Thursday, May 20, 2021

Handbag and Book welcomes author C J Petterson: A Protagonist Who Carries a PINK Ruger in her Handbag?

 cj Sez: The manuscript I’m working on has a protagonist who carries a pink Ruger, and when I found out my youngest granddaughter had one (!) and a concealed carry purse, I knew I had found my new favorite purse. 

I used to be a Coach person, but the big, black, boxy purse I have gets amazingly heavy when I’ve crammed all my “essentials” into it. It’s now stashed on the top shelf in my closet, and I carry anything black, lightweight nylon (or leather), and cheap. I think a duplicate of Maggie Rose’s concealed-carry purse will be my next purchase. And maybe a pink Ruger as well.  

 

Most of my stories have some kind of weapon or unique car in them. I’ve worked in the retail, medical, legal, and manufacturing fields and retired from an automotive manufacturer after 25 years. I was also once married to a man who was first a cop then a firefighter. Ergo, I’m familiar with the vocabulary of several career paths and have spent a bit of time with cars and with hand guns and long guns. I’m not so familiar with them that I don’t have to do a lot of research to get the descriptions right, but that’s where the fun comes in for me.  

 


cj Sez: After my first novel, Deadly Star, languished in Simon & Schuster’s marketing purgatory, I requested my rights back and went about the task of refreshing, re-editing, and inserting updated information into the story, taking it from romantic suspense to thriller/suspense. The result became my first self-published book: The Dawgstara novel based on some real-life and some imagined technology and events. 



Mirabel Campbell is a geneticist and amateur astronomer who’s been wishing for more adventure in her life. Someone should have reminded her to be careful what you wish for. Spotting a mysterious twinkle in the night sky puts her in the crosshairs of an assassin and in the middle of an action-packed suspense/thriller filled with international political gangsterismnanosatellites (real things), and fears of frankenfood. Mirabel and her CIA ex-husband reconnect while trying to stop a sociopath from triggering a bioweapon.  


 

More about c j petterson: cj petterson is the pen name of Marilyn Johnston. Born in Texas and raised in Michigan, Marilyn now lives on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. She takes her pen name from her paternal Swedish grandmother—a decision brought about because she had a sister-in-law with her same name. 

Her first published stories were romantic suspense novels that were more “Jane Bond” than straight-forward, romantic, happily-ever-after stories. Now she concentrates on writing contemporary suspense/thrillers and mysteries with a touch of romance. Her strong female protagonists and supporting characters take readers on exciting journeys filled with suspense, action, and sassy dialogue. She does enjoy challenging her writing skills in different genres, and her non-fiction and fiction short stories, including a paranormal or two, appear in several anthologies.  

 

Marilyn/cj is a member of the international Sisters in Crime writers' group and their online Guppy chapter, the Alabama Writers Conclave, the Alabama Writers Forum, and a charter member of the Mobile Writers Guild. 



Answer these questions: 

Red, White or Blue? Blue, especially periwinkle 

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter? Fall because the flowers and vegetables give their all for a final burst of glory. Colors, aromas, flavors—an all-senses feast. 

Cake or Pie?  I make a “less lethal” Cheesecake Pie (low-fat cream cheese/Splenda Blend sugar/low-fat sour cream, and 1 egg plus 2 egg whites, all resting deliciously in a graham cracker pie crust.)  

Coffee, Tea, or Champagne?  Coffee, black, half-caf, non-flavored 

Country music or Michael Buble?  Country, especially Alan Jackson 

Pencil or Pen?  A dark #2 pencil with a large, separate eraser 

 


The Dawgstar eBook is available at: books2read

 

Follow cj at: lyrical pens

 

 

7 comments:

cj petterson said...

cj Sez: Thank you, Vicki, for hosting me. I truly enjoyed doing this interview!

Debra H. Goldstein said...

cj - loved the purse in the picture, especially with its pink lugar. Automotive industry and Michigan --- I, too, grew up in Michigan and my first legal job was in the automotive industry ----that's when I remembered I hate snow and ended up in Alabama. We'll have to compare going south and where in Michigan stories.

Barbara Monajem said...

What a cute little purse. No room for random used tissues and other funk!

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, cj! So lovely to have you. I read about a handbag that had a storage spot for an umbrella. That could be handy.

Kaye George said...

LOVE the pink Rugar! I've tried little and can't do it. I have to lug my big thing around. More power to your character!

Marsha said...

Hey, Vicki. Nice to meet you C. J. Intriguing story line and great cover. Good luck. I've shared.

Daniel Paul said...
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