Bad to the Bone

My first erotic contemporary, Hog Wild, is a fractured re-telling of the Three Little Pigs fairy story.  In it I turn the Big Bad Wolf into a she-wolf–Lula Wolfendale who’s looking for satisfaction in all the wrong places.  She’s on a mission to reach a Harley Rally and starts stealing motorcycles to get there.  The three little pigs are now HOGs–Harley Owners Group members.  Still written as brothers, these characters, the Hogues (Beau, Rob and Jesse) are big, bad bikers.

I began with the idea that these characters were no-nonsense, bad to the bone motorcyclists.  But why does that image persist?  My hubby rides a Harley (he was my technical assistant for the story 🙂 ) but he’s not…well, okay, he is big, but he’s not a bad ass! LOL  But a lot of people still think of bikers as “bad boys.”  Where does that image come from?

Probably most of it comes from an early association with the motorcycle group Hell’s Angels.  The organization, begun in 1948, gained the reputation of having ties to organized crime and has been linked to violence throughout their more than 60 year existence. Their bike of choice is a Harley-Davidson.  A recent (2007) incident in New York City led to a raid on their NYC headquarters according to Randy James in an article on the history of the Hell’s Angels.  The organization disputes their reputation for violence, though “members still refer to themselves as “one percenters” — a half-century-old boast playing off the saying that 1% of troublemakers give a bad name to 99% of respectable bikers.”

The Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) is a completely different organization, although they may also have had a hand in giving motorcyclists their “bad boy” reputations.  This organization was actually begun as a marketing effort on behalf of Harley-Davidson motorcyclists and dealers.  The group advocates responsible motorcycling activities as well and is the official riding club of Harley-Davidson, according to their official website.  However, HOG members do have some similarities with the Hell’s Angels group.  Both prefer to ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles.  Both dress in leather jackets and jeans (granted this is a form of protective clothing), and both sport logos that are prominently displayed on their jackets and other paraphernalia.  

The similarities are superficial, granted, but the iconic biker jacket and boots, with the help of Hollywood movies such as The Wild One starring Marlon Brando or Easy Rider starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, seduced viewers with the image of men who were untamed or searching for freedom.

So I took the idea of the Three Little Pigs and fractured it to transform the wolf into an insatiable woman and the pigs into HOGs (motorcycle enthusiasts).  My brothers are “bad to the bone,” (that’s the ringtone for one brother!) and all get a shot at “taming” the wolf, though only one is “bad” enough to succeed.

Brother #1 is Beau who is in love with his Harley Panhead Bobber, circa 1955.  He’s been working on it forever, but he loves his bike more than…well…just about anything but a beautiful, sexy woman.

There’s Beau above and his Panhead to the right.  Can Lula come between him and his love?

Then there’s old blue-eyes.  Rob Hogue has the reputation for being a bad-ass.  He’s also a fanatic about his Harley–a black sportster that he takes scrupulous care of…  Until Lula comes to town.

Now will Rob need to choose between his sportster and the sexiest ride of his life?  Can he keep Lula and his motorcycle?

Here’s Rob’s Ride

And last but certainly not least, Jesse.  The cool one, who is ready to tame she-wolf Lula at the blink of a gorgeous, deep blue eye.  Lula had better watch out.  This Hogue can’t be fooled.  He’s ready for any trick she might come up with and just itching to satisfy her and himself.  Can he steal her heart before she steals his ride?  This fantastic cobalt-blue Phantom is Lula’s dream ride.  Too bad she’s got to go through Jesse to get to it!

So these are my bad boys and the woman who’s just as badass as they are.

And last, but not least, Lula Wolfendale, come to town in search of a ride, in several senses of the word!  She’s headed to a big HOG rally and needs transportation.  But she gets more than she bargained with the Hogue brothers!  Better watch out, Lula.  The biggest brother might just blow you down!

Hope you take a peek at Hog Wild, see if my bikers are wild and free enough.  There might be just a bit of Hell in my Hog Heaven!