Scales & Tales: L.R. Lam on Dragons, Queer Fantasy, and the Magic of Merch

While creating the first officially licensed merch collection for Dragonfall, we sat down with its author, L.R. Lam, to talk about all things merch, characters—beloved imaginary friends, magic, and the evolution of publishing for queer stories in fantasy. From wyvern accessories to writing inspirations, Lam dives into what it’s been like watching readers fall in love with the world of Dragonfall, and what it means to see their work resonate so deeply with the queer community.

If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading Dragonfall, be sure to check it out! If you're already in love with L's story, head over to our officially licensed merch collection for Dragonfall.

Exclusive Interview with L.R. Lam

What was your reaction to knowing you were going to have an officially licensed merch collection for the Dragonfall duology?

Extremely, pleasantly surprised! It was one of those bucket list items I didn’t even dare to dream would ever happen. It’s an honor that Kingdom of Threads liked the books enough to create the collection and I hope readers pick it up.

Message from Kingdom of Threads: We LOVED the books! We were honored L was willing to collaborate with us and so glad we had chance to visit them on their Emberclaw book tour! 💖

If one of your characters could design a piece of merch, what would it be?

• Arcady would want a set of very sharp knives. Like extremely sharp. Or a set of branded lock picks. 
• Sorin would want some very fancy wyvern accessories for Jaculus. And also knives, or a nice little box to store her poisons. 
• Everen would want a very fancy quill cutter (using his own feathers as quills, obviously) and some very fancy ink pots for writing yearning letters. 
• Cassia would like a very fancy enameled small mirror for portable scrying. 
• Kelwyn would definitely release a set of scratch and sniff recipes. 
• Larkin would like some very elaborate hat pins. 
  

Which of your characters would you hang out with for the day and what would you do?

Everen, so I could fly around (if he’d let me)!

Message from Kingdom of Threads: This sticker of Everen, with art by the talented Laya Rose, is one of our favorites in the collection! We especially love that L describes their dragons as having partially feathered wings.

What has it been like seeing readers discover Dragonfall and their reactions?

Dragonfall is a bit of an odd book in many ways. I often call it my “weird, queer dragon book.” It has experimental narrative positions and it’s got a fair amount of lore upfront. Some bounce right off it because it’s not quite what they expect going in, others take a bit of time to settle into its peculiarities, and others love it from page 1.

The ones who connect seem to really, deeply connect, and I’m very grateful.

Almost every week, I get a message from a genderfluid or trans reader who said that the series felt like home or the first time they felt seen in fiction, which was my hope in writing it. There is one reader who has chosen the name of Arcady so far that I know of, which is always the highest honor.

What (and who) are your biggest creative influences and inspirations?

I dedicated the book to Robin Hobb, as she’s been my favourite author since I was 15. I’ve read the Realm of the Elderlings series multiple times over the years, and I take away something new from it each time. Growing up, other inspirations were Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Tad Williams, Octavia Butler, Lynn Flewelling, and Gene Wolfe. More recently, I’ve loved the work of Samantha Shannon, N.K. Jemisin, Tasha Suri, Hannah Kaner, Sophie Burnham, Rosanne Lau, Heather Fawcett, C.L. Clark, and many more.

What are you reading, watching tv and/or listening to right now?

I just finished the second Emily Wilde book by Heather Fawcett, which I loved, and I’m currently reading Faebound by Saara El-Arifi, which is also excellent. I’m watching season 2 of Poker Face, and listening to a lot of assorted instrumental music while I write. 

As a queer author, what does it mean to have your books out in the world? What has been the best part?  

When I published my debut novel Pantomime back in 2013, publishing and the general industry wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it. I was even asked, pre-publication, not to overtly mention that Micah Grey was intersex or bisexual and have it be a “twist.” Which, frankly, didn’t work well as a reveal on a textual level, since it was never my intention.

I was a debut, and barely even out to myself, much less others, and I didn’t know if I could push back. I ended up feeling silenced or made it harder to find its readers. It ended up sounding a little generic in some of my early interviews because I felt I couldn’t talk about what set it apart or its themes. 

Twelve years on, I’ve been really heartened by how open the ecosystem has been for Dragonfall in comparison. I’m sure it’s lost out on some opportunities because of its subject matter, but my publishers have been supportive of it. Barnes & Noble highlighted this queer celebratory and trans book for their speculative pick of the month in July 2024, which changed my life, and many indie booksellers have also championed it. I never would have expected that when I was first starting out. 

The best part is always connecting with readers who enjoyed spending some time in a world I made up and meeting my imaginary friends!

Shop the Collection & Explore More from L.R. Lam

A huge thank you to L.R. Lam for taking the time to chat with us and share their insights and inspiration. You can explore the officially licensed Dragonfall collection right here on Kingdom of Threads!

Don’t miss the newly revised edition of Pantomime—Lam’s powerful debut featuring the intersex and bisexual main character, Micah Grey! Preorder your copy at your local bookstore or on Bookshop.org.

About L.R. Lam

L.R. Lam was first Californian and now Scottish. Lam is the USA Today and Sunday Times Bestselling award-winning author of Dragonfall and Emberclaw (the Dragon Scales series), the Seven Devils duology (co-written with Elizabeth May), Goldilocks, the Pacifica novels False Hearts and Shattered Minds, and the Micah Grey trilogy, which begins with Pantomime. They are also a writing coach at The Novelry. Photo credit: Noëlle Harrison