Interview With Author Adam Cosco
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing when I was about fifteen, though back then it was mostly just outlining
ideas and messing around with shorts. I didn’t really start my official writing journey
until I was a directing fellow at the American Film Institute. That’s when it hit me—if I
wanted to control what I could direct, I needed to own the material. So I started writing
screenplays. A lot of them. And actually, five of my novels started out as screenplays
written between 2013 and 2024.
I published all five of those screenplays-turned-novels simultaneously because I wanted
to come out swinging. I have seven novels total.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Dream Killer came straight out of a recurring nightmare I’ve had for years—decades, actually. The first time I had it was in the early ‘90s, when the Jon Benét Ramsey case was all over the news. I was about ten, so I didn’t really understand what had happened, just that a little girl had been found dead in a basement and that nobody knew who did it. I guess my brain took that fragment of information and processed it into a nightmare.
In my dream, I found JonBenét’s body, and somehow, I knew I was the one who killed her… but I had no memory of doing it. My parents knew too, and they helped me cover it up—hiding the body, making sure no one found out. But the police were onto me, questioning me, circling closer. The overwhelming feeling was this deep, gnawing dread. I was free… but not really. It was just a matter of time before the other shoe dropped, before I was exposed and my whole life was over.
And this nightmare kept coming back. It wasn’t always Jon Benét (I’m not a total psychopath), but the core of it was the same: I’d find a body, I’d know I was responsible, and the dream was all about covering it up, not getting caught, and feeling the crushing guilt of having done something unspeakable. I’d wake up from these dreams still carrying that feeling—sometimes it would take me ten, twenty minutes to shake it off and realize, Oh. Right. I didn’t actually kill anyone.
Then, a couple of years ago, I had the nightmare again… but this time, it didn’t stop. It evolved. It played out past the usual cycle of guilt and cover-up, into an Act 2 and an Act 3. And in this “sequel nightmare,” I finally got answers: Who am I? Who is the girl? Why was she killed? What does it all mean?
I woke up from that version of the dream so excited because I love movies and books that feel like nightmares—stuff like War of the Worlds (Spielberg’s version), Eraserhead, The Trial, The Metamorphosis. I’d always wanted to write something that captured that kind of dream-logic terror, but whenever I tried to force it, it never entirely worked. It always felt like… trying too hard.
But with The Dream Killer, I didn’t have to force anything. I’d say 80% of it is the nightmare. I just translated it into a novel. It’s pure id, ego, and superego—raw and unfiltered. And I finally managed to create something that feels like nightmare fuel… because it is nightmare fuel. It comes straight from that part of me.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ve got a lot of weird quirks when it comes to writing. One of my tricks is this: I’ll say,
“Okay, I’m going to write the whole story, but only the prose.” I skip all the dialogue and
just write a little two-sentence summary when a conversation happens—like, “So-and-so
talks to so-and-so about this.” I’ll write the whole book that way. Then, I’ll go back and
write just the dialogue—but in screenplay format, because for whatever reason, it’s easier
for me to hear the characterss voices that way. After that, I merge the two documents into
one novel. It’s all just a way to trick myself into getting started—because blank pages are
terrifying. If I’m working on two or three documents at once, nothing feels too final, and
that helps me stay loose.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Carrion Comfort. This is the one book I’ve read that left me completely floored, wondering how it hasn’t been adapted into a miniseries or a two-part film. I absolutely adore it. It’s inventive, thrilling, and overflowing with bold ideas. Originality like this reminds me why I love storytelling so much. While some people insist that every idea has been done before, I couldn’t disagree more. Carrion Comfort is proof.
What makes this book so extraordinary is how it flips the conventions of horror on their head. Most horror stories draw their fear from powerlessness, but Carrion Comfort terrifies by showing what absolute power looks like. It’s not the monsters hiding in the dark—it’s the monstrous things people would do if they had godlike abilities. The corruption, the cruelty, the sheer loss of humanity—it’s horror on an entirely different level, and it’s unforgettable.
What are you working on now?
The book I want to write next is called The End. It’s about the afterlife—or more
specifically, people trying to scientifically prove the existence of life after death. It’s kind
of like The Da Vinci Code, but for dying.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://adamcosco.com/books
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If I had to give just one piece of advice to writers starting out, it’s this: avoid writing
something that feels too close to something else. I’ve read a lot of final projects or pitches
where the writer insists their story puts a “unique spin” on things—but that spin doesn’t
show up until the third act. Meanwhile, the first 85% feels like a remix of a movie we’ve
all seen. And the truth is, most readers won’t make it to that twist if the setup feels too
familiar. I always tell writers: take that unique idea and put it in the first act, then build
from there. Give us something fresh right out of the gate.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try to be the next Steven Spielberg.
– Steven Spielberg
What are you reading now?
I am reading the book Communion, by Whitley Strieber.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan on soaking in some inspiration to build up my confidence to write my next novel
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
Author Websites and Profiles
Adam Cosco’s Social Media Links
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