Interview - Corey Niles

A talented up-and-coming name in the genre, author Corey Niles has started his career on a high note with his work appearing in multiple collections and mediums that have showcased his writing. Now, in honor of the release of his latest novel, "What Remains," I talk with him about his early interest in writing, the novel itself, and his upcoming plans.

Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?

Corey Niles: Thank you for having me. I became a fan of the horror genre at an early age. When I was in kindergarten, I was run over by a car, which left me with an early awareness of death. I had trouble with night terrors for years afterward, and when I was up in the wee hours of the morning, I often snuck down to our living room to watch TV.

I loved watching horror movies. Dawn of the Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Halloween were some of my early favorites. I knew I was too young to watch them, but I couldn’t look away. They were all about the morbid questions that were wracking my brain, and unlike my dreams, they were entertaining.

My grandfather and mother were big Stephen King fans, too, and there was usually a stray copy of one of his books lying around or a movie or TV adaptation of one of his works playing on TV. Looking back on it now, I don’t think there was any way I wouldn’t have become an avid horror fan.

Me: When did you initially discover a passion for writing? What aspect of the creative arts appeals to you?

CN: As far as I know, the creativity started in earnest around the time of my run-in with the car. I ended up with a concussion, a skinned face, and a leg cast. Before I became skilled at hopping on one foot, I watched movies, read books, and created art to pass the time. I think it’s always been both a form of escapism as well as a way to process this strange world of ours.

I was more into visual art when I was younger. I had trouble sitting still and reading. I spent more time painting, sketching, and sculpting in those years, and I made up stories about the subjects of those works. Then, I wanted to be a horror movie director. I wrote and filmed these short slasher movies, and I coerced my family and friends to star in them. I also dabbled in stop-motion animation.

As I read more, I found my way to writing, which wasn’t dependent on art supplies or film equipment. I felt like there were no limitations. All I needed was a notebook and a pen. I still return to those other creative pursuits from time to time, but ever since I was 13 years old, when I formally announced to my friends and family that I planned on being a novelist, writing has been my main passion.

Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?

CN: I read a lot of Stephen King growing up, and I’ve been told by some readers and other writers that it’s apparent in my work. Edgar Allan Poe was and is a big inspiration as well. As I got a little older, I went on to admire poets like Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath.

With storytelling coming from oral traditions, how my writing sounds when spoken aloud is important to me. I often write as if a character or narrator is telling the story around a campfire. I spent a lot of time learning and appreciating the technical side of writing. I've taught writing and worked as an editor in the past as well, but the medium of storytelling is my main love.

Me: Is there any specific genre you prefer to write? Is there a style or format that you find easier to get into, even if you don't have a preference?

CN: One of my critique partners, who read my work over a few years, commented that even without my name on a story, they knew I was the author if the story centered around death, survival, trauma, or violence. I have yet to publish a work that proves that statement wrong, and the horror genre is a natural category for most of my work. I love a good crime or thriller novel as well, and some elements of those genres find their way into my stories. I usually focus on the story and the characters, and I then build the rest from there. If a story makes more sense in first or third person, I will adjust to that. The same goes for the genre expectations.

Me: So that brings us to the release of your novel “What Remains.” What was the initial inspiration behind writing it?

CN: What Remains was a convergence of my interests as a reader and my life at the time. I'm a big fan of survival horror, and I sat on this idea for these otherworldly clouds overtook the world for some time. However, the book really took shape in 2020 when we experienced a global pandemic and a long-term relationship of mine ended. I kept returning to that old line about breakups not being the end of the world. We still liked each other, and it felt like the world was ending both emotionally and literally. The story developed from there. What if the world were ending, and what if two exes who had an ugly breakup were forced to depend on each other for survival?

Me: Was there any special significance to making the characters interact in this dystopian society? Was there any part of your real self injected into the characters?

CN: The story came out of an exploration of grief and the various ends of what we assume are givens in our lives--whether that’s a relationship, a loved one, our own mental stability, or modern civilization. The interconnection between the characters and the post-apocalyptic landscape was there from the start.

Alexander, Sebastian, and the other characters in the story were born out of that. I think there's part of me in each of them, for better or worse, but they are their own entities whose lives and experiences inform the story.

That being said, Alexander’s struggles with mental illness and self-harm were largely pulled from my own experiences. Along with therapy and coping mechanisms, I rely on medications for mental stability. The collapse of society as we know it would naturally affect a mental health plan, and I wanted to explore what that might look like for his character in the world of What Remains. Naturally, with it being a horror novel, Alexander isn’t thriving.

Me: With the balance of character relationship dynamics and psychological horror at play, were there any concessions to the story that allowed both factors to take place?

CN: Exploring their relationship as they fight to survive the horrors they experience was what interested me in writing the story. Life is messy, and tragedy never happens in a vacuum. The desolation of a relationship, the death of a loved one, or a global tragedy doesn’t wait for us to have our other issues resolved before happening. I wanted to dig into how these events would inform the characters, their dynamics, and the psychological horror elements at play in the story.

Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?

CN: I’ve been slowly converted to writing morning pages. With working full-time and attempting to have a personal and social life, it’s the only time of day when it’s quiet and my mind hasn't shifted to daily tasks. I'm a slow writer. I'll take a lot of time exploring the world, characters, and research before diving into outlining and drafting.

When I’m at my best, having tackled some of those early writing stages, I write 500-1,000 words over coffee in the morning with a cat in my lap and a dog at my feet. Then, I’ll chew on what comes next in the story or whatever roadblock I’ve come across throughout the day. If it can’t wait until the next day, I’ll jot it down in my phone notes or write some during my lunch break. Then, I dive back into the book in earnest the following morning. I have more productive spurts and some dry spells, but that’s mainly how it goes. I often have more trouble removing myself from the writing to have a life outside of it.

Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process for having it published?

CN: The process of publishing What Remains was different from any other work of mine that’s seen the light of day. I started drafting in 2020. I wasn’t in a rush to publish it, particularly during the pandemic when so much of the world, including publishing, was at a standstill. In 2023, I picked it up again and got back into editing it. During that time, my grandfather, who partially raised me, passed away. He was a biker, an avid reader and horror fan, and a big supporter of my writing.

While the major plot points, including Philip, were there before that, the book changed in many ways afterward. I dove headfirst into rewrites and edits. His life and death shaped the book into what it is today. The following month, I saw a call for submissions, and I sent it out on a whim. When I queried my first book, I reached the triple digits, so I wasn’t expecting much. To my surprise, it was accepted for publication. Life happened, and the manuscript eventually found its way to Crystal Lake Publishing. I’ve read their books for years, and it still doesn’t seem real that they’re publishing What Remains on August 8th.

Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?

CN: Reading books and watching movies keep me passionate about storytelling and returning to my sandbox. I recently watched Sinners and read Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix, and they both were very inspiring in how the creators constructed their stories and explored the lives of their characters in the horror genre.

I also love learning about history. The past has no shortage of stories and atrocities. Usually, after the initial idea for a book, my early stages of drafting involve a lot of research. In the case of What Remains, I dove into scientific theories and accounts of national disasters and major military attacks to inspire my post-apocalyptic world. The research doesn’t always find a direct way into the manuscript, but it does help to inform the story and put me in the mindset of my characters.

Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!

CN: I spent most of last year working on an eco-horror poetry collection. I'm looking forward to sharing some exciting news about it soon. More recently, I began drafting a horror novel that's much darker and stranger than my previous ones. Each new book I write seems to get more depraved than the last. I also have a few other stories within the world of What Remains I want to tell, so there are quite a few pans in the fire. Thank you again for chatting with me. I appreciate it.