Monday, August 8, 2011

Riding with the Harley Dogs: One Author’s Adventure

My guest today is best-selling New York Times author Angie Fox. Her latest release is The Last of the Demon Slayers.
I’d always known writing would be an adventure, but I never predicted my writing would put me on the back of a coal black Harley Davidson, with an Irish Setter in tow. I’d set out to write a paranormal about a straight-laced preschool teacher turned demon slayer who has to run off with a gang of geriatric biker witches. But my heroine has a smart-mouthed dog that, thanks to her new powers, can talk…and talk…and talk. And I really loved that dog. What’s a writer to do? Well, I went online and learned that there is a nationwide club of Harley bikers who ride with their dogs. So my heroine could have her pink Harley, and her Jack Russell Terrier too.
And of course I had to meet these Harley riding dog lovers. I called up a few of the members of a Biker Dogs Motorcycle Club and the adventure began. They invited me into their homes, introduced me to their dogs and, like my heroine, the bikers hoisted me up on the back of a Harley, with a dog in tow.
Things I learned right off the bat:
1. After an hour on a Harley, you’ll walk like John Wayne for a week
2. Helmets hurt when they are worn backwards
3. Dogs love riding motorcycles
Stone, the biker who spent the most time making sure I didn’t fall off his hog, showed me how to ride, invited me to some biker rallies (note to self: don’t wear pink next time), and helped make The Accidental Demon Slayer as real as it can be (for a book about a somewhat sheltered preschool teacher turned demon slayer).
So just when I thought I was writing fiction, it seemed my made-up characters from The Accidental Demon Slayer weren’t so imaginary after all. One of the bikers I met even has a wife who is a biker witch. I’m wondering if she, like my heroine’s biker witch grandma, wears a “Kiss my Asphalt” T-shirt and carries a carpet bag full of Smuckers jars filled with magic. Maybe I’ll find out on my next adventure.
Angie Fox is the New York Times bestselling author of several books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night. She claims that researching her stories can be just as much fun as writing them. In the name of fact-finding, Angie has ridden with Harley biker gangs, explored the tunnels underneath Hoover Dam and found an interesting recipe for Mamma Coalpot’s Southern Skunk Surprise (she’s still trying to get her courage up to try it).
Angie earned a Journalism degree from the University of Missouri. She worked in television news and then in advertising before beginning her career as an author. Visit Angie at www.angiefox.com.

10 comments:

Ellis Vidler said...

Angie, the dogs are darling. I admire your enthusiasm for research too. I hope you and your pals slay all the demons.

Angie Fox said...

Thanks, Ellis! And the dogs are so great. You should see them when they know they're about to get to ride on the motorcycles - pure puppy joy. I suppose it's the dog equivalent of riding with their entire bodies out the window.

Polly Iyer said...

That's what I call research. We're taking care of our son's dog, and Max really does talk. It kind of sounds like whining, but we know he's saying, "Give me something to eat."

Fun story, Angie. Good luck with the book.

Angie Fox said...

Hey, I'm a believer in talking dogs. Pirate is based on my dog, Beau, who lets you know exactly what he's thinking. ;)

Marian Allen said...

This is great! What fun! :)

We used to have a dog who could say, clearly, "Hello" and "I love you." It was SO COOL! Alas, it was in the days before YouTube. lol

Marian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes

Ellis Vidler said...

Marian, how neat! Did he try to imitate you or come up with it on his own?
I have one who's very vocal. He hasn't said words but he has quite a repertoire of sounds and makes his feelings known. The other is more likely to run in circles and wiggle a lot--a happy fellow.

Marian Allen said...

I know he picked up "hello" from me, because he was always there at the door when I got out of the car, and I would look into those big brown eyes and say, "HEL-llo...," in a particular tone, and one day he said it back! After that, he always said it when #4 daughter (his particular pal) and I got out of the car.

He must have picked up "I love you" from listening. We said it to him, of course, but we said it to each other, too. And once he said, "I love you, Mom," so I think he must have picked it up on his own.

Your circler and wiggler sound like a joy! :)

Ellis Vidler said...

Amazing. What kind was he? Some breeds are so smart! The two we have now are Lhasa mixes--hairy mutts that are totally lovable.

Angie, I'll have to read about Pirate. As long as no harm comes to them, I'm happy to see dogs and cats as part of a story.

Marian Allen said...

Rufus was a mutt, but I think he had a lot of Irish setter in him.

Marian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes

Ellis Vidler said...

The smartest dogs we ever had were Irish setters. They were wonderful friends and maybe a little psychic. They always knew what we were thinking. I still miss them.