Mel's Shopping Diary
Blue Bloods is an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick!
January 29, 2007 Quickly, because I have to run out soon and also I'm putting the final polish on THE AU PAIRS: CRAZY HOT...Blue Bloods has been selected an ALA Quick Picks TOP TEN BOOK!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! I am BEYOND excited about this, as I ADORE librarians AND awards... A Top Ten book??? It just tickles me TO DEATH.
I feel like I've won an Academy Award... Because you know, as writers, we don't get to walk on red carpets or anything.. so this is what we have.
The award's full name is Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers... My readers are reluctant! And young adults! But they are sooo DRAWN in by the story that they end up loving it! As in, mine is the kind of book that people who DON'T read find themselves LOVING and then because they LOVE it, learn to LOVE reading. How great is that??
I have a TON of readers who tell me they never liked to read until they read my books. Why? Because reading should be FUN and PAGE-TURNING and make you LAUGH or EXCITE you or ENTERTAIN you.
Sure, there are books out there that are PROFOUND and make you THINK. And the best books are those that combine the two (THINKING and ENTERTAINING)--like Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE (skip the boring Napoleonic Wars parts and stick to the love stories! I used to re-read Nicolai and Maria's love story repeatedly --it's in the very end of the book--because I got goosebumps every time I read it. It's INCREDIBLY romantic.) But when you have very little time in life, shouldn't reading be a pleasure??
Anyway, I'm very very happy to have been given this award. When I was in high school, I had no friends, but at the end of every semester we would have an "Awards Ceremony" and they would give out the class honors, so that the top student in each subject would receive a certificate. We wore garlands of ivy in our hair (totally not joking) and sat in rows as the headmaster would call out the names. What happened was, they called out your name, and you stood up and they read all the awards you were being given. Then you went to collect your certificates and shake the headmaster's hand.
I remember taking eight classes each semester, and each semester, I went home with six top honors awards, I swept the board in everything except for gym (yes they gave awards for gym in my school--they were merciful to the dumb) and Math (I SUCKED in math).
I would stand there for what seemed like an embarassingly long time, while Mr. Grant read off "Melissa de la Cruz, awards in AP English, Chemistry, Social Justice, French IV, AP European History, AP Art History..." and I could see my classmates ROLLING their eyes since the list was so long and they weren't getting any awards...and I would think to myself, SIT AND SPIN BYATCHES!! AWARDS DAY IS MINE!!! Like a total nerd.
And it was even worse when my sister was in high school with me. Because they would do the awards alphabetically regardless of grade, so after reading off all of my sister's awards (she actually graduated valedictorian from our high school, I only managed salutatorian--I was robbed! Read my bio!) they would read mine. We were kind of famous for "killing" Awards day.
Also, I have to say that my mom kept each of those type-written card-stock award certificates proudly. We didn't own a home, my parents drove a shitty Dodge van. But we had AWARDS....
And now I have an ALA Award...la la la la...hee hee hee...
As you can see, I'm slightly deranged from writing The Au Pairs: Crazy Hot. Just a warning to all new moms out there who want to write novels? Um. Don't do it! I have a crying baby on one hand and a laptop on the other. Who signed up for this crazy publication schedule? Oh that's right, I DID.
Overachievers never die...they just go on to sign up to write five books a year.
xoxo
Mel
On February 9, 2007 at 8:17 pm, Marisa had this to say:
I. Love. Blue Bloods. It’s my favorite de la Cruz novel, and now I can rub it in people’s faces about how I read that book on ALA Top Ten before them.
I literally laughed my head off when I read the part about Awards Day. That’s so me; I always get the most awards. :]
On February 15, 2007 at 9:37 pm, Crystal had this to say:
OMG Blue Bloods was an awesome book. It’s the first book i actually finished reading in like 3 years. I always pick up a book and read half of it and then put the book back down but this one i read front to back. I was so drawn in i was up until 230 am reading it. I can’t wait for the sequel
On February 23, 2007 at 7:46 pm, Claire had this to say:
Congrats! I loved this book and i heard you were writing a sequel call Masquerade. Im so excited!Good luck!
On March 9, 2007 at 3:04 pm, Rin had this to say:
hello, i really enjoyed reading Blue Blood. however, i am hanging! the ending isnt really an ending it’s a new begining! good luck with the sequel… when is it comming out???
On August 7, 2007 at 11:21 pm, michelle had this to say:
i actually just finsihed it
^_____________^ awesome book!
:gimme gimme sequel!: hehe.
On August 11, 2007 at 1:35 pm, lita ramirez had this to say:
i luved this book and i def could not put it down. I think i read this one in like 2 days non stop. i am so excited to buy the third volume to blue bloods whenever it comes out.
On January 29, 2007 at 5:30 pm, Abby had this to say:
Congratulations!
I actually have never read Blue Bloods, but my friend actually JUST told me about how great it is, so I’m going to have to pick it up soon!
And I remember those thick card-stock type of paper from How To Be Famous In Two Weeks Or Less. From your description of them in the book, it was probably great to have one to show off, haha.
Good luck with your publication schedule! I’ve been reading the descriptions and they look great. =]
Hope you’re having fun with Baby De La Cruz! =]
<3 Abby