The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer
Writer's Block? Rejection? Impostor Syndrome? Writing is full of ups and downs, but we can still find plenty of joy on this creative journey! Bestselling author Marissa Meyer interviews writers and industry professionals about books, craft, and publishing, to find out how we can all bring more joy to our writing process and career.
The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer
Writing Swoony Contemporary Heroes and Pivoting After Rejection with Emiko Jean - Tokyo Ever After
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Marissa chats with Emiko Jean about her contemporary romance - TOKYO EVER AFTER - as well as channeling your inner teen to write an authentic (and potentially hilarious) protagonist; developing a romance around two characters who are polar opposites, and watching the sparks fly; casting off the idea that we only get "one shot" at a publishing career, and how to pivot after a post-debut rejection; and some tips for researching cultures and places in order to bring authenticity to your contemporary settings.
Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer
Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
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[inaudible]
Speaker 2Hello and welcome to the happy writer. This is a podcast that aims to bring readers, more books, to enjoy and to help authors find more joy in their writing. I'm your host. Marissa Meyer. Thank you for joining me. One thing that's been making me happy this week is I have in my hands, the
Speaker 3Page proofs for gilded ,
Speaker 2My novel that's coming out in November and I love this part of the process. It's one of my favorite parts of writing. When you get the page proofs and they're all designed, they have these pretty page dividers and these little cute design elements at the start of each chapter. And it's the first time where it looks like a book and it feels like a book. And I start to think like, okay, we've done it. We've accomplished something. And it just makes me really, really happy to see it. And yeah, it's going to be real. I know it's still like months away, but I just really love it. I am so excited and I hope you guys are going to love this book. And of course I am super happy to be talking to today's guest before becoming a writer. She was an entomologist, a candle maker, a florist and a teacher. Now she's the author of the young adult fantasy and of seasons. The why a thriller will never be apart and her newest , uh , why a contemporary Tokyo ever after which came out last month, please. Welcome. Emiko Jean.
Speaker 3Hi everyone. Thanks for having me. Thank
Speaker 2You for being here. I'm so excited to talk to you.
Speaker 3I'm excited too .
Speaker 2And I'm doubly excited because we both just learned that we both live in Washington and I saw on your Instagram that you also have twins. Yes.
Speaker 3I was going to mention that as well. It's always, I think it's so much fun always to talk to another parent. I , yours are older though. I believe. Yeah,
Speaker 2Mine are six and a half. How old are yours?
Speaker 3Mine are three and a half, three and a half and boy and girl, boy, girl. Um, and we're still very much, I feel like in the thick of it,
Speaker 2Three and a half, I feel like four was right around the time when having twins started to be really, really fun. Uh , because I think that was the age when they really started like playing together and like amusing and entertaining each other. And I no longer had to be like on call 100% of the time.
Speaker 3Uh, I think we're headed in that direction because they are maturing and they are starting to play, but they're also starting to fight more.
Speaker 2Yes. Yeah. That's a thing.
Speaker 3Um, the , uh, the girl had the boy in a choke hold the other day and I was like, oh no, no, no. Um, but , um, yeah, that sounds familiar. I'm sure. So , uh, but it is, they're getting there, they're becoming more independent. They're able to like feed themselves now and, you know, survive relatively well on their own. Um, so it just keeps getting better and better at before. I felt like I was playing defense all the time, trying to catch them as they ran in different directions. But , uh , it , it gets, it gets easier . Right ?
Speaker 2It does. No, it absolutely does get easier. And I see it also gets more and more fun , um, as their , their little personalities develop. Um , it's so cool to watch. And I, and I'm sure you're seeing this already where they just develop completely different personalities and getting to like, see who each of them turns into. I just find the whole thing. Fascinating.
Speaker 3It's so, because they're , um, parented the same way, but they really are individuals and so different. Um, I , it is you're right. It's fascinating.
Speaker 2Yeah, no, it really is the whole nature versus nurture thing. Um , and my kids are adopted, so we have like this added level of like, you know, nature versus nurture and like, clearly there is some biology at play here. Like you can see things like that didn't come from. Um, no, that's so cool. Twins are the absolute best. I wouldn't trade it for anything. So,
Speaker 3So much fun. And they're so fun. So fun. Yeah. And I don't know any different, I mean, the twins they're my first , uh, so I , I never had a , you know, like a single, so everyone always says it must be so hard, but I don't know any different, right .
Speaker 2No, I'm the same way. And yes, everybody, you meet, you must have your hands full. I feel like I've heard that a billion times, but yeah. Yeah. I mean, it is, it is work. It is hard, but I feel like every parent, every new parent goes through that, you know, transition period of having absolutely no idea what they're doing. Um , list of how many you've got.
Speaker 3True. Very true.
Speaker 2Um, okay, cool. I can't, I can't wait. I hope that we get to have twin play dates someday being so close to each other. That'd be great. Let's talk about your new book. I can't wait to talk about it. Will you please tell listeners about Tokyo ever after?
Speaker 3Sure. So it's all about a teen teenager is immune to knock gas who lives in a small, mostly white, Northern California town with her mom. And although she has a great relationship with her mom, Izumi desires to know her father and connect more with her cultural heritage and through a series of very fortunate events is Amy learns , uh, that her father is the crown prince of Japan. And this kicks off her journey to Japan to get to know the father she's always wanted and the country she's always dreamed of .
Speaker 2So I'm just going to start by saying how much I loved this book. And it is one of those books that I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading it. It was like exactly the , the romantic swoony summer read that I was craving and I didn't even know it. So I just absolutely loved it. And I hope everybody who hears this runs out and buys it.
Speaker 3Um, thank you very much. I wanted to write something that was , um, really fun just , and, and, you know, had a lot of heart in it. And P and P and when readers were reading it, they , um , felt like they were on a journey, but didn't necessarily notice it. Um, and like you said, I just, I love hearing that you smile throughout it. Cause that that's, that was my intent.
Speaker 2Well, you nailed it. And it's really, really fun. And I think it's interesting. Cause when I received the book from your publicist and you see this cover and it's beautiful, it's a beautiful cover, very different, you know, this kind of like paper cutout design on it. It's very unique. And you know, obviously the cover conveys, okay, this is going to be a romantic book. That's is going to be kind of dreamy. There's maybe a fairytale princess element, but then you read the first chapter and you're like , oh , it's also going to be funny. I didn't realize it was going to be hilarious.
Speaker 3Covers are so tricky. Aren't they, like, I would never want to be a cover artist because it really is. It's so much pressure to encapsulate the whole book, you know, all 70 to 80,000 words, you know, and distill it into an image. It's really a talent. Um, but I'm so pleased on how the cover turned out. We agreed from the beginning , uh, that my editor and I, that we wanted to feature , um, a Japanese American girl on the cover because representation was so important to us. And we landed on this paper, cutout design. And , um, we did play with , uh, her face , her , um , facial expressions a little bit. So when we were doing, when the artist was doing the mock , uh, the mock drawings, we went back and forth a lot like, well, should she be smiling? And, or should she be, you know, facing front? And I think that was because we were trying to capture the , uh, the humor of the book. Um, cause we already knew that we had kind of that , um, like swept away you feel and the fairytale feel and the romance feel to it. Um, and I think she, I think we captured that . I mean, she has a little smile on her face. Like she's keeping a secret and I, I like to think that's the humor part of the book.
Speaker 2[inaudible] no, it's a really sweet cover and it's beautiful. Uh , and I really do love it. Um, but I also really love the voice of this character. What is, I mean, I have not read your other two books yet. Um , but you've already been added to my Insta by authors . I will definitely be checking them out. Um, are all of your books funny? Like, are you a humor writer or was there something specific about this character and this voice that really brought that out? Yeah.
Speaker 3It's so interesting that you asked that because my other books are in completely different genres. Like one's a thrill or the other is a fantasy and no, there's not nearly as much humor. There's little sparks of humor. Um, like within some character dialogue, but this was really , um, you know, meant always from the beginning to be a funny book. Uh, and it's very much when my, let me say that's when I , uh, speak to my family after they have read it, they've remarked. It sounds so much like you, or like you, when you were a teen and I kind of realized I was channeling , um, you know, teen Emiko and I was kind of known as the funny kid in high school. And I think I used that as kind of a defense mechanism. Cause I didn't always feel like I fit in or, but I belonged. Um, and so it very much came to light with Izumi the character.
Speaker 2Did it feel really natural writing her voice or did you like it, wasn't one of those things where you write the first draft and she's just speaking to you from the beginning or did you feel like you really kind of had to uncover her over multiple drafts and revisions?
Speaker 3So the humor was there from the start and it was one of those and this doesn't happen very often. I don't feel like maybe it does for you as a writer, but for me it doesn't , um, it was a lightning bolt moment where like I could hear her, I knew what her voice was right away. Um, I knew that she was funky and funny and I saw her friend group, I saw her relationships. Um, and so she really came to me all in one in one glorious moment , uh, which isn't usually, usually I have to really uncover characters through drafts, but her art was there from the beginning.
Speaker 2[inaudible] no , I'm the same way. I'd say the vast majority of my books, I'm getting to know the character and slowly starting to hear their voice as the story. And then like once I finally have a handle on it, now I have to go back to the beginning and rewrite everything that I find , you know, what they sound like. Um , but every now and then you'll get that one character. That's just like, boom, here I am so loud and exactly who they are from the beginning. And it's such a gift when it happens. It
Speaker 3Is. I mean, if you could see me right now, you'd see I was nodding my head. But you said, because it's true. I do a lot of fine tuning on characters. Um, but with zoom issues was like fully formed. Um, and it's been , uh , so hard now as I go back to other projects , um , having to like go back to that process of unraveling characters and learning about them as you write the manuscript.
Speaker 2Right, right. You start to think like, okay, that's what's , it's going to be now, we've got this. I must've learned a secret or something. Right, right. Nope . Every book. Okay. I want to talk romance with you. This book is so dreamy and we've got this great buildup with this romance between zoomy and Akio her very stoic and serious bodyguard . And I was in from page one of the moment we meet him. I'm like, I am swooning . I don't know anything about you and I already , I was reading like, I can't like turn off my little writer, craft brain and trying to figure out like, why, why is this working so well, why am I committed to this couple ? Um, and I have some theories, but I want to hear from you. What are you thinking when you're, when you're creating this romance and what are some strategies, some tips, how did you do it?
Speaker 3Yeah. So I'm excited to hear your theories and if they hold out against sinking , I , um, I wanted, you know, from the beginning, the romance to be kind of at enemies, to friends, to lovers by , um, and you know, when I go back and I read through it, I don't know if the enemy's part always so critical of my work, but when I go back and I look at it, I'm not sure if the enemies part came through as much as that they were polar opposites and that's where they, that conflict came from. So I guess I would revise it now to say polar opposites, to friends, to lovers by , um,
Speaker 2It doesn't matter just typing to it.
Speaker 3Um , and , um, I just, you know, I really wanted a cute to embody the culture of Japan. Um, but also be a bridge in which is you maybe could explore Japan too. Um, I write in the next book because there's going to be a book too. Um, but he kind of has the bearing of an ancient samurai. And I have written that note when I started drafting this book in his character notes, but I didn't include it in took you over after the first book. Um, but that kind of encompasses a cue . He's very stoic and he's serious and he's dedicated to the Imperial family and to Japan. And , uh, he really embodies to assume his goal, which is to get to know, you know, her cultural heritage. Um, and I think that's why she's so drawn to them , but then also so angry when , uh, you know, they kind of butt heads. Your theory is better than my theory.
Speaker 2My theory is it's just really sexy having a body guard . He doesn't know this guy is going to take a bullet for me. There's something about that. That is irresistible.
Speaker 3Yeah. Um, no, I was all in , um, the bodyguard at trope from the beginning. It's one of my favorites. Uh, and you're right. Like he is, he's a hero, you know , so attractive.
Speaker 2Uh , but no, I mean, I agree though, the polar opposites thing, it works because neither of them are bad. Like we're not taking like a , the good girl, the bad boy. And it , like , they both are good people at their heart, but they have such different perspectives of the world, such different backgrounds and watching them like have these prejudices toward each other that they then have to overcome. It just worked really, really well. Um, and also like, there were so many moments in the book where I couldn't help feeling like if I was writing this, it would be really cheesy, but it worked great. Like there's poetry and starlet kisses, dancing. I was just sweating the whole time. And I think there's something about Accu Akio's character in particular that just made it feel really authentic and not over the top. Like he did feel like the sort of guy that, that has all of these dreams rolled into one, but also not like fake and cheesy. And I just am really impressed.
Speaker 3Yeah. I mean, I I'll say I've been kind of thinking, like I had all these influences , um, you know, with Japan is so rich, but there was so much I could draw from, and I , I hope this makes sense, but I feel like there's kind of like this quiet feel to it where it's very cutesy. Um, and so I think that's, I don't know. I , that's just what I wanted kind of put in the book, I think kind of subconsciously , um, anyways, I don't know if that makes sense or not, but when I think about like the cutesy cheesy parts, I think kind of Hawaii,
Speaker 2No, I can see that. Um, I also, like I watched a ton of anime as a teenager and a lot of my favorite male characters were those like very serious stoic, like everything is about the honor. Right. And watching them be paired with a girl who's maybe a little silly and hungry for life and exuberant and like watching her melt that ice cold hard, like there's something to that. Yeah.
Speaker 3And so I'll also tell you that , um, I, when I was growing up, I watched a lot of Jane Austin. My mom loved Jane Austin. I read and watched the love Jane Austin, you know, the BBC , uh, pride and prejudice, like eight videotapes long. Yes. Um , so I am a big fan of Mr. Darcy. And so I feel like there's also a little bit of Mr. Darcy and a Keogh .
Speaker 2Yes. Yeah , yeah, no, you're right. And I , I had not made that specific comparison, but there is definitely a little bit of Mr. Darcy happening. I love him so much. Yes. Right. I'm so excited to hear. There's going to be more, but we'll talk about that later, but let's not go into that yet. So the catalyst for this story we have , uh , this girl is Zumi , uh, raised in America, but comes to find out that her father is the crown prince of Japan. Uh, and so I know this has been compared a lot to the princess diaries, which makes sense. But whereas in the princess diaries, we have, you know, princess Mia going to a pretend made up Royal family here in this case, you're basing it on reality. Like Japan really does have an emperor and Empress and this age, old monarchy. Do you think that that made it easier or more difficult for you to , to create this family in this heritage?
Speaker 3Yeah. I think there's pros and cons to either scenario creating a fantasy kingdom or are , you know , basing using a real Imperial family as inspiration. Uh, for me , um, one of the challenges, one of the biggest challenges was deciding on how to handle the history of the Imperial family. And in that sense, I decided to pretty much fictionalize it , uh , entirely. So they do still have the historical events are still present in this manuscript. So there's still the Imperial families , uh, role in world war two , but I have created a separate Imperial family, if that makes sense. Um, and in that way, it was much easier to , uh, create the characters and everything around it because it is fiction. And so I did take some creative license with , um, how they acted. Uh, but yeah, I did find it difficult , um, researching the Imperial family , uh, they are , um, they live most of their lives behind a veil, so to speak. Um, you can find a lot of information on emperors , um, and their role and, you know, politics and economy and all that kind of stuff. And especially the emperor's role in world war II. But , um, as far as the women of the Imperial family, what their private lives look like, that's a little bit more guarded. So I ended up doing a lot of research , um, outside of like normal biographies. And there was more magazine articles, things of that nature that I looked at , um, to create a complete picture of , uh, of these women that live their lives in the limelight. Um, but are also extremely private.
Speaker 2No, I was really curious about your research process in general. I mean, with the Royal family, but also there's so much wonderful cultural detail in this book. And I mean, it feels like being transported to Japan , to Japan, and I have never been there, but I want to go so bad. Um , and I just, it felt very authentic and very real. Have you been to Japan and if yes, how did that help? If not, how did you make the setting feel so alive?
Speaker 3I have not been to Japan , uh , but I read a ton of books. I mean, I have stacks and stacks of books that I've read on Japan. My family is Japanese. And so I relied on them and their experiences going to Japan. I also had friends there as well that read the manuscript and helped fill in some of the details, like what color traffic lights are supposed to be , um, what the sidewalks look like, things like that. Um, and so I didn't really what I found the most challenging as far as the normal, everyday Japan stuff was pretty easy to conquer, but then filling in what like the Imperial palace looks like or where , um, so there's, there's two palaces , uh, which is in Migos too . So there's a big grand palace called AKA SACA palace that is , uh , used for visiting dignitaries and the Royal, the Imperial family doesn't actually live there. They have an estate that's , uh , on these gigantic grounds within Tokyo, right in the middle of Tokyo. And those , uh, those estates are not public. So you actually don't know, nobody knows what they look like, what the architecture looks like , um, what their rooms or anything like that looks like. And so I found that the most challenging was trying to figure out , uh, what furniture they'd be using, what antiques they'd have on hand , um, you know, all that stuff. So taking that in and , and putting that in perspective was, was particularly challenging.
Speaker 2Yeah. Did you feel also though that it kind of maybe give , gave you a little bit more leeway? Like, well, who's going to know if I'm walking here ,
Speaker 3There's a certain freedom in that. Right. And so , um, I ended up looking at , uh, you know, look luxurious homes in Japan and kind of just taking cues from there and , and inputting that into the palace, in her, into the private palaces.
Speaker 2Yeah. But now I know, I mean, I've written books set in a number of different countries. Um, and my, my book that's coming out in November is like inspired by , uh , old Germany. And there's always this feeling of like this fear that you're going to get something wrong. Of course. Um, also when it comes to researching a specific place or a specific time, like, you don't know what you don't know. Right. It can be hard to figure out, well, what do I need to research? Like the traffic lights are a different color who would know that unless you
Speaker 3Are you trying to go to Japan and I've actually, we're planning a trip. If everything looks good , uh, you know, in Japan and all that kind of stuff. Uh, so I am planning on taking my dad in April of next year. Um, we've learned that there's still , uh, uh, some land in the family that belonged to his great grandmother and it's near Fukushima. And so we're gonna kind of go land slash treasure hunting for that.
Speaker 2Oh, how cool.
Speaker 3Yeah. Yeah. Um, and I don't believe I'm trying to think of my dad has been, I'm not sure if he went when he was younger, but I know he hasn't, if he has gone, it's been at least 20 or 30.
Speaker 2What are you most looking forward to?
Speaker 3Well, I am , I'm looking forward to every, you know, to seeing everything that I've written about mainly the Imperial property. So I'm going to kind of low, low key stock properties and maybe even, oh my gosh, if I could get a glimpse of them here I'll family, that would be, that would make the trip.
Speaker 2That would be amazing. Very Instagram worthy. So you mentioned before that this book is very different from your first two books, you've now written , uh , this obviously a contemporary romance. You have a fantasy and you have a thriller. What has it been like for you kind of career speaking? Um, I know so many writers, you have your debut novel and then readers or editors or agents. There can be this pressure to, okay, you've done this, that we expect you to keep doing this. We need to build your career. We need to build your audience, et cetera. Um, what was that experience like for you wanting to switch it around?
Speaker 3Yeah, so , um, it's hard. I mean, publishing is a hard career. It has its ups and downs. I, so with will never be a part . It was a thriller and I had, that was a two book deal. And I actually wrote , um, a thriller to fulfill the second book in that contract and the editor, my editor didn't like it, and they passed on it , uh, which is always so hard when you work on something and , and an editor doesn't feel like it's ready for publication. Um, and so I decided to kind of pivot in a big way. Um, I felt like I was really drained on the thriller front and , um, it wasn't working for me and I wasn't feeling inspired. And , um, I had made a really intentional choice to start writing , um, more Japanese characters into my novels. And that's why I decided to write a fantasy because I really wanted to kind of explore the history of Japan. And it is a fantasy, it's a fictional king. Uh, it's a fictional empire, but it's based very heavily on , um, Japanese folklore and myths. Um, and so that's kind of how that happened was , um, I needed something that kind of filled my bucket and w and fantasy seemed to be , uh, to be what I, you know, that thing . Um, and then I had kids and they kind of shift everything for you. And I , um, was thinking a lot about my daughter and what she was going to read growing up and what I loved reading when I was growing up. Um, I loved the princess diaries, but I never saw myself in any of those books. And I really wanted my daughter to see herself in the books that she was reading. Um, and so, you know, I wrote this, you know, for my teenage self that didn't have those books, but I also wrote it, you know, for my daughter, I want her to grow up and see her reflection and every, you know, Japanese American girls get happily ever afters to ,
Speaker 2I, I think it's really interesting. I want to go back , um, a little bit to what you said a second ago , uh, talking about how you had this thriller come out. Um, and then you wrote a second thriller and your editor passed on it. Um, because I know we have a lot of aspiring writers who listened to this contest, and I know that there is this idea of, okay, once you get that first book deal, you're set right on a path and that's what it's going to be. Um, and yet you hear stories like this one where things didn't go according to plan. And I, what was that like for you? And what advice would you give to someone who's maybe going through the same thing?
Speaker 3Yeah. Um, so probably if he has, I probably wouldn't have even talked about this, you know, three or four years ago, it was pretty raw when that happened. Um, because you really do put your heart into every book. And so when someone says they don't like, it it's like someone saying they don't like your heart, that hurts. Um, and so I really had to rebuild after that. Um, and the conclusion that I came to is that no, one's going to tell me that I can't write, or that I don't deserve to write. Um, so I kind of had a cast off that mantle of , um, you know, I kind of had this idea that you really only get one shot. So you have your debut, if it doesn't work, or if you don't keep producing every year , um, you know, then that's it, you're not going to have a career as a published author. Um, and I really had to cast off that mantle and decide I was going to write, I was going to write for myself and , um, if someone wanted to publish it great. And if someone didn't that wasn't going to stop me from doing what I loved to do.
Speaker 2Do you think that you'll ever go back and do anything with that thriller?
Speaker 3Oh, my look at it. Sometimes I go back and I read it and I, you know, she was right. I can say that now. I wouldn't, again, I wouldn't have said that like two or three years ago. Um, but my editor was right. And so I actually went back and I revised it. Um, and I got it ready to be submitted and I thought it was already to go. Um, but then I ended up getting, I had this idea for Tokyo ever after, so I ended up writing that instead. So it's still, it's still lives. I pull it out of the drawer every once in a while when I read it. And I'm like, that's pretty good. And then I'm like, well, that's, that needs work still. And so , um, I feel like it's kind of my side . I'm ha I have a little affairs with it every now and then, so we'll see.
Speaker 2Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing your story. I know it's always, it's good for other writers. I know, to just hear what other people go through and, you know, know that we're not alone. Like there's always someone who's been through something. Um, and it is totally possible to come out stronger on the other side.
Speaker 3I really think so. And again, I just, from what, from my journey, my takeaway is just not to let anyone tell you , you know , what you can and cannot do. Yeah. You know ,
Speaker 2Completely agree. And I also love hearing how much , uh, your kids now have inspired what you're working on and what you're doing. Cause I feel that too , um, you know, with different elements, you know, I'm obviously a white author and I have white kids. So I don't have that if , you know, ethnic or cultural background to draw on so much. But I think of things like my kids being in foster care. And I want them to know that there's lots of happy stories with kids who were in foster care and, you know, you do start just thinking about your kids and what sort of stories would be powerful for them.
Speaker 3Yeah. You really, just, for me as a mom, I just, I want my kids to feel like they belong and that they have a place in the world and , um, um, that they fit somewhere. And I think that's, that's probably universal, you know?
Speaker 2Yeah, absolutely. All kids should have great books that they can relate to. I totally agree. Um, okay. So I don't know if this is a question that you are getting asked all the time. It may or may not be sick of answering, but I want to see Tokyo ever after turned into a movie so bad. Is there any Hollywood interests?
Speaker 3Um, yeah, so I think it's like every offer's dream to see their characters come to life and, you know, such a big way on the screen and everything. Um, and it's certainly one of my, the book has been optioned and it is in , um, I don't want to say it's in development, you know, I don't know all of the like TV, movie lingo, so I hesitate to even say anything. That's not what that means. So it's been option and the wheels are turning. Um, and so I'm, I'm hopeful and I would love to see, you know, a Japanese cast on, on the big screen. That would be so great.
Speaker 2Yes. I would also love to see it and I feel like it's made for this is made for this a wonderful romantic film. So I hope I hope fingers crossed for you. Yes . I'm rooting for it to happen. Thank you . Okay. We're going to wrap this up with our happy writer round. All right . I'm ready . What book makes you happy?
Speaker 3Um, oh, I just read beach read by Emily Henry. I've been really into romance , uh, lately. And , um, it was just, it was such a good romance and it was so full of heart and it was funny. Um, so I highly recommend it.
Speaker 2And the title was literally be treed . Yes. Yeah . There's no hiding with this book.
Speaker 3What is your personal mantra? Um, don't give up. Yeah.
Speaker 2What advice would you give to some, to help someone become a happier writer ,
Speaker 3Um, to write authentically?
Speaker 2What do you mean by that? Exactly.
Speaker 3I think there is pressure to write to trends. And what I, the advice that I give to writers is to kind of dig in, find what makes you, you and write , you know, authentically. Does that make sense?
Speaker 2It does. I'm glad that you expanded on that. Of course, of course. How do you celebrate and accomplish
Speaker 3My family? We're big foodies. My family likes to eat, so we have big family dinners.
Speaker 2What is your favorite thing to do that has nothing to do with reading or writing?
Speaker 3I was, as soon as you asked me, I was like, maybe that was too easy for us. What is my favorite thing ? I guess? I mean, being with my kids. Yeah. I like being with my kids.
Speaker 2What are you working on next?
Speaker 3Good question. Uh, so I just wrapped up book two for Tokyo ever after that's with my editor now. So I'll be revising that I'm sure in no time. And I also just wrapped up an adult novel, a women's fiction novel. Yeah. Can you tell
Speaker 2Us anything about them? Can I tell , uh , things are under wraps, but I would love a little hint.
Speaker 3Um, yeah, so it's, I know it's so terrible because I feel like writers are so bad. Like we tease and we're like, yeah, I do have really big news , but I can't tell you for four to five months to a year. Um,
Speaker 2It's I would like readers to know it's just as hard on us.
Speaker 3It is. It is. Um, yeah, so I just, I just finished this book , um, and it's , uh , it's a women's fiction novel. It has the same heart and humor and it deals a little bit more with motherhood, which is more reflective of, of , uh, you, my personal journey.
Speaker 2And that's it I'll take it every allowed to hear anything about book two for Tokyo ever after .
Speaker 3Um, yeah , so it follows us in me. Um, a lot of people have asked if it's like different characters or something like that, but it is zooming . She stays, she is our protagonist and book two . And , um, we'll see all the characters back again and there'll be more kissing and more romance. And we might see the Asian girl gang , um, make an appearance in Tokyo.
Speaker 2I love it. Oh my gosh. I want more of them for sure. In the next book. Yeah, they were so fun to write. So great. Lastly, where can people find you?
Speaker 3Um, I'm on Instagram and what is my Instagram handle? It is , uh, Emiko gene books, I think on Instagram, same handle on Facebook. And then my , um, and my website is the same is Emiko gene.com .
Speaker 2Awesome. Emiko thank you so much for joining me today. Thank
Speaker 3You for having me. It was so much fun
Speaker 2Readers, definitely check out Tokyo ever after, which is out now. Of course, we always encourage you to support your local indie bookstore. If you can, if you don't have a local indie , you can check out our affiliate store at bookshop.org/shop/marissa Meyer. There has been a little bit of shuffling around of the schedule for the next few weeks. Um, so I'm not entirely sure who's going to be on next week, but I think it's going to be , uh , basil and Kevin Sylvester talking about their co-authored . Middle-grade the fabulous Zed Watson. Uh, so that is coming up soon and I hope you will check it out. If you're enjoying these conversations, please subscribe and follow us on Instagram at Marissa Meyer author and at happy writer podcast until next time stay healthy, stay cozy and whatever life throws at you today. I do hope that now you're feeling a little [inaudible] .