Before you read this interview with writer Lena Ng, we suggest reading her tale, A Day with Horrible the Clown. The interview may include some spoilers.

Q1. I love the playfulness of this story. How did you come up with it?

I saw a prompt for clown stories – it’s hard to be original when creepy clowns are such a popular horror trope. But aren’t clowns supposed to be funny? I’m scared of them even when they are being funny. Humour can be aggressive and violent, while on the flip side, horror can be hilarious. I laugh at jump scares, the unexpectedness and silliness of them. I can’t help myself.

Q2. There are a lot of famous clowns out there. Did any particular clowns form the inspiration for this story?

Horrible the Clown admires Pennywise and the Killer Clowns from Outer Space. I like the thought of clowns having their own code and culture, and dreadful magic behind the laughter. They are not people under the makeup; they are something else, something sinister. They don’t understand why you’re not laughing.

Q3. One of the things I love is when you can tell that the author enjoyed themselves when writing, and that comes across here. Was that the case? Or was the end result a lot of hard work?

I had a great time writing it. It was like being in a room with friends and throwing jokes around, each one more gruesome than the next.

Q4. How much of your time do you spend writing short stories versus other projects?

I tell myself I will write longer projects, but I never do. I’ve written one novel which didn’t get published, but have over a hundred published short stories. I don’t have the stamina to commit to longer works, though I have low-key ambitions to do so. Short stories are fun, but novels are work, and I like to have fun when writing.

Q5. What other works do you have on the go? Anything you’d like to promote?

I have a checklist of stories to complete. I surf websites for calls for submissions, see which ones interest me, and add them to my checklist. Then it’s the challenge to get as many of them done by the end of the month. For more of my stories, “Under an Autumn Moon” is my collection on Amazon.