Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Publishers Weekly internationally bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels. Her "Blue Bloods" series has sold over three million copies, and the "Witches of East End" series became an hour-long television drama on the Lifetime network.
I'm thrilled this episode is proudly sponsored by 'Libby', a brand new app lovingly developed by Overdrive (a company I've been a fan of for 6 years). Overdrive's vision and mission is to enlighten the world by reading, a vision that also aligns closely with my core beliefs. 'Libby' was designed for readers to discover and borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your library for FREE. Be sure to click here to learn more and download the app to your phone or tablet!
In today’s episode, Melissa shares the inspiration behind her book "Alex and Eliza" and what the writing process was like. We also discuss her novel "Something in Between" which follows an overachieving Filipino high schooler who came to the U.S. when she was a child. Though not autobiographical in any way, we touch on how Melissa’s own move from the Philippines to the U.S. and her experiences with a complicated green card situation laid down the emotional foundation for her character’s voice.
Further into our conversation, we talk about why it’s important for writers to have a solid support system and good critique partners. For listeners working on a manuscript or entering the query trenches, you’ll definitely want to keep an ear out for her advice about dealing with rejections and recognizing when you’ve finished your novel.
Say 'Hi' to Melissa on Twitter and check out the books/resources mentioned in her episode over at her shownotes page by clicking here!
Happy listening!
Xo
Yin
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“Send it out, get rejected, develop a tough skin, and keep on knocking on that door.” -Melissa de la Cruz (Click to tweet)
“It’s really important to teach kids…how to see people who are different as fully human as you are.” -Melissa de la Cruz (Click to tweet)
“When you make writing the sole purpose…you’re not paying attention to the life around you.” -Melissa de la Cruz (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
Melissa’s experience moving to the U.S. Knowing when you’ve finished your novel Why having a support system is crucial for writers The importance of finding a good critique partner The inspiration and writing process behind “Alex and Eliza” Retelling classic stories Why it’s important to teach children how to be empathetic Querying advice: How to query literary agents with fearlessness