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- [00:00]
Zibby Owens
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- [00:42]
Penn Holderness
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- [01:02]
Zibby Owens
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- [01:40]
Hi, this is Zibby Owens and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't have Time to Read Books in my daily show, I interview today's latest best selling, buzziest or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't have to stay in the know, get insider insights and connect with guests like I do every single day. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com and follow me on Instagram ibbyoans Melissa De La Cruz is the author of When Stars Align, a novel. Melissa is the number one New York Times, number one Publishers Weekly and number one Indie bound best selling author of Isle of the Lost and Return to the Isle of the Lost as well as many critically acclaimed and award winning novels for readers of all ages. Her books have topped the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Time Best Los Angeles Times Bestseller lists and have been published in more than 20 countries. A former fashion and beauty editor, Melissa has Written for the New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, the San Francisco Chronicle, and more. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion trends and fame for CNN and Fox News. Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Columbia University. She majored in art history and English. Today she lives in Los Angeles in Palm Springs with her husband and Daugh. Welcome. Melissa, thank you so much for coming on Totally Booked with Zibby to talk about When Stars Align, a novel. Congrats.
- [03:29]
Melissa De La Cruz
Thank you. Thanks for having me. Yay.
- [03:32]
Zibby Owens
Do you still get excited? You've had, what, 70 books are you. Does this even. Does it even matter when you have a new book come out?
- [03:40]
Melissa De La Cruz
You know, it's funny because I, I just did an event at your bookstore, and I did say that, you know, during the panel that, you know, I. Sometimes my biggest nightmare is that I've forgotten that I have a book due or out. You know, it's kind of like, you know, because once I finished with the book, you know, it's. I completely forget about it, you know, and then I have to promote it a year later, I'm like, already onto, you know, the next five projects. So it's always exciting, you know, always for sure. I think, you know, you do tend to take it for granted a little bit. And then when I see myself kind of starting to do that, I pull away and say, hold on. Remember when you wanted this life? Like you, this is the dream you have to always remember, even when you're frustrated with work or whatever's happening, like, you know, at some point, this was the dream that I wanted to live. So.
- [04:30]
Zibby Owens
I know, I love, whenever I'm totally stressed out, my husband's not like, I have to do this. You have to say, I get to do this. I get to do this today. Not I have to do this today, which, I don't know. It helps.
- [04:42]
Melissa De La Cruz
I know it does. You know, and it is so silly to complain about something that, you know, you dreamed and worked hard for. But still, we do. We're writers. Yeah.
- [04:52]
Zibby Owens
I mean, you know, you complain. You have to complain about anything. Life is life, no matter. No matter what it brings. But of course, we know you appreciate it all. So When Stars Align. This is Amendy's book studio publication, so explain what this means.
- [05:08]
Melissa De La Cruz
So Mindy Kaling has a lovely imprint at Amazon, and when we submitted the book to Carmen Johnson, who's at Amazon, she said, you know, What? I think Mindy would really like this, and I think we can publish it under her imprint. And I said, oh, cool. You know, and it turned out she was right. And Mindy is just a fan, as much a fan of Y2K era, you know, no surprise there. So, yeah, you know, it was really, really fun. And Mindy's been promoting it, and she sent me a the COVID with a personal note from her. So that's really exciting.
- [05:43]
Zibby Owens
That is so sweet. Carmen Johnson is also my editor at Amazon.
- [05:46]
Melissa De La Cruz
Oh, my goodness. That's so funny.
- [05:48]
Zibby Owens
Yeah, I love her. Been working together now for, like, I don't know, a couple of years, four years, something. Yeah, she's great.
- [05:55]
Melissa De La Cruz
Yeah.
- [05:56]
Zibby Owens
Okay. Can you please explain what the book is about?
- [06:00]
Melissa De La Cruz
Sure. When Stars Align is a little bit of a Daisy Jones and the six retelling of three characters who are kind of losing, inspired by the lives of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears. And it was inspired by a photograph of the three of them from the 2000s. And I thought, how amazing that they were friends in their 20s. And, you know, now knowing all we know about what they actually went through and how the media treated them, and, you know, that Paris Hilton's Persona was just that, a Persona. You know, it was just so fascinating to kind of look back on that and who they were now. And I kind of wanted to write something about that era for kids who weren't alive when it happened. Like my daughter, who's 18. And it was actually also inspired by her saying, Paris Hilton is a queen. And I thought, oh, my God, really? You know, that was not how Paris Hilton was seen, you know, by our generation at all. So I thought, oh, I'll delve into this and see what, you know, why the kids are so into this, why they're so into these kids, these starlets now.
- [07:06]
Zibby Owens
So interesting. Wait, what do you mean she thinks Paris Hilton is a queen? Like, she's, like, the coolest ever.
- [07:12]
Melissa De La Cruz
Oh, yeah. Like, Paris Hilton is great, you know, like an idol, you know, like something to look up to. And I said, really? You know, that's really fascinating, you know, And I wondered, would it come from, you know, the Tiktoks, like, kind of the Paris looks, you know, with the pink and the little puppy and the glitter, you know, is it that? Or is it the fact that now that she's 40, she testified against all the abuse that, you know, what is it? And my daughter was just like, the whole thing, it's all great, mom. Like, okay, interesting.
- [07:47]
Zibby Owens
So the photo inspired you and Then you told the story in three alternating viewpoints. Sort of go back and forth in time a little bit, but talking about all of their backgrounds, their struggles, these three girls, from addiction to having, you know, the love interest issues, struggles with their families, not feeling seen, sort of a search for identity. What do you feel like these three mostly have in common and some of the bigger themes you were going for?
- [08:18]
Melissa De La Cruz
Yeah, I think, you know, it's about friendship, you know, and feeling kind of isolated in the spotlight, but maybe, you know, kind of finding, you know, some kind of connection with each other that, you know, is kind of their life raft through this kind of Hollywood, you know, chaos, you know, the chaos of fame and, you know, all the temptations of that and not. Not having, you know, people who are, you know, who had their best interests at heart, you know, which is what you see a lot in Hollywood. And it's, you know, why, you know, I always get worried for child stars. And, you know, it really is like, such a weird experience for a child to be suddenly the boss, like the most prized person on set, you know, where adults are catering to their every whim. And, you know, seeing that happen to people, you know, you're always a little bit worried about them. And one of the things that, you know, I was always glad of when we did Descendants was the par parents were always there, you know, it was very protective, you know, so I thought, okay, that's good, you know. But then I met. I imagined like, well, what if the parent wasn't there, you know, what if there was nobody helping, you know, or, you know, and these girls were just so vulnerable. So, you know, I wanted to show, you know, we all want fame. We're amer in America, you know, like, that whole currency is so valuable, you know, but what if, you know, there's a dark side to it? I mean, there's always a dark side. But I wanted to show what would happen if they actually were friends and there for each other, and maybe that could be something that could guide them, you know, in life.
- [09:45]
Zibby Owens
So do you know the author, Annabelle Moynihan, who writes some, like, smart romances? Her book coming out that I just didn't read her about is about another child star of that time who's grown up a little bit and is trying to find another cast member, essentially, to help her out later. Anyway, I feel like the two of you could be in conversation about this era. It would be a very fun.
- [10:08]
Melissa De La Cruz
Like this.
- [10:08]
Zibby Owens
You'll love that type of thing. Were there any interpersonal struggles that you found yourself relating to. In crafting some of the backstories.
- [10:20]
Melissa De La Cruz
Yeah, you know, there was one. There's a part where Jermaine kind of loses everything, and she's kind of stripped of everything, you know, that she always took for granted. And I was just saying to another interview, I said, where did that come from? And I thought about it, and I said, oh, my God, it came from being an immigrant to this country, you know, at 13, you know, and really, like, the whole life that we had in Philippines, where my dad was a banker and we grew up in a house full of servants, you know, and. And basically my dad decided he didn't want to be a party to the Marcus corruption, you know, so. And if he was a banker, he would help to embezzle funds and hide the money, basically. And my dad said, I don't want to do that, so we're getting out, you know, but, yeah, it was really, you know, a moment where it was like, oh, my God, everything we knew, everything I knew and took for granted was just stripped away. And that's really when you realize who you are, you know, when you don't have anything at all and you just have yourself to rely on. And in a way, it's kind of the best thing to happen to people. It was. You know, it could. You could either, like, rise from it or drown from it, I guess. But I think when that happened to me, I was like, well, I'm still me. I'm a smart person, and my family is still together, and no matter what happens, like, we have each other and, you know, we have ourselves and our wits, and here we go, you know. Wow.
- [11:37]
Zibby Owens
So will you explain how you became how this whole career unfolded? When did you know you loved to write? How did it all start?
- [11:46]
Melissa De La Cruz
I've always loved to read and write, you know, like, even as a young kid, when I was 8 years old, basically when I learned how to read books, I thought, oh, my God, this is such a fun thing to do. And I loved reading more than anything, more than playing with my friends, being on the playground, and I spent, you know, lunches alone at the library. I was that weird kid, you know, who was just always reading rather than socializing. And so my whole kind of development was in books. You know, my friends were in books, my life was in books. And, I don't know, I was just a shy, introverted kid. And then when I was ready to kind of decide, you know, hey, maybe I want to do this for a living, I really had no idea how that would happen. You know, but there are books again. There are books that have instructions. And I bought a book called the Writer's Market, which I think is now online. It's like a website now, but it listed all the agencies in America and what writers they represented and what kind of fiction or nonfiction they were looking for. And so I basically just followed the instructions in this book, sent the first five chapters of my novel to about 20 agents, and five of them asked to represent me. And then eventually, five years later, on my third agent, we sold my first novel, which was actually my third. So it was. It took a while, but also happened so quickly, you know, because when he. When she sent out that novel, we got an offer in two weeks. So I always say, oh, it took, you know, five years and two weeks.
- [13:19]
Zibby Owens
And what was the first book that came out?
- [13:21]
Melissa De La Cruz
It was called Cat's Meow, and it was. Came out in 2001, right after Bridget Jones, I believe Bridget Jones had just published, and right before Shopaholics. So it was that era of kind of chic lit and a cute white, you know, and pink candy cover. But it was more kind of ab fab, I would say, than Sex and the City. It's very absurd.
- [13:46]
Zibby Owens
And then when did you start writing more for younger generations like you? You do it all. So when did you. When did you veer into that and why?
- [13:55]
Melissa De La Cruz
Yeah, you know, it was actually after publishing my first adult novel that my editor said, you know, I actually think that your voice would lend itself to the YA world. You know, based on this book. There's a book called Sisterhood of Traveling Pants that's out. Gossip Girl just came out. And she said, do you want to try your hand at it? And I said, sure. You know, I've read those books. I think those are fun. And I started writing my first YA book, the Au Pairs, on a plane on book tour. And I just remember giggling and thinking, oh, I'm really good at this. This is actually what I should write. And I really felt like, you know, my editor had seen my writing and kind of matched me with a genre where I could thrive. So I'm always grateful for that.
- [14:38]
Zibby Owens
So what percent of your books are for which ages?
- [14:42]
Melissa De La Cruz
I would say the majority are in the YA market. You know, I think I wrote my first novel, Cat's Meow, and then it took about 15 years before I wrote a second adult novel. You know, so. And in the meantime, I'd published a lot of ya, and then I would. So I would say maybe 80% ya, 10% middle grade. 10% adult. So I have maybe 15% middle grade. I do have a bunch of middle grade series which I enjoy because I guess Descendants is middle grade. So.
- [15:11]
Zibby Owens
And how did it feel when Descendants just blew up?
- [15:15]
Melissa De La Cruz
It was fun, you know, it wasn't my first rodeo. Blue Bloods had been a big, I always, I always call it the third biggest selling vampire, ya see, you know, Twilight, not that a little, you know. So you know, Disney had asked me to work with them based on the success of Blue Blood. So it was really an honor and a really thrilling to be able to work in the Disney universe. And you know, I always thought it would do well. You know, it was interesting because they had done several books tied to their properties, but Descendants was the one that really blew up. And you know, I think some people were surprised, but I certainly wasn't. I said, oh my God, I love Disney. Are you kidding? I remember reassuring my agent on a plane again. I said, I think it's all going to be okay. Richard. Oh my gosh.
- [16:06]
Zibby Owens
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- [17:35]
Penn Holderness
Hi, this is Penn and Kim Holderness from the Laugh Lines podcast.
- [17:38]
Zibby Owens
If you're like me, buying anything turns into a nightmare research spiral.
- [17:43]
Melissa De La Cruz
But listen, if you're trying to upgrade your phone. I'm about to save you from yourself.
- [17:47]
Zibby Owens
Because right now you can get the new iPhone 16e with Apple Intelligence when you switch at your nearest boost mobile store.
- [17:55]
Penn Holderness
That is a brand spanking new iPhone 16e for the incredible price of 49.99. Plus you're getting all the latest Apple Intelligence features like cleanup, which removes distraction from photos with just a tap.
- [18:08]
Zibby Owens
Visit your nearest Boost mobile store for full offer details. Apple Intelligence requires iOS 18.1 or later. Restrictions apply.
- [18:17]
Penn Holderness
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- [18:41]
Zibby Owens
So how do you maintain this cadence? How many books are you publishing a year? Like what is your schedule and what is your schedule going forward?
- [18:50]
Melissa De La Cruz
Yeah, you know, ever since I started in YA, you know, I would say for about 20 years now, I've published about five books to five to seven books a year because you know, the middle grade books do come out every six months and YA is on a really fast schedule. Like I had to do a one Blue Blood so it'd be one Blue Bloods every year. Like you know, two of the middle grade and then this other series. So I just kind of got into, you know, that treadmill of always kind of being on deadline, which I remember when my daughter was little, you know, they would send me on tour with the nanny and get book us, you know, either suites or two hotel rooms. And you know, I always am glad that I work in a very female friendly industry, you know, publishing. It was a lot of moms. I was pregnant and I was on deadline, you know, and they said okay, you can take a couple of weeks off, you know, but we do need the book. But you know, enjoy the baby. But for example, you know, so yeah, I outline a lot. So that's what I do. I outline and I always know what the ending is, you know, and then the first draft. You know, I think I wrote one of the Ashley's books in two weeks. So I, I am a fast writer. I can write, I can, I can write them quite quickly. I'm getting a little slower in my old age, which is kind of, you know, a little shocking. I'm not as quite as fast as I used to be.
- [20:13]
Zibby Owens
So how long, for example, did When Stars Aligned take you to write?
- [20:16]
Melissa De La Cruz
When Stars Aligned was probably three months. You know, like the first draft. I'd like to, you know, I don't like to write it in two weeks. You know, I think three months for a first draft feels better. And then we go through revisions. It wasn't too long. It wasn't a, you know, I mean, it was really easy. Carmen. I did a couple of revisions back and forth. But, you know, because it was outlined and because I shared the outline with her, she knew, you know, what to expect. And I kind of knew where the book was going. I had a few parts of the mystery I hadn't figured out yet. But, you know, that kind of came in the, in the writing. I mean, everything has to be spontaneous too. Even if you have an outline, right? You can't just write from the outline. It also has to feel organic and real. So I always say I can tell when a writer, let's say, outlined it and just did the outline. You still actually have to revise and change things and, you know, kind of move things around. You know, I think I have, like, I kind of know how story works. I can see when they go, it goes off the rails. So I can course correct quickly. But other than that, every book is always, you know, terrible to, to work on. It's always just this really, you know, kind of awful project. And why have we embarked on this? Oh, it's so hard.
- [21:31]
Zibby Owens
So what, what is the secret formula then? Like, when you're structuring or outlining, like, and when you can tell if somebody is just writing from an outline, what is missing or what should people make sure to include?
- [21:46]
Melissa De La Cruz
I think when, you know, when it's predictable, that means that says to me that, you know, and I. And I mean, I can always tell things. I understand stories. So I'm like the worst person to watch a thriller with, you know, because I'm like, oh, yeah, he did it, you know, and like I said, stop doing that, you know. But, you know, when I think when it's too predictable, that means that the author kind of reached for the easiest solution. And, you know, I always, like, do that first and then think, well, what's the thing that they won't think about and what's the thing I can twist around? And then you always have to say, well, okay, we're not going to do the first thing, we're not going to do the second thing, because they're going to think about that too. So you actually have to go to like the fifth thing or the tenth thing. But then sometimes things get too convoluted too, where you're like, you know, forcing these plot twists too hard. I don't know. I think, you know, in a way it is just magic. And when it works, it works. And you can feel it, you know, and sometimes the magic doesn't happen until the very, very end. Like on Witches of East End. I remember I had written the whole book and I was like, it's still just not working right for me. I don't know why. And we were at a bar in the Hamptons and I was writing the plot on a napkin, explaining it to my husband. And I said, wait a minute, if I do this and switch this, actually, I think that works. And I remember I was like this, ta da, you know, light bulb moment when I realized what was wrong with my book. And, you know, that's really helpful when that happens before the deadline.
- [23:06]
Zibby Owens
Yeah. You know, I'm writing a novel for Carmen now, and I don't know how it's going to end. And my kids keep being like, well, but where's it going? I'm like, I don't know. If I knew that, I wouldn't be having any fun writing it, honestly. Yeah, I don't know. But maybe that's not the way to do it.
- [23:24]
Melissa De La Cruz
I think, you know, at one point when you understand what the story is and then you actually have to go back and rewrite it and make sure that that story that you discovered is fitting. That, you know. So I always like to have time for that epiphany where you figured out the story and now we're just gonna polish it, you know?
- [23:40]
Zibby Owens
Yeah, exactly. Rewriting it. Any books you particularly love to read yourself.
- [23:45]
Melissa De La Cruz
So I read a lot of fantasy and romance. I read a lot of bestsellers. I like to read what people are reading. You know, I like to know what the culture is interested in. I have a big adult romantasy coming out in September called Rings of Fate. And even before I had started that book, I just read a lot of romance. I was really kind of like immersed in the gen genre and really enjoyed it. And I was like, you know, I would just tell my husband, I say, I guess I get why people love these books. They're just so pleasurable to read. You know, they're just so fun. So I really, I hope I did that genre justice because I really, really enjoyed those books. And so I wanted that book to have that feeling of, you Know, just something just so entertaining and just so fun to read and watch two people fall in love, you know?
- [24:33]
Zibby Owens
So are you gonna write again later today? Like, do you write every single day?
- [24:37]
Melissa De La Cruz
I don't. So today's Tuesday, which is my zoom day. So I try to pack a lot of my meetings and interviews on Tuesdays because that's the one day where I don't write. But other than that, I do try to write every day in the morning, and I try not to have, you know, any meetings or any distractions because I find, like, the early part of the day before lunch is always the most creative. And then after that, you know, you really kind of can't get back into it anymore. Although I used to when I was younger. You know, when I was younger, you know, I would always put it back in. And also when I'm on deadline, I can always just go back in. But when I'm not on deadline, I like to just draft in the mornings.
- [25:20]
Zibby Owens
I love that. Tuesday zoom day. All right. I like it. I wish I could keep all my zooms to one day. Any advice for aspiring authors?
- [25:28]
Melissa De La Cruz
I guess I would say, what is it that they're interested in? Are they interested in being published or are they interested in the craft? I guess both. You know, I would say don't be fearful about sending your work out. You know, definitely that is a huge part of it, is that fear of what people will say. I think it's better to find out what people say, and if they don't like it, go. Go back and change it. You know, keep knocking on the door until it opens. You know, I. You know, I just never really took no for an answer. You know, I didn't get into MFA programs, which was really funny. You know, I was rejected from every fiction mfa and somebody said, well, what did you think? I thought, oh, I just thought they were wrong.
- [26:09]
Zibby Owens
You showed them. Wow. Well, very exciting. Thank you so much for coming on, Melissa. Lovely to chat with you in this way, having met you many times and everything. So thank you for coming on.
- [26:22]
Melissa De La Cruz
Oh, thank you for having me, Zimbie. So nice to see you again.
- [26:25]
Zibby Owens
So nice to see you again, too. Okay, take care.
- [26:28]
Melissa De La Cruz
Bye.
- [26:29]
Zibby Owens
Thank you for listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't have Time to Read Books. If you loved the show, tell a friend, leave a review. Follow me on Instagram, ibbyoans and Spread the Word. Thanks so much. Oh, and buy the books.
- [26:51]
Penn Holderness
Hi, this is Penn and Kim Holderness from the Laugh Lines podcast.
- [26:54]
Zibby Owens
If you're like me buying anything turns into a nightmare research spir.
- [26:58]
Melissa De La Cruz
But listen, if you're trying to upgrade your phone, I'm about to save you from yourself.
- [27:03]
Zibby Owens
Because right now you can get the new iPhone 16e with Apple Intelligence when you switch at your nearest boost mobile store.
- [27:11]
Penn Holderness
That is a brand spanking new iPhone 16e for the incredible price of 49.99. Plus you're getting all the latest Apple Intelligence features like Cleanup, which removes distraction from photos with just a tap.
- [27:23]
Zibby Owens
Visit your nearest Boost Mobile store for full offer details. Apple Intelligence requires iOS 18.1 or later. Restrictions apply.
- [27:33]
Penn Holderness
Hey, this is Freddy from Dungeons and Daddies and if you're like me, buying anything turns into a nightmare research spiral. But listen, you're trying to upgrade your phone, I'm about to save you from yourself. Because right now you can get the new iPhone 16e with Apple Intelligence for when you switch at your nearest Boost Mobile store. That's a brand spanking new iPhone 16e for the incredible price of 49.99. Plus you're getting all the latest Apple Intelligence features too, like Cleanup, which removes distractions from photos with just a tap. Visit your nearest Boost Mobile store for full offer details. Apple Intelligence requires iOS 18.1 or later. Restrictions apply.
- [28:08]
Zibby Owens
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