Jeanne la femme en rouge is a story of love and ideology that gives readers a look inside the life of Jeanne Tunica y Casas, political agitator, teacher, artist, wife, and aging woman whose life stretches across Nîmes, Paris, Nouméa, Sydney, and Santo. What inspired you to share her story with readers?

I was inspired by her strong character, her feminist values and political stance, not her communism, but her anti-colonial struggle because there were men and women exploited and that couldn’t move up the social ladder. I wanted more people to know of her. This book is a translation of Jeanne The Woman In Red. Many French people had expressed their disappointment that it was not written in French, so the translation was a natural transition. The translator, Jack Lazonde, was able to incorporate this translation as part of his degree, he had lived there, knew about the life of Jeanne and the New Caledonian historical backdrop, is bilingual French/English and therefore all the elements and timing were present to have this book translated for French readers.

What aspects of Jeanne Tunica y Casas’s life resonated most deeply with you as a writer?

I think the fact that she never quit no matter what obstacles, criticism came her way. I guess as a writer that resonates.

The novel explores the fear of becoming invisible with age. Why was that theme important to you?

I wish that she didn’t have the ending that she had. After all the reading and research I had done, I felt like I knew her enough to explore what she may have felt and rewrite the ending. That’s the beauty of fiction, it invites invention but remains faithful to truth. Getting older shouldn’t mean oblivion. It should be about looking back on our past, the ups and downs, celebrating resilience, achievements, and continuing to create new memories.

What conversations do you hope the novel sparks about colonialism, labor rights, and social justice?

Much of what Jeanne wrote about and fought against are sadly a reality in many parts of the world today. We should never cancel history and see the world today from the perspective of another time period, but we can learn from the past, celebrate our progress, and bring to light the countries that don’t respect basic human rights.

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