Every Friday, we meet a member of the BFS and peer deep into their soul (or, at least, a form they filled out). Want to be featured? Email us: online@britishfantasysociety.org

Name: 
Otto Redman (he/him)

Which region are you based in? 
Hampshire

If you write, which genre: 
Horror / Occult / Folk / Fantasy

If you don’t write, what do you do?
When taking a break between chapters within my writing I can most often be found playing music, Morris Dancing, or both at the same time.

Are you drawn to any specific SFFH sub-genres? 
My primary draw is towards general horror, although I do like to experiment within the different variations to include elements of them within my stories.

Your influences

Tell us about the book/film/thing that got you into SFFH: What was it? How old were you? What impact did it have on you?

I got drawn into the weird and gothic world early in life. I think it must have been around the age of five or six, watching such great series as Doctor Who, the Addams Family, the Munsters, Twilight Zone etc. I moved onto the old Universal and Hammer Horror films shortly after. A defining literary work for me was when I read Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein at 11. I found the way it was written completely gripping and quickly progressed onto the other horror classics such as Dracula and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and then the eye-opening Lord of the Rings. From then on, I consumed anything horror-based at a frantic pace and remember clearly watching Alien and A Nightmare on Elm Street for the first time. It was an experience that could never be beaten – until Clive Barker’s Hellraiser came onto VHS, and I do remember those well, along with the iconic horror film artistry that was so vividly displayed on their covers. At 18 I stumbled across HP Lovecraft and Dennis Wheatley which broadened my horizons and led me into Stephen King, of who I have now read almost all of his works and am too often left waiting for him to write his next book. 

How does that early influence show up in your work now?

Its immediate impact, I suppose, can be found within my subject choices. The Vampire of Portsmouth draws on vampire lore, in particular the European side as found within the films of Jess Franco and Jean Rollin. Sarah’s Cats focuses on witchcraft and contains more of an influence from Dennis Wheatley and the Wicker Man with its Pagan roots. 

(Pictured: Otto’s bookcase full of his favourites)

Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?

That is a difficult question as I take inspiration from many different areas including those outside of horror – for example, Sarah’s Cats was inspired in a way by John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Sometimes ideas come from a location that I am walking around and the feeling that I pick up from it. Other times ideas spark when just sitting there and I can work on them from there. On the odd occasion, inspiration can come from reading the Tarot.

Who do you look to as a genre hero? Why?

I feel that I have two distinct genre heroes that have proved most inspirational to me. The first is Stephen King, who is so good at taking what many might consider to be a run of the mill concept and expertly craft it into something unique that flows so well as a story with detailed and (most importantly) real-feeling characters that you care about. The second is Clive Barker, whose Books of Blood is one of the few collections that I cannot get bored with re-reading. He always takes a focused look at the dark side of life and never fails to bring the reader into scary new worlds of horrific creatures.

(Photo of Clive Barker by Steven Friederich)

Your work

You’re stuck in an elevator for 60 seconds with that hero, and they want you to describe your work. Give us the pitch.

I write horror stories that put unexpected people – such as professionals, the elderly and pagans – and puts them into difficult situations to see how they cope with fantastic and real threats to their lives. 

What are you working on right now?

I am just finishing my new novel The Old Forest; I only have three chapters left to write before I start my first major edit where adjustments and new parts are usually added. When writing the massive work that was Sarah’s Cats, I became very attached to Sarah and her Great Aunt’s world of witchcraft and decided to set another story in the same world, featuring some links that develop some of the ideas within the side stories but will also work as a stand-alone story.

Thinking about all the stories/work you’ve done, what sticks out most in your mind? Why?

Both of my novels look at older heroines rather than the stereotypical teens that are found in most books and films, which was a deliberate decision that I made when planning the works.

Hellen in the Vampire of Portsmouth is a university lecturer in her early forties, and I chose this combination as the question formed in my mind as to how an older academic woman might deal with the problem of vampirism as it would undoubtably be different to an inexperienced teenager. Older people tend to have fixed beliefs, and professionals tend to exist within the relatively safe environment of the academic world around them and have no experience with hostile behaviour other than to call the police.

For Sarah’s Cats I chose Anne Pullen, who starts the story in her late eighties. That might to some seem a strange choice, but I am a firm believer that age brings wisdom which can often be sneered at by younger people and ignored. The elderly should be treated with respect, and this is true for Anne. Throughout the eight-year period of my novel’s duration, Anne’s knowledge is key to everything that happens in the story and possibly in the future. Yes, I am hinting at a sequel.

Where and when do you create/are you at your most creative?

My periods of creativity tend to be all over the place, so I typically attempt to regulate my writing to set times. Even if the spark for storytelling is not at its best, I find that I can still plan out chapter frameworks and edit the previous session’s writing. I aim to get between two and three thousand words written each day.

(Pictured: Otto’s feline inspiration)

What’s the best advice you’ve received about creativity?

I believe that the best advice I received was from my GCSE English teacher: you just need to start writing. Once you have something written down, the shape and beauty will come. You cannot make a pot without clay, which in itself is not special to look at, but once it has been shaped and glazed then works of immense beauty can be produced. And at the risk of sounding corny I will quote Journey: Don’t stop believing, hold on to that feeling.

What’s your writing soundtrack?

Anything Rock, heavy metal, goth or pagan folk keeps me going along with a large cup of tea. If I had to pick a few favourites:

• The Cure – Lullaby
• Inkubus Sukkubus – Pagan Born
• Faun – Rosenrot
• Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark
• Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
• Pink Floyd – Echos
• The Ramones – Pet Sematary
• Slayer – Seasons of the Abyss
• Pretty much any Morris dancing tunes that can be found

The quickfire round

Sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
Horror

Quiet or loud?
Loud

Dark or light?
Dark

Strict lines or genre blend?
Both

Awards or bestseller?
Oddities

Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction

Poetry or prose?
Both

Plotter or pantser?
Plotter

Reading or listening?
Both – it depends how much I’ve been typing and how tired my eyes are.

Notebook or computer?
Laptop

Favourite SFFH book of all time?
The Lord of the Rings

Last book you read?
The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke

Any SFFH author on auto-buy?
Stephen King

Favourite podcast?
I don’t listen to any

The home stretch

What’s the best thing about being part of the SFFH community?

The ability to gain an insight into other horror writers’ creative process and make friends within the SFFH community.

Time to plug your stuff! Where can we find you and your work? What have you got coming up? Consider this your advertising space.

Both the Vampire of Portsmouth and Sarah’s Cats are available from all online bookstores.

I can be found at www.ottoredman.com and on X at @otto_redman.

I am currently finishing The Old Forest, which is a tale about how nature is abused by humans and the warning that one day it might just fight back.