I wrote a pretty clean, structured outline and that cut down on revisions-usually a book takes me about a year-so when I went in to revise, there weren’t that many structural changes, just line edits and tweaks. So it took, let’s see… when did I sell it? I don’t even remember. How long did it take you to write it, and did you have a long or short revision process? That evolved into a girl searching for her identity and going back to Japan, and what better way for her to find her cultural roots than with the Imperial family there, who have been established for a millennium? So once I had those two things together, the identity and representation pieces, that was really the driving force behind Tokyo Ever After. I wished with my whole heart to see myself in the books that I loved, in books like The Princess Diaries. And in reflecting on my adolescence, I also remembered not being able to find books that featured Japanese American protagonists, or books that were even written by Japanese Americans.

It started more with me being interested in writing a story about a Japanese American, like myself, who is searching for her identity, a place where she belongs, which is something I struggled with as an adolescent. It’s so funny, because that wasn’t where the story started. Can you talk about your inspiration behind this duology? Which means upping her newly acquired princess game.Your book is being compared to The Princess Diaries and Crazy Rich Asians. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother's lack of pedigree. Her parent's engagement hits a brick wall. A royal wedding is on the horizon Izumi's life is a Tokyo dream come true. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Now, she's overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Return to Tokyo for a royal wedding in Emiko Jean's Tokyo Dreaming, the sequel to the Reese Witherspoon YA Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Tokyo Ever After.

Tokyo dreaming by emiko jean