| Prizes awarded to 38 winners, including Grand Prize winners Ms. Otsuki and Mr. Tomita |
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Interview with the Grand Prize winner <Storybook category> Ms. Hitomi Otsuki |
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<Profile of the winner> |
<The prize-winning work>
Hotaru no Kawa
Plot: My best friend Naoki and I were both born in winter, and our birthdays are one day apart. Every year, we celebrate our birthdays together right around midnight as one day turns into the next. But this year we got into a fight before the birthday. The fight was because I did not believe Naoki when he said, "I have seen fireflies in the winter." Before we had an opportunity to make peace, the night of our birthday arrived. Invited by Naoki, I rode my bicycle off with him to see the winter fireflies.
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I want to write fun stories that make readers excited |
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| Q: | What led you to want to write children's storybooks? |
| A: | I liked stories from a young age, and used to tell stories that I fantasized about to my family. I have had the urge to write stories for quite some time, but never found the chance to do so. It was my husband who pushed me to write by saying, "If you like it that much then why don't you write one yourself?" That was just over a year ago. |
| Q: | What motivated you to enter this grand prix? |
| A: | If I was going to attempt to write a story, I thought it would be best to have goal. I learnt about the Grand Prix from the Internet. I had dreamt to publish a book some day, so, the fact that the Grand Prize's winning work would be published was very appealing. |
| Q: | Where did you get the idea for your story's theme? |
| A: | I wanted to write a story related to a birthday at first. I was born in winter, so winter was the only thing I could think of. On top of that, just recently I saw a firefly for the first time in my life, so I think the images I had influenced my story. There is a park well known for its fireflies near my workplace, so everyone went there to watch them at one time. The sight had left an incredible impression on me. |
| Q: | What type of messages did you wish to convey to readers? |
| A: | I knew that I wanted to write something fun. There are lots of sad and difficult things in the world, but the world is much more than that. If you look around, you are sure to find something fun. I want to continue to write about that kind of fun. |
| Q: | How do you balance between your work and writing books? |
| A: | I spend time on the weekends for writing. My husband also enjoys literature and had always recommended writing to me. Therefore, even if I do nothing else except focus on writing, he would not complain! (laughs). |
| Q: | Tell us about your aspirations for the future. |
| A: | My initial goal was to someday publish a book. I have fulfilled that goal by winning the Grand Prize on my first entry into the Grand Prix, so I do not yet have a goal for the future. However, I cannot imagine losing my drive to write, and I still have a lot of things that I want to write about. I am hoping that I can express them in various ways. |
