techniques.” (next month's blog)

Let’s walk before we run.  

Everything from here on assumes the combatants are unarmed. This is a misnomer. If your character (or if it is you in real life) have clothing on, you are armed. You read that correctly. Unless you are naked and the ground you are fighting on is completely sterile and empty and your hands are empty, you can always have a weapon--even if that weapon is a stick of chewing gum. I will make that a separate blog subject in the future (September 8th).

(Sidebar: I once gave a student of mine a “homework assignment.” I asked him to think of anything that could not be a weapon. He came back and mentioned a few things. I showed him how they could be used as a weapon. I explained as I did so the real definition of what a weapon is. I had him do it again. He came back and explained about the various things he thought about (and I had to give him credit, he was quite inventive on showing how things could be used as a weapon) and concluded everything could be a weapon. He was right.)

How does a woman defeat a man? The same way any weaker opponent defeats a stronger one: by using their brains and their (dis)advantages to the best of their ability. A fighter is never brainless (unless you are writing zombies or berserkers). The stronger opponent doesn’t want you to think. He wants you to fear. The weaker opponent must think and use their fear to their advantage.

Before I go into how to see your or your characters advantages, let me tell you a story about someone who should not have been able to defeat stronger opponents. But, he did . . . quite often and it was fun to watch.

A late instructor of mine, Steve Leventhal was a great fighter. He was short, around five foot two to five foot four. His height did not prevent him from competing in martial art fighting competitions nor did it prevent him from walking home with the trophies from them. With his foot on the ground, he could kick a man over six feet tall in the head.

No, I’m not making this up. While I have always believed from my earliest days of Martial Art training that there was no such thing as an undefeatable opponent, watching Steve was watching the philosophy come to life every time he stepped in to the ring.

It is with great sadness that I must end this example by saying Steve passed away at the age of 27 from unknown causes in 2006. He was the same rank I am now when he passed away. His storytelling and his teaching is missed very much. Yet, his living lesson continues on in all those who watched him and learned from him—including me.

How did Steve do it? Simple! He used his brains, experience, and timing to get inside of the taller opponent’s reach. Once he was too close for the opponent to punch or kick, the opponent had to withdraw to a more comfortable distance. There was no way he was going to let the opponent do that. Instead he stayed on top and struck from his punching or kicking range.

If the opponent is stronger, use his strength against him.

If the opponent has more experience, use it against him. (It is quite common for Black Belts to be surprised by White Belts because the White Belts don’t know that they can’t do something.)

If the opponent is faster, use his speed to his disadvantage.

If your opponent is scary, use the adrenaline pumping in your veins to make yourself terrifying.

Do you get the idea? What are your or your characters disadvantages are, from there you can discover your advantages. No one is undefeatable. (Tougher than hell, but not undefeatable!)

As I wrote above, we will continue this discussion next month on August 11, 2012 with a blog titled "Butterfly Wing Techniques" that will go through all of the points where any man (as the saying goes, "be it ape, man, angel or demon") is weak.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

This Week's Book Giveaway: Serial by Legendary Master of Suspense, John Lutz

This week, Coffee with David is honored to bring its readers a master--a legend--of the thriller and mystery genre: John Lutz. This interview and giveaway was originally posted on The Writers' Lens. The winner never claimed their prize.

"If I've scared somebody enough to disturb their sleep--that's good."--John Lutz

David Alan Lucas: When you are starting to work on a new novel, what do you find brings the story into focus for you? A Character? A setting? Something else?

John Lutz: Almost always the characters, and something of their relationship with each other. The interplay between the characters is as important as the characters themselves.

DL: How did you learn to write suspenseful thrillers?

JL:  By writing and writing and writing. I think the more you write, the more you learn, and the better you write. Also I enjoy reading suspense novels; especially if they are set in New York City, such as Lawrence Sanders’ “Deadly Sin” series, published in the seventies. New York is a great place to set a novel.

DL: What key things make your thrillers work?

JL: I would like to think they work because of the characters. They have to be real enough for the reader to identify with them and on a certain level feel what they are feeling and share in their experience.

"As a writer you're getting inside the skin of your character in your book in the same way an actor gets inside the skin of a character he plays on stage."-- John Lutz

DL: What was the hardest part of writing thrillers and suspense?

JL:  It’s more difficult and time consuming to write a long, multiple viewpoint novel than to write a linear detective novel or conventional whodunit. There are more plates to keep spinning.

DL: You are currently writing about serial killers.  When you write their scenes, do you ever scare yourself?

JL: Nope. I’m too wrapped up in technique, and wondering if what I’m doing is working, to feel what I hope the reader will feel. It’s gratifying to receive e-mails from women thanking me for having scared them. Makes me think I’m on the right track.

DL: How do you sharpen your suspenseful scenes and when do you know, as the writer, that you have it the way you want it?

JL: When I believe I’ve revised enough, I set aside what I’ve written and come back to it later with a fresh perspective. If it still feels to me that I’ve nailed a scene or story, I’m satisfied.

DL: What themes in your fiction writing seem to drive you the most?

JL: I like my fiction to convey the notion that there are patterns and  real cause and effect in life (which is for the most part  pretty random) and that once we discern what’s happening, we have the ability to cope with it, or at least learn to accept it.

DL: Do you work on multiple novels at once? If so, how many?

JL: I take it one book at a time, though if I’m between phases, such as a finished first draft, or a second, I might work on another project. I’m probably giving the impression that I revise a lot. I do.

DL: How easy was it to take the leap of faith to become a serious writer and chase this career? What did you find that you had to do to take the step?

JL:  When I received a surprisingly large advance for a novel, it became apparent to me that this was my most marketable skill. I knew I could combine what I very much enjoyed doing (writing) with obtaining what I very much needed (money). A liberating moment.

DL: In years past, new writers would battle their way in the pulp magazines to build their readerships and their careers. Do you think that is still the case in the explosion of electronic readers, blogs, e-zines, and other like media? Who do you see as the current gatekeeper of the good writers and those who are still developing?

JL: A comprehensive answer would take several pages, and then it might be far wrong. Maybe the most interesting thing about book-biz these days is that no one knows for sure where it is headed. Where we’ve been, and where we are, might be much different from where we’re going. There seems to be no gatekeeper, and the gate is wide open.

DL: When you plot your novels, from whose point of view do you plot from? The protagonist’s? The antagonist’s? The narrator’s? Some one else?

JL: In a thriller I write from several alternating  points of view. I also like to write more linear PI novels from the protagonist’s POV, and in third person.

DL: Arthur C. Clarke once wrote that when science catches up with the science fiction writer, the science fiction writer needs to make a leap forward.  With fictional shows like CSI and reality TV shows like Killer Instinct, do you feel that you have had to take a leap forward as a thriller writer to stay atop of the changes in the science of criminal investigation? How do you stay ahead of the game?

JL: Definitely we have to leap, or at least crawl, forward to keep up. DNA alone has forced many changes. Cell phones mean everyone can be in touch with everyone else. The Internet provides information it took fictional detectives not so long ago weeks (or chapters) to obtain. The more sophisticated cell phones become, the more we crime writers have to adapt, because almost everyone now has a cell phone, which is also a camera, which is also a GPS system, which is also a research library, which is also a newspaper morgue, which is also a recorder, which is also…

DL: What novels, books, articles, magazines or other media most useful when you are researching serial killers and criminal investigation?

JL:  See above. Google is probably my main source of research material.

DL: You are a master and a legend in the genres of suspense and mystery.  What was your biggest fear when you decided to first be published as a novelist?  Do you still have those fears with each new book or are there other fears that come up?

JL: Like most of the writers I knew when I was starting out, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t sell enough copies to prompt the sale of another book. Fewer fears now. I’m more confident that if I take the time and trouble to revise, I can make whatever it is I’m writing work, Unlike many writers, I really do enjoy revising, so that’s not much of a problem. It’s meticulous work, but it’s what  lends the fiction life.  To paraphrase Mark Twain: “The difference between the adequate word and the precise word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

DL: What is your writing schedule like?

JL: I usually work in the morning, then after lunch revise what I’ve written.  In both morning and afternoon, before starting to work I check e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, to make sure nothing requires immediate attention.

DL: If you could have coffee (or drink of your choice) with four other authors from any time period, who would you choose and why?

JL: Shakespeare, to see if I could get an honest answer out of him.; H.H. Munro (Saki) to see if I could figure out how he did what no one else has been able to do; Joseph Conrad, to see if he talks as rhythmically as he writes; Edgar Allan Poe, to see if I could cheer him up.

DL: How could my readers learn more about you?

JL: They could visit my Facebook author page, Twitter, or my website, http://www.johnlutzonline.com

Here are some additional videos on YouTube about John Lutz and his stories:

Meet John Lutz: http://youtu.be/aOsTgiwxUMM

John Lutz: The World of Frank Quinn: http://youtu.be/ZrH6MlWQaek

How do you win a free copy of this book?  To enter the contest, simply leave a comment or question on Coffee with David blog between now (July 14th) and midnight July 20th, 2012. Please include your email so we can reach you if you win. The more comments you leave, the greater your chance of winning the contest. If you refer others to Coffee with David who mention your name in their comments, I'll enter your name again in our random number generator along with theirs, also increasing your chances at winning! The winner will be chosen after midnight on Friday, July 20th and the announcement made on Saturday, July 21st. Good luck and comment often. 

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

This Week's Book Giveaway: Hitchcock on Hitchcock

This week, in the spirit of the series I have been writing on The Writers' Lens (How to Write Hitchcockian), I am reposting the giveaway of an entire book of interviews with and essays by the Master of Suspense himself. This book is one of my key resources when I want to dive into the mind of the Master. Sadly the winner never claimed their prize.

The following is from Barnes and Noble: "Gathered here for the first time are Alfred Hitchcock's reflections on his own life and work. In this ample selection of largely unknown and formerly inaccessible interviews and essays, Hitchcock provides an enlivening commentary on a career that spanned decades and transformed the history of the cinema. Bringing the same exuberance and originality to his writing as he did to his films, he ranges from accounts of his own life and experiences to techniques of film making and ideas about cinema in general. Wry, thoughtful, witty, and humorous--as well as brilliantly informative--this selection reveals another side of the most renowned filmmaker of our time.

"Sidney Gottlieb not only presents some of Hitchcock's most important pieces, but also places them in their historical context and in the context of Hitchcock's development as a director. He reflects on Hitchcock's complicated, often troubled, and continually evolving relationship toward women, both on and off the set. Some of the topics Hitchcock touches upon are the differences between English and American attitudes toward murder, the importance of comedy in film, and the uses and techniques of lighting. There are also many anecdotes of life among the stars, reminiscences from the sets of some of the most successful and innovative films of this century, and incisive insights into working method, film history, and the role of film in society.

"Unlike some of the complex critical commentary that has emerged on his life and work, the director's own writing style is refreshingly straightforward and accessible. Throughout the collection, Hitchcock reveals a delight and curiosity about his medium that bring all his subjects to life."

How do you win a free copy of this book?  To enter the contest, simply leave a comment or question on Coffee with David blog between now (July 7th) and midnight July 13th, 2012. Please include your email so we can reach you if you win. The more comments you leave, the greater your chance of winning the contest. If you refer others to Coffee with David who mention your name in their comments, I'll enter your name again in our random number generator along with theirs, also increasing your chances at winning! The winner will be chosen after midnight on Friday, July 13th and the announcement made on Saturday, July 14th. Good luck and comment often.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

A Change Up on Coffee With David

Finally after Hurricane May and June at my bill paying job, I can finally get this blog back on track.  However, this month is going to be a little bit different. If you have been following me posts, you know that I conduct book giveaways on my own blog Coffee With David (http://davidalanlucas.blogspot.com/) and The Writers' Lens (www.thewriterslens.com). Surprisingly, even though people comment, they don't always claim their prize. Because of this, I will be posting the book giveaways and any interviews where this occurred over on the other site. 

Beginning July 7, each week you will have a chance to win a book if you comment. 

Also, I know I promised last month to delve into the various kinds of training that a trained fighter could master and what those disciplines entailed. However, one of your fellow readers posted a question and I am going to tackle that answer in this month's "Writing the Fight Scene." It will endeavor to answer the question, "Can a Woman Take on a Man in a Fight and Win?" I must warn my readers that:

1. It will be lengthy;
2. It will be violent;
3. It will be answered frankly and honestly as this Sandan (3rd Degree Black Belt) in Chinese (or Tracy's or Original) Kenpo sees it based on both personal experience and those he has had the honor of calling sisters in the brotherhood of black belts; and
4. If you harbor a false male ego that men are superior fighters because they are physically stronger, your ego will be shattered like a porcelain doll---a very girly porcelain doll.

Oh...and I will share quite a bit of the how-to-do its.

Won't you join me?

A final note to all my readers--those that comment and those that just read silently-- from around the world, I would like to thank you and ask that you do post questions. The blog is as much my readers' as it is mine. Feel free to ask questions and I will be happy to either answer the comment with a response or an entire blog.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

The winner of Coveted is . . .

The winner of Coveted, by Shawntelle Madison is Cheryl Malone. Congratulations. Please send me an email at David@DavidAlanLucas with an address that I can FedEx your book to.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.