Q&A: Cait Jacobs, Author of ‘The Princess Knight’

We chat with author Cait Jacobs about The Princess Knight, which follows a princess who is desperate to win back the prince who broke her heart and follows him to his kingdom’s prestigious military academy—and in doing so, falls in love, saves the realm, and continues to look fabulous in this delightful debut fantasy.

Hi, Cait! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hello! I’m a lover of all things fantasy and romance. As a queer and disabled author, I love to write about queer and disabled characters going on quests, finding love, and saving the realm. Outside of writing, I’m usually obsessing over my favorite pieces of media on social media, or spending time with my three dogs and somewhat-mischievous pet snake. He keeps me very busy.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

Stories have always been a huge part of my life. I’ve always loved to read (and in fact, I still hold a grudge against my childhood best friend for learning how to read before I did), and my love of writing followed close behind. I spent most of elementary school reading everything I could, and writing often. I tried to write my first novel at ten– it did not go well– and never stopped. It was always my favorite escape, and still is.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: If we’re going way back: Where Have the Unicorns Gone? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Ruth Sanderson
• The one that made you want to become an author: Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech. I read this in fourth grade and became obsessed, and forced everyone else in my fourth grade class to read it as well.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal is always on my mind. That series is the love of my life and I think about it every day.

Your debut novel, The Princess Knight, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Princess goes through training montage

What can readers expect?

The Princess Knight is an ode to all of the things I love most. It has some deadly quests, plenty of banter, old castles, characters who desperately need more self-esteem, cute and potentially deadly mythical beasts, a sweet and tender slow burn romance subplot, and a dash of political intrigue (as a treat).

Where did the inspiration for The Princess Knight come from?

This book was the combination of two different ideas. I was really interested in seeing what certain romcom tropes and archetypes would look like in a medieval fantasy setting, and I also wanted an excuse to explore more Irish folklore. My grandmother and I would spend a lot of time discussing Irish history and mythology, and as I began to research Irish folklore, I would call her and tell her what I learned. One thing that had always stuck with me was the Four Treasures of the Tuatha dé Danann, and that later became a huge influence on the world of The Princess Knight.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

There were so many. Both Clía and Ronan, as characters, were very interesting and fun for me to explore for different reasons. Writing Ronan’s arc was extremely therapeutic for me, as someone who deals with chronic pain, and Clía was just an incredibly entertaining character to write about. However, I was also really surprised by how much I loved writing scenes with Domhnall— especially Domhnall and Ronan. Their dynamic evolved through every draft and kept surprising me, and I also just really adore writing dialogue for somewhat-insufferable and annoying characters.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

While writing Clía’s perspective was fun and refreshing, there were definitely times when it could be a challenge for me. Even with all of her insecurities and anxieties, at her core, Clía is bright and bubbly and optimistic. Throughout the years that I was working on this book, I had a lot of low points in my life, which made it hard to get into her head and maintain that hopeful tone. I used playlists to try to train my brain to easily slip into her mindset so I could write her, but whenever that failed, I would step back and work on something else (usually a Ronan chapter, since his perspective was always a little closer to my own).

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

It has been a truly amazing journey! Like I had mentioned, I have been writing for most of my life. I wrote an incredibly messy first draft of The Princess Knight in 2018, but being the anxious person that I am, I was too intimidated to actually edit it for several years. There were a couple of times that I started to look at it, but despite how badly I wanted to try and get the book published, I would quickly get overwhelmed and give up. It wasn’t until 2022 that I finally made progress on my edits, using social media as a way to hold myself accountable. Seeing other people show interest and be excited for the book was the best possible motivator, and having a place to talk about the process made it seem slightly less terrifying.

It was during that process that my publisher saw my videos about the book and expressed interest in it— a fact that still amazes me to this day. I queried agents very shortly after, eventually signing with my amazing agent, and we sold the book that summer. It was an incredibly surreal time for me, and I truly owe so much to everyone online who supported me and this book throughout the process.

What’s next for you?

There’s nothing I can tell you about just yet, but I will say that I’ve been having a lot of fun playing around with a few ideas recently, as well as working on a new project that I’ve been loving exploring.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

There have been so many great reads this year– I just finished This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth and that book absolutely broke me in the best possible way. I also had such a fun time reading We’ve Hit Turbulence by Jessica L. Cozzi, which comes out in January. And speaking of upcoming releases, I’m so excited to dive into An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole and The Baby Dragon Bookshop by A. T. Qureshi once they come out!

Will you be picking up The Princess Knight? Tell us in the comments below!