We live in a volatile world, and it’s difficult to remain calm when an increased level of tension pervades our environment. I look at the news and think everything would be great if it wasn’t for “them”.

Is it possible that the daily struggle I see in the news simply reflects my own inner turmoil? Do the people I demonize have more in common with my own private monsters than I care to admit? It was my quest for answers to these questions that led me to the current landscape of “Channeling Biker Bob Lover’s Embrace”.

I wrote in the forward of “Channeling Biker Bob Heart of a Warrior”, that the feminists had broken new ground for both men and women. Many of us men who were aware during the seventies and eighties, in an attempt to be more “user-friendly”, learned to conceal our unpopular masculinity until it was eventually lost altogether.

In “Heart of a Warrior”, it was easy to speak about the lost male. We are so easy to pick on, and look so much safer, even if we may be passive-aggressive as hell.

What about the man who couldn’t hide his aggressive behavior, and acted out in an obvious attempt to control his environment? How about the belligerent male who drank too much, spoke too loudly, took over conversations, and stepped over the line in so many ways? What would Biker Bob have to say about him? Although we look at this man and point our fingers in dismay, isn’t his blatant and harsh attitude, in reality, a part of us kept well hidden?

Could the journey into this unlikely hero have repercussions in our lives? Is it possible that if we actually look our shadow in the eye, we wouldn’t be so quick to judge or force anyone to carry it for us?

During the year it took to write “Lover’s Embrace”, these questions walked with me. As the story unfolded, there were times when I was terrified of how you, my reader, would respond. While I sat in front of my keyboard each morning before dawn, I realized that the characters I conjured up may be too much for our sheltered natures to handle. Yet, here it is, my earnest attempt to attend to a part of humanity uncomfortable to us all.

Yes, there is a piece of me in this story, as you will find that there is also a piece of you. It’s something that we, you and I, prefer not to look at, but it is a part after all, and don’t we have to live with and try to heal that which haunts us and drags us away from those we love?

Once again, Biker Bob mentored me through this project, and I followed his lead. Still, I am the writer, damn it and you are the reader. In the end, won’t we all get what we came for?

NIK

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