Around the Corner: Interview with J.M. Redmann, author of the Micky Knight mysteries

By Anais on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 - 00:22

I was starting to feel a little disenchanted by my latest lesbian reads until I stumbled upon J.M. Redmann’s Micky Knight series.

I was hooked from the start and read them all in a week. The series tell the story of Michele ‘Micky’ Knight, a New Orleans, street-smart lesbian PI, as she tries to solve several mysteries while dealing with her own demons. Although the books are mysteries, it would be unfair to reduce them to this label. First of all, they’re no typical ‘whodunnit’ stories (I don’t know about you, but those tend to annoy me a bit): the cases Micky end up with serve to tell a deeper story and depict a terrific gallery of characters. Truth is, Micky probably is one of the best lesbian characters ever created. Yep. She is tough, complicated, witty and touching. She’s full of imperfections and so good at messing things up that you can’t help but totally love her, even when she’s rather unlovable (she has her moments). Raw and edgy in the first installments, Micky evolves throughout the series and her struggles become your own.

J.M. Redmann has the ability to create multi-layered stories and characters that will make you addicted. She was kind enough to answer my questions: enjoy, then I strongly advise you to run to your local bookstore or to click here and get your copy of Death by the Riverside! I bet my favorite pair of sneakers – and I really love them - that you’ll go back for more.

© Cherry Capel

Let’s start with a short bio, shamelessly taken from J.M’s official website:

J.M. (Jean M.) Redmann grew up in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, a small town on the Gulf of Mexico. At eighteen, determined to escape the South, she headed north to attend Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. The day after receiving her degree in drama, Redmann boarded a train for New York City. Determined not to become just another rich yuppie, she embarked on a career in theatrical lighting. Riches never once threatened her doorstep. To this day, they remain far afield. Her theatrical work even included a stint as lighting director of the New York Playboy Club. (No, she never wore a bunny costume.) While living in New York City, she began writing the book that became Death by the Riverside.

Due to circumstances beyond her control (following a partner who had decided to go to law school) Redmann moved to the City That Care Forgot, New Orleans. She is the first to admit that this isn’t exactly what she had planned. When pressed, she will admit that few things are as she had planned. Redmann currently works as the Director of Prevention at NO/AIDS Task Force, the largest AIDS service organization in Louisiana. She also presents workshops on safer sex, which gives her a great excuse to watch dirty videos, talk about sex and ask questions such as, ‘What do you do with that pink thing?’ during a normal work day.

One of the few lesbian authors to have crossed over to the so called mainstream, two of her books, Lost Daughters and The Intersection of Law and Desire, were originally published by W.W. Norton. The Intersection of Law and Desire won a Lambda Literary Award, and was also picked by the San Francisco Chronicle as an Editor’s Choice for the year and featured on NPR. Other titles include Death by the Riverside, and Deaths of Jocasta.

Her books have been translated into German, Spanish, Norwegian and Dutch. Presently, J.M. Redmann lives, works and survives in the city devastated by Katrina-New Orleans. She lives just at the edge of where the waters stopped.