Samantha Chong is a versatile cross-platform storyteller. Originally from Malaysia, she knits her multilingual and diverse backgrounds into every story she weaves. Her work has been published in BBC Travel, Gastro Obscura, OpenTable, and the Guggenheim. In Sam’s free time, you’ll find her eating her way through any city or losing track of time while falling down Wikipedia rabbit holes.

I had the opportunity to interview Samantha, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi, I’m Samantha Chong! I’m a Malaysian author writing YA fantasy, focusing on contemporary fantasy and finding the magic in the everyday. My debut Malaysian YA fantasy, Prodigal Tiger, follows a girl who has to go up against the world of the dead to get her brother back, launched March 17! 

What can you tell us about your project, Prodigal Tiger? What was the inspiration for it?

Prodigal Tiger was born out of my own feelings about being caught between homes. I moved abroad as a teenager, and have always been very interested in this sense of being caught in the middle between where you are, and where you come from. My main character, Caroline, is someone who grapples with this sense of “in-between”—she returns to an island that she doesn’t recognize, and which likewise, doesn’t always recognize her. 

Prodigal Tiger is a fun, action-filled novel about punching ghosts who’ve kidnapped your brother, but I also think that it’s a musing on what makes a place a home. It’s for all the diaspora kids who moved abroad or have left home (whether that’s across state lines or across oceans) and who long to belong somewhere, but aren’t always sure how. 

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, especially speculative fiction?

I love the practice of trying to put words to abstract feelings. I think we’ve all felt loneliness, or grief, or homesickness, or nostalgia, but the act of being able to put images to those feelings and have people say: Yes, that is how I feel, I get it—it’s intoxicating to be able to relate to folks in that way. 

Fantasy fiction is particularly interesting for me because I think it allows for fantastical representations that wouldn’t necessarily exist in contemporary settings. For example, Caroline’s magic is something that brings her a deep comfort, even though it wasn’t necessarily honed on the island. Her experience strengthening it in New York offers her a grounding element in a familiar-not-familiar setting, which I think lends some color to how out of place she might feel, and how she’s leaning on other parts of her identity to cope.

How would you describe your creative process?

A lot of writing and rewriting! Sometimes it involves writing different treatments of a scene to see what feels right. If a scene doesn’t feel like it flows, it’s difficult for me to move on. Luckily, I have very talented friends who I get to brainstorm with. It’s really collaborative, to get to work with other writers and absorb a variety of different perspectives. I find that my best work comes after a long conversation with my writer friends.

The other medium I really enjoy is film/TV shows. To refill the well, I’ll often go on a binge, analyzing story structures and absorbing the visual elements that a cinematographer brings to the medium. I love watching really innovative fight scenes, for example; I think those are really great for writing action-packed beats. I believe that to write really cool stories, you do have to absorb a large variety of mediums, so I’m often looking around the world trying to see how people are telling stories across different platforms. 

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult? 

One of my favorite elements is getting to sketch out a scene. Action scenes, in particular, are some of my favorite things to write. I love choreographing them in my head and watching how they move around the space. In the same vein, I love writing angsty scenes—there have been many times I’ve cried writing fights or reconciliations with my characters. In general, I feel most fulfilled when it’s not me puppeteering my characters—they’re the ones showing me what they’re doing or feeling in this scene.

It’s difficult to say what the most frustrating bits are—all of writing is fun, even if drafting sometimes frustrates me. I am always stymied when this happens, but am grateful for my friends who are willing to throw spaghetti at the wall with me. And it passes. It always does. I just never know how long it takes, but am delighted to try breaking it together with a good team. 

As an author, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

I love film—I’ve taken a lot of interest in the rich aesthetics of Marvel films, for example (Shang-Chi, Eternals, Black Panther all come to mind). TV shows are also fantastic to think about from a storytelling perspective; while they’re not a direct 1:1 to how novels are written, it’s always really inspiring to see how they break a story and keep you hooked through the narrative. (The Good Place remains one of my favorite shows, and I refer back to it often. Also, The Good Place Podcast is wholesome, and reminds me how art and humanity often intersect.)

In terms of books, I read across genres and age groups, so I am constantly in admiration of how my fellow writers tackle different themes and structure their worlds. Recent loves include: The Celestial Seas by T.A. Chan, Hollow by Taylor Grothe, Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-Zi, She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran, and I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Getting to absorb their brilliance has been one of the most fun things to do while honing my own skills. 

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

I’m a giant history nerd, so I’m always here to learn about what was happening around the world at different points in time. I’m also the person at the party who starts with “Did you know…” and then drop a random fun fact. (Did you know, for example, that bananas are technically berries? But blackberries are not berries.) Come to me for weird facts. I’ll make sure you’re well supplemented. 

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

I wish someone had asked me about the food in the novel, specifically what my favorite dish in the book is and also what food I wish had made it in. One of the things I loved while writing this book was getting to put in as many Malaysian references as possible, and in my humble opinion, one of the best things about Malaysia is our food!

There is a dish casually referenced in the book called koay teow th’ng; it’s this light but flavorful broth that features fishballs and soft, silky noodles. It’s one of the best breakfast foods out there! I don’t think it made it into the novel, but one of my favorite dishes is assam laksa, a fish-based broth that features thick laksa noodles, pineapple, mint, sardines, tamarind and torch ginger. It’s mildly spicy and sour, and is so beautifully warm in its flavor profile. It’s the perfect dish to eat, even on the hottest days. 

What advice might you have to give for aspiring storytellers out there?

The art of writing is a long marathon, and that means listening to your body and brain and figuring out what you need at the moment. Sometimes it means prioritizing rest so you don’t burn out—there will be times when the book isn’t ready to be written, and it will be hard to push through until you find the right thing. Other times it means experimenting with different structures and beats and plots—you have to be willing to be flexible. It’s a delicate balance between discipline and self-care! Be gentle with yourself.

In that same vein, I highly recommend building a community you can rely on. I’ve been very lucky to have writing friends who are kind and generous, and who are willing to brainstorm with me about projects and beats, and answer questions about the process. I would not have gotten here without their support! 

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I am working on my next book, Paper Ghosts, which is slated to come out in 2028 with G.P. Putnam’s Sons BFYR. It’s another YA fantasy set in Penang, Malaysia, and follows a young paper effigy maker who buries herself in her mundane work as a soul guide, only to realize that rogue ghosts are threatening the island once more. To prevent the rise of the undead once and for all, she has to overcome her fear of the advanced art of death rituals—teaming up with both her ex-boyfriend and an annoying exorcist along the way. 

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of GeeksOUT? 

If possible, I’d love to spotlight a few 2026 and beyond debut authors I’m so excited about! 

T.A. Chan – The Celestial Seas

Julia Alexandra – Midnight on the Celestial

Delali Adjoa – The Free Verse Society 

Jasmine Smith – Death Card (August 2026)

Yuvashri Harish – Kill Your Darlings (September 2026)

Tzeyi Koay – A Curse Carved in Ink (February 2027) 

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Header Photo Credit Emily Zerella