Now, withThe Heart Principle, their wish has been granted.
Readers will note that Quan is conspicuously absent from the cover art, and Hoang says that was intentional.
I want people to draw him themselves in their minds, she says.
Credit: Eric Kieu
I dont want to take that from them by offering something.
We want people to imagine their own Quan.
I struggled with how I would write her for a long time, the author says.
Berkley
I do really like martial arts, she says.
Ive done taekwondo, I have a black belt in taekwondo.
Ive boxed… Ive done a lot of different types of martial arts.
Its how I met my husband.
Its just something that I really love.
Its just fun to write that.
Learning to follow your own path despite other peoples expectations thats something people can identify with, she says.
Check out the book cover and excerpt below.
You could lose to a five-year-old, for example.
Or to something that wasnt even alive, like a wall.
In Quans defense, that had only happened the one time, and hed been drunk off his ass.
Today, he didnt have the excuse of drunkenness.
To put it plainly, he hadnt been practicing as often due to work and was getting rusty.
Also, that girl was ninja fast.
Plus, even in full armor, girls had a certain look.
He didnt know exactly what it was.
He could just tell.
His cousin Michael smirked at him before pulling his own helmet on.
As Quan tied Michaels laces for him, he said, you might quit grinning like a smartass.
Watch her beat you too.
No sense in Quan experiencing this stab to the balls by himself.
If what didnt kill you made you stronger, they could grow stronger together.
Sharing caring and all that.
Youre getting slow in your old age, Michael said.
Quan rolled his eyes.
They were the same damn age.
Im too busy running your apparel company.
He didnt have a quick response for that.
Like most apparel companies, theyd named the business after their lead designerMichael Larsen.
People seemed to get a kick out of photographing him and Michael together.
According toVoguemagazine, they were an edgy contrast in sophistication and raw intensity, whatever that meant.
He tried not to let the press go to his head.
Because good things never lasted.
Or a tiny vicious shark.
Soon the referee was calling both fighters to the center of the ring, and they were facing off.
At more than six feet in height, Michael towered over the girl.
Defeating her should have been simple.
How the
Quan patted him on the shoulder.
I told you so.
He loved saying that, especially to Michael.
Thank you, kendo gods.
Shes sofast, Michael said.
Moment of truth here.
If that were the case, Quan was taking Michael out for Irish car bombs later.
They needed to erase the defeat from their brains with massive amounts of alcohol.
Just how young was she?
Quan braced his nuts for impact.
Her helmet came off.
And he forgot to breathe.
In fact, she wasnt a girl at all.
Damned if he knew why more women didnt compete.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her dark eyes sparkled like he imagined a predators would after a kill.
I think Ive just met my dream woman, Quan said.
She could only be more perfect if she rode a motorcycle.
Michael said as he came to stand beside Quan and followed the direction of Quans gaze.
Did you forget the part where she beat us both up?
Quan shook his head.
That part was sexy.
Definitely not a drawback.
He was man enough to be with a woman who was more talented than he was.
Are you going to get her number or something?
Thats a good suggestion.
But his legs hesitated to move.
That only made him want to talk to hermore.
He inhaled a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and headed toward her.
