RICK NICHOLS has held a deep fascination for Feudal Japan and the code of bushido that guided the samurai since childhood. For Rick, writing was always just a hobby until college, when he got the idea for a character named John Logan--an ex-spy turned private detective. That spurred him to begin to really learn the craft of storytelling.

Rick has served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman, and is a graduate of Glenville State College, the Ft Leonard Wood Law Enforcement Academy, and a couple of things that he can't talk about. He holds a belt in Ko Setumi Sei Kan karate and has also studied Aikido, Judo, Kung Fu, and even aki-bujutsu--the original unarmed combat taught to the ancient samurai.