I am also fortunate to have friends in Japan who consulted on the book. I think there has always been and will always be a public fascination with royalty, and I am no exception! Before writing the novel, I read everything on the Imperial family, from articles to biographies. I am absolutely a follower of the Japanese Imperial family. Are you a fan/follower of the Japanese Imperial family? Did you have to research them to write Tokyo Ever After? I think it was the right move to do this, as it made Mariko's character and her relationship with Izumi stronger-more whole and complete. I did end up cutting a side character, a tutor that Izumi had, and morphed him into Mariko's character, Izumi's lady-in-waiting. For the most part, Izumi's character arc stayed intact. I have lost count of how many revisions this novel underwent. How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters or scenes that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version? She is very much inspired by teenage Emiko's life and friendships. Many members of my family have remarked on how similar Izumi's voice is to mine. Are Izumi, Akio, or any of the other characters in the novel inspired by or based on specific individuals?

From there, it seemed right to use the classic I'm-really-a-princess trope and pair it with a search for cultural identity. Those two things, lack of representation and desire to see myself in fiction, was the initial driving force behind Tokyo Ever After. In addition, when I grew up, there was a distinct lack of books that featured Japanese-American protagonists. What was your inspiration for Tokyo Ever After?įirstly, thanks so much for having me on your blog today! In Tokyo Ever After, I wanted to write about a girl, specifically Japanese-American like myself, searching for her identity. Her latest novel is Tokyo Ever After and she recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog. She lives in Washington with her husband and two unruly twins. Emiko Jean is the author of Empress of All Seasons and We'll Never Be Apart.

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