Click here to buy this book! Amazon Lulu Click here to buy! Lulu Press, Inc. Category:  Poetry Publisher: Lulu.com ISBN-10:  1411665090 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 192 Copyright: 13 December 2005 In The Red Book of Lance the poet breaks out, breaks through, and means to change your mind: burn baby burn. A spark in the dark to set the world on fire, words of flame cried in the wilderness by a madman who is damned to tell the truth, The Red Book of Lance is fourteen dozen of this modern master's meticulous poems introduced by his physician and illustrated with cover portraits by his son. Darker than his other books yet brightened by flashes of mad humor, the work reflects the gravity of the times, speaking prophetically of political change and social evolution. This seventh book of Lance is a distillation of deep meditation on life and madness, the world and the universe, the self and others, and the journey of the soul. In The Red Book of Lance the poet breaks out, breaks through, and means to change your mind: burn baby burn. + + + The Red Book of Lance Is a most useful thing It shows how to dance Out of that suffering Which given the chance Eats away at the soul Now I choose to live And to suffer no more Let destiny give Me something to live for Let there be someone To share this life with me Since this book is done And I find myself free Now I dare to explore With another to love What I shunned before What I was afraid of I open the door +Steven Curtis Lance The Red Book of Lance is now also available in a Hardcover Edition, ISBN 1411667751, which may be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/209506 I hope you will have a look, and that you will enjoy this book in whichever form you prefer. Fiat justitia, ruat mundus: fiat lux.

Foreword to The Red Book of Lance by the Author's Physician
There is a place in heaven for many yet no spot is assured. Many seats in the majesty of the heavens are surely for the artisans of the world. Humble, wholesome souls for the most part, and Steven Curtis Lance would assuredly be counted amongst those. In the writings of Stevie his honesty and emotions come across clearly and vividly. The prose is an enigmatic slice of life that is uniquely his. The prolific writing habits that Stevie possesses make many a writer, myself included, jealous of his tenacity for attacking each morsel of life’s daily grind. Sometimes making fun or a mockery of the little things or at other times taking a challenging stand against the most critical and important issues facing us today. This is the poetic style he embodies for the rest of us to enjoy.

As Stevie’s doctor I engage him in a manner differently than any of his other relationships. That perspective allows me to see him from many perspectives from healthcare professional all the way quite frankly to a personal friend. Over the span of several years in that regard I saw his transition from Christian songwriter to poet and the dynamics involved in that change. Not only has there been a growth and learning phase to his abilities to put pen to paper, but Stevie’s life and writing is a fantastic journey of love and emotion.

This is now his seventh book and perhaps his deepest and most mature work. At each phase of his writing career his personal state of being comes across in every word. This book is no different with a certain brooding and darker more forceful stance on life yet continuously instilled with his hometown old Orange slant. Stevie rarely leaves us questioning what he is feeling or where he is going, but he does make us question our personal relationships and dealings with others. Of course there is often a push for us to be politically and socially responsible, too, whether by way of rantings and ravings or a push to be heard and accountable.

I think Stevie’s writing will take another turn soon as he takes us elsewhere in the land of feelings and prose. There is no harm in that. And, for the enjoyment we each derive from that, and the clear good nature and good will of Stevie’s contribution to our wonderful world that spot in heaven is reserved. Not too soon of course so that we might read these little snippets of life and love and Grandma and whomever else man or beast or machine happens to be captured by the flowing inks and pencils of one fine man: Mr. Steven Curtis Lance.

Robert D. Budman, M.D.