Realm of Knights
Jennifer Anne Davis
Publication date: September 10th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Reid has spent her whole life pretending to be a man so she can inherit her father’s estate, but when a chance encounter threatens to expose her lie, she is forced to risk everything.
In the kingdom of Marsden, women are subservient to men and land can only pass from father to son. So when Reid Ellington is born, the fifth daughter to one of the wealthiest landholders in the kingdom, it’s announced that Reid is a boy.
Eighteen years later, Reid struggles to conceal the fact she’s actually a young woman. Every day, her secret becomes harder to keep. When one of Marsden’s princes sees her sparring with a sword, she is forced to accept his offer and lead her father’s soldiers to the border. Along the way, she discovers a covert organization within the army known as the Knights of the Realm. If Reid wants to save her family from being arrested for treason and robbed of their inheritance, she will have to join the Knights and become a weapon for the crown.
To protect her family, Reid must fight like a man. To do that, she’ll need the courage of a woman.
Let's welcome Jennifer for an interview today!
1. Did you always
know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else? No, I
didn’t always want to be a writer. I originally went to law school. However, I
ended up deciding to get my teaching credential. I taught a year of high school
English before having my first child. Once I had kids, I started writing. Now
that my kids are older, I considered going back into teaching. However, I love
writing, creating words, and developing characters so much, that I plan to
continue writing.
2. How long does it
take you to write a book from start to finish? From concept to completion, four
months. However, that is writing and revising five days a week, 8-10 hours a
day.
3. How do you come
up with themes for your stories? Once I create my characters and the world in
which they live, the themes naturally develop naturally.
4. Do you have a
schedule of when you write? Yes. The second my three kids are at school, I
sit and write until I pick them up from school. Then I usually try and get in
another hour or two at night once everyone is in bed.
5. How are you able
to balance other aspects of your life with your writing? It’s hard to balance
everything. I treat writing as my full-time job (because it is). It allows me
the freedom to be there for my kids when they need me. However, when I’m on a
deadline, it can be rough revising when I need everything to be quiet around
me. Thankfully, my family is very supportive and we make it work.
6. What elements do
you think make a great story line? Interesting characters that the reader
can connect with, an obstacle the main character has to overcome, a fantastic
villain, and a unique love interest.
7. What was the
hardest thing about writing a book? Revising. Writing the first draft is the
fun part. Revising—which is basically rewriting the entire story—is difficult
for me. I want to make sure that everything I’m thinking and feeling in my head
is exposed on the page. It usually takes me about 25 min to revise one page.
8. How many books
have you written so far? Do you have a favorite? I’ve written 15 books. I
don’t know that I have a favorite. Maybe The Key simply because that book is
what solidified my love for writing. It was the first book I wrote for me
instead of for the market or to get published.
9. Do you have a
favorite character? In Realm of Knights, I adore Reid. However, I have a soft
spot for Ackley.
10. Where do you
write? At home, I write either in my writing room (aka the writing cave), on
the couch, or sitting at the kitchen counter. Oh, and in bed. But I also write
sitting at the soccer field during my kids’ practices or at the pool during
swim meets.
11. When deciding on
how to publish, what directed you to the route you took? I originally went
the traditional route. Working with three different publishers, I learned a lot
about revising, marketing, and the book world in general. Now, I publish
everything I write myself under my own publishing company.
12. Have you gotten
feedback from family about your book(s)? What do they think? I usually don’t
let family members read my books until they’re published. My oldest son enjoys
my books the most, but he’s an avid reader.
13. What kinds of
things do you like to do outside of writing? I love to go to the beach, read,
and take hikes.
14. What kinds of
advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing? Read. Read
everything you can in the genre you want to write.
15. What is your
favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires
you to write? I don’t have a favorite book or author. There are too many
that I love. A lot of times it depends on my mood as to what book I want to
read. Some of my favorites include: Maria V. Snyder’s Poison Study, Julianne
Donaldson’s Edenbrooke, and Sarah J. Maas’s Heir of Fire.
16. Do you have any
go to people when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as
editing, beta reading and such? Yes. I have two people that read
everything I write. They’ve both been with me for years, and I couldn’t write
without them. One started out as my biggest critic and now is my biggest cheerleader.
The other is a pro at finding plot holes and inconsistencies.
17. Are you working
on anything now? I am currently writing the third and final book in the
Knights of the Realm series. After this book is done, I’m going to take a month
long bread to decide what to write next.
18. Tell us 5 things
that make you smile. My adorable Weimarainer, the warm sun on my face, watching
my middle son surf, seeing my daughter have an amazing soccer game, and
watching my oldest son achieve his goals.
19. Tell us 5 things
that make you sad. How about 4 things. A bad review, when one of my kids gets
hurt, watching one of my kids work so hard for something but fail, and not
being able to spend the holidays with extended family.
20. If you could
travel anywhere in the world to visit a place so you could use it as a
background for a book, where would it be? England. I want to go and stay in a
castle in England.
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Jennifer. It was great having you!
Author Bio:
Jennifer Anne Davis graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. She is currently a full-time writer.
Awards:
Cage of Deceit: Winner 2018 Kindle Book Awards
The Key: Finalist 2014 USA Book Awards
The Voice: Finalist 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
The Voice: Winner 2013 San Diego Book Awards
For more information, visit www.JenniferAnneDavis.com.
