Author Interview: Claris Lam
Tell me a bit about yourself. Who are you and what do you write?
Hi! I’m Claris (she/her), and I’m a Chinese Canadian indie author and poet. I write murder mysteries, fantasy books, and poetry! I also write short stories!
What’s your favourite genre? Is it the same as the one you write in?
It’s hard for me to choose between mystery, fantasy, and poetry, but I’m leaning towards fantasy being my favourite. The appeal of fantasy, to me, is that there are more opportunities to write a wider variety of plotlines and characters with writing fantasy versus mystery fiction or poetry.
What do you do for inspiration?
I play video games, listen to music, read a lot of books, and daydream a lot. I also watch a lot of YouTube videos and older TV shows and/or films. If I’m not doing those, I’m probably trying to learn something new.
How do you approach building your worlds?
That is a good question! Usually, I start out with figuring out what kind of world my characters would work best in, and then flesh out elements like spells, the names of towns and cities, other important locations, etc. from there. For three of my current fantasy WIPs, I even drew a rough map to track which group of characters went to which location in their respective books.
What comes first? Characters or plot?
It’s usually a bit of both, but sometimes characters come first. More recently, I come up with a group of main characters and then form the plot around their actions and/or how they would react to various situations. Bonus points if it leads to a somewhat comedic (if not entirely comedic) event!
What was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
Combat scenes are among the hardest scenes for me to write. I need to figure out where everyone’s spells, hands, feet, swords, etc. are going and if they’re even hitting anyone or anything! They’re not my favourite to write, but when you’re written a lot of fantasy books where people go on epic quests to save a kingdom or an entire land, combat scenes are kind-of a necessary evil.
What’s your favourite/least favourite thing about the writing process?
My favourite thing about the writing process is coming up with all the ideas – plot twists included. It’s even more fun, sometimes, when I come up with a new idea while drafting and figure out a way to seamlessly fit it in! Figuring out ways to put all these ideas together is like putting together a puzzle – it can be challenging, but the final outcome is often worth the effort when you complete it.
My least favourite thing about the writing process is when I get stuck despite having an outline for the entire book figured out. At that stage of drafting, I’m thinking: “I know how this story is supposed to go, so why isn’t my brain cooperating with me to get the words on the page!?” This usually forces me to take a break for a short while to get my bearings and figure things out. Also, as I mentioned earlier, if combat scenes are involved in the plot, they automatically count as my least favourite part of writing the book because of figuring out all the weapons and limbs involved.
Are you able to share any short snippets from the cutting room floor?
I think I’ll have to pass on that one. I’m still trying to figure out which one of my short snippets ended up on the floor to begin with. It’s a consequence of having multiple WIPs that are in various stages of drafting!
What is your absolute favourite piece of your own writing? Could be a short scene, a bit of dialogue, a character or even the tiniest piece of worldbuilding.
Another good question that I’m not sure how to answer, for the sake of not wanting to give away any spoilers for my own upcoming works! However, I suppose I could give away this bit of dialogue I have planned for one of my fantasy WIPS. Feel free to guess which WIP of mine it’ll be from!
“Look, I get it - you’ve got a quest to do,” Anna managed, glancing toward Rupert, “And you—” She glanced toward Thaddeus, nose wrinkling, “have survivor’s guilt over what happened with your kingdom. But sitting here bemoaning everything going on isn’t going to help us.”
What are you promoting at the moment?
I just released my debut poetry chapbook, Refilling The Well, back in February 2025! Considering that it was inspired by the creative burnout I spent Summer 2023 recovering from, I’m proud of how I was able to turn that time into a new piece of art. I also hope that those who read it will find comfort, inspiration, and hope if they’re going through similar situations with burnout.
In Fall 2025, I will be releasing my first Young Adult (YA) fantasy short story collection, Stay Magical!
Stay Magical! is magical girl themed, inspired by anime, manga, and games like Sailor Moon, Ojamajo Doremi, and Life After Magic! I plan to do an official cover reveal and give an official release date in either July 2025 or early August 2025!
If you’d like to be featured in an author interview, just contact me.
