Interview with Melissa de la Cruz, Win a Copy of Blue Bloods Book 4 The Van Alen Legacy

Please welcome Melissa de la Cruz author of the YA vampire series The Blue Bloods. Thank you for joining us today at Fang-tastic Books.

Q: Melissa can you start out by telling readers a little about yourself?

A: Thanks for having me! I'm the author of the Blue Bloods series, and I have been writing YA now for a decade.

Q: So you write adult and YA books, both contemporary and paranormal? Which books do you enjoy writing the most?

A: Definitely the paranormal. I'm just better at it, more of a natural fit. My paranormal books are like the books I loved to read as a kid.

Q: Out of all the stories/books you’ve written, which is your favorite?

A: Probably Masquerade, the second book in the Blue Bloods series, only because it was so easy to write. It is the only book so far that I have written that came pretty much straight from my outline with very little deviation. Just a straight shot. I always hope the book I'm writing currently will be like that again, but so far none of them have been like Masquerade. Sigh.

Q: Do you have a favorite character that you’ve created? One that is especially close to your heart?

A: I love them all, so it is really hard to choose. I love them all differently but equally. I do think that I have a soft spot for Mimi only because so many other readers don't like her. I always like the ones no one else likes.

Q: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

A: I treat it like a job. Before I had a kid, I could pretty much write at night, and pull all-nighters, and be a lot more flexible. But now my life has to be more disciplined, more steady because the kid's got to go to school, got to have her lunch ready. I can't stay up until four AM writing anymore and be a good mom. So I write at my husband's office. He has a desk for me there and I write from 10-5pm every day, with a break for lunch. I usually can get about 2,000-3,000 words a day on that schedule. Sometimes it's more like 500 words though! My goal is to write about 10,000 words a week to get a first draft done.When I'm on deadline, as in the deadline is a month away I also start working after dinner from 8pm - midnight. And then the final week I usually do pull the all-nighters.

Q: What is the strangest source of inspiration you’ve had? Maybe something weird that ended up in one of your books or short stories.

A: Inspiration comes from everywhere, my book Angels on Sunset Boulevard came from a midnight run to In-n-out Burger on Sunset Boulevard. I was just struck by all the different kinds of people there: all these kids from the West Side with their Porsches and their highlighted hair, with all the grungy skaters from Silver Lake, then all these immigrant families with some off duty cops. It made me think of writing about something that would attract all these kids from different sides of the goth/grunge/glam spectrum--like what if there was a cult that they were all part of? So I wrote Angels from that.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.

A: Hmm. Maybe that I'm not as into fashion as I seem to be. I can really take it or leave it. I like it, but it doesn't define me or my life. I enjoy it as a hobby.

Q: What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

A: Fashion is one. I like to keep up, just because I used to be part of that world. Other than that, I really have no hobbies. Maybe museums and gallery hopping and art collecting. But mostly I just write, I hang out with my kid, throw dinner parties for friends. We're active in the LA art scene. I read a lot, but to me that's not a hobby. More like breathing.

Q: What made you decide to write about vampires?

A: I've always loved vampire books. As a kid I loved Lestat and Salem's Lot. Those were the two books that always stuck with me. And so when my editor asked me if I wanted to try my hand at doing horror, I immediately thought, 'vampires'! I love putting my own spin on it. I feel like I am very steeped in vampire culture so I could reinvent it. Of course now there are all these reinventions, which is interesting. I think it's a generational thing.

Q: Can you tell new readers a little bit about your Blue Bloods series?

A: The Blue Bloods series is about a group of elite NYC teens who discover they are fallen angels, cursed to live their immortal lives as vampires on Earth and to suck blood to survive. The vampires are immortal and invincible, or so they think--until an ancient nemesis begins to hunt them. Right now there are four books out: Blue Bloods, Masquerade, Revelations and The Van Alen Legacy. Next up is Keys to the Repository, which is like a summary of what's come before, explaining the mythology, and character descriptions and new short stories. I'm writing book five, Misguided Angel now.

Q: In addition to the Blue Bloods series you are working on a BlueBloods spin off -the first book is titled Wolf Pact, so is the new series about werewolves?

A: Yes and no. My wolves aren't like any werewolves out there. They are like the Blue Bloods, a reinvention. My wolves are my own creation. I didn't want to do anything that came before, and in a way, they're wolves in name only.

Q: Could you tell us about your current work in progress?

A: Misguided Angel is the fifth book in the Blue Bloods series. It follows Jack and Schuyler's journey in Europe to continue the Van Alen Legacy. Meanwhile, back in New York, Oliver and Mimi discover a new threat. A new character, Ming Chen arrives in NYC to help them with it. Part of the book also tells Allegra's background story in fifteenth-century Florence.

I'm also working on Wolf Pact, the first book in the Blue Bloods spin off starring Bliss Llewellyn and a new cast of characters. And Witches on East End, which is my new adult series, about a family of witches in the Hamptons.

Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your newest (or upcoming) release. Feel free to share an excerpt.

A: KEYS TO THE REPOSITORY comes out this June! Here is a fun excerpt from a short story that shows Jack and Schuyler's first meeting at the apartment.

Feeling reckless and giddy, and just a tad plucky—like the kind of
girl who tramped around the marshes in the dark, Schuyler scribbled a note and slipped it under his door.

Mr. Darcy, I will be there as requested. –
Elizabeth

Thank you so much for joining us today, Melissa.

Sure thanks for having me!


Melissa has offered a signed copy of The Van Alen Legacy to one lucky winner

Would you like to receive it?

Then just leave a comment on this post with your email contact info.

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Winner Announced on Wednesday March 10

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