CJ Perry is bringing elements of her own life into a new creative arena with Bulletproof Angel, a spy thriller centered on a model caught in an international world of espionage, danger and deception.
The book, which is now available to order, draws heavily from Perry’s interests and experiences, while also channeling the kind of action storytelling she grew up loving. Perry discussed the foundations of the project and explained that the novel’s heroine reflects aspects of her personality, background and longtime fascination with espionage movies.
Rather than presenting a straightforward autobiography in fictional form, Bulletproof Angel uses personal touchstones as the launching point for a larger thriller. Its central character is a model who travels to Russia, embraces fashion and becomes entangled in a dangerous covert life as an American-Russian spy. The story also features a relationship with a Russian Mafia figure, a cover identity and a former-spy mother who is pulled into the escalating conflict.
For Perry, that blend of glamour, action and international intrigue is intentional. The book is designed around a heroine who does not simply survive the chaos around her, but takes an active role in confronting it.
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“It has a lot of things inspired from my own life which is really cool,” Perry said. “I actually have a picture of me at 15 years old right in front of this cathedral.”
That personal connection extends to the visual and action-oriented side of the novel as well. Perry said that she enjoys shooting guns and regularly visits the gun range as a hobby. A photo of Perry handling a firearm became part of the inspiration behind the book’s imagery, with an artist helping turn that idea into the finished presentation.
“I love shooting guns. I go to the gun range. I love all my weapons. I do that as my hobby often to be honest and I just think it’s so empowering to be able to handle a weapon as anyone but especially as a woman,” Perry said.
Perry’s comments underline one of the major themes behind Bulletproof Angel: female agency. The book’s protagonist is placed in situations commonly associated with classic espionage fiction, including criminal underworld connections, international travel, explosions and hidden identities. However, Perry’s starting point was a desire to put a woman at the center of that kind of story, not merely on the margins of it.
She has been a dedicated James Bond viewer since childhood and said she has watched every film in the franchise multiple times. While she was captivated by the style and adventure of the series, she also found herself questioning why the women in those stories so often needed to be saved. That question stayed with her and became a key creative influence on the development of Bulletproof Angel.
“My whole life, I’ve really loved James Bond movies and I’ve watched every single one of them multiple times and as a little girl, I was so fascinated with it and fascinated by the stories,” Perry said. “I would always ask my dad, I’m like, ‘Why can’t the woman do the saving?’ The woman was in distress and the damsel in distress that needed saving and I was always waiting for that one time that James Bond would be a woman.”
A Spy Thriller Built Around a Different Kind of Hero
That childhood response to spy movies appears to be at the heart of Perry’s approach. The lead character in Bulletproof Angel is not described as a passive figure swept along by events. She is a woman whose life contains contradictions: she is connected to fashion and modeling, but she is also a spy; she is involved with a Russian Mafia figure, yet that relationship is part of a cover; and when danger erupts in Moscow, her family history becomes just as important as her professional secrets.
Perry teased that the situation eventually becomes explosive in more ways than one. She did not reveal the full trajectory of the plot, but she indicated that the protagonist’s mother, herself a former spy, has to become involved as the stakes rise. That intergenerational espionage element gives the novel another dimension beyond its central romance and undercover premise.
“She’s an American-Russian spy, and she’s dating this Russian Mafia guy who is, like, that’s the whole cover-up, and sh*t goes down over in Mother Russia; Moscow, you know?” Perry said. “Things start to blow up and her mom needs to get involved who’s a former spy as well.”
The premise allows Perry to draw from several genres at once. There is the high-gloss setting of fashion, the criminal intrigue of the Mafia connection, the suspense of an undercover operation and the family drama created by the mother’s past as a spy. The result is positioned as a thriller with a distinctly personal perspective, even as it moves into heightened fictional territory.
Perry was careful not to disclose too much about the story’s surprises, but her explanation makes clear that Bulletproof Angel is intended to embrace the big, cinematic qualities that made classic spy stories appealing to her in the first place. The difference is in who gets to carry the narrative and make the decisive moves when the danger arrives.
Life Experiences Inform the Fiction
Personal inspiration does not mean the book is limited to literal recreations of Perry’s own history. Instead, familiar details have been adapted into a fictional world. Her photo at a cathedral when she was 15, her enjoyment of visiting shooting ranges, her interest in weapons, and the model-centered perspective all informed the identity of the project.
That approach gives the title Bulletproof Angel a fitting contrast. “Angel” suggests the polished, fashionable and glamorous world associated with the book’s protagonist, while “bulletproof” signals the danger, resilience and action surrounding her. Perry’s description of the novel points toward a character who must balance both sides of that identity while navigating a web of cover stories and threats.
The project also reflects the value Perry places on women being portrayed as capable in action narratives. Her thoughts on the James Bond films were not framed as a rejection of the stories she loved. On the contrary, her admiration for the franchise is evident. But her childhood curiosity about its conventions eventually led to an idea: what would happen if the woman was the one doing the rescuing?
Bulletproof Angel is Perry’s answer to that question. The protagonist occupies the role usually reserved for the suave male operative. She is the figure with secrets, skills and the responsibility to act. Her relationships may create complications, but the story is built around her own decisions and ability to navigate the danger.
Perry Begins a New Chapter Beyond the Ring
For wrestling audiences, Perry has long been recognized for her larger-than-life presentation and her ability to build a memorable character. The move into a thriller novel offers another outlet for those instincts, while also giving her the chance to explore a more expansive long-form story. The book’s world is full of the same broad stakes that can make performance-driven entertainment compelling: identities are hidden, alliances are uncertain and danger can change everything in an instant.
At the same time, Perry’s description of the book emphasizes that it comes from a deeply personal place. The heroine’s fashion background, Russian setting and confidence with weapons all connect to pieces of Perry’s own interests or life experiences. Those pieces have been reshaped into an original fictional narrative rather than presented as direct fact.
The release also arrives during a major period in Perry’s personal life. Perry and Miro Barnyashev, known to wrestling fans as Rusev, are expecting their first child together.
As Bulletproof Angel becomes available to readers, Perry has made the creative mission behind it clear. She wanted to build a stylish, dangerous spy world influenced by the movies she loved growing up, while placing a woman in the position of power she wished she had seen more often. The result is a thriller rooted in fashion, family secrets, Moscow intrigue and a heroine determined to be far more than a damsel in distress.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.