Post written by author K.A. Merikan
When we first considered writing a biker book with gay main characters, it came out of frustration. It was right after we discovered Sons of Anarchy. We didn’t want to read fanfiction, with characters we already knew. We wanted novels. Novels about original characters who would be shown as they are – both sexy and cruel, balancing the grey line between right and wrong. Basically, we wanted something like Sons of Anarchy, but with gay characters and focused on the romantic relationship.
I was hesitant at first. At the time, we had several books in the works, and adding one more felt like going over our mental capacities, but Kat was intent on at least venting some steam by writing a short story. I was okay with that, and we worked out the basic premise over dinner after a tiring day at work. And it was very basic. Biker gets a tattoo by a new tattoo artist in town. They have mad chemistry. They fuck. Tattoo artist leaves town. Biker gets him to come back. Bam. The end.
But halfway through, before we even got to the fucking, I already knew that short wouldn’t be good enough. Usually, characters in erotic shorts don’t require as much work because they aren’t developed enough for it to show, but when I started writing about Zak and Stitch, they instantly came alive in my mind. I was a few hundred words into the short, and I was already getting random ideas about the guys’ mannerisms, their past, and all that. The short story idea was scrapped, and work on the novel Road of No Return started on the very same evening.
We loved writing it, and the idea for a next book in the series was in our heads before we were even done. But there was a problem – series make more sense if there is a possibility of cameos, and the connection between books is more than just a common theme. In case of biker books, most series evolve around a single club, with each of the books focusing on another member finding the girl of his dreams. But that would not do in the case of m/m romance. The biker world is very macho-oriented, and so even in more socially progressive environments, the percentage of gay men won’t be high. Sure, there are motorcycle clubs for gay men, but that wouldn’t bring in the atmosphere we wanted. So we eventually settled on the idea setting the books in various chapters of a nationwide outlaw motorcycle club, The Coffin Nails.
Because of the nature of those organizations, I can imagine that in most cases gay members are not out, and so that’s one of the major themes of The Devil’s Ride. While most of the club members in the book aren’t aggressively homophobic, the sentiment is strong enough for Tooth, the secretly gay vice president, to worry about the openly gay teenager they bring back from one of their raids. Tooth himself is completely at ease with his sexuality as long as it’s kept behind closed doors. He never came out because he believes it’s “no one’s business”, or that it would “make the guys uncomfortable”. The truth is that he wants to be accepted, to be part of the group just like everyone else, but what’s going to happen when circumstances break the bolts and force him out of the closet?
— You don’t fuck with the club president’s son. —
Tooth. Vice President of the Coffin Nails Motorcycle Club. On a neverending quest for vengeance. The last thing he needs is becoming a permanent babysitter for a male hooker.
Lucifer. Fallen. Lost. Alone.
After a childhood filled with neglect and abuse, followed by his mother’s suicide, Lucifer set out into the world alone. There was nothing for him out there other than taking it one day at a time. As the bastard son of the Coffin Nails club president, Lucifer never got much fatherly love. So when the Nails show up at the strip joint Lucifer works in, the last thing he expects is to be put in the custody of Tooth, the Nails Vice President famous for his gruesome interrogation techniques. The man proves to be the sexiest beast Lucifer has ever met. He’s also older, straight, and an itch Luci can’t ever scratch.
Tooth’s life came to a halt twelve years ago. His lover got brutally murdered, police never found the perpetrators, and all leads were dead ends. To find peace and his own justice, Tooth joined the Coffin Nails, but years on, he’s gotten nowhere with the case, yet still lives on with the burning fire for revenge.
Babysitting a deeply scarred teenager with a talent for disappearing is the last thing on his bucket list. He promised himself to never get attached to someone like him again. To make sure the openly gay boy is safe in the clubhouse, Tooth is stuck keeping an eye on him. The big, blue, attention seeking gaze is drawing Tooth in, but fucking the president’s son is a complete no-go, even when both their feelings go beyond lust.
What Tooth doesn’t know is that Lucifer might hold the key to the closure Tooth so desperately needs.
WARNING Contains adult content: a gritty storyline, sex, explicit language, violence and abuse. Inappropriate use of dental tools and milk.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: Prostitution, Outlaw Motorcycle Club, organized crime, homophobia, family issues, coming out, discipline/punishment, organ snatching, hurt-comfort, age gap
Genre: contemporary gay erotic dark romance
Length: ~ 125,000 words (Standalone novel, no cliffhanger.)
The Devil’s Ride pinterest inspiration board – http://www.pinterest.com/KAMerikan/the-devils-ride-sex-mayhem-2/
About the authors
K.A. Merikan is a joint project of Kat and Agnes Merikan, who jokingly claim to share one mind. They finish each other’s sentences and simultaneously come up with the same ideas. Kat and Agnes enjoy writing various kinds of stories, from light-hearted romance to thrillers. They love creating characters that are not easy to classify as good or evil, and firmly believe that even some villains deserve their happy endings. It is easiest to find them in galleries, restaurants and historical sites, always with a computer or notebook, because for Kat and Agnes, every day is a writing day. Future plans include lots of travel, and a villa on the coast of Italy or a flat in Paris where they could retire after yet another crazy venture, only to write more hot gay romances.
As K.A. Merikan, Kat and Agnes have published a number of books, which cross genres while always being gay romances.
Mail to: kamerikan@gmail.com
More information about ongoing projects, works in progress and publishing at:
K.A. Merikan’s author page: http://kamerikan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KAMerikan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KA_Merikan
Agnes Merikan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgnesMerikan
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150530.K_A_Merikan
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/KAMerikan/
inkedrainbowreads.wordpress.com 
I absolutely love your series Sex and Mayhem and Guns n’ Boys. Being a huge Sons of Anarchy junkie myself, the series got me hooked instantly. I see a new book for Guns n’ Boys is coming out soon, is there another Sex and Mayhem book coming out? When is the next book for Guns n’ Boys due out? How many will you be releasing for each series? Hope you continue them both, I would truly love to read more.
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