Worst Knights Ever follows a comically disastrous adventure in which the Queen, backed by a ludicrously inept band of modern-day celebrity knights, must defeat a dragon terrorizing 2001 England. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My co-writer, Jimmy Paulsen, and I were writing movies at the time and living in Hollywood. We had just read about the new real-life celebrities that were knighted that year, and it made us laugh because the very worst people you could choose to save the world would be old, vain, selfish, self-important actors. Within an hour, we had a 3-page outline that became this book.

This seemed like a fun book to write. What scene in the book did you have the most fun creating?

Like a real egomaniac, I still listen to the audiobook all the time when I shower. Our narrator, Mitch Benn, did a phenomenal job and even did all of the celebrity impressions. It’s an incredible performance. So, in that sense, producing the audiobook might have been the most fun. Speaking of written chapters though, the pet shop scenes kill me. The knights have acquired a box of grenades from probable maniac/actor Vinnie Jones. The only thing the knights know that the dragon eats is dogs, (RIP to the Queen’s corgis and dorgis), so they head to the pet shop in hopes of getting a dog to wear a necklace made of grenades and be bait for the dragon. Don’t worry, dog lovers. The pet shop workers are hilariously on to them.

There’s a seamless blend of chaos, humor, and pop culture references throughout the book. How did you balance all these elements without overwhelming readers, and did any scenarios get cut for being just TOO over the top?

Thank you. Honestly, I have no idea. I simply wrote the book for me. This is what I would enjoy as a reader. Obviously, I’m biased, but this is my favorite book ever. I’d never read a book like this.

There was one chapter that was cut for just being way too crazy. As ludicrous as the plot and humor may be, everything in the book is played dead-serious. Life and death are at stake. So, there was one chapter where the fictional wives of the knights, Elton’s partner, David Furnish, and my favorite character – Connery’s housekeeper, were getting drunk together. They’re so stressed that their significant others could possibly die that they’re getting wasted. That quickly took a turn, and they all spent the evening having a ladies’ fight club to blow off steam. It was really fun and silly, but it was just too much.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

I’m hoping to write the sequel to Worst Knights Ever to coincide with the release of the film if there is one. But that’s a ways off. I truly think Worst Knights Ever could be a movie franchise that spans decades. Make a film and a sequel, wait ten years, cast new real-life knights, and make a sequel. Rinse. Repeat. As long as real-life celebrities keep getting knighted, you could make these movies forever.

I will start writing my next book in November. I think in movie references, as evidenced in Worst Knights Ever, so I’d say my next novel is a story about a young boy trying to navigate his parents’ divorce with the help of some famous imaginary friends. In that sense, I hope it feels like JoJo Rabbit. The trick will be keeping the R-rated comedy at the forefront, getting laughs on every page while also deftly handling the seriousness of physical abuse and divorce. With any luck it should be out in the fall of 2024.

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