Interview with Rima L. Jean - June 16, 2011

Please welcome Rima L. Jean to The Qwillery as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. Rima's debut novel, The Noble Pirates, now will be published in August, but we're going ahead with her interview as originally scheduled.

TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Rima:  I think I write better when there’s some noise around me, as opposed to dead silence. I like writing at coffee shops or cafes, with people talking and espresso machines whirring.

TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Rima:  There are so many! I love Agatha Christie; I read so many of her books as a teen that I’m certain her style influenced mine.

TQ:  Are you a plotter or a panster?

Rima:  With The Noble Pirates, I was a total panster. I had a general outline in my head, but because it was an online serial, I was more focused on each installment. With my current work, I’m somewhere in between. I’ve written a general outline and have a story arc.

TQ:  Describe The Noble Pirates in 140 characters or less.

Rima:  During a violent storm, Sabrina is pitched back in time to the Golden Age of Piracy – with a book that describes the lives of the pirates she is about to meet. When she falls in love with Howel Davis, a sailor forced into piracy through circumstance, she begins to wonder: Can she use her knowledge to change the past? Is her knowledge a blessing or a curse?

TQ:  What inspired you to write the The Noble Pirates?

Rima:  My desire to bring history to life. I chose pirates as my subject matter because I had just seen Pirates of the Caribbean and wondered what the real pirates’ stories were.

TQ:  What sort of research did you do for The Noble Pirates?

Rima:  A lot! I read a ton of books on the subjects of piracy, slavery, etc. Readers can find out more detail regarding my research at http://fictionescape.com/research.

TQ:  Who is your favorite pirate? Why?

Rima:  Howel Davis. Based on my historical research, he really wasn’t a bad guy, and he made it a point to try and steal without causing unnecessary deaths.

TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) The Noble Pirates?

Rima:  The scene where Howel Davis becomes a pirate, and the speech he makes to justify his actions.

TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

Rima:  Sabrina was easiest, because she is a modern woman and I based her thoughts and actions on my own. Bart Roberts the pirate was the hardest, since he is by far the most complicated character in the book.

TQ:  How many books are planned for the series? (ignore this question if no more are planned)

Rima:  One more, I think. I don’t like dragging good stories on and on until it gets old.

TQ:  What's next?

Rima:  Well, there’s the sequel to TNP, Liberi, which I am currently working on. I am also working on a historical young adult book set during the Crusades. It’s a lot of fun.

TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Rima:  Thank you! Your questions were awesome!


About The Noble Pirates

The Noble Pirates
(Cogito Media, August 29, 2011)

A vacation in the Bahamas goes awry, and a woman from 2009 unexpectedly finds herself in 1718 – amidst pirates. Sabrina is so consumed with her present-day problems that the last thing she expects is to suddenly end up face to face with real pirates. The notorious bad boys of the Golden Age of Piracy, Edward England, Howel Davis, and “Black Bart” Roberts, become Sabrina’s means of survival in the past, and ultimately, her key to returning to the future.

The catch? Sabrina happens to be carrying a book about pirates when she is swept into the past, and that book contains biographies of the very men she meets. She forms relationships with them and learns that, contrary to what she previously thought, they are sailors, servants, and slaves who were pressed into service, victims of social and historical circumstances of the era.

When Sabrina finds herself falling in love with Howel Davis, a sailor who becomes a pirate out of desperation, she begins to wonder: Can she use her knowledge to change the past? Is her knowledge a blessing or a curse?

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About Rima L. Jean
 

Rima L. Jean graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in archaeology and history. She decided that, even though she loved history, it wasn’t exactly what she felt she was meant to do. Rima spent several years floundering, during which time she managed to snag a law degree and an amazing husband. It wasn’t until the birth of her first daughter that she returned to writing — something she had done quite a bit of as a child and teenager.
 
Put simply, writing is what Rima was meant to do.
 
She is the author of a forthcoming book about a woman who accidentally time travels back to the Golden Age of Piracy, The Noble Pirates. Rima loves to take real history and, with the help of some magical realism, transform it into a grand adventure with broad appeal. She is addicted to strong female characters who kick ass, and the strong male characters who fall in love with them.

Rima's Links:

The Noble Pirates Website:  http://www.thenoblepirates.com/
Rima L. Jean Author Website:  http://www.fictionescape.com/
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/FictionChick