Yearly Archives: 2007

Well. It finally had to happen. Kirkus LOVED one of my books!!!

ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD – Melissa de la Cruz

“Sex, drugs, and rock-‘n’-roll, combined with a popular internet cult, dominate this mystery about the dark side of finding fame in Los Angeles. Nick is new to the TAP, the website all the kids haunt, but Taj is a founding member. When a new rock star popularized by TAP literally vanishes, Nick and Taj try to find him. Every week TAP sponsors parties, gives participants a drugged drink and holds secret rituals in dark back rooms. Worse, kids disappear, including Nick’s younger sister. As Nick and Taj delve deeper into the mysteries of TAP, serious consequences ensue. De la Cruz hits all the buttons sure to entice YA readers. Fame, wealth, music, romance, ultra-hip characters and looming danger abound. She deftly spins it all together in an angels-or-devils story that grows ever darker, but ends with a twist. A Faustian morality tale and a certain hit.”

THANK YOU KIRKUS!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!

Angels on Sunset Boulevard is my 9th book and 5th novel, and I’ve gone from devastatingly bad to just plain bad reviews in Kirkus, to okay-but-restrained, to good-but-trashy…and now finally, a SOLID RAVE!!!!

See, just like that New York magazine article about “The Danger of Praising Your Kids” says, if you don’t succeed the first time, try, try again…and maybe on your 9th book, they’ll finally like you!

You just have to stick around long enough…or maybe, um, get better at writing books, and one day, you’ll win over even your toughest critics.

Like Stephen King, who was TRASHED by critics for years, until finally even the literary establishment had to accept he was a good writer, and now he writes for the New Yorker, for godssakes.

But you know, I didn’t write ANGELS for the critics. I wrote it for myself. And for my readers–if you like sexy, hot, scary, and fast-paced, you’ll love ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD.

xoxo
Mel

From http://www.teensreadtoo.com

ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD by Melissa de la Cruz
Category: Mystery/Thriller
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 2/07
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reviewed by: Randstostipher “tallnlankyrn” Nguyen
Rating: 5 Stars

TAP, The Angels of Practice, is all everyone can talk about. This website/drink/drug is intoxicating and no one can get enough of it. No one can explain what TAP really is, since it is all around them and they are so dependent on it. The company that owns it holds the most exclusive parties, grants everyone’s material wishes, provides all the gossip and promotes the biggest rock star that everyone loves, Johnny Silver.

But then strange things begin to happen. Kids all over Sunset Boulevard are beginning to disappear, including Johnny Silver. No one knows why this is happening, and others are too busy with TAP to worry about what is going on. Everyone except for Nick and Taj, who are the only ones that don’t buy into the whole TAP industry.

Before they know it, Taj and Nick find themselves together, trying to solve the mystery of what is happening and even developing a strong relationship with each other. Unfortunately, it may be too late for them to actually do anything about it.

Told through Nick and Taj’s points of view, Melissa de la Cruz takes us into a world that is far from the AU PAIRS. ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD captures the reader from the very first page with its unusual uniqueness. Each character brings a certain atmosphere that captivates the audience into wanting more. The reader becomes so involved in the story that they will soon become disappointed when the book has to end.

Now the only thing left to do is wait for the next novel, which may be a long wait (well, for me that is).

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Awesome! So stoked, man! I have been saying ‘man’ a lot lately. Also ‘dude man’. Like the other day, I was like, to my husband. “Dude, man, isn’t it so great to have a house?” And he just looked at me like I was crazy. I guess part of my personality has always wanted to be Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Anyway, I am in SUCH a good mood today. There’s nothing like finding a great review of your last book while work is going well on the book you’re currently writing. I speak of course, of THE ASHLEYS. S&S just sent over the cover and it looks soooo cute. I will be posting it up soon so you can all drool. Hee hee.

THE ASHLEYS is my tribute to HEATHERS that fabulous seminal 80s teen movie with the immortal line, “well fuck me gently with a chainsaw.” Snarf!

It’s always great when the writing is going well. It takes a WHILE for it to kick in. I had to write fifty pages, tear them out and start all over before I could get into a good groove.

So here’s what else is contributing to my good mood…

THE HILLS: I never watched Laguna Beach (just didn’t have the time). But I am LOVING The Hills. I love how everyone is so pretty and rich. It’s like one of my books come to life. Like, in the episode where Heidi takes Spencer back and she’s all decked out in a fabulous sexy black dress and he picks her up in his BMW convertible? Um, that could be straight out of THE AU PAIRS, man. (See, there I go with “man” again.) I LOVED it!

The only things I don’t like about it, is that the boys just aren’t cute enough for the girls. Does anyone else think this? I mean, Lauren, Heidi and Whitney are all so cute, so blonde, so decked out. And the boys they go out with are all gelled-up poser wannabes. Ick. I’m sorry, Brody, Spencer and Jason (Lauren’s old flame) are just too slick to be cute. I prefer the shaggy slim boho type. All the boys are too cheesy.

The other thing I don’t like about it is the whole “reality” angle. As in, these kids are supposed to be living such rich lives. I loved all the wealth and glitz of rich characters in 90210 and The O.C. because it was supposed to be fiction, but if Lauren and all these kids are actually as rich as they are, it’s all kind of gross.

But I am addicted to the show nevertheless. And can we have Emily the super-genius New York intern back??? She’s so pretty and passive-aggressive fabulous! I love how her “East Coast smarts” contrast Lauren’s laid-back Los Angeles vibe.

ANNA DAVID’S PARTY GIRL: My dear friend Anna David just sent me her book to blurb, and I have to tell you to order it now! It’s sooo fun and fast-paced and bitchy and hilarious. Scathing Hollywood dish served up with a poignant ending. It’s a coke and rehab novel, like Bright Lights Big City meets Sex and the City set in L.A. I love discovering a new novelist, even though I’ve been a fan of hers for years (her blog is addictive), I’m so happy to find out her fiction is just as fab. I’m looking forward to Anna’s next book!

What else. I’ve done a bit of shopping…took the baby for her second Barney’s outing in her bugaboo. She was soo good and fell asleep in her stroller so she let Mommy shop for a long time. I only got two things: a Paul and Joe Sister batwing silk top ($250) (in yummy yellow and bright blue floral print, great with skinny white jeans) and a bib-front trapeze Philip Lim dress ($500) in black, which I plan to wear with my patent leather Louboutin platforms. Both for the book tour. And the skinny white jeans I got from H&M for like, $20!

Is it just me or does anyone else have It Bag Fatigue? I love having THE HANDBAG OF THE MOMENT. The Mombasa, The Paddington, The Jackie, The Motorcyle Classic. But I am also kind of sick of it. It used to be that only the coolest girls would be trucking their stuff in a voluminous Fendi Spy bag. Now it seems even girls with no fashion sense are carting Jimmy Choo Ramona bags.

Ok, so I’m a bit snobby. You know how when you’re a kid and you love some obscure band because it means you are cool and hip and edgy and then everyone else discovers it and starts playing those records on the radio (does anyone even listen to the radio anymore?) and then you stop liking that band because now they’re not special?

I feel that’s what’s happening to handbags. Yes. They are getting way too overexposed. And now everyone has them. And once even Sally-Next-Door thinks it’s ok to spend several thousand dollars on a purse, it’s kind of over for me. Right?

But now my dilemma is what handbag to carry that says, I am cool and hip and rich, without resorting to the mega-brand names? Or is it too much to ask that a handbag communicate all these things?

In any event, the last two handbags I bought were from Target. Rafe, a dear friend and fellow Filipino fashion person (an FFP!), has designed a fabulous line for the store. I bought the straw tote bag and the linen shoulder bag. They are gorgeous! And only $40 each. Not $400. Or $1400. Even though they LOOK like they could cost $1400.

Or maybe I’m just cranky because my Hermes bags haven’t arrived yet. Damn that waitlist!

And on V-D day, I didn’t get the Cartier bracelet. I got a perfectly nice, stylish and comfortable sleeper couch from Crate and Barrel for my office that cost as much as a gold bracelet. Not a very romantic present, but I’m excited to be able to have a place to nap that is only a few feet away. It arrives in May. As does our torrent of houseguests. Hee.

Wishing everyone a warm weekend.
xoxo
Mel

I found the first review of ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD!!

From http://www.teenbookreviewer.blogspot.com:

ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD is a wonderful new novel from the rather brilliant author of BLUE BLOODS, FRESH OFF THE BOAT, and more. TAP is a social networking site much like Myspace for kids in Los Angeles, and Taj, Nick, and Johnny Silver, are, of course, members, along with everyone worth knowing. It seems innocent enough at first, but it turns out to be much darker than it seems.

The Angels Practice is not just a website anymore. It has invaded their real lives, and it’s a rather sinister cult. They don’t wear orange robes and solicit people in airports; instead, TAP has parties, rituals, and a mysterious drug that can be mixed with Kool-Aid.

When kids start disappearing, the sinister nature of TAP seems to be getting a little closer to discovery, especially when it’s the famous Johnny Silver who vanishes into thin air. Taj, his girlfriend, takes it upon herself to look into his disappearance, but she doesn’t look too closely–until she meets Nick, whose sister has been sucked in by TAP. And once you’re in? You can’t get out.

The best part of ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD is the characters. The suspenseful story will keep you on the edge of your seat, and Melissa de la Cruz has proven herself to be a wonderful writer, but that extra dimension is added by the realistic, interesting characters involved in the story. Of course, the whole idea of TAP is original and darkly fascinating; it is scarily real, too, showing the far reaches of the power that the internet can have. There’s not a dull moment in the book; plot twists are around every corner, and each new discovery leads to more questions.

It’s an excellent book, and my only gripe with the story is this: nothing is resolved! It ends with more questions than it starts with! Cliffhangers are just evil. Also, books should be complete stories in and of themselves, even if they don’t answer all the questions that readers have. If it’s a good enough book in the first place, a cliffhanger isn’t needed to make the reader buy the next in the series. Still, I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

____

YAY!!! Thank you TeenBookReviewer! This is sooo awesome. ANGELS is very very dear to my heart as it’s a book that I’ve been wanting to write (even before Blue Bloods). So I’m so glad she enjoyed it. As for the cliffhanger ending…well, what can I say? It’s hard to resolve things and still keep things going for the next book, and I always TRY to achieve a balance. And yes, some things are left up in the air, but also there’s such a big discovery in this book that I think it’s OK. Anyhoo, I’m glad it didn’t take away from enjoying the book. And um, “rather brilliant”??? *BLUSH*

Have you ordered your copy of ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD yet????

Coming to a bookstore near you around March 6th!

Meanwhile, I’ve finally finished THE AU PAIRS: CRAZY HOT and am now gunning to finish THE ASHLEYS, the first book in my tween series also called THE ASHLEYS. Oh yes, the seventh circle of seventh grade hell… hee hee.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and my dear husband asked me what I want. CARTIER LOVE BRACELET!!! Oh yeah! 18k gold with diamonds!! But there are so many things we have to buy for the house I think I want a couch instead. I know, how boring. But I really need a couch in my office so I can have my all-important nap in the middle of the day. This nap is the one that recharges my batteries so I can go back to work immediately instead of walking all the way to the bedroom to nap there, then back to my desk. It would save a lot of time, really!

In other shopping news, I have bought tons of stuff from Proenza Schoeler for Target. The ‘showgirl’ purple camisole top, the trapeze top in rose, the white cropped pants, red striped shorts, and the jeans, which I might return since they are too loose. I also sent away for the bra-top dress, the empire waist dress, the cute beige-and-white striped 60s swing coat. Everything is so adorable and preppie and perfect for the Hamptons this summer! And everything is so cheap! The most expensive thing was the coat, and that was $45.

Mike and I also escaped from the baby (like Escape from New York, except it involves dashing out in our Passat while my parents babysit) for a few hours to hit the Barneys Warehouse Sale. I bought three jersey dresses by Zachary’s Smile, a Jovovich Hawk chiffon a-line dress and a Tucker striped silk dress. Everything was 75% off, the Jovovich Hawk dress was $425 but I got it for $129 and two of the Zachary’s Smile dresses were only $39 each.

I’m book-tour wardrobe shopping, since Tom and I will be doing around twenty events for our book GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS (parties in San Fran, LA, New York and East Hampton! and tons of readings in each city!) and I’m going to the ALAN conference in April for Blue Bloods/Masquerade, and we are going to Maui in March yessss we are going on vacay-tion. With the baby and my parents. It seems that ever since we became parents, we must now also bring our parents to everything so they can take care of the tyke.

Then my dear friend Liz is getting married in May and I am pleased to find out that I can wear (fit in) the black silk ruffled Max Mara dress I bought for my dear friend Karen’s wedding (and never wore since I was three months pregnant and my doctor advised me not to fly) and the insane rhinestone and black satin Gucci heels I also bought for Karen’s wedding and never wore. Savings!

I can’t wait to go out and wear all my new clothes and get all dolled up. Isn’t it great to be a girl? I also finally got the Black Satin nailpolish manicure/pedicure, which I’m loving. I didn’t do it while I was pregnant since I felt superstitious about it, so I love it even though I’m late on the game.

Yes, life is a little better these days. I got my eyebrows waxed, my nails done, and I am SLOWLY starting to look like my old self. But alas, the other day I realized all my friends in LA think I am fat. I’ve lost forty pounds already, and I’m thinner than I was before I got pregnant, but still ten pounds off my usual weight and sadly, twenty pounds from what I weighed when Mike and I met (as in the hot-girl weight).

I was kind of depressed for a while, and chubby, but I didn’t think anyone noticed! How wrong I was! And after the miscarraige, I didn’t lose the weight I’d gained from being three months pregnant. But now all that is going to change, and I was horrified when my friends here, most of whom I met just two-three years ago, told me I looked great, and thinner than they’d ever seen me!

I love my new friends. LOVE. But part of me was a little sad, because these people did not know me when I was called THE QUEEN and I was so thin and bitchy! I miss my old bitchy self. Almost as much as I miss my super-thin self. I used to be so thin that people thought I was SICK. SICK THIN, ha. Those were the days… That’s why it’s good to have old friends. Friends who knew you when you were a size two. And can reminisce with you fondly are good friends indeed.

In those days, I never ate french fries or ice cream. I lived on cigarettes and attitude…but oh well, now that even models have to be hefty maybe that’s good news for all of us!

xoxo
Mel

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