“The Hollow One” is a novel that is not only haunting, but it has a sense of comfortability that sometimes can lead a person into making decisions to become naive and vulnerable. The story captures the innocence of a child named Ellie who has easily became forgotten and lead into having the role of an adult to take care of her brother Sam. And becoming that one person that your sibling relies on to take care of them especially when you’re a child yourself will leave you fragile and more open to trust things that are not meant to be trusted. “The Hollow One” is a psychological horror novel that will leave the reader begging for more. When Ellie’s father starts appearing outside her window at night, is it really her father or something more sinister that is luring Ellie in due to her vulnerability?
“The Hollow One” will be released on May 26 via Permuted Press
Interviewer: “The Hollow One” felt like a cinematic experience in my opinion, what made you create such a compelling and haunting story? What sparked the idea?
Corinne: ““The Hollow One” came from a very personal place. I grew up around addiction and instability, and a lot of the fear, and even some of the events, in the book are rooted in real experiences rather than imagined monsters. The original spark was actually a childhood memory of my father returning home after a fight with my mother about his drug use. He stood outside my window throwing pebbles to wake me up so I would let him back into the house. I remember looking at him and feeling, for the first time, that something about him was wrong even though he was still my father. I wanted the horror to feel intimate and haunting, like something creeping into your home and your mind at the same time.“
Interviewer: The story explores neglect and the need to feel seen. Did you always intend for the emotional horror to hit just as hard as the supernatural horror?
Corinne: “Absolutely. For me, the emotional horror was always the real story. The supernatural elements gave shape to feelings that are difficult to explain, especially as a child. Neglect, fear, isolation, and the desperate need to be seen can already feel terrifying on their own. I wanted the entity and the supernatural tension to mirror what Ellie was experiencing emotionally. Sometimes the monster is less frightening than the reality she is trapped in.“
Interviewer: Ellie was one the most vulnerable characters in “The Hollow One” and had such a burden on her shoulders to take care of herself and Sam; what led you to tell the story through the innocence of a child?
Corinne: “I chose to tell the story through Ellie’s perspective because her emotional reality felt the most honest to me. In many ways, Ellie is me. I understood what it felt like to carry responsibilities that were far too heavy for a child, especially when it came to protecting and caring for a younger sibling. Writing through her perspective allowed me to capture the isolation, hyper-awareness, and emotional confusion that can come from growing up in an environment where you are constantly trying to keep yourself and someone else safe.
A child’s perspective also heightens uncertainty in an interesting way. Children notice things adults overlook, but they are rarely trusted when they try to express that something feels wrong. That tension allowed me to build both emotional vulnerability and suspense naturally through Ellie’s voice.”
Interviewer: The house where Ellie, Sam, and their mother lived in; did it have a symbolic meaning? Did it enhance the atmospheric tone in the story?
Corinne: “The house was definitely symbolic. I wanted it to feel suffocating, isolated, and almost frozen in time. Houses are supposed to represent safety, but for Ellie and Sam, home is unpredictable and unstable. The physical decay of the house reflects the emotional decay happening within the family. It also helped create that oppressive atmosphere where the characters feel trapped, both emotionally and physically.
The house itself was inspired by a home I lived in as a child, so a lot of the details came from real memories. I remember the feeling of silence in certain rooms, the way darkness settled into the house at night, and how a familiar place could suddenly feel threatening. I wanted the setting to feel alive in that same way, almost like the house was holding onto everything that happened inside it.”
Interviewer: The entity in the story was comforting, but yet ominous at the same time; what were you trying to get readers to understand?
Corinne: “I wanted the entity to blur the line between comfort and danger because that reflects a lot of unhealthy relationships, especially within families affected by addiction or neglect. Sometimes the things that harm us are also the things we desperately cling to for comfort or survival. The entity offers Ellie attention and understanding in ways the adults in her life do not, but there is always something unsettling beneath that comfort. I wanted readers to question why we are drawn toward certain darknesses, especially when we feel alone.
I also wanted to explore how children often idealize the absent parent. When one parent leaves, children tend to believe life would be better if that person were still there, even when that person was deeply flawed or unsafe. Throughout the book, Ellie holds onto memories of her father with a sense of longing, but when readers really look at those memories, it is clear he was struggling with addiction too. “
Interviewer: For horror fans like myself, we know creating a novel like this one can relate to experiences or fears, can you tell us more about that?
Corinne: “I think horror is most powerful when it is tied to something emotionally true. A lot of the fear in The Hollow One comes from experiences I had growing up around addiction, instability, and emotional neglect. The supernatural elements allowed me to externalize fears that already existed in real life. The feeling of someone you love becoming unrecognizable is terrifying, especially as a child.”
Interviewer: What do you hope readers feel after finishing the final page?
Corinne: “More than anything, I hope readers feel unsettled in a way that lingers emotionally after they finish the book. Of course I want them to feel fear and tension, but I also hope they connect with Ellie’s loneliness, vulnerability, and desperate desire to be loved and protected. I hope the story leaves readers thinking about the hidden horrors people carry inside their homes and families, and how trauma, neglect, and addiction can consume people and turn them into monsters so to speak.”
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