"Sit back and relax, my friend. Let me pour you a cup of coffee and I'll tell you a story."The best way to describe Lawrence is he's a storyteller. For years, his words have been published in many popular books, including several from the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.His stories will make you laugh. They'll make you cry. They'll bring you what he likes to call a "tearful smile". Always filled with emotion, his stories touch the soul as they chronicle the struggles of the common man or woman overcoming adversity, something with which Lawrence has personal experience. With luck, he's hoping you'll recognize yourself in his tales.What happened in 1973 is a perfect example of why this genre is so special to him.That was the year Lawrence's mom learned of a new program to bus San Diego inner-city minority children to better schools. Wanting the best education for her son, she jumped at the chance. Lawrence, on the hand, was reluctant. The schools were in predominantly white suburban areas.There was tension everywhere as that first group of children was viewed by the native residents as an invading force. To say cultures collided would be an understatement. It was quite ugly. Almost daily, verbal racial confrontations became physical ones. It definitely wasn't the best environment for kids to learn.At the same time, it was discovered Lawrence had a reading disability. He was placed in a special class. This brought him tremendous pain as his feelings of inferiority grew.Then, a very special reading development teacher came into his life. Her name was Ms. Davila.She not only helped him improve his reading skills, but together they discovered he had a hidden talent: he could write.Because she believed in him, he began to believe in himself. For the first time in his life, he felt like he mattered. Writing would forever be an important part of his life.This amazing teacher was also white, so he learned another valuable lesson. Good people come in all colors.After living in Bensheim, Germany for two in a half years, he's now back in his native San Diego crafting more tales to share with the world.Want to read a good story with YOUR cup of coffee? Take a look at his list of books.