Interview w/ “Kidnapping the Princess” author, Hime Yuriko!
Crazy Maple: You create live, vibrant characters! What are you thinking about when you first start creating a character.
Hime Yuriko: This may actually sound odd, and I don't know if all authors do it this way, but I don't create them like, "Oh, I need a character for this book. What kind of person might she be?" Rather, the character itself comes forward in my head.
Let me give an example. Before I created Kidnapping the Princess, a voice- yes a voice (but I'm sure I'm not crazy), spoke in my head saying she wanted to kidnap a Princess. Thus, Cybele was created. The same can be said for Talia, Van, and the characters in my other books. I just strengthen their personality, but really they present themselves when I need them. It's like thinking about a favorite song, then just a few seconds after, hearing it on the radio while you're walking somewhere. It is strange.
CM: Who was your favorite character to write in Kidnapping the Princess?
HY: Cybele, of course. Being in her head is very complicated because she's multi-faceted. There are many layers to her personality, but in the end that's what makes her so much fun.
CM: What kind of books do you normally read for fun?
HY: Everything! Good books, bad books. They all make me learn.
CM: Kidnapping the Princess wasn't your average princess story about helpless damsels waiting to be rescued. Why was it important for you to write your story this way?
HY: Because strange as it seems, even in modern times, millions of people are still being brainwashed to be super reliant on others. I'm not saying it's bad to get help from mom, dad, or any of your friends and siblings, but what if you get older? What if you're alone? What if something bad happens and you don't have your usual support system? Being taught by society, even your loved ones to be overly dependent, destroys your capacity to evolve as a human being. I think it's important for people to learn that sometimes you have to do things on your own. Sometimes, by being your own knight in shining armor, great things can happen, and through my stories, I want to impart that.
