Exclusive: Ray Cluley Talks Diving In to Make a Splash as a Horror Author

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Having been incredibly impressed by his entry into This Is Horror’s chapbook line, ‘Water for Drowning,’ we reeled in up-and-coming author Ray Cluley for a candid Q&A about life as a writer, his inspirations, challenges, and more. So let’s jump in, shall we?

Gareth Jones: What sparked the interest in writing for you? Were you always a creative type from a very young age, or did your interest in writing develop later in life? Where do you think the turning point was, and what inspired it?

Ray Cluley: Yeah, I’ve loved writing creatively for as long as I can remember. Since little school, when I was about five, so it was probably my teacher who sparked my interest. We’d write our stories and the school secretary would type them up and we’d make covers for them from scraps of wallpaper and illustrate them inside. One of those was my first ‘published’ story in fact, ‘Floating on the River,’ chosen for a reading on local radio when I was six or seven. I still have the recording. It was about pirates and sharks and buried treasure, and I’ve been writing ever since. It was quite some time before I dared submit anything for publication though – until then it was just for my own amusement, read by a few close friends. The turning point for taking it seriously would have been when Andy Cox accepted ‘Viva Las Vegas’ for publication in ‘Black Static.’ [That] changed everything.

GJ: Would you consider that your “big break” – the piece that got your name in print? Does it hold a special place for you in consideration of your current body of work? Were there any certain circumstances that led to you thinking, “You know what… I’m gonna get this published!” for the first time? Did you find it a struggle or a particularly lengthy process when searching for that first acceptance?

RC: I feel like I’ve had a few big break stories, in a way. The big break piece inasmuch as getting me published would be the ‘Viva Las Vegas’ one I mentioned, and I’ll always be fond of it. It’s a zombie story, written before the recent “outbreak” of zombie stories, with a dose of humour thrown in, and was great fun to write. It was the first time I felt like I’d established something of a “voice” and the first story that felt professional, so off it went to find a home. I got lucky with that, getting an acceptance straight away, but the downside of that was I foolishly thought, “Wow, this is easy,” and promptly sent off a load of other stories that weren’t at all ready. Rejections followed and taught me a valuable lesson. I slowed myself down to write properly and didn’t send anything again for a while – I think it was almost two years before I got another decent acceptance. That one was ‘Beachcombing,’ and it was another “big break” piece in being the first one to get me a lot of positive feedback from readers, and nothing is more motivational to me than getting comments from strangers who have read and enjoyed my work. That was also my first (and so far only) story to get translated, appearing in the French anthology ‘Ténèbres.’ Finally, ‘Shark! Shark!,’ which received the British Fantasy Award, has to count for a “big break” too as it opened a fair few doors for me, and I’ve been busy ever since.

GJ: Do you find yourself being headhunted more regularly now for anthology submissions or other spec work from interested publishers?

RC: A little, yeah. There were a few more anthology invites on the back of the award, which was great because getting into an “invite only” book was always one of my goals. And the collection which I’d been sending around was picked up right after as well, so that was great. Not that it’s all easy now – I do still get rejections!

GJ: Your work has appeared, for the most part, in horror publications. Are you a real fan of horror in general, or do you find a different kind of personal attraction in mining those darker places that doesn’t necessarily translate to, or draw from, a particular “affection” for the genre itself?

RC: I am a fan of horror in general but quite picky about what I like, especially as it seems to be a genre so easy to get wrong. I’m drawn to life’s darker stuff and the horror genre can be a useful way to express or explore that, but I rarely set out to deliberately write a horror story; it’s just the way it ends up. And I don’t have a problem with that. I find it far more interesting to look into the dark – maybe tackle a taboo or two – as a way of understanding what it is to be human. Our lives are essentially tragic, I feel, and I find horror both a useful way to address this or escape it. I’ve found recently, though, that I’ve become a bit immune to horror, and so I’m having a break regarding my reading material so that when I return, it will seem fresh again, scary again, disturbing again. I do like for stories to contain some element of the fantastic or weird, but too much of that lately has made the unusual usual and so stories aren’t affecting me the way they should right now. My partner has introduced me to some books outside my comfort zone, and I’m enjoying those. I’m even toying with the idea of writing something a little more romantic…

GJ: I’ve noticed that you work full time as a teacher – a very demanding position that can take a hell of a lot of dedication, time, and energy from you. How do you get into the writing mindset in your spare time? Do you find it a challenge to juggle time and responsibilities – however welcome said challenge may be to you – alongside writing and other hobbies? What do you get up to outside of writing to keep you entertained these days?

RC: Well, I had to give up teaching, actually. After ten years it was just too much, a 24/7 job that was mentally exhausting and, with recent changes to education, frustrating as hell. I loved some of the job – like, you know, the actual teaching and the students – but this became a less and less important part of the job it seemed. I managed to write occasionally during the holidays, but otherwise I was just too fried to even try. That said, I think teaching English was incredibly useful to the writing so I’ll never regret it. Outside of writing, entertainment is usually anything with a story (so reading or watching films), listening to music, and spending time with my girlfriend, as sappy as that might sound.

GJ: Are you a gamer at all? Have you ever considered the possibility of writing for that particular form (i.e., interactive fiction)?

RC: I do [play games], but I don’t consider myself a “gamer”. Here’s the thing – I get far too immersed in the gaming world – addicted, in fact – and lose a little grip on reality. Really. I’ve bought and sold three Xboxes now because each was taking up too much of my time. I was spending longer in Skyrim or on the islands of ‘Far Cry 3’ than I was in the real world, and that was a problem, particularly for my writing. It’s the love of stories again, although even now I play ‘Bejewled’ on my phone more often than is healthy and have no such excuse for that! I would absolutely love to write for games though, definitely. Writing something like the ‘Elder Scrolls’ games but with a focus on modern horror would be the best gig ever.

GJ: On an inspiration note, did/do you take much inspiration from situations and/or individuals that you encountered at school? Some of your most effective work delves into social situations that feel very realistic, yet viewed through a skewed, fantastical, and/or dark lens. The insight to behaviour comes across as very well observed. What’s your particular method for bringing these people to life within the story? Are you a constant people-watcher (of the perceptive kind – not the “in the bushes just to the left of the streetlamp” type)?

RC: Teaching did directly inspire two stories actually. One, called ‘Bluey,’ is very much about the teaching profession and, as a result, wasn’t all that fun to write – though I think it benefits from a certain emotional honesty and intensity. The idea came from a lesson I delivered on bullying and discrimination, only it went weirder than any lesson ever did. The other story inspired by my job is ‘Pins and Needles,’ which came together having seen a student placing drawing pins point-up on a wall others would often sit upon.

When it comes to people, though, my characters… a lot of that just comes from observation. I’m definitely a people-watcher. I love it, and I’ll listen in on other people’s conversations too. I’m not averse to looking in a window either, if the curtains are open, though I’ve never done the hiding in bushes thing. Not yet, anyway…

People are fascinating, I love seeing and hearing what moves them, upsets them, makes them happy… and everyone has a unique way of looking at the world. We are all stories, isn’t that how it goes? So people-watching is just another form of reading for me. And research.

GJ: Moving to your latest work, the phenomenal ‘Water for Drowning’: What was your inspiration for that particular story? I noticed (perhaps incorrectly) a distinct dialing-down of fantastic/otherworldly elements in the tale that served to magnify the more realistic sadness at its core. Was that a deliberate decision from the beginning or something that just happened when writing it?

Ray Cluley's Water for Drowning
RC: Phenomenal, eh? Well, thank you! Inspiration for ‘Water for Drowning’ came from a few literary sources and a personal love of mermaids. More specifically, it came from thinking about what someone might do in order to become a mermaid, which gave me the Genna character. I kinda fell in love with her a bit, so hopefully readers will too. It does dial-down the otherworldly stuff a bit, yeah, and that was intentional – though there are some ambiguities still that allow for a more fantastical reading. Mostly, though, I wanted the “love” to get more attention than anything weird I might have added if doing a straight-up horror story. Many of the mermaid stories I came across were really human stories about love or lust and temptation so that’s what I focused on.

GJ: Were you ever tempted to go into full “body horror” territory while planning the story for ‘Water for Drowning’? The final work does briefly flirt with it but hangs back quite quickly. Did your imagination ever threaten to abandon restraint there?

RC: No, that didn’t tempt me, though I did toy with the idea of having Josh strip his skin off at the end in a more literal way. I don’t have anything against that type of horror, but I was trying to avoid the gross-out that can come with it, and that really would have happened if I’d gone that way. I was going to go a little further down the self-harm route with Genna, but it took the story in a direction that was more distracting than useful for what I wanted to say, though it is an issue I’ll certainly come back to.

GJ: ‘Water for Drowning’ was your first chapbook for [editor Michael Wilson’s] This Is Horror imprint. How did that come about? Were you familiar with the line already and did you have the story written, or was it written specifically to enter into the series? There are some amazing writers involved in the line – how does it feel to be sitting amongst those names? How do you feel the reception has been so far?

RC: The chapbook was down to luck, really. I’d met Michael at a This Is Horror reading and we discussed the series but I didn’t mention that I was writing something I hoped he’d take for it. In the conversation he revealed the series would be coming to an end soon, but I carried on with the story anyway, intending to send it elsewhere. Then some time later, out of the blue, Michael asked if I’d be interested in writing one of the final chapbooks, and ‘Water For Drowning’ found a home. I’m thrilled to be a part of the series because, as you say, there are some great writers involved and the chapbooks are beautifully produced. I particularly loved Conrad Williams’ ‘The Fox,’ and I can’t wait for the final chapbook – the series closes with a Nathan Ballingrud story and that guy is a superb writer, one of my absolute favourites. So yeah, it feels great keeping such company. I just hope the positive feedback for my effort continues; I’d hate to be the guy who let the series down!

GJ: A brief bit about ‘Shark! Shark!’: It has to be one of the most enjoyable short stories I’ve ever read. How did you come up with that? The narrator in particular is brilliant. I remarked before that he comes across like some coked-up Hollywood B-movie producer – sitting just slightly too close, tie loosened and crooked as he occasionally peppers you with pieces of spit and half-chewed salad – animatedly pitching his latest Corman-esque “masterpiece”. Was that always the intention for that story, or was it very different in its initial form(s)? You must be very pleased with the response to that particular story – it deserves every ounce of praise upon it.

RC: Thank you! It was one of the most enjoyable stories to write, too. Which was kinda the point, as I was getting a bit swamped with work – teaching and writing commitments – so I sat down and wrote something just for me, just for fun; no deadlines or requirements or even an intended venue for publication. I had a blast and finished it in just a couple of days, though it took a while afterwards to get the narrative tone just right. I like your image of the narrator a lot – brilliant! – and while I was going for some of that attitude, I also wanted to write something with the lid off, let the reader see some of the mechanics of the process. It made it easier to write, actually, overtly showing the reader some of the techniques I would have used with more subtlety in any other story. It also allowed for the humour, which made a pleasant change to all the doom and gloom more typical of the genre. I’m definitely pleased with the response, yeah, particularly as writers I admire commented on it when I met them at a convention – it really made my weekend. And obviously the award that came a bit later was pretty good too!

GJ: Your published work so far seems entirely within the short realm (forgive me if I’ve missed something). Do you have any plans or deals in place for a full-length novel? What are you working on at the moment, and where do you foresee your creative direction moving to or concentrating on? Do you feel a level of creative evolution as you continue to write?

RC: I love the short form more than any other and find it one of the most effective ways to tell a horror story, but I do have plans for some longer work. Part of the whole “quit-my-job” thing was to buy myself some time to work on a novel and a novella. If the novel goes well and finds a publisher, I have plans for three more based in the same area with some of the same characters. Not sequels as such, but stories that overlap a little. I’ve got a few projects to finish – stories promised to anthologies, a couple of new pieces for the collection, etcetera – but otherwise those two bigger pieces are my current works in progress. While I’m hoping to be successful with novels, I won’t be able to abandon short stories – I love them too much. I’m also working on something rather personal that covers the recent loss of my mother, which I’m hoping can raise some money for charity if I decide to submit it for publication. As for creative evolution, well there are just so, so many stories I want to write, some outside the horror genre, some for television, a graphic novel – I think it’s important to make myself do different things if I’m to improve as a writer, plus I’m just interested in storytelling whatever form it takes. Stories entertain, sure, but they also show us who we are or who we can be. I’ll never get bored of that.

GJ: On “the writer’s life”: What would you say is the greatest challenge that you face in the game, and on the flip side, what’s the best thing?

RC: The greatest challenge is making it pay, I suppose, but that’s a dull answer and sounds more mercenary than I really am about it all. Previously my answer would have been finding the time to write, but now that I’ve quit my job and sold my flat, I have a grace period of a year to do nothing but write. The greatest challenge for me personally now is probably managing to remain patient because it can be a very slow process, publishing, and I worry the whole time that a similar story will come out before mine if it takes too long. Another challenge is focus because I tend to have several projects on the go at once. So far it’s worked for me, but I can see the potential there for problems in the future.

As for the best thing about it, the answer to that is definitely reader appreciation. I love the fact that people read something I’ve written and enjoy it. They don’t have to tell me or leave a review (though that’s always great); I’m just glad people seem to like my work. Another plus is occasionally getting to work with, or appear in anthologies with, other writers I admire. And it’s a job I can do anywhere, which is particularly useful right now, allowing me the freedom to move around the country.

GJ: Finally… who/what are you reading and watching at the moment? Share your opinions, good or bad! What’s been great for you recently across the arts – literature, film, music, visual – and what has been thoroughly unpleasant (in a bad way)?

RC: At the moment I’m reading a few things. I started Stephen King’s ‘Mr Mercedes’ a while ago, but that’s been put on hold for a bit because it’s packed in a box somewhere (I’ve been in the process of moving for quite a while now). I’ve not been as blown away by it as some people, but it’s enjoyable. I’m also reading a non-horror novel, ‘A Hundred Pieces of Me’ by Lucy Dillon, which is so totally not my usual thing but I’m enjoying it and it’s good to read beyond my usual genre. I also recently read John Green’s ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ which also made for a welcome change and I’ll be reading more of his.

As for what I’ve been watching, the best recently was ‘True Detective,’ which I absolutely loved, and I’ve just started ‘Hannibal,’ which is very interesting and beautifully done. I’ve been finding television far superior to films lately and tend to splurge on box-sets. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I saw a really good feature length horror, which is a bit depressing, but even the bad stuff can be a useful learning experience for a writer. I did see a great play recently, but as it was research for a piece I’m yet to write, I don’t want to say what it was – I just, you know, want to sound cultured. I keep meaning to see more performances so I’ll be trying to fill this year with more theatre. I’ve written a play, actually, so maybe I’ll try to do something with that as well. Who knows?

Who knows, indeed! For a peek at Cluley’s talent, take a look at our review of ‘Water for Drowning’, which is currently available to order from the This Is Horror Shop, Amazon UK, and Amazon US.

Also be sure to keep an eye out for his upcoming collection, entitled ‘Probably Monsters,’ due for release during March 2015.

Many thanks to Ray himself for taking the time out to chat with us.

Ray Cluley

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