Hello Terry! It has been a while since GVN spoke to you about your debut, Blood Debts. What can you tell us about the upcoming sequel Blood Justice?

Nothing I can tell you about this book will properly prepare you, but I’ll try my best.

For starters, Blood Justice makes Blood Debts feel like a prologue. The sequel picks up right where Blood Debts left off and expands the rich fantasy world that I introduced you to last year, while also deepening the emotional stakes for our main characters: Clem, Cris, and Valentina.  

More importantly, Blood Justice is a much darker and more intense story than Blood Debts, one where I didn’t shy away from exploring the complexity and nuance of anger within the Black and Black queer communities—especially at systems of oppression and the folks who prop them up to profit from the suffering of others. 

At the start of the second entry in this series, Cris and Clem are both trying to cope with how to move forward in the aftermath of the events of book one, despite having successfully reinstated their mother to her rightful place as Queen of the Generational Magic Council of New Orleans. Cris finds that she can’t ignore her mounting anger at the people who’ve hurt her family and continue to attack her community. Clem is lost in the sauce and willing to do just about anything to save the boy he loves. And Valentina has lost everything but still refuses to give up the fight for power. But their individual paths will be treacherous at best with a new detective in town who has her sights set on magic users and a dangerous god lurking in the city’s shadows. 

In Blood Debts, both Cris and Clem were dealing with the death of their father, a magical assassination attempt on their mother, and a host of other issues. What can you tell about their frame of mind when Blood Justice begins? 

Every focal character in Blood Justice is dealing with their own powerlessness in each of their unique situations—particularly Cris and Clem. It’s a unique concept to explore at this stage in the story because they seemingly reclaimed their power at the end of Blood Debts; however, what they soon discover is that the oppressive forces bearing down on their community, their family, and by extension, them, is an even more complex, expansive, and intimidating issue than they could’ve even imagined. 

Cris struggles to restrain her overwhelming rage at the people who had a hand in harming her family and seemingly got away with it—and the people who’re still coming for them, including the Redeemers, who create trouble for Cris’s mother’s reign at every turn. But Cris quickly starts to understand that tolerance is too polite to break chains.  

Meanwhile, Clem’s fight for his boyfriend has nearly buried him alive, and he’s quickly running out of options. As his anxiety, desperation, and frustration escalates while his resources dwindle, he’ll become more likely to succumb to the lure of dark forces.  

Did Cris and Clem evolve in ways other than what you initially expected while writing this installment? 

The plot for the second book didn’t change much from what I originally envisioned for it; however, Cris’s and Clem’s emotional journeys both evolved quite a bit. Their state of minds throughout this installment was a direct reflection of my own while drafting this manuscript. I was angry about the state of the world and depressed about the overwhelming sense of powerlessness I felt to change anything, which I spoke about in the author’s note. 

I embraced all those difficult emotions and poured them into this story. And I let these kids live in them. And be messy. And angry. And sad. And I let them make mistakes and do all the things I wished I could but wasn’t able to for whatever reason. 

The artisanal dance of Cris’s and Clem’s emotions along the plot threads of Blood Justice is an experience that shouldn’t be rushed. I want readers to really take their time with this book. Savor every chapter, every scene, and every line because every detail is deliberate. 

Cris really leans into her rage. At the people who’ve wronged her. At systems that threaten to suffocate her family and her community. She clings to her anger to the point of becoming lost in it. But her journey this time around is about honing that anger and learning how to use it as a guide without letting it control her. 

Clem is on a different, but no less dark, path. Feeling powerless to save Yves and hopelessly alone in finding a solution, readers will watch him exhaust every option until his back’s up against the wall, and he’ll be presented with an offer he can’t refuse.

What can we expect from the ultimate frenemy, Valentina Savant? 

Valentina is the villain everyone loves to hate, inspired by one of the greatest villains of all time: Cersei Lannister. And in Blood Justice, Valentina makes bold moves reminiscent of the political and underhanded maneuvering that’s a quintessential aspect of Cersei’s character. But to me, Valentina is even more special. I’ve always appreciated her resilience. She’s had everything thrown at her—even divine intervention (slight spoiler)—and still refuses to abandon her own pursuit of power and justice. 

Valentina starts Blood Justice in a very dark and lonely place, having lost everything that mattered to her at the end of book one. Life seems to be pushing her to move on now, but she can’t let go of her dreams, and certainly not while the pain of loss is so hot and fresh. 

And just when she’s on the cusp of giving in and falling back into the momentum of life, she uncovers an explosive secret her granny had been hiding for decades that reminds Valentina why her own fight for power is so important. And also why she now wants her own brand of justice for all that was taken from her. 

Except this time, Valentina’s setting her sights even higher than the Gen Council throne.  

This series has a sprawling cast of characters and is full of twists, turns, and betrayals. How do you balance this Game of Thrones-esque level of storytelling? Are there any challenges? 

It takes lots of planning and plotting to build out such an expansive and intricately woven story, not even gonna lie haha. I have two world-building documents, complete with character histories, family trees, and an official timeline of events before the start of Blood Debts. It’s a living document that I’m always adding to and referencing when I’m writing.  

For Blood Justice, I created a huge chart of the plot beats for each focal character and how those actions affected everyone else in the world (kinda like a swim lane chart you might see in a business operation). I used that chart to generate a detailed outline that my editor and I went through together chapter by chapter, which was a really fun experience. We had a series of virtual meetings, the first of which, I shared my vision for this book, the central themes I wanted to explore, and the emotional arcs of each focal character. Then we walked through every chapter together, I’d tell her the story, and she’d give me live feedback that connected with my vision, and we’d also kick around ideas for how to build on and level-up what I’d already created. Once that was done, I was free to draft. 

For each book in this series, I draft one focal POV at a time from start to finish, then I piece them all back together like Dr. Frankenstein. This process helps me stay firmly rooted in the character’s voice and perspective for their entire journey. 

My biggest challenge with this process and this style of storytelling is deciding what to share and what to leave out. All these characters are so interesting that they each could prop up their own full-length novel. Writing a multi-POV book is like whittling down several other books and squashing them together in one regular length work while still making sure that each of those focal characters has a well-rounded and satisfactory story arc. However, that’s part of the challenge that I enjoy solving with each entry I write in this series.

The ending of Blood Justice will leave the readers begging for more. Can you tell us when we can expect the next installment? 

The events of Blood Debts and Blood Justice have been building up to the overarching conflict of this series—a spiritual war is brewing, and the gods are already taking sides and preparing for battle. However, Cris, Clem, and Valentina have already shown that they won’t be anyone’s pawns, god or no, which could severely complicate the future of the magical communities of New Orleans and beyond. There’s even a tarot reading that occurs in-scene in Blood Justice that foreshadows the magnitude of what’s about to go down in this series…if I get to tell this story the way that I want. 

At the time of this interview, I don’t have a publishing contract for the rest of the series. I always envisioned the Blood Debts series spanning five books. I’d love to see this story all the way through with Tor Teen, but first, we gotta show up for the first two books and let my publisher know the support is there and y’all are anxious for the rest! So please don’t be shy about this series and share it with everyone you can. 

I could’ve attempted to squeeze this story into only two books, but there’s no way I could’ve given you all the same quality experience. So… I bet on myself. And I told the story that I felt needed to be told, which I think Black and Black queer audiences deserve. 

And now I’m hoping that my community will show up for me on April 23rd when Blood Justice releases, so I’ll be able to deliver the ending that Cris, Clem, Valentina, and we all deserve. 

I’d love to see a film or television adaptation of this series. Has there been any interest from Hollywood? 

When I originally came up with the concept for Blood Debts, it was for a television series. But once I started developing the story world, creating the characters, and building the plot, I realized that there was so much detail that I couldn’t get into with a script alone. So I decided to turn that idea into a novel. 

My writing style is very cinematic, which I think lends itself well to adaptation. I’d love to see Blood Debts transformed into a live action series. We were on film submission last year, but the timing was off regarding market trends and the union strikes. However, with the release of Blood Justice around the corner, the end of the strikes, and shifts in the market, we’re back out on submission! I’m incredibly hopeful that there’s a good chance someone in Hollywood might be interested. Fingers crossed! 

If anyone in Hollywood is reading this piece right now and wants more info, I’m represented by Alec Frankel and Debbie Hill at APA Agency. 

You’ve also begun writing middle-grade novels. Can you tell our audience a bit about your Alex Wise series?

Alex Wise vs the End of the World is a middle grade contemporary fantasy adventure about a twelve-year-old boy who goes up against the four horsemen after Death possesses Alex’s ten-year-old sister and kicks off a global apocalypse. This story was inspired by X-Men: Apocalypse, features an all-Black all-queer cast, and has tons of heart, humor, action, and magic. If you’re a fan of Percy Jackson or Tristan Strong, this series is perfect for you!

The Alex Wise trilogy is a superhero origin story. But Alex’s journey to becoming a real superhero is more than fantastical magic, high-octane action sequences, and villain vanquishing. The most important transformations Alex makes at every step in this series is internal. In book one, he must learn to love and accept his true self to unlock the full potential of his new magic abilities. And in the sequel, he’ll have to find a way to navigate the complex and dynamic relationships of his friends and family while maintaining that self-love—even in the face of overwhelming failure. The finale of this series, which will release Fall 2025, will be Alex’s final test, where he must put into action all he’s learned in his prior adventures to lead his team of friends in their last stand against the apocalypse. 

Alex Wise vs the End of the World is out now in hardcover, and the paperback releases on May 28th. Alex Wise vs the Cosmic Shift is out on September 24th and available for preorder now! 

What was it like to transition from young adult to middle grade? What were some of the challenges, and how did you handle them? 

Transitioning from young adult to middle grade was simultaneously fun and harrowing for me. I really enjoyed how silly and creative I got to be while writing for a younger audience. Seriously. I got to come up with things like “musty ghosts” and a fake movie called “Kittyclism.” And both Alex and his best friend Loren provide tons of comic relief throughout, despite the anxiety of the apocalypse. 

The biggest challenge for me was the subject matter. Alex Wise represents a younger version of myself who didn’t receive the love and protection he deserved and thus perished before he even had any idea who he could’ve become. I want this story to inspire Black boys, particularly Black queer boys, to understand that they’re worthy of unconditional love and capable of being superheroes too. 

To tell this story authentically, I had to tap into my own personal trauma archives to build Alex’s character. It was emotionally taxing to write the scenes between Alex and his father because it required me to dredge up similar feelings I’d had when I was Alex’s age and struggling to love myself after too many years of trying and failing to get my own father to love me. The little league baseball incident that happened between Alex and his dad actually happened between me and mine; and I carried that pain and humiliation for a long time. But in Alex Wise vs the End of the World, Alex gets a little clarity before the end of the first story—which I didn’t get until well into adulthood. Revisiting that trauma wasn’t easy for me, but it was most def worth it for the purpose of this series. 

More than anything, I hope the world of Alex Wise shows Black and Black queer kids a clearer pathway to loving and accepting their authentic self. It took me more than 30 years to learn that, and I don’t want it to take another member of my community that long ever again.  

Can you tell us about any other projects you have coming up? 

I’m working on a very special project right now that I can’t say too much about because it’s not announced yet. However, what I can reveal is that it’s an adult love story between two Black gay men that’s a science-fiction and fantasy mashup I’ve been working on for several years. I can’t wait to share more about it with everyone (hopefully) very soon! 

Connect with me via my website at tjbentonwalker.com or on socials—Twitter (@tjbentonwalker), Instagram (@icecreamvicelord), and TikTok (@icecreamvicelord)—for all the updates. 

Blood Justice is on sale everywhere books are sold on April 23rd. 

Book Details

Blood Justice is the hotly anticipated sequel to Terry J. Benton-Walker’s Most Anticipated debut Blood Debts.

Cristina and Clement Trudeau have conjured the impossible: justice. They took back their family’s stolen throne to lead New Orleans’ magical community into the brighter future they all deserve.

But when Cris and Clem restored their family power, Valentina Savant lost everything. Her beloved grandparents are gone and her sovereignty has been revoked—she will never be Queen. Unless, of course, someone dethrones the Trudeaus again. And lucky for her, she’s not the only one trying to take them down.

Cris and Clem have enemies coming at them from all directions: Hateful anti-magic protesters sabotage their reign at every turn. A ruthless detective with a personal vendetta against magical crime is hot on their tail just as Cris has discovered her thirst for revenge. And a brutal god, hunting from the shadows, is summoned by the very power Clem needs to protect the boy he loves.

Cris’s hunger for vengeance and Clem’s desire for love could prove to be their family’s downfall, all while new murders, shocking disappearances, and impossible alliances are changing the game forever.

Welcome back to New Orleans, where gods walk among us and justice isn’t served, it’s taken.

About the Author