PAPER TARGETS
by Patricia Watts
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Everyone knew that Roanne never got angry—until the night she killed her ex-husband and herself.
Roanne, a nice, suburban lady in her sixties who works at a Hallmark shop and volunteers at the Food Bank in Round Rock, Texas, calls her lifelong friend, Connie, confesses to murder, then puts the gun to her own head. Connie, spurred by Roanne’s last words about a lifetime of unspoken rage, sets aside her work as a cozy mystery writer and cupcake shop owner to confront the men who have stolen her dignity while she remained silent, including a bully brother, a rapist, and an ex-spouse.
On a journey to reclaim her inner power and to make peace with the loss of her treasured friend, Connie’s mission is to avoid the same tragic path as Roanne, but she takes along a gun, just in case.
With pathos and humor, Paper Targets, by Patricia Watts, calls us to speak our own narratives, even when it is uncomfortable or risky, and shows us the magnificence of a friendship that transcends time.
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INTERVIEWS WITH
ROANNE AND CONNIE, CHARACTERS IN
PAPER TARGETS
BY PATRICIA WATTS
MC ROANNE is interviewed about Connie
Q. Roanne, if you had to pick one word to describe Connie, what would it be?
Brave. She stood up to all those guys: the ones who bullied her, abused her, betrayed her, let her down. She did what I couldn’t do.
Q What makes Connie a good friend?
She’s never judged me. I cheated on Johnny. I ended Johnny’s life, for God’s sake. I wrecked my relationship with my kids. I didn’t stick around for her. She’s loved me through it all, just the same from beginning to end.
Q. What is the best moment you have had together?
Every moment! I don’t see a scene in my life —or even afterlife—when she’s not there.
Q. What is the worst moment?
That night on the phone, of course. The night I couldn’t live anymore.
Q. What is Connie’s biggest accomplishment?
First, she’s a great mom. Look at Daniel. Who could ask for a better son? And a wonderful grandma. And, also first, she found her powerful self, took her a while, but wow!
Q. What is something you regret or wish you could change about your relationship?
I wished we could have stayed close, not in miles, necessarily, but close the way we were as girls, safe with each other. I know that’s naïve, but…
Q. What is the one piece of advice you would like to give Connie?
Take a chance on love. Fall head over heels, no matter if you land on your face, smash yourself up. It really is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
MC CONNIE is interviewed about Roanne
Q. Connie, if you had to pick one word to describe Roanne, what would it be?
Nice, nice, nice. If it’s possible to be too nice, that’s Roanne in a nutshell. She always puts everyone else first without asking for anything in return.
Q What makes Roanne a good friend?
She’s always there for me, no matter what. We don’t always agree on things, but we never fight. Who could fight with Roanne? It would be like kicking a puppy.
Q. What is the best moment you have had together?
This is going to sound crazy because maybe it was the stupidest thing we ever did together, but I’ll always remember that night of the Queen concert in Houston, just before Roanne married Johnny. Yes, we got stoned, maybe not a brilliant choice, yes, it was not the best of ideas to shack up with those guys. Eating that whole apple pie not the smartest decision either. But up to that night, we had been together since we were fifteen, just us, going back and forth to each other’s houses when we were girls, sharing an apartment after we left home. Our lives were inseparable, and it seemed impossible that could ever end, but it was about to end. It wasn’t going to be just us anymore. That night was the last time. It was the most precious moment. I can still see Roanne sitting across that table from me at that diner, and I can taste every bite of that pie, like savoring all the times we had together.
Q. What is the worst moment?
That night on the phone, of course. The moment she fell from the world, and I couldn’t catch her.
Q. What is something you regret or wish you could change about your relationship?
I’m ashamed to admit it, but sometimes I was jealous of Roanne. She would’ve never guessed, never seen herself as anyone to be jealous of. She was so pretty, tall, blonde, Barbie doll. She got the attention from the guys. I was the sidekick. She had the ideal life—or so I thought—a man who loved her, kids, home, and it was all enough for her. She was always counting her blessings, not agonizing over what she didn’t have. That’s what I envied most about her. What a horrible thing for a friend to feel!
Q. What do you think is Roanne’s biggest accomplishment?
She’s a great mom. In spite of the rift between her and Zoe, she never stopped reaching out. That is truly unconditional love with no bounds.
Q. What is the one piece of advice you would like to give Roanne?
Be nice to yourself for a change. Make it all about you just once. Stand in your spotlight. Mother Teresa gave and gave and never asked for anything for herself, but she did get the Nobel Peace Prize, didn’t she?
Patricia Watts worked as a journalist for more than 20 years for newspapers in Texas, Hawaii, and Alaska. Following her news career, she tried her skill as a paralegal and then spent ten years investigating discrimination cases for the Alaska Human Rights Commission. Her novels include: Ghost Light and The Big Empty, crime mysteries co-written with Alaska author Stan Jones; The Frayer, suspense noir; and Watchdogs, a steamy thriller. Her home base is San Diego. She earned her B.A. in journalism at Humboldt State in California. She is the mother of a son and daughter and has eight grandchildren.
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