Melissa de la Cruz Site Chat
**These questions and answers are from a chat with Melissa de la Cruz held on The Blue Bloods Secret on September 21, 2009.**
How long does it take you to finish a book?
I like to think about them for a long time. At least 6 months of planning and 6 months of writing. Sometimes it takes longer.
How hard is it for you to come up with new stories?
Not too hard. I have a lot of ideas. Time is the problem.
Do you read any Blue Bloods fanfiction?
No, I haven’t seen any of it. It’s too weird to read, it just doesn’t feel real. Like, “that’s now how it’s supposed to go!” But it’s fun that the fans are playing in the world. I used to write fanfiction, so i know it comes from a deep love for the material. So, I’m glad it’s out there.
Do you like all your characters?
I like all my characters. Schuyler is very close to my heart, though. I love them differently but equally.
Did you like being a journalist? Did it help you in your writing?
I loved being a journalist! It made me curious about the world and makes you get over your shyness– since you have to ask people nosy questions. And it does help in writing novels. It helped deal with editors and deadlines. It’s good to learn to write professionally.
When do you write?
I write in the morning before lunch, then after dinner- I get food coma.
Do you have any advice for young aspiring writers?
Always be patient and have fun. Write for fun, not for the career– at least in the beginning. Because you have all the time in the world to be grown-up. I had a lot of fun when I was young.
Will Blue bloods ever become a movie/t.v. show?
Blue Bloods was actually almost a t.v. show. It was actually optioned on the CW, but they chose Vampire Diaries. But I’m over it now, haha. But yeah, hopefully it will be one day!
How many entries did you get for the the Twontest?
There’s about 200 entries!
How much Jack force will there be in the book?
There will be a lot of Jack, he’s a huge character!
Do you listen to music while you write?
No, I need silence to write. But then I do take breaks and dance around.
Will the U.K. Blue Bloods covers be the same, and will you promote them in the U.K.?
I’m not sure, I think they’ll make their own. And I’m going to London in July! So, London events might be possible.
What will be in the story for Target in this book? Will it be Jack’s P.O.V. again?
I wrote in Jack’s point of view last time for the Target story, so this time I will be writing from Kingley’s Point of view. However, I am writing another Jack P.O.V. for abother Blue Bloods book. However it won’t be a Midnight Sun type of thing.
If a Silver Blood gets killed, what happens to the souls?
This will be answered in Van alen Legacy.
Where did you get the fashion inspiration for schuyler and your other characters?
The fashion inspiration came from Mary-Kate Olsen. When I was writing Blue Bloods, she was all over the style news and stuff. Also it was inspired by what I used to wear as a teen. I was goth, hehe.
Have you ever written anything that you never planned on writing?
I know the big arc of the series, so all that I planned long ago. And I keep working on the plan. I know all the big plot points.
Have you ever had a characters personality go a different way? Like was Mimi always mean?
No, I knew exactly how they were from the beginning. Aggie did have a bigger roles in the first draft, that I had to cut, though.
How many Blue Bloods books are there going to be?
There is going to be ten in the main plot of the story– with Schuyler, Jack, Oliver, Mimi, etc. Wolf Pact– the spin-off to the Blue Bloods series– has six books planned so far. I came up with the idea for Wolf Pact a while ago.
Was Kingsley Bliss’ vampire twin?
This will be ansered in Van Alen Legacy
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MELISSA FOR VISITING THE BLUE BLOODS SECRET AND ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS!!!