One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1)

by Janet Evanovich

I wasn’t much good with a gun, but I was bitchin’ with an aerosol can.

When I first started writing ONE FOR THE MONEY I went to a gun range, took a class and tried firing a gun. I figured it was important that I knew what the experience was like, so I could write about it. I hated it. Scared the crap out of me. I realized that even if I had a gun on me, it would never occur to me to use it if I had to. I’d beat the bejeezus out of my assailant with my purse, first. It would probably be pretty effective since the gun in it would be hard and heavy. Whenever I write about Stephanie in a situation, I always ask myself what would I do? Hopefully that’s one of the reasons the Plum series has been so popular. I’m not the only woman out there who would sooner beat someone up with her handbag, and it helps make Stephanie identifiable and human.