I’m R. D. Lawrence, although readers of my fiction may know me better as Rand Law, the name I use when I’m busy sending fictional people into dangerous situations I’d probably avoid in real life.
I write the Mystic Dream Walker adventure series and other books that combine martial arts, humor, and the occasional bad decision made by someone who should have known better. My stories draw from both real experiences and imaginary worlds, but I prefer adventure without graphic violence. There’s plenty of action; I just don’t feel the need to describe every bone introducing itself to the pavement- been there myself and never even got a T-shirt out of it.
When I’m not writing, I enjoy playing the cigar box guitar and harmonica. Sometimes, they form what experts might generously call “music.” Writing and martial arts shape my daily life, along with my wife. She helps keep me grounded, organized, and encouraged; she even claims to love my stories, often re-reading the books instead of watching her favorite shows on TV. Well, other than Survivor, she never misses that program. When necessary, she reminds me that I'm good; this is a concept that is often hard for me to accept.
I’ve traveled across the country by foot, plane, car, and motorcycle. In my younger years, I also discovered that certain groups had a creative interpretation of child labor laws. I worked more than 100 hours a week for a cult organization, often without pay, sleep, or food. At times, I slept on the streets. It was an unconventional education, although I wouldn’t recommend it as a career path.
My life has included experiences that most people never encounter, and many would prefer not to. I’ve had mystical experiences, UFO encounters, and even a UFO abduction. I’ve survived accidents involving impalement, falls from heights, being thrown from moving vehicles, a gunshot, and a hit-and-run while bicycling as a teenager. I’ve also put myself in danger to help other people, which proves that courage and poor timing can occasionally look remarkably similar.
Despite the injuries I’ve collected along the way, I remain an active martial artist, holding master ranks in three styles. I’ve also earned what some call a 100-below-zero camping rating, without a tent, as that would be too easy. I’ve swum in icy mountain lakes and in the winter ocean of the Pacific Northwest, because apparently regular swimming wasn’t sufficiently memorable.
For more than two decades, I worked as a sworn law-enforcement training officer, doing ride-alongs and teaching hand-to-hand combatives to personnel from various agencies. That experience has influenced both my writing and my understanding of action: fights are exhausting, unpredictable, and rarely accompanied by convenient background music.
Today, I continue writing about adventure in fiction and nonfiction. Some stories come from what I’ve lived through; others come from places I’ve imagined. Either way, my goal is to immerse readers in worlds filled with mystery, humor, courage, and action, without requiring them to sleep on the street, swim through icy water, or be abducted by extraterrestrials to get there.