Chrome and Black Lace

About the Book

White-collar baby-boomers, Cathy and Paul, are living in a state of hostility since his recent retirement, that they are unequipped and afraid to address.

Cathy's best friend, Pam, has booted out her cheating husband, Donny. The timing is perfect for a girls-only trip - on motorcycles for six weeks or forever. They are loading up saddlebags under the forlorn gaze of Paul when Donny, makes an unwelcome appearance.

In flashback, Cathy struggles to learn to ride a motorcycle and then inspires other ladies to take up the non-traditional sport. Their early adventures include a frightening encounter with black bears and a motorcycle spill high on a busy bridge.

Enroute to Branson, Missouri, the women stop to see Cathy's only sister, Coral, who has survived a partial mastectomy and long-standing guilt over their dad's suicide.

Pam falls for a gentle cowboy while Cathy encounters her handsome former motorcycle coach, Bruce, and eschews the inevitable guilt for fleeting ecstasy.

A chance meeting with a colorful character, Marva, thwarts a horrifying assault by two psycho-stalkers. Badly beaten, Cathy turns to her husband and considers returning home.

In ethereal Sedona, Cathy realizes that she has been unconsciously withholding her heart from Paul. She'd like to start again and trust new feelings. Pam concedes that she will always love Donny but doubts she can live with him.

As the husbands ride south to meet the women, Paul acknowledges his fear of failing retirement and his share of blame for the separation. Donny tries to explain his struggle with monogamy. They arrive to overhear Cathy and Pam plotting seductions. Hope surges in their hearts. Cathy's new 'black' persona emerges in a surprising bedroom finale.

About the Author

Born and raised in the Maritimes, Vicki moved to Calgary as a young woman, where she met and married Bob. They raised their daughter and son in the Vancouver area before a timely bank transfer to Kelowna, B.C set them up for retirement in 2001. Vicki learned to drive her own motorcycle over 15 years ago and has logged over 100,000 kilometers on three bikes.

Although Vicki has been widely published in travel and lifestyle magazines, Chrome is Vicki's first novel - a response to a challenge issued upon retirement by a friend to "do something new and exciting that you've always dreamed of." She spent over three years on the project and hopes you will find the story amusing and enlightening.