The Inspiration

As you've probably seen from my Instagram account, I'm an avid dirt-biker. Ever since I was born, my family and I have been camping on the May Long Weekend and October Long Weekend (as well as some trips in between, especially during the summer). When I was old enough to start driving a quad, that's exactly what I did. And I stuck to driving a quad for a few years before my interests shifted. By that point, I had already been working on my first story I posted on Wattpad, "Come Back to Me." Shifting from a quad to a dirt-bike was a very interesting experience. Dirt-biking requires a lot more stamina and strength, as well as technique when compared to driving a quad, as per my personal opinion. 

Whisky throttle is defined as: "what happens when a rider loses control, panics and loses even more control resulting in sometimes serious injury but at best hilarious moments" (Source: https://www.motosport.com/blog/whiskey-throttle-vs-panic-rev). 

As you can guess, this has happened to me a few times. None of my injuries have been severe (the worst I've done is sprain my thumb), but they have been the result of panicking and then loss of control. Which, honestly, is a symbol of what my life was like a while back. Everything, when I had epilepsy, felt out of control. 

When the idea for "Whisky Throttle" came to me, I was having a difficult time dealing with some past events that had inevitably come up again. Dirt-biking has always been a way to clear my head, much like reading and writing. When I returned to the campsite, I hopped on my dirt-bike with my backpack, and rode up to the top of Blue Grouse Mountain. In retrospect, I never should've done it alone. That's the number one rule when you're dirt-biking, but I was in a crappy mood after having an MRI done (which always brings back trauma). I'm terrified of the process where they insert an IV into the back of your hand because it takes them, and I kid you not, about fifteen tries to get it in. Like Calla, I don't do well when it's my own blood I'm looking at. 

Anyway, when I arrived at the top, I parked my dirt-bike and sat on a rock while enjoying a can of lemonade and a sandwich I'd picked up from Subway. My notebook was on my lap, and I was staring out at the beautiful view of Kelowna and West Kelowna (picture below). That's when the term "whisky throttle" popped into my head, and I started jotting down ideas for a story about a man named Maddox. A man who loved dirt-biking but also felt like his life was a constant Whisky Throttle. And because I'm a sucker for romance stories, I needed a kick-ass female character to go with him. 

The Okanagan Trail Riding Association and all the trails I discuss in Whisky Throttle are real, located in my hometown of West Kelowna. These are the trails I love and visit at least ten times every year. I've been doing this for almost twenty-six years now, and I will never get sick of the area. Integrating my love for dirt-biking into a story is so much fun!

Maddox Kase

Maddox is hands-down my favourite character I've written (sorry Sebastian). Not only do we share a birthday, but he also owns the dirt-bike I've always wanted. We're also very similar in the sense that we weren't raised by the best father. Maddox definitely had it worse, though, because my mom was my lifesaver. The relationship between Maddox and his mom will be discussed in the sequel a little more because, and let me really emphasize this, she did not have a choice. 

He was also the easiest character to write. From 2010 to 2018, my life felt like a constant Whisky Throttle, too. So it was easy to play on his emotions and represent the toughness of needing to be strong--even when you don't want to be. 

I also have to admit that the inspiration for Maddox (his looks) also came from someone I saw on the trails. Shoulder-length black hair beneath his helmet and big green eyes. A very kind soul all around. How do I know this? Because I got stuck in a rut with my dirt-bike, and he helped me out of it (my dirt-bike is a beast, and it can be very difficult to push uphill). "Helped" is the keyword here. He didn't do it himself to prove a point or something, like a lot of the men do up at the trails because *egos.* I took one side of the bike and he took the other, and we pushed it out of the muddy rut. He also stuck around to make sure I got my bike running and was able to make my way. 

So, yeah, thank you mysterious man for inspiring Maddox and being such a gentleman! 

Calla Henrik

Making Calla the camp host was probably my favourite decision because she is the type of character that does what she wants and how she wants it done. Which is what gives Maddox a bit of push in regards to being confident and independent. She knows how she wants to define herself. And while she may appear to be headstrong and a little pushy at some points, she truly cares about people with all her heart. Writing the love between her and Maddox always made me feel mushy on the inside--and may have sparked a few tears. 

The inspiration for her character came from a combination of heroines I've read about in other novels, particularly Lou from Serpent and Dove and Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy. They're two of my favourite MCs, and I wanted Calla to have the same strength, stubbornness, and wit. Not only because it contrasted so well with Maddox's character, but also because badass heroines are the freaking best!

Vance Cameron

Ah, the witty, sarcastic cousin. The inspiration for Vance definitely came from my family. I am the oldest out of eight grandkids, and I have six cousins who are absolutely my favourite people in the world. And I may have stolen some of Vance's traits from them. Sarcasm, dry sense of humour, fierce love for his family, athleticism, dirt-biking skills. He is the glue that holds the family (Calla, Maddox, Laurel, and himself, even if they aren't blood related) together. 

The Original Idea

Don't come after me for this, but in the original draft, Maddox was supposed to die from that gunshot wound after saving his cousin. I thought it was a fitting end for him, but once I got deeper into the relationship between him and Calla, I couldn't do it. He, aside from Noel and Kinsley from One Moment, deserved a happy ending! Which is exactly what he got!

All photos were taken by and belong to ReAnne Kennedy.