My latest release, Battered Not Broken, is a MMA (mixed martial arts) romance. While there’s certainly more to it than that, MMA and both the hero and heroine’s involvement in competitive fighting are an integral part of the story. Around release day (last month) I wrote a blog post about why I wrote a MMA romance. I’ve copied that below for anyone who’s interested. Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a Battered Not Broken goodie pack! 
Battered Not Broken is a contemporary romance about two MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters, Ryan Moore and Ally Rivera.
There’s a lot more to the story than that, like the issues caused by Ryan’s war veteran status and injuries, and Ally’s problems with her family and a local gang. But in this post, I’d like to talk about the MMA elements and why I chose to write an MMA romance.
As you also may already know, martial arts (multiple forms, including jujitsu, karate and muay thai kickboxing) have been a hobby of mine since I was a teen. It’s something I’ve enjoyed learning and practicing, along with my brothers, father and husband. (It’s nice to have something to participate in and enjoy along with my family.)I’ve had some of the most kick-ass instructors you can imagine and I’ve been super-fortunate to have fun and meet a lot of awesome martial artists. I’m certainly no Bruce Li, but martial arts have provided years of enjoyment (and some great workouts!) for me, so it was a delight to write about my favorite sport. (There are not many sports I enjoy, so I need to focus on the ones I do. LOL)
Unlike Ally and Ryan, I’ve mostly participated in these sports for fun and recreation rather than competitively. Although I did do a little bit of competitive fighting for extra cash (okay, and fun too) during my college years.
So not only was it a pleasure to write about a sport I care about, but it was nice to write ‘what I know’, knowing that my involvement in the sport as a student, participant and frequent observer would help me to write realistically about it.
There are already some MMA romances out there, and that’s a sub-genre that definitely appeals to me as a reader. So far, I’ve read a (very) small percentage of those books, and while those have been well-written by skilled authors, as someone who is familiar with the sport, I couldn’t help but think how much more I personally would’ve enjoyed them if they’d included something more. Namely, realistic details about the sport. (The last book I read had no fight scenes. *weeps*)
In Battered Not Broken, MMA is not just sexy window-dressing. I told the story of two amateur MMA fighters, which is probably (as far as I can tell) an anomaly when it comes to this sub-genre. You won’t find any high-rolling millionaire UFC world champions in Battered Not Broken. Instead, you’ll find two real people participating in the sport they love. And I sincerely hope that you’ll enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
All of my books contain certain elements of real-life experience and certain elements of imagination and fantasy. The balance varies from book to book. For example, in my Half Moon Shifters Series, the only part of that that’s real is the fact that I’ve enjoyed spending some time in the gorgeous Great Smoky Mountains.
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Battered Not Broken contains a higher percentage of real-life experience (and I wasn’t thinking of the sex scenes when I said that – ha!). Every lesson I’ve learned, every sparring or competitive match I’ve participated in, and every ugly bruise I’ve received in real life played a part in helping me write this story. There are other subjects I’m passionate about in real life that I want to write about in the future. MMA is one I’ve been looking forward to turning into a story for a long time. And it feels good to have done so.
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To be included in the random drawing for the Battered Not Broken goodie pack, which includes a button, Battered Not Broken key chain and signed postcard, all you have to do is leave a comment including your e-mail address on this post. And you can comment on my other posts throughout the party for more entries, if you’d like. Residents of the US or Canada are eligible (my apologies to those outside these countries) and I’ll randomly draw a winner on January 7th.
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Battered Not Broken
After being wounded in war and discharged from the USMC, Ryan Moore turns to competitive MMA fighting – the one arena in life where he still knows how to function and excel – and meets Ally Rivera, an amateur female fighter who’s struggling to salvage a family torn apart by gang violence.
New release available at major ebook retailers, including…
Amazon B&N iBooks
Read a free excerpt here at my site.
www.ranaerose.com
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Thanks for the link for this excerpt well written and interesting and I like martial art hope lots of people will enjoy reading them I wish you great success and lots of joy for 2013
Cheers
mannouchkalegendre@gmail.com
I have not read any MMA books… it would be interesting to step into their world…
greenshamrock AT cox DOT net
The book sounds interesting! I love the cover model.
candybezner@gmail.com
Thank you for sharing your real life experience with MMA. It is a sport that I love watching and often thought about learning. It’s awesome that you’ve been able to incorporate what you know into a genre of its own. I have Battered Not Broken on my wish list already and look forward to reading it..*S*
Darcy
pommawolf @hotmail.com
I really enjoyed this book. I’ve read other MMA romance novels and have found the fight scenes and training to be unrealistic, inaccurate, or incomplete. When reading “Battered Not Broken,” I felt like I was at the gym watching the training and fights. The accuracy and realism not only of the fights but in the aftermath of the fights was refreshing after reading so many disappointing MMA romance novels. I especially like the fact that the heroine is a MMA fighter. I think it is important to shed light on this emerging sport and the role that women play beyond being ring girls. I am really looking forward to more MMA stories from Ranae!
Thanks very much! Showing MMA in a realistic light was definitely what I wanted to do with this book. And no way was I going to let the hero have all the fun… I wanted a martial artist heroine, too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the book.
Thank you all for the kind words!
I’ve not watched any MMA. I can appreciate the fitness, strength, and athleticism that the participants possess, but I’m not a fan of watching people physically pummel each other. That’s why I longer watch boxing.
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
I love MMA and the excerpt sound like you have done it justice when incorporating it into your book
tracie2667@gmail.com