Author Biography: ‘Sijo’ Art Lapham

Art Lapham was born in Los Angeles, CA but was raised in his mother’s hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts. He is a lifelong martial arts practitioner, and in 1995, he was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Sijo’, meaning ‘Founder’, for the formulation of the martial art known as Raven Kenpo Ju-Jitsu. Mr. Lapham has been teaching martial arts since 1980 and holds Black Belt ranks in Kenpo, Ju-Jitsu, Tang Soo Do, and White Dragon Kung Fu. He has been inducted into two Halls of Fame as Master of the Year and was State Soft Style (Kung Fu) Forms Champion in 1997.

Mr. Lapham is also a multi-instrument musician who enjoys playing out with his band and has recorded several CDs of original music.

His writings include not only all the lyrics to his band’s original songs but also technical manuals on martial arts, several magazine articles and the two other novels in this series, along with a fourth, unrelated novel. He is a retired Corrections Officer and enjoys spending his weekends with his wife, rummaging antique shops and used bookstores, searching for additions to his vast collection of pop culture memorabilia.