How to get spotlight time

I'm re-reading Arturo Perez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste novels right now, and much as I get a little annoyed by his "woman as the devil" motif (classic as it is in both pulp fiction and the Dumas stories he's using for inspiration), one has to admire the player who has a cajones to take both "Mortal Enemy" and "Irrational Love: Mortal Enemy" for their character.
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