J.M. NORTHUP

MEET MY CHARACTER

1. Tell us about your story:
   • What is the name of your book?
     • CHASING VEGA and CHASING THE CAPTAIN
   • What genre is it?
     • A Thriller
   • When and where is your tale set?
     • CHASING VEGA starts off in my fictional hometown of Paloma, Illinois. Most of the action takes place in Arizona and New York City.
     • CHASING THE CAPTAIN opens in Nashville with scenes in Palmoa before jumping across the pond to London and then Moscow. There’s a closing scene in Rio De Janeiro.
2. Who are you?
   • What is your name?
     • JESSICA RAMIREZ
   • Are you a fictional or historical character?
     • I’m fictional, but I hope to become historical.
   • What’s your role in the story – are you the protagonist or a supporting character?
     • I’m the star, what you guys call a protagonist.
   • Are you a human, animal, alien, robot, or something completely different?
     • The doctor says I’m human.
     • My chief says I can be a “junkyard dog.”
     • My sister thinks I’m from some other planet because I’m not falling over every guy to get married.
     • My partner, Ali, just thinks I’m crazy.
   • Do you consider yourself to be good, bad, or indifferent?  Would others agree with this assessment – why, or why not?
     • I always want to do the right thing. Life is black and white to me and I’m passionate, so I sometimes make bad choices. Readers seem to think I’m “good.”
3. What do we need to know about you?
   • What is your personal goal?  I mean, what do you ultimately want?
     • I want to be a role model for other young women to consider a career in law enforcement. I want to help keep our city safe. And I want to love and protect my family.
   • What is standing in your way?  What conflict(s) do you face?
     • The department where I work is still filled with old-school macho male cops who think women should stay out of the profession. My own pigheadedness often gets in the way and I’m prone to make some decisions in the heat of the moment that I regret later. And I keep running into really bad people who have evil on their minds and need to be stopped.
   • Why is this goal important to you?  What’s your motivation?
     • We all want a safe community for our friends and family. And I believe that every human being deserves an equal shot at the American Dream. Some may give Terry a hard time about being a white guy, telling a Latina’s story. But he’s immersed himself in our culture, spent lots of time with cops and lived with families across South America in high school. We tell him when he’s getting stuff wrong, but I think he’s celebrating our culture and not expropriating it.
   • If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be, and why?
     • I’d like to be a little taller. People underestimate me because I’m a woman and fairly short. Those who do regret it.
4. How do I get a copy of your book?
   • Is it available now, or when can we expect to see it released?
     • Both CHASING VEGA and CHASING THE CAPTAIN are available at Amazon in paperback, digital and audio book (Captain’s audio book is coming soon.)
     • The holiday story, CHASING CODY that I star in is available exclusively in digital and audio book formats.
   • Do you have a universal link available?
     • Terry’s my man. You can learn all about me at Terry Shepeherd.com