What inspired The Runaway Princess?

The Runaway Princess sprung out of the stories that made an impact on my imagination as a child—Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, the French comics Philémon by Fred, Don Rosa’s Donald Duck comics, and fairy tales like “Little Red Riding Hood.” It’s a mix of fantasy, adventure, poetry, and humor.

 

 

Robin is such a fun character. What makes her personality so unique?

Robin is a girl with moxie! She doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do—she’s curious, generous, and adventurous. She’s a modern princess. In creating Robin, I was inspired by awesome girls in books and movies, like Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking, Lewis Carroll’s Alice, Miette in the movie The City of Lost Children (Robin’s red dress is a lot like hers!), and Mathilda in the movie Léon: The Professional.

 

What do you hope young readers (or more mature ones!) get from the story? What is the message you want to leave them with?

 

I hope that after they close the book, they’ll have a smile on their faces! And that they’ll want to open the book again, to dive back into Robin’s world.

 

As a comic creator, what is the most exciting part of your job?

Writing! I love drawing, of course, but during the writing process, I develop the characters, the plot, the dialogue—that’s the most exciting part.