Interview with KNIGHT ASSASSIN author Rima Jean


Historical fiction author Rima Jean is visiting YA Mag to chat with our own Olivia about KNIGHT ASSASSIN!

Seventeen-year-old Zayn has special powers she cannot control—powers that others fear and covet. Powers that cause the Templar Knights to burn Zayn’s mother at the stake for witchcraft.

When a mysterious stranger tempts Zayn to become the first female member of the heretical Assassins, the chance to seek her revenge lures her in. She trains to harness her supernatural strength and agility, and then enters the King of Jerusalem’s court in disguise with the assignment to assassinate Guy de Molay, her mother’s condemner.

But once there, she discovers Earic Goodwin, the childhood friend who still holds her heart, among the knights—and his ocean-blue eyes don’t miss a thing. Will vengeance be worth the life of the one love she has left?
 

Olivia with YA-Mag: Rima, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine!  It’s great to have you with us talking about KNIGHT ASSASSIN!

YA: Let’s talk about Zayn. How did you two first meet? What makes Zayn the perfect character to tell this story, why them and not a different character in the story?

Rima Jean: Hi Olivia! I think in order to truly experience what Zayn went through to become an Assassin, the story has to be told from her perspective. I really wanted her to come across as flesh and blood, a real teenage girl with very un-teenaged problems. What was she thinking and feeling through the whole story? It was the only way that a girl today could understand what Zayn might have gone through in this alternate history of 12th century Jerusalem.

YA: What sets Zayn’s story apart from other historical YA fantasy novels, like POISON by Bridget Zinn or Jennifer McGowan’s MAIDS OF HONOR series? What will readers find that isn’t anywhere else?

RJ: I think the biggest difference between KA and the books you mentioned is that it’s darker. I consider KA an upper YA book, because it isn’t sweet or cute, LOL! The other difference is the time and place. The story takes place in the Middle East during the Crusades. The mix of peoples and cultures was so diverse and exotic, and I haven’t come across any YA books that have dealt with that period.

YA: What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story or your writing career in general?

RJ: Good question! Actually, my biggest influences weren’t books at all. One was a video game by UbiSoft, Assassin’s Creed, and the other was a comic book, Witchblade. Assassin’s Creed has been wildly popular since 2007, and one of its unique features is the fact that it stays true to history in many respects. I loved the pitting of Assassin against Templar, the idea of two brotherhoods fighting for control of the Holy Land. Witchblade, a comic book series by Top Cow, completely captivated me in high school. It’s about Sara Pezzini, a NYPD homicide detective who finds a magical gauntlet which bonds with her and provides her with a variety of powers. The artist in me is guilty as charged — I fell in love with the gorgeous illustrations as well as the story.

YA: When you were a teen, what was your favorite book (YA or otherwise)?  Now that you’re an author for teens, what is your favorite contemporary YA?

RJ: These make me sound so old, LOL! The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, Mara Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, and Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith. My favorite contemporary YA today is The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler.

Assassin quoteYA: What’s the story on the title KNIGHT ASSASSIN?

RJ: I really spent very little time thinking about the title, LOL! Zayn is an Assassin, and she kills knights. Hence, Knight Assassin!

YA: Is this a stand-alone title? Or are there plans to come back to Zayn’s world of assassins and templars?

RJ: I would love to write another one. I guess it depends on the readers! If they love it, I’ll give them another.

YA: You not only write historical fiction, but you’re a reader of it as well! So, what is one of your favorite historical YA tales… and why?

RJ: Well, I listed a whole bunch of Old School historical YA books above. Recent faves include Libba Bray’s books and Y.S. Lee’s A Spy in the House. Well-written, well-researched historicals are my weakness.

YA: If you could cast the Dream Film of KNIGHT ASSASSIN, who would you cast in the lead roles?

RJ: That’s a tough one! I had to do some Googling for this. Maybe someone like Alex Pettyfer as Earic and a girl with Mila Kunis’s exotic dark looks for Zayn. I would love it if a Middle Eastern actress could play Zayn. That would rock!

YA: What’s up next for you in YA land? Any pet projects you can tease us about?

RJ: I am always writing. I’ve currently got a Victorian time travel YA in the works that I’m really excited about.

YA: All right, last one!  If you could spend one day with Zayn and the rest, what would you do together? What would advice would you give to Zayn about her past or future?

RJ: I would totally get her to teach me how to throw knives! And I would advise her to keep Earic around. 😉

YA: Thank you very much, Rima!  And again, from YA Mag, congratulations on KNIGHT ASSASSIN!  We look forward to hearing a lot more from you in years to come! 

~*~

Readers, be sure to check out Rima Jean at her website www.FictionChick.com. Or follow her on Twitter @RimaJean.

KNIGHT ASSASSIN, published by Entangled Teen, is available March 14th on all of your favorite ebook readers!

Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey.  For more info, follow her on Twitter

 

 


 

interview-with-knight-assassin-author-rima-jean

Historical fiction author Rima Jean is visiting YA Mag to chat with our own Olivia about KNIGHT ASSASSIN!

Seventeen-year-old Zayn has special powers she cannot control—powers that others fear and covet. Powers that cause the Templar Knights to burn Zayn’s mother at the stake for witchcraft.

When a mysterious stranger tempts Zayn to become the first female member of the heretical Assassins, the chance to seek her revenge lures her in. She trains to harness her supernatural strength and agility, and then enters the King of Jerusalem’s court in disguise with the assignment to assassinate Guy de Molay, her mother’s condemner.

But once there, she discovers Earic Goodwin, the childhood friend who still holds her heart, among the knights—and his ocean-blue eyes don’t miss a thing. Will vengeance be worth the life of the one love she has left?
 

Olivia with YA-Mag: Rima, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine!  It’s great to have you with us talking about KNIGHT ASSASSIN!

YA: Let’s talk about Zayn. How did you two first meet? What makes Zayn the perfect character to tell this story, why them and not a different character in the story?

Rima Jean: Hi Olivia! I think in order to truly experience what Zayn went through to become an Assassin, the story has to be told from her perspective. I really wanted her to come across as flesh and blood, a real teenage girl with very un-teenaged problems. What was she thinking and feeling through the whole story? It was the only way that a girl today could understand what Zayn might have gone through in this alternate history of 12th century Jerusalem.

YA: What sets Zayn’s story apart from other historical YA fantasy novels, like POISON by Bridget Zinn or Jennifer McGowan’s MAIDS OF HONOR series? What will readers find that isn’t anywhere else?

RJ: I think the biggest difference between KA and the books you mentioned is that it’s darker. I consider KA an upper YA book, because it isn’t sweet or cute, LOL! The other difference is the time and place. The story takes place in the Middle East during the Crusades. The mix of peoples and cultures was so diverse and exotic, and I haven’t come across any YA books that have dealt with that period.

YA: What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story or your writing career in general?

RJ: Good question! Actually, my biggest influences weren’t books at all. One was a video game by UbiSoft, Assassin’s Creed, and the other was a comic book, Witchblade. Assassin’s Creed has been wildly popular since 2007, and one of its unique features is the fact that it stays true to history in many respects. I loved the pitting of Assassin against Templar, the idea of two brotherhoods fighting for control of the Holy Land. Witchblade, a comic book series by Top Cow, completely captivated me in high school. It’s about Sara Pezzini, a NYPD homicide detective who finds a magical gauntlet which bonds with her and provides her with a variety of powers. The artist in me is guilty as charged — I fell in love with the gorgeous illustrations as well as the story.

YA: When you were a teen, what was your favorite book (YA or otherwise)?  Now that you’re an author for teens, what is your favorite contemporary YA?

RJ: These make me sound so old, LOL! The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, Mara Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, and Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith. My favorite contemporary YA today is The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler.

Assassin quoteYA: What’s the story on the title KNIGHT ASSASSIN?

RJ: I really spent very little time thinking about the title, LOL! Zayn is an Assassin, and she kills knights. Hence, Knight Assassin!

YA: Is this a stand-alone title? Or are there plans to come back to Zayn’s world of assassins and templars?

RJ: I would love to write another one. I guess it depends on the readers! If they love it, I’ll give them another.

YA: You not only write historical fiction, but you’re a reader of it as well! So, what is one of your favorite historical YA tales… and why?

RJ: Well, I listed a whole bunch of Old School historical YA books above. Recent faves include Libba Bray’s books and Y.S. Lee’s A Spy in the House. Well-written, well-researched historicals are my weakness.

YA: If you could cast the Dream Film of KNIGHT ASSASSIN, who would you cast in the lead roles?

RJ: That’s a tough one! I had to do some Googling for this. Maybe someone like Alex Pettyfer as Earic and a girl with Mila Kunis’s exotic dark looks for Zayn. I would love it if a Middle Eastern actress could play Zayn. That would rock!

YA: What’s up next for you in YA land? Any pet projects you can tease us about?

RJ: I am always writing. I’ve currently got a Victorian time travel YA in the works that I’m really excited about.

YA: All right, last one!  If you could spend one day with Zayn and the rest, what would you do together? What would advice would you give to Zayn about her past or future?

RJ: I would totally get her to teach me how to throw knives! And I would advise her to keep Earic around. 😉

YA: Thank you very much, Rima!  And again, from YA Mag, congratulations on KNIGHT ASSASSIN!  We look forward to hearing a lot more from you in years to come! 

~*~

Readers, be sure to check out Rima Jean at her website www.FictionChick.com. Or follow her on Twitter @RimaJean.

KNIGHT ASSASSIN, published by Entangled Teen, is available March 14th on all of your favorite ebook readers!

Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey.  For more info, follow her on Twitter