My Favorite Sport
Can I share my favorite
sport with you? It's not your typical
activity like basketball or football or soccer. Actually a lot of people
think I'm insane for doing it. What could it possibly be? It's
mixed martial arts or more commonly known as MMA.
To be honest, I am a new
convert to MMA. A little over a year ago I didn't even like it. It
all started with my novel Breaking the Cycle. I needed to find something
that my hero, Max, was forced to sacrifice for my heroine, Chloe, and I decided
it would be his job as a fitness trainer. I wanted to find a sport that
people would look down on him for being a part of. It didn't take long to
decide on MMA. However, I knew nothing about mixed martial arts. I
didn't want to Google it or watch videos. I wanted talk to a real
fighter.
I e-mailed Keoni Koch, the
owner of my local gym, Hard Drive MMA, and asked if I could send him a few
questions. He graciously agreed and I did. As I waited for him to
send them back I checked out the gym's website and noticed they offered
kickboxing classes. I always wanted to try kickboxing plus I really
needed to lose weight. One month wouldn't hurt, right? I am still
not sure how I survived that first class.
I am happy to report,
however, that I am still a proud member of the Hard Drive family. I still
attend class twice a week and go to open gyms all weekend. I sport my
many, many bruises with pride. I've gone to live events and am currently
helping a couple of friends through fight camp.
What does all this have to
do with being an author? Being a part of Hard Drive has given me a unique
perspective to writing MMA romance. When I write about a fight I know how
to describe the punches because I've thrown them. I've watched jiu jitsu
holds up close and personal (sometimes a little too close!). I know the
jargon because I speak it.
And my Hard Drive family
has helped me tremendously with my MMA romances. They explain things that
happen in a fight I don't understand. Three of the fighters have posed
for the covers including Keoni who is on the cover of Breaking the Cycle. They
support me, promote me and inspire me. They are the most incredible
people I know.
People may think I'm crazy
to be a MMA fan and even crazier to train. Other than writing I can't
think of anything I'd rather do.
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