The Element Princess Book Series and The Powers They Exhibit

The Element Princess Series seems very interesting. What influenced your love of Anime and the book series?

When I was in middle school, I turned on the TV around five in the morning(I had to get up around 6 for school anyway). When I did, Adult Swim was on playing a show called InuYasha. It was the ending of the seventh season. It's called Come by Namie Amuro-yes, I remember the event like it was yesterday. Since that day, I've loved anime. When it comes to the book series, I saw the characters as anime characters in my head until I got older. I see them as real people now. The series was literally a random idea. It came to me out of nowhere, a rushing thought turned into an overwhelming plot that I had to get down on my computer. The rest is history.

Tell us about each character and include their special powers/abilities.

There are so many characters in the series XD. There are seven princesses on the side of the good guys and five princesses and two princes on the side of the bad guys, the Demon Docks. Each one has their own quirks and crannies, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The Element Princesses harness their powers by working with one of the seven element  orbs in their chests, given to them by their teacher, a Spirit Being named Kenta Shiroyama-the elements one girl holds are fire, water,earth, wind, ice, light and darkness. However, on the side of the Demon Docks, these princesses and princes have have their powers given to them by birth. I will go more in depth with the Element Princesses below:

• Sazuma Kagami: A 16 year old princess of Fire with a sarcastic mouth and loner vibe. She has a love for music and is the most realistic person of the group. She is the oldest of the Kagami twins. Sazuma points things out and follows her intuition more than the opinions of others. She can create barriers of fire and even throw fire balls at her enemies.
• Mary Kagami: She is Sazuma's younger twin and is the Princess of Water. Despite her claiming to have an open mind, she is single minded and bases her opinions on facts. She is the researcher of the group, cares for others greatly but sometimes she is hypocritical. Mary is loved by many and is the most intelligent princess when it comes to reality, mythology and basic principles of the supernatural. Mary creates strings of water, illusions through the water and uses it as a way of inconspicuous travel. 
• Stella Jayberry: The 15 year old Earth Princess is the only survivor in a family tragedy that that happened five-seven years before becoming a princess. She was saved a found by Ayano and she's been taking care of her ever since. Stella is not the best fighter and is a bit timid but she is very kind and willing to give people second chances and opportunities to prove themselves. Throughout the series, you see Stella's character development and see her rise to the standards of being a supernatural being in the world of the unusual. Stella's powers allow her to guard against her enemies, throw boulders, grow dying plants and trees and she can also feel the pain of the plants around her if she's that connected with her surroundings.
• Hiroko Kotani: Hiroko is pretty much "the girl that sides with the smartest party." This 17 year old Wind Princess is brave and grows to become a good leader. She's not the outcast of the group but she is not the most outspoken either. She is very blunt which makes her a great friend. The death of her father causes her to question the world and the decisions she makes. Her skills of merging with a crowd are great and her thinking strategies are just as great  as  Mary's. Hiroko uses the wind to communicate, to send blades of wind at her enemies and to use silence as her best leverage.
• Reiko Takashima: Reiko, age seventeen, is the drama queen and the holder of Ice. She overreacts to situations and is greatly blunt. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed but she isn't an idiot either. Although she was always given what she wanted, is the richest of the group and has family connections worldwide-thanks to her Takashima name. She is appreciative and shares her spoils with her loved ones, close friends and the less fortunate. Reiko uses her ice shards to throw and pierce the Dock soldiers. She even uses the shards from her own body. Through Book 3, she uses her powers much more.
• Yumiko Honozoro: Yumiko is the youngest princess at age twelve and is the most timid. She is also the Princess of Light. She doesn't  like to fight and does more shooting than close combat. She finds herself useless and wonders why her powers are so important. She soon learns that she is  special in her own way and just as powerful and useful as her friends. She has the power to heal and uses her light as a heat source. Yumiko soon learns that her element is more than she thought.
• Ayano Matsumoto: At age 20, the Darkness and Death Princess is wise, protective and well trained in martial arts. She's only had Kenta to raise her and she usually doesn't like to get close to people in fear that she'd lose them. Now that she has her family, she doesn't like to to get close to people in fear that she'd lose them. Now that she has her family, she doesn't intend to lose them. She would risk her life for her family with no regrets. Ayano's power is mostly contained through books one and two. In book three, like Yumiko, she learns that her power is more than she ever thought and will become someone she never thought she would be.

I will say that I am utterly excited about Book Three and the twists and turns.

Did you know when you wrote the book it would be a series?

I had a pretty good idea this would be a series. I kept pondering the thought of it reaching to 4 or 7 books. This is a thought I'm still wondering about.

When did you know you wanted to be an author? 

I've written stories since I was very young. I always wanted to write, to play with words and create worlds to disappear into. One story about Bratz dolls let to another about my friends in school and I continued writing, of course.

Are you thinking of merchandising to go along with the book i.e. t-shirts, bookbags, mugs, etc?

I would love to get into merchandising for this series and others in the future. I tried making t-shirts but it's hard running a business when you're trying to go to school and working retail part-time.

What's next for The Element Princess?

I plan to get the series out there more. I want people to enjoy the EP series, my work in general. I started writing to spread ideas for people to enjoy themselves, period. Through Element Princess, I hope people can learn that they are better people than they think they are and they can find power within themselves and each other.I plan to finish the series, maybe do a sequel(this is a huge maybe) and continue working on other possible stories.

How can readers find your books and connect with you on social media?

I have a FB author page and an Element Princess page. Also, my books are on the Barnes and Noble website, as well as Amazon. Please feel free to send messages. Be on the lookout for book giveaways. You can also contact me at epbookseries@gmail.com