Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: If you grew up watching Sailor Moon , you’ll be as delighted as I was to see Claris Lam’s newest short-story collection, Stay Magical! Claris, can you introduce us to your book?

Claris: Stay Magical! is a young adult (YA) collection of ten short stories reflecting on what it means to be a magical girl, the tough sides of being a magical girl, and what happens when you’re no longer defeating bad guys in costume every week.

Fans of anime, manga and books such as Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure, and A Magical Girl Retires will enjoy reading Stay Magical!

Zilla : What inspired you to write this book?

Claris: My love of magical girl TV shows like Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure, Ojamajo Doremi and Cardcaptor Sakura inspired me to write this book. I enjoyed watching them because of the hopeful, optimistic themes they had, as well as all of the actual magic involved! 

I’ve always wanted to write a book that was centered on magical girls, and realized that there was a lack of short stories in the genre. Though light novels and manga exist for magical-girl fans to read, I discovered that there aren’t a lot of short stories written for this genre. Given this, I decided to write my own! 

Zilla : Is your work more plot-driven or character-driven?

Claris: Stay Magical! is character-driven, given that all of the characters in each of the short stories face different scenarios in their lives. Some are trying to move on after saving the world with their powers, while others are currently facing the bad guy of the week. All of them have a lot to learn in their life journeys as magical girls (and in some cases, former magical girls). 

Zilla : What’s your next writing project?

Claris: My next writing project is a fantasy book for children, inspired by book series such as Daisy Meadows’ Rainbow Fairy series and Gwyneth Rees’ Fairy Dust series. I also have another young adult fantasy short-story collection on the way, and this one takes heavy inspiration from the Grimm Brothers’ fairytales!

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Claris: You can purchase your copy of Stay Magical! at this link. Find all links to my socials at: https://clarislam.carrd.co/