Lieutenant Commander R. Stephen Bloch, USN (ret.) “spent nine years in the US Navy, serving on both diesel and nuclear submarines. He traveled throughout the world, saw duty in Vietnam, and left the Navy as a Petty Officer First Class. While traveling throughout the West on a Triumph motorcycle, he fell in love with Colorado, and moved to beautiful Boulder.

He graduated from the University of Colorado with a BA in English Literature, and an emphasis in Organic Chemistry, and then commenced studies at University of Denver College of Law. He subsequently was a Deputy District Attorney in Colorado's San Luis Valley.  During the Iranian Hostage Crisis, Steve, then a Naval Reserve Lieutenant, was recalled to active duty in Naval Intelligence. Some of his favorite jobs over the next seven years include Legal Advisor on Terrorism, Operations Officer for an International Naval Conference, and Special Assistant for Latin American Affairs to the Commander in Chief, US Atlantic Fleet.” Lieutenant Commander R. Stephen Bloch is the author of A Hard Kept Secret.

According to the book description of A Hard Kept Secret, “Ross Brandon's heroes have always been cowboys. Even after years as a successful Washington, D.C. attorney, Ross has never lost a deep-seated longing to be in the great outdoors, riding his trusty steed across the frontier. When a friend suggests they spend their vacation following the trail of one of L'Amour's better-known characters, Sackett, Ross agrees immediately. Their plan is to find and visit as many of the places mentioned in the novel as possible, although they would do it astride motorcycles rather than horses. Their pilgrimage starts out deceptively simply, but they soon encounter far more than they bargained for, and end up in a deadly struggle for their lives against vicious modern-day outlaws. This then is a story of discovery, drama, danger, and adventure — all the while paying homage to Louis L'Amour.”