The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

OSKALOOSA, IOWA -- Stephen Brayton is a Fifth Degree Black Belt in The American Taekwondo Association and has been involved with martial arts since 1990.

Not only is he a martial arts instructor, but he is also a published author with a new book out titled Alpha.

“Well I started writing it actually back in the middle 90's when I first moved to town and started getting involved with martial arts. And I wanted a character who was involved with martial arts because that's what I was getting involved with myself and I thought -- I had already had a character in my mid that I developed years and years before and his name was Sam P. Petersen but when I started taekwondo and I was going to all these tournaments and testings, I saw all these wonderful, wonderful women who were involved. And I said no, I have to change the character to a woman. So Mallory Petersen was born. She's a Fourth Degree Black Belt and a private investigator in Des Moines, Iowa and solves cases along with teaching her taekwondo club. I took a lot of her training and a lot of her skills from what I have learned throughout the years. People always ask how much of me is in Mallory and I say Mallory is me except she’s better looking, a whole lot better instructor and a way better taekwondo person,” said Brayton.

Brayton said it takes a lot of time and patience to write a novel and that he has great support from family and friends.