Melissa de la Cruz

Melissa de la Cruz
Born	September 7, 1971 Manila, Philippines
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	American
Genre	Young Adult and Teen Fiction
Website
www.melissa-delacruz.com

Melissa de la Cruz (born 1971) is an American author known for her work in young-adult fiction. She has written several series of young adult novels, including the Au Pair series and the Blue Bloods series, and a contemporary fiction series following The Beauchamp Family, as well as a number of stand-alone novels.

Early life and education

Melissa de la Cruz spent her early years in Manila, Philippines and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 12. Her father was an investment banker. The family settled in San Francisco, where she graduated from Convent of the Sacred Heart High School. She went on to study art history and English at Columbia University in New York City.^[1][2]

Career

Her work as a nanny and her visits to The Hamptons formed the background for book series, The Au Pairs.^[3]

Her work as a fashion writer for Marie Claire was the inspiration for How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less which she co-authored with Karen Robinovitz.^[4]

Series

• Au Pairs – The first book in this series about three young girls working as au pairs in The Hamptons, The Au Pairs, was published in 2004
• Blue Bloods – The first book in this vampire novel series, Blue Bloods was published in March 2006^[5]
• The Ashleys – The first book in this series about girls who attend an exclusive preparatory school, The Ashleys: There's a New Name in School, was published in 2008.
• The Beauchamp Family - The first book in the series about a family of witches, Witches of East End, was released in June 2011. It was adapted into a television series by Lifetime in 2013, with the show lasting two seasons before it was cancelled.^[6]
• Wolf Pact - This spin-off from the Blue Bloods series was released from September to December 2012 as four short e-books. It was later published in paperback.
• Heart of Dread - The first novel from this brand new series, Frozen, co-written with her husband Michael Johnston, was released on September 17, 2013^[7]
• The Ring & the Crown - In this romantic historical fiction novel, the first of the series, bestselling author, Melissa de la Cruz, shares the perspectives of five young adults embroiled in love, politics, and magic during a London coming-of-age season which will dictate all of their futures. Published April 1, 2014.

Bibliography

The Ashleys

1. There's a New Name in School... (2008)
2. Jealous? You Know You Are... (2008)
3. Birthday Vicious (2008)
4. Lipgloss Jungle (2008)

Au Pairs

1. The Au Pairs (2004)
2. Skinny Dipping (2005)
3. Sun-Kissed (2006)
4. Crazy Hot (2007)

The Beauchamp Family

1. Prequel: Diary of the White Witch (June 12, 2012)
2. Witches of East End (June 21, 2011)
3. Serpent's Kiss (June 12, 2012)
4. Winds of Salem (August 13, 2013)

Summer on East End

1. Triple Moon (November 10, 2015)
2. Double Eclipse (November, 2016)

Blue Bloods

1. Blue Bloods (2006)
2. Masquerade (2007)
3. Revelations (2008)
4. The Van Alen Legacy (2009)
5. Misguided Angel (2010)
6. Lost in Time (2011)
7. Gates of Paradise (2013)
8. Vampires of Manhattan (2014)

Blue Bloods Novellas

1. Keys to the Repository (2010)
2. Bloody Valentine (2010)

Heart of Dread

1. Frozen (September 17, 2013)
2. Stolen (2014)
3. Golden (2016)

Disney Descendants

1. The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2015)
2. Return to the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (May 24, 2016)

The Ring & the Crown

1. The Ring & the Crown (April 1, 2014)
2. The Queen and the Courtesan (coming 2016)

Stand-alone Novels

• Cat's Meow (2001)
• How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less (co-author) (2003)
• The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-Inch Heels and Faux Pas (2004)^[8]
• Fresh off the Boat (2005)
• Angels on Sunset Boulevard (2007)
• Girl Stays in the Picture (2009)
• Wolf Pact (2012)

Anthologies

• Mistletoe (contributing author) (2006)
• 666 (contributing author) (2007)
• 21 Proms (2007)
• "A Manhattan Love Story" in anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys (2007)^[9]
• "Shelter Island" a short story in anthology The Eternal Kiss (2009)

Personal life

De la Cruz is married to Michael Johnston,^[10][11] and lives in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, California with her family.^[12]

References

1. New York, Volume 34, 2001, p. 14
2. melissa-delacruz.com. About Melissa retrieved 2010-10-03
3. Jacobson, Aileen. "Teen chick lit finds a niche, often with racy prose". St. Louis Post Dispatch via Newsday, 2 June 2004 retrieved 2010-10-03. (Quote: "Melissa de la Cruz has been a nanny and she's been to the Hamptons She combined the two experiences to help her write The Au Pairs a chick lit novel...")
4. Critchell, Samantha, "Fashion Followers Write The Book On Achieving Fame", Tuscaloosa News via Associated Press, 27 July 2003, p. 4E retrieved 2010-10-03
5. Olson, Amy. "Blue Bloods" (Review of audiobook edition), School Library Journal, 10 February 2009
6. The Deadline Team. "Lifetime Orders 'The Secret Lives Of Wives', 'Witches Of East End' Pilots". Deadline. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
7. Melissa de la Cruz. "Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz - Penguin Books USA". Penguin Books USA. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
8. Green, Penelope (November 14, 2004). "Love and Ruin". New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
9. Parks, Joy (June 3, 2007). "Dishing on straight girls and their gay boyfriends". SF Gate. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
10. "I Wanna Be Sedated - The official website of author Melissa de la Cruz". melissa-delacruz.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
11. "Q & A with Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
12. "About Melissa - The official website of author Melissa de la Cruz". melissa-delacruz.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.

External links

• Melissa De La Cruz's Official Website
• Melissa De La Cruz's Twitter
• Official Au Pairs Website
• Blue Bloods Books Website
• Melissa de la Cruz at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database