Coming Soon

A Brief Moment of Pleasure

Coming Soon from Resplendence

I wrote this novel 15 years ago. I was working toward my black belt rank, and came face to face with the invisible barriers that kept female students from reaching their full potential. Gender bias kept female martial artists from moving from a brown or brand new black belt up into the ranks. Those who managed to go beyond brown rank were often accused of "putting out" to get their black belt.

I was infatuated with a very hot Asian black belt guy, but never, ever let him know that, because if I had, his respect for me would have deteriorated totally. Others would have felt that I was "cozying up" to better my rank. It was not the best idea to allow personal affairs to detract from your martial arts. Inside the dojo/dojang, gossip was rampant about how this or that female got her black belt, etc. If you were serious about your MA, you didn't dabble in love affairs with others in the dojo.

Women were already considered unworthy by black belt males. The bias shown in this novel was very real, and was very painful for women at the time this was written. Today, the bias is not as prevalent, but in many dojos and systems, it will never go totally away.

Of course, many traditional systems now have eradicated gender bias. But in the back of the men's minds, a woman will never be capable of being as strong, fast, or smart as the male black belts. Women are tolerated. But through my years of traveling, photographing and reporting, as well as judging international competitions, acting as referee, and teaching, I met many wonderful females who were the heads of their own MA systems, and whose students were absolute perfection.

It is to these women that I dedicate this novel.

Fran Lee
(No relation to Bruce)