AfterElton
Found a brief mention to Jonathan Kellerman and Milo on AfterElton.com (very good site, btw). No spoilers.
Q: I'm reading my way through Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series and I was wondering how the character of Milo Sturgis (who I love!) had been received back when the first books had been published in the early 80s. The man's an out gay detective with the best solve rate of the LAPD, a straight best friend, and a love life. Twenty-five years later, Southland’s John Cooper doesn't have all that (yet). -- Morgane, Paris, France
A: “I wrote the first novel in 1981, but it wasn’t published until 1985,” Kellerman tells the Flying Monkey. “There were no gay characters in mainstream fiction that I knew of, so it was a fairly revolutionary move, and that was what appealed to me. My goal was to create a gay-but-so-what character, and I believe I succeeded at that as most people simply look at Milo as a human being. Which is what it’s all about, right?”
What was the reaction to the character at the time? “Surprisingly, I got no negative feedback, indicating, I believe, the essential tolerance of Americans even 25 years ago. In all that time, I received, perhaps, five negative or nasty messages and thousands of positive messages.”
From gay people, he says, the reaction has varied. “It’s been interesting, from ‘Thanks so much!’ in the beginning to mid-career snarkiness - ‘How can Kellerman as a straight man presume to write about the gay experience?’ Which is narrow-minded and rather stupid, as I don’t think I need to be limited to writing about middle-aged (now elderly) grumpy straight white guys! I do, however, continue to get nice correspondence from gay people. Happily, Milo is no longer an ‘unusual’ character. He is, however, a fascinating guy in his own right.”
For the record, the next Delaware novel, Deception, comes out in late March, and Kellerman is working on the book to follow. “I’ve got a long-term deal with Random House, so as long as I stay healthy, we can expect more of Alex and Milo,” Kellerman says.
Morgane, you didn’t ask about a movie version, but I did. I was curious if maybe the gay element was keeping it from reaching the small or big-screen.
“Movie issues have nothing to do with sexuality,” Kellerman says. “I turn down lots of bad offers and am holding out for the right one.”
http://www.afterelton.com/askmonkey/02-01-2010?page=0,1
Q: I'm reading my way through Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series and I was wondering how the character of Milo Sturgis (who I love!) had been received back when the first books had been published in the early 80s. The man's an out gay detective with the best solve rate of the LAPD, a straight best friend, and a love life. Twenty-five years later, Southland’s John Cooper doesn't have all that (yet). -- Morgane, Paris, France
A: “I wrote the first novel in 1981, but it wasn’t published until 1985,” Kellerman tells the Flying Monkey. “There were no gay characters in mainstream fiction that I knew of, so it was a fairly revolutionary move, and that was what appealed to me. My goal was to create a gay-but-so-what character, and I believe I succeeded at that as most people simply look at Milo as a human being. Which is what it’s all about, right?”
What was the reaction to the character at the time? “Surprisingly, I got no negative feedback, indicating, I believe, the essential tolerance of Americans even 25 years ago. In all that time, I received, perhaps, five negative or nasty messages and thousands of positive messages.”
From gay people, he says, the reaction has varied. “It’s been interesting, from ‘Thanks so much!’ in the beginning to mid-career snarkiness - ‘How can Kellerman as a straight man presume to write about the gay experience?’ Which is narrow-minded and rather stupid, as I don’t think I need to be limited to writing about middle-aged (now elderly) grumpy straight white guys! I do, however, continue to get nice correspondence from gay people. Happily, Milo is no longer an ‘unusual’ character. He is, however, a fascinating guy in his own right.”
For the record, the next Delaware novel, Deception, comes out in late March, and Kellerman is working on the book to follow. “I’ve got a long-term deal with Random House, so as long as I stay healthy, we can expect more of Alex and Milo,” Kellerman says.
Morgane, you didn’t ask about a movie version, but I did. I was curious if maybe the gay element was keeping it from reaching the small or big-screen.
“Movie issues have nothing to do with sexuality,” Kellerman says. “I turn down lots of bad offers and am holding out for the right one.”
http://www.afterelton.com/askmonkey/02-01-2010?page=0,1