Michel’s debut fiction collection
Born a Ramblin’ Man
Fourteen Tales of Thieves, Killers, Vagabonds, and Lost Souls
In this stunning debut, Michel Lee Garrett weaves a tapestry of crime, desperation, comedy, and hope, all set against a backdrop of rural despair and big-city corruption. Across fourteen stories, small-time thieves pick the wrong pockets, small-town lives become uprooted by violence, and Michel’s recurring hero Raymond Reynolds grows from a ramblin’ vagabond into a seasoned investigator as he stumbles from one misadventure to the next.
“The prose is outstanding, the pacing is top-shelf, and the imagery is luscious. Michel is a true wordsmith and Born a Ramblin’ Man is a must-read.”
—J.B. Stevens, award-winning author and critic
“Haunted characters and haunted lives roam these pages, each one with Michel’s unmistakable touch. This is one not to be missed.”
—James D.F. Hannah, Shamus Award-winning author of Behind the Wall of Sleep and Because the Night
Author, editor, poet
Advocate and activist
Speaker and speechwriter
“Not only a brilliant writer, but an important one.”
—Libby Cudmore, award-winning author of Negative Girl and The Big Rewind
Michel Lee Garrett has worked as an investigative reporter, the communications director of a U.S. Senate campaign, and the speechwriter to the president of a major research university.
She is…
the author of crime fiction collection Born a Ramblin’ Man (Shotgun Honey, April 2025)
the editor of Burning Down the House: Crime Fiction Incited by the Songs of the Talking Heads (Shotgun Honey, April 2024), a charity anthology to help fight climate change.
the editor of Transcendent Love: True Stories of Trans-for-Trans Relationships (JKP Books, forthcoming, 2027)
A queer and transgender author, her work aims to explore how inequitable systems manufacture injustice and how the human condition is ultimately one of rebellion against an absurd world. Her fiction has appeared from publishers including Flame Tree Press, Cowboy Jamboree, and Down & Out Books, including in the Anthony Award-nominated anthology Trouble No More. Her poetry has appeared from Kalliope Literary Magazine, New Words Press, and the Central Pennsylvania Center for the Book.
She is also an outspoken advocate for transgender dignity and LGBTQ+ rights. She serves as a member of the board of directors and as PR Chair for Centre LGBT+, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing queer equity and community in her home of central Pennsylvania. She frequently speaks with the media and at panels, public events, and local government meetings on the importance of serving and uplifting queer and transgender people.
She lives with her wife and two kids. She is a step-mother to two wonderful children and a proud co-parent in a joyous two-household blended family. When she’s not working, Michel enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, playing with makeup, watching pro wrestling, playing guitar, and remembering when she had enough free time to play video games.
“A ferocious and talented writer.”
—James D.F. Hannah, Shamus Award-winning author of Behind the Wall of Sleep and Because the Night
“One of America’s up-and-coming great storytellers.”
—T. Fox Dunham, author of The Street Martyr, Mercy, and Destroying the Tangible Illusion of Reality
Transcendent Love
True Stories of Trans-for-Trans Relationships
A new non-fiction anthology, elevating and celebrating trans love stories
Edited by Michel Lee Garrett
Forthcoming from Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Now accepting submissions!
Crime fiction for a good cause
Edited by Michel and prolific author T. Fox Dunham, Burning Down The House: Crime Fiction Incited by the Songs of the Talking Heads is a charity anthology to help fight climate change, featuring 12 of the top names in crime fiction today.
A genre-bending anthology that blends crime fiction with elements including sci-fi, dystopia, history, fantasy, and magical realism, this collection is prefect for fans of boundary-pushing fiction — and for lovers and newcomers to the Talking Heads alike.
“BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE approaches with an easy grin, offering the promise of a good time while nimble fingers pick your pocket, knowing you won't mind. A dizzying array of crime stories, equal parts gritty and poetic, that will surprise even veteran fans of the genre.”
—John C. Foster, author of "Rooster" and "Mister White"