Jen Wang: Hi, this is Jen Wang, and I'm the author and illustrator of The Prince and the Dressmaker. I'm going to tell you a bit about how I came to create this book, and then I'll share an excerpt with you.

So The Prince and the Dressmaker is a book that I'd cobbled together from a couple different ideas. I wanted to make a book that was about creation and about maybe something involving sewing or making clothes, and then I also wanted to tell a story about learning about who you are and accepting who you are, maybe something with gender identity, and these are all things that I think would have really appreciated when I was a teenager.

And then I wanted to make it something that felt like a fun Disney movie, like something that would be really positive and feel like a fairytale or like a princess movie. And so, all those things came together, and that became The Prince and the Dressmaker.

And now, I will read an excerpt to you. In this scene, Frances the dressmaker has been brought to the home of Prince Sebastian, and Frances has just found out that Sebastian is a prince and not a princess, but still wants to have a dressmaker, and Frances is trying to figure out what to do.

"This isn't a joke then? You really wanted me to make dresses for you."

"I wouldn't lie about that. Look, I'm sorry, I'll send for a carriage right away. Take anything you want, just please don't tell anyone. Here."

"I'm not going anywhere. I quit working for that unpleasant tailor so I could design dresses for you, the Crown Prince. Why would I want to go back?"

"You're not weirded out?"

"What difference does it make? This is my dream job. We can help each other."

"You keep my secret and continue to make beautiful clothes for me..."

". . . and I may some day be a great designer."

"Deal."

And then they shake on it.