Douglas Hulick is the author of the Tales of the Kin series, consisting to date of Among Thieves (2011) and Sworn in Steel (forthcoming in May, 2014), published by Roc. Not surprisingly, both books contain swordplay. He has been fencing competitively in one form or another for over two decades. For the last ten years he has been studying and teaching Western Martial Arts, with a focus on Renaissance Italian rapier.