Markus Redmond is an actor, director, screenwriter, and author of the Blood Saga. Known for his roles on Doogie Howser, MD, NYPD Blue, Murder One, Mad About You, Angel, and Fight Club, he wrote and starred alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Sharon Stone in the indie film If I Had Known I Was a Genius. He wrote, directed, and starred in the Amazon Prime thriller The 6th Degree, and has multiple screenplays in development. You can connect with him on Instagram @markusredmond.
Redmond sat down with Cemetery Dance to discuss the recently released second installment in the Blood Saga— Blood Rising—historical horror, vampires, and themes of identity and retribution.
(Interview conducted by Haley Newlin)
CEMETERY DANCE: Blood Slaves has only been out for about a year, and it’s still circulating on social media with high praise and reception. Without giving too much away, what do you think fans of Blood Slaves will be most excited for in Blood Rising?
MARKUS REDMOND: Readers seem to really enjoy the retribution Blood Slaves provides. Many horrors of the past have been avenged or rectified, but not slavery. Given that, and the current state of affairs, a lot of folks are feeling frustrated and I think Blood Slaves somehow scratches an itch for them. So, I think the exciting thing about Blood Rising will be finding out what comes next now that the main characters are no longer enslaved. I think finding out what they do with their newfound power will be the real draw.
Who is your favorite character of the saga and why? Did it change between Blood Slaves and Blood Rising?
Rafazi is my favorite, and that doesn’t change from Blood Slaves to Blood Rising. Given what he does in Blood Rising, it surprises people that this position hasn’t changed for me, but I mean, everybody loves a good villain, right?
Absolutely. I love him but he did p*ss me off a few times, respectfully.
Gertie is my favorite character of the saga so far. Why do you think her presence is so important as Willie/Kwadzo becomes more powerful?
Gertie is the link to Kwadzo’s humanity. She’s taken a lot of criticism from a lot of readers, but her fans are staunch, and I think rightfully so. Gertie is stuck in the worst possible situation, and in the midst of it, she has to think about the baby she’s carrying. Gertie is the constant reminder of Kwadzo’s purpose, of why he made the decision he made.
Side note: she’s also my publisher’s favorite character in the books, so there’s that.
One of the most powerful recurring moments in the first two books is when a character reclaims a crucial piece of identity: their name. Why do you think this is such an integral step in the characters’ development and arcs?
Identity is everything. It’s who you are. I don’t think most folks could imagine having it snatched away from them and being powerless to do anything about it. So, when those who were enslaved do so, it’s something of a rebirth. Reclaiming a name may seem simple on the surface, but it really is a way to return to your roots and reclaim your humanity, which becomes all the more important if you’ve made the choice to become a Ramangan.
Community and strength of collective opposition to oppression are central themes in both books of the Blood Saga. Why do you think the horror genre, historical horror, specifically, is such an effective route to explore these themes?
Horror is like punk music. It gives you license to be bold, in your face, and in my case, bloody, to make a point. Almost every punk song has something to say about the times in which it was written if you listen to the lyrics, so I don’t think it’s a surprise that horror is currently having a moment in all forms of media right now. Plus, horror gives you all that and a bit of wish fulfillment in many cases. It’s often very cathartic during troubling times.
You mentioned on the Horrifically Well Read, Bled, and Said podcast that you did not initially realize that you’d written a horror novel with Blood Slaves. When were you convinced that you had? Were you a fan of the genre beforehand?
I wasn’t. The only horror movie I had ever seen was The Lost Boys and it’s still my favorite movie ever but that was that and what I was writing, as far as I was concerned, was different. It wasn’t until an author friend of mine, Lacie Waldon, asked me why I wasn’t getting responses from agents I was querying. I told her I didn’t know and hadn’t heard anything from any of the historical fiction agents I’d sent it to. She was like, “What’s the matter with you? It’s horror!”
I protested, and she said, “You have vampires ripping people’s innards out. That’s horror!”
The horror community definitely owes Lacie Waldon tremendous thanks.
What are some of your top horror book and film recommendations?
Well, The Lost Boys. Obviously. I really enjoyed Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang. It’s not direct horror but it gets pretty dicey as things progress. And Clay McLeod Chapman’s Wake Up And Open Your Eyes. If ever there was a timely horror written by a master of the genre, it’s that.
What would you say to those reading this who might be coming across the Blood Saga for the first time?
Welcome to the Blood!
Blood Slaves and Blood Rising are available now. Read Newlin’s review of Blood Rising here.
