Exclusive: C. L. Clark proves that it takes a badass to know a badass

Last month, I was taken on an incredible ride in Runeterra through the eyes of one of the toughest women to have even existed in literary fiction, Ambessa Medarda, in C. L. Clark's latest masterpiece, Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf.

For those unfamiliar with both Clark and her latest book, Clark is the extremely talented writer of the Magic of the Lost trilogy and former co-editor of the Hugo-nominated and British Fantasy Award winner PodCastle, along with a multitude of other impressive titles like personal trainer and teacher. In other words, Clark is a badass, and it's pretty self-explanatory as to how she was able to make Ambessa such justice.

The award-winning writer and all-around incredible human took a second to speak to us about her newly released book and some of the inspiration behind the lore of such an impressive woman, Ambessa Medarda.

Camila: First and foremost, thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions about your latest and incredible release, the novel Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf. You did such a wonderful job not just capturing her spirit but bringing Ambessa to life in such a beautiful and honoring way. Ambessa is quite the champion to tackle, she’s beyond complex yet you did her justice. What about her grabbed your attention at first? What was your inspiration for her story?

Clark: Her powerful arrival in season one was everything to me—I fell in love immediately. Her muscular body, her unapologetic hedonism and taste for the finer things (including the local cuisine), everything. She was just perfect. Besides that, though, she was an interesting depiction of motherhood that countered the usual depictions we get in media. Is she the best mom? Ehhh, Mel probably wouldn’t say so, but Arcane let the relationship have more nuance than, “Here is a bad mother and here are all the ways she has failed at this duty.” Instead, we get a mother who deeply loves her children but has a very different value system. I have a thing for nontraditional depictions of motherhood.

Were you already familiar with the Runeterra lore before your collaboration with Riot, or was that something you had to read up on? How did that come about?

I came to Runeterra as an Arcane fan, which meant I had to do a lot of learning to bring the world to life. I read other books and short stories (like Ruination and the Legends of Runeterra) to learn about the lore of both characters and the world itself. It’s got such a rich history! I also spent a lot of time on the respective wikis, so huge thanks to the fans who keep those up-to-date. In a way, it was a collaboration with every Riot creator who’s ever come before, which was pretty amazing. I also had plenty of talks with folks who handle character design and setting design for League. Basically, I was put through the ultimate crash course.

What was your biggest challenge during your writing process for this project? How did it differ from challenges you’ve previously faced with your Magic of the Lost trilogy?

Actually, I would say the learning curve was one of the biggest challenges. So much of the world—and the characters—was already set, and if I ran into a block, I couldn’t necessarily treat it any way I wanted. In the MotL, I might have made up some loophole to get around it. I couldn’t do that here. I suppose, though, that there is a similar effect when you get later in a series. By the time I was writing the third book in the trilogy, the first two books had created a restraining ‘lore’ or ‘canon’ that couldn’t be broken, and I had to work within that, too.

What did you enjoy the most about this project and why?

As I said, I love Ambessa and I think she’s truly one of the most interesting female characters I’ve ever come across—one of the most interesting characters, male or female, actually. So it was a pleasure to have a hand in shaping her. But better than that was being part of the many hands that brought all this to life. I think Arcane was one of the coolest shows, groundbreaking in so many ways—to have touched a part of it? Amazing. I helped build Ambessa. No one can take that away. (Also, I got to invent an animal!)

Are there any plans for more novels with Riot? Can we please get a Rell book? Like, pretty please?

I have no current plans to write another Riot novel at the moment, but I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I have two more books coming out this year—'The Sovereign', the final book in the Magic of the Lost trilogy, and 'Fate’s Bane', a standalone novella. 

Did her presence and demeanor in Arcane influence your writing? How?

Oh, of course, absolutely. That’s why I said yes when Riot asked me to write Ambessa’s novel. It was love at first sight, as I mentioned. I would say that everything about her in the show dictated how I wrote the novel. She needed to be the same character in the book as she was in the show, so one of the challenges was matching that energy in text without the benefit of visual storytelling. I also had to imagine what Ambessa was like before she was the powerhouse of a woman in Arcane—a couple decades later. I thought about which mannerisms she wouldn’t have developed yet and which she would pick up in Chosen of the Wolf. Her opinions on sacrifice, for example.

If you could describe Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf in only 3 words, which words would you choose and why?

Ha, “Blood, Sweat and Tears” seems too obvious, so how about… Pyrrhic is one of my favorite words, and means (victory) won at great cost, possibly too great. Motherhood, for obvious reasons. Battle, because that’s how Ambessa sees everything, even, I think, love.

Clark's accomplishments and works can be perused and purchased here.