The second installment in the Witches of Cullowhee series, A Wicked Love, is coming out on 15 August 2014. As always, I'm super excited to present a new story for readers and hope y'all will enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed crafting it.

The main male character is Rafe Prewitt, a former motocross racer. Naturally, motorcycles crop up a couple of times in the story, though Rafe's days racing aren't a focal point. Richard helped a lot with the research for this aspect. When I told him one of the characters for AWL loved motorcycles, he immediately popped out the names of a couple that were must-haves.

This beautiful motorcycle (the one in the front) is a Triumph Bonneville T100, the same kind as the one on which Rafe takes Lacey for her first motorcycle trip ever. 

Richard points Triumphs out every time we're on the road anywhere. He loves them. My response to vehicles is usually, Meh. It's a car (or truck or motorcycle). Gimme yarn any day. Or a book. Golly, I miss my books. Anywho...

Motorcycles are just like cars. Different years of manufacture have different styles, shapes, and features. Some are more reliable than others and some are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts. Don't worry. I only included enough detail to give readers an idea of what was going on in Rafe's head, and hopefully not enough to bore anyone. But, if you're wondering where all the motorcycle stuff came from, thank Richard. He was happy to discuss them with me while I wrote, edited, and revised AWL.

Yes, we go out riding together. Richard has a Suzuki V-strom DL650 like the one on the left, except his is red. I have a red helmet. And a red jacket.

What? I like red. Him having a red motorcycle was a big point in his favor.

He's done a lot of modification work to his. Different seat (trust me, the factory seat is uncomfortable), different wheel/tire thingies. He's added a trunk, too, so he can camp and travel, which he does as often as he can.

I love being out on the motorcycle with him. There's nothing like the silence, the wind blowing over you, the speed and maneuverability. But I'll never drive one. I'm just not focused enough. Also, I'm short. Richard assures me that there are motorcycles out there for the vertically challenged, but I'm content to hang on while he drives. It's a lot more relaxing and a heck of a lot more fun.

As far as motocross goes, we didn't get to see a race. Missed one in Tennessee by a hair due to a scheduling conflict, which is what happens when an attorney and a writer, both with full schedules, try to take a spur of the moment trip. 

Even though motocross was never really explored in AWL, I did a good bit of research into it and found it quite fascinating (and I'm not much of a sports person). Motocross racers are usually young because it's hard on the knees, depending on exactly what kind of hills and whatnot are required to get through the course. That youth makes it an ideal sport for a male or female character to be involved in.

Racers also tend to be on the slim side, as is easily apparent in the above picture of Kevin Windham (taken at the Glen Helen Raceway, San Bernardino, CA). Extra weight puts a lot of stress on the knees, which take a lot of hits during a race. 

So, there you have it, a quick lowdown of the motorcycle research that went into AWL. I'll definitely be writing motorcycles into future stories. Don't know how or when, but they'll be there. They're just too much fun to ignore!