Author Interview: Brigid Kemmerer

Get the inside scoop on ‘Warrior Princess Assassin’!

Brigid Kemmerer is the author of our August ‘Crowned by the Stars’ Romantasy featured book: Warrior Princess Assassin. Read on to get the inside scoop from inspiration to favourite scenes and more!

Would you like to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your latest novel, Warrior Princess Assassin?

Warrior Princess Assassin is my 18th, perhaps 19th, novel. It is my first adult fantasy romance. All my previous works have been young adult. It tells the story of a princess named Jory, who is best friends with an assassin called Asher. They would definitely be more than friends, but Jory is betrothed to a warrior king from a neighbouring kingdom named Maddox Kyronan.

Would you like to give us a little introduction to the main characters, Jory, Asher and Ky?

The story opens with Jory. She is very sheltered, very protected, and has really been kept under her older brother’s thumb. She’s never been allowed to rule or have any opinions on anything, including her marriage to Ky. Asher has always been her best friend, the only person she could trust. Jory doesn’t know what happened to Asher during the ten years of his exile, but Asher does have a tragic past that he keeps a secret from Jory. When Ky enters the scene, both Jory and Asher are prepared to hate him. But when they meet him, they realise he isn’t the monster everyone says he is.

What was your inspiration for Warrior Princess Assassin?

For me, it always begins with the characters. I once imagined a princess in bed, waiting for her best friend to visit her at night. I knew he would be an outlaw, someone dangerous, and I knew she was going to be angsting over having to marry someone she didn’t want to, wishing she could be with this outlaw character. That scene lingered in my mind for weeks, and I asked myself questions like why can’t she be with this man? Why doesn’t she want to get married? The story came to life from there.

When it came to Jory, Ky and Asher’s romance, what was your favourite part to explore?

I would say my favourite part was watching their trust in each other unfold. I spent a lot of time crafting little individual moments between them all for that specific reason.

What was the most challenging part of writing Warrior Princess Assassin?

I really loved writing the story, all three of their perspectives came very naturally to me. However, I would say the most challenging part was probably the revision, as it was my first time working with a new editor, so we had to get to know each other’s working styles. I love my editor, she’s truly brilliant, but that was my biggest challenge.

What is your favourite thing about the FairyLoot edition of Warrior Princess Assassin?

A reader pointed this out to me. She brought me the book without the jacket, and I’d seen the book without the jacket before, but she said, ‘I love how it has all three of their weapons on the cover,’ and I was like, what? And she said, ‘Yeah, there’s Asher’s daggers, the King’s sword and Jory’s hairpin.’ Which blew my mind!