If you were to go back to medieval times, what job do you think you’d have?
That’s the question we asked Cait Jacobs, author of the USA Today bestseller The Princess Knight. This ingenious medieval romantasy puts a twist on classic Y2K movies like Cadet Kelly and Legally Blonde to tell the story of Clía, a princess whose long-awaited for betrothal unexpectedly falls through. Determined to win back her would-be fiancé, she follows him to a prestigious military academy in order to become a knight. What, like it’s hard?
If you happen to peruse any bookish social media, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Jacobs’ face on your feed. As one of the founding members of #BookTok, they’ve amassed over 300,000 followers on the platform and their clear appreciation for literature has resonated with countless fellow readers — us included! We absolutely loved speaking with Cait about the inspiration for The Princess Knight, their writing journey and even some extra details about Clía and Ronan. So, let’s get into it!
Congratulations on the debut! You have a pretty wild origin story you shared on social media — that joining an improv comedy group led to the publication of this book. Could you tell us how The Princess Knight first came to be?
Thank you so much!! I first started working on The Princess Knight back in summer of 2018– partially because I was curious what certain romcom tropes and archetypes would look like in a fantasy setting, and partially because I adore Irish folklore and I wanted an excuse to dive even further into research. When I got the idea for the book, I immediately reached out to a friend of mine who I had met in that improv comedy group. I had worried that the concept was going to be too weird, but he loved it and encouraged me to start writing.
That was all I needed, and after three months of planning and two chaotic months of writing, the first draft of The Princess Knight was done!
Your book can be described as “Legally Blonde meets Cadet Kelly meets The Kiss of Deception with a little bit of The Princess Bride thrown in.” (Great lineup, by the way.) Along with these iconic films, are there any books that served as inspiration for The Princess Knight, or had any influence on your writing?
As someone who never seems to stop reading, I was constantly being inspired by and learning from other books throughout the drafting and editing process. Most people who know me would not be surprised to hear this, but one of my biggest inspirations is definitely Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse. I adore that universe of books more than anything. I was especially inspired by the rich politics of that world, the iconic banter, the inclusion of disability representation, the thoughtful depictions of characters’ trauma, and of course the unforgettable characters in general.
The Princess Knight is full of intricate worldbuilding, rich details and the echoes of Irish mythology. What was the research process like for this book?
I had the best time researching for this book. My grandmother and I used to talk on the phone almost every night, and more often than not, our conversations would eventually lead back to Ireland– both the history and the folklore. Because of our shared interest, I feel like I had started the research process for this book long before I ever began officially working on it. I would watch documentaries and videos on the subject, and fall down internet research rabbit holes just for fun. When I did start working on The Princess Knight, I simply let myself do that more often and allowed myself even more time to explore the niches that I felt most drawn to.
I learned a lot about different creatures from folklore, got to explore even more stories about the Tuatha dé Danann, taught myself how to play fidchell– although technically no one knows all of the true rules of the game– and even worked with an Irish tutor to help me understand the language better. Although I will admit, that last one was something I wanted to do for years– this just gave me the excuse I’d been waiting for.
You’re a formative member of #BookTok in your own right, and now you’re an author with a romantasy book hitting the shelves. What is it like finding a balance between influencer, reviewer and writer?
It has been a really interesting process! I’m very lucky in the sense that my favorite part of being a bookish content creator has always been shouting about the books I absolutely adored, so thankfully I didn’t have to change much of my content. The biggest change has been now being able to discuss my own book as well as the ones I love– which, admittedly, was more of a challenge than I expected. It’s so much easier for me to hype up other peoples’ books than my own!
As I’ve been going through this transition and trying to find the balance, the most important thing to me has always been respecting readers’ spaces and maintaining authenticity. I want to keep making the content I love while keeping my pages a safe and comfortable place for readers.
You’ve spoken in the past about how the representation in your book comes from lived experience. What was it like to write about these aspects of yourself and now see them in a published novel?
It was incredibly therapeutic. The Princess Knight is set in a queernormative world, following two bisexual protagonists, and as a queer person, writing them and that world was very freeing. It was comforting, to be able to escape into a universe with no homophobia or transphobia.
The disability representation was comforting in an entirely different way. In The Princess Knight, Ronan deals with chronic pain and Clía was written to be autistic, and both of those were based off of my own experience as well. While Clía’s autism is never explicitly stated on page, it was still healing to be able to write about her experiences with masking and sensory issues, and to hear from autistic readers who have been able to relate to her. And Ronan’s journey with his chronic pain is something very close to my heart– he often feels that he needs to push through his pain, no matter the cost to his body. It’s so hard to learn how to be kind to yourself and your body, especially when dealing with chronic pain or chronic illness, and writing Ronan’s arc helped me internalize that message. Although I will admit, like Ronan, I’m still not quite where I’d like to be with that.
What’s something you hope every reader of The Princess Knight takes away from it?
That they are enough as they are, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.
Are there any fun facts about the characters that didn’t make it to the page?
Yes!! I know too many random things about these characters. Their favorite colors? Clía’s is pink (obviously), Ronan’s is green, and Domhnall’s is blue. Their zodiac sign? Clía is an aries, Ronan is a capricorn, and Domhnall is a leo.
As a kid, Ronan had a family dog– some sort of shepherd mix, I imagine– and while he wanted to take him with him when he moved into the Scáilcan palace for training, he couldn’t. So, it stayed behind with Ronan’s dad and kept him company. Also, Clía loves romance novels. In an original draft, it was mentioned that she had a pile of them in a corner of her room at the Álainndoran palace, and while that mention was eventually cut, I still see her as a romance reader.
If The Princess Knight got a movie deal, what would be your dream cast?
Not to give the most boring answer, but I would want it to star some new and upcoming actors! And I’m definitely not saying that because I’m really bad at remembering any actors’ names and can’t think of anyone.
If you went back to medieval times, what job do you think you’d have?
If I went back to medieval times, I would not survive a single day and I’ve accepted that about myself. I don’t have the coordination or strength to be a knight– not to mention that knight armor really is a sensory nightmare– and I would probably accidentally cause a political incident if I were a royal. My poor kingdom would be at war because I called someone by the wrong title or wore the wrong outfit. However, I think I would have a lot of fun as a jester! Am I funny enough to be one? Probably not, but I would have a great time before the royals got bored of me.
What’s your favorite scene/quote from Legally Blonde? Bonus points if it really relates back to Clía, Ronan, Domhnall, or another character.
I think I have to go with “What, like it’s hard?” It’s iconic for a reason! And I feel like Clía would definitely love that quote. She is stubborn and determined, and constantly proving people wrong and surprising them by how incredible she can be.
Last but not least, what are you up to next?
At the moment, I’m having fun with a couple of different projects and ideas, but nothing I can talk about just yet!
Now that The Princess Knight is officially out in the world, I’m also giving myself some time to rest and focus on some of the other things in my life that have been bringing me joy — okay, I’m mostly just counting down to the release of Wicked: For Good. I’m a little obsessed.
About Cait Jacobs:
(photo by LaurelEye Imagery)
Cait (they/them) grew up somewhere between the many farms and beaches of the North Fork of Long Island, NY. There, they found escape through the fictional worlds of books. Their love of literature inspired them to found BookTok and The Bookington Book Club. When they aren’t writing or scrolling on social media, they spend their time obsessing over theater, Dungeons and Dragons, and caring for their many dogs and pet snake (known professionally as Jake from Snake Farm). The Princess Knight is their debut novel.
You can find Cait sword fighting in the woods, or on Instagram, TikTok, and all additional platforms at @caitsbooks.
