Marissa chats with Melissa de la Cruz about her newest middle grade fantasy - NEVER AFTER - as well as how much to plan (or not to plan) when writing a series; how the simple act of having fun while writing can alter the narrative voice; keeping the joy of writing alive many books into your career, while avoiding the negativity that can sometimes feel ubiquitous in the industry; and the brilliant idea of paying your kids should they give you a useful idea for your novel (I'll be stealing that one for sure).
Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer
Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with Melissa de la Cruz about her newest middle grade fantasy - NEVER AFTER - as well as how much to plan (or not to plan) when writing a series; how the simple act of having fun while writing can alter the narrative voice; keeping the joy of writing alive many books into your career, while avoiding the negativity that can sometimes feel ubiquitous in the industry; and the brilliant idea of paying your kids should they give you a useful idea for your novel (I'll be stealing that one for sure).
Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer
Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
[inaudible]
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome to the happy writer. This is a podcast that aims to bring readers, more books, to enjoy and to help authors find more joy in their writing. I'm your host, Marissa Meyer. Thanks so much for joining me. A lot of things have been making me happy this week and I gotta be honest. They are all Christmas related. I think the next few episodes, there's just going to be a lot of holiday talk because I am ready. I am ready for the season. I am ready for all of the things, and I know that this year is going to be different. And obviously we are not going to be able to enjoy all of the traditions that we are used to. But I feel like that has almost inspired me to appreciate the ones that we can still do even more. So I am just so excited to get our tree and to bake cookies and to drive around and look at the lights, all the things I am. So in the mood, finally, finally, it is here and this is what I need to bring me joy. And so I am just so, so excited for the Christmas season. And of course I am so happy to be talking to today's guest. She is the number one bestselling author of, Oh, let's be honest about a million things. She has written for adult young adult and middle grade audiences. And her books include the Alex and Liza trilogy. The witches of East end, the blue-blood series, the Disney's descendants novels and many, many more. She is also the co-founder of yall West and the co-director of yell Fest. Two of the largest team book festivals in the country, her newest middle-grade fantasy, never after the 13th ferry comes out tomorrow on December 1st. She is beloved by all in the kid like community. And I am so excited to get to talk to her. Please. Welcome Melissa. Dayla Cruz. Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for having me. Marissa is so nice and I love that it's called the happy writer that it made me feel so happy. I was like, Aw, that's awesome. Just, just the name just makes us smile, right? Yes. You know, that's what I strive to be. So I hope that others can strive with me. Um, so I feel a little breath. I have to catch my breath. After reading your bio, you have done so much, you are such a powerhouse, uh, and I'm really thrilled to talk to you. And what readers may not know coming into this interview is that you are not at home in your bunker. You have managed to escape. Where are you calling in from? I am
Speaker 3:Calling in from Maui, Hawaii. I am a very happy writer here right now.
Speaker 2:I bet. Are you writing though? I mean, or is this like pure vacation I'm doing it
Speaker 3:It'll work. Um, but it is mostly vacation. We have, um, I can't get the whole Thanksgiving week off, so we try to, um, take it off as well. So we can be with her during that time.
Speaker 2:Very nice and well deserved. I am. Sure. Why don't we start with you telling listeners, what is your newest book never after, about
Speaker 3:Never after is a middle grade, uh, fairy tale retelling. I realized after writing the descendants series that I wasn't quite done with fairytales, um, I kind of still wanted to write about, um, fairytales and, uh, I was doing a little research and I discovered that the story of sleeping beauty, the not end with, uh, the original story, the original Grimm story did not end with the Prince kissing, sleeping, beauty awake, uh, but actually ended with, you know, a horrible Uber mother-in-law and bloodshed and death and tragedy. And I thought, Oh my God, that's so crazy. That happens sleeping beauty. I have to write about that. So I took that, um, you know, uh, I guess sleeping beauty part too, took that knowledge and, you know, kind of, uh, wrote a new story where perhaps the evil fairy who curses sleeping beauty might not be so evil after all.
Speaker 2:And there's also a very awesome modern day component to it. Um, which I loved, you know, just for readers to understand the book kind of starts out in our contemporary world in California. And the main character Philomena at one point gets transported to the land of fairy tales. And I couldn't help feeling like you were writing this book for young Marissa and for all of the kids like me who were just obsessed with fairy tales and obsessed with books and stories, and just so badly wanted to get sucked into a story. It felt like it was just speaking right to my soul.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's so nice. I definitely wrote it, uh, for, um, for myself as well. You know, I, the other idea next to the fairytale idea was, um, the idea of having a super fan, you know, somebody who would read a series, you know, to death and knew everything about it, knew all the specifics and what is this, you know, this of your reader who loved the series suddenly, you know, found herself in that world. You know, she would know more about the world and the people who lived there, which I thought would be really funny. Um, so that was the other idea with that too. So I kind of conflated the two things together, but yeah,
Speaker 2:I love that you say that you kind of felt like you were writing it for yourself too, which is of course so important to write the things like we are our first reader to write the things that we love. Um, so as a fairytale lover, which I am, I always get so giddy to see fairy tale, Easter eggs, you know, scattered throughout a book, um, and this book is full of them and we can't even like call all of them Easter eggs because some are quite obvious. Um, but then some are really subtle too. And you have all of these delightful references to like Lord of the rings and Alison Wonderland and Narnia. And you know, my, my little bookish heart just expanded. Um, so talk to me about your relationship with fairytales and with some of these classic stories and now having written both never after, um, and also with the descendant series, like what draws you to these? Yeah, I mean, I think,
Speaker 3:And, you know, I loved fantasy as a child. I mean, Lord of the rings was my favorite, uh, book, uh, series my favorite book. I think I read that when I was 13. And I remember I, and I found my journal where I wrote down the names of my future children and I wanted to name them legal and R OS, Sadly not they've legalized or Arwin
Speaker 2:No, you were vetoed.
Speaker 3:And, uh, you know, they just really, I think, you know, you do read them to escape. I was a little bit of a shy kid. You know, people kind of scared me a little bit more. I was always the kid with the book at the party and I'd rather be reading than do anything social. Um, and, and the books, you know, especially in Lord of the rings, he ended up the friendship between the characters, you know, the comradery, the love. I mean, it's, it's just kind of this, um, you know, not escapist, cause there were definitely true and they exist in the world, but at that point they didn't exist for me. So I only knew about them in books, having friends like that. And, you know, I think it was really comforting to read something like that that made it seem like, yes, there will be good friends out there and yes, you know, Goodwill defeat evil. Um, and I think that's why, you know, we find these classic stories, you know, so comforting, um, and Trula, you know, in fairytales, true Love's kiss, you know, saves the day all the time, you know? Um, so yeah, no, I think they're kind of like, they're very simple, but we kind of understand them, you know, as a child, Disney was a huge part of my childhood. I, you know, I think my, the first movie I ever saw was Cinderella and I was three years old. Um, yeah. And you know, I just watched the entire Disney Canon and when I got the gig for descendants, my kid was I think, around seven years old. So we had just watched the entire Disney classic movies again. And so I felt like I relived them and kind of knew them even better, um, than before. So when I wrote descendants, I just knew the movies so well. Um, they were just kind of imprinted in my brain and it was like about, um, bridging the classic movies to the new Disney channel, um, feature, which was, you know, live action and quite different. So how is the book going to do that? So that was the puzzle that I was given. And that was kind of fun to, uh, to unlock, Oh
Speaker 2:No, it really is cool how these stories are so timeless and have so much potential for, you know, being expanded and reworked and re-imagined and twisted and all of this and how they just continue to inspire. You know, even though they've been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years sometime, and I, I just am enamored with that idea.
Speaker 3:No, yeah, no. I mean, it's really fun and I think it's fun because, you know, we all know them so well. Um, so that's part of the fun and I think their reader knows the real story, but then you're giving them the other stories. So there's this kind of discovery that is really fun. Definitely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. So I'm really curious. So in this book, never after, you know, we have Philomena, she's a, you know, huge, super fan of this book series. And at the start of this book, there have been 12 books in this series and she's just waiting with bated breath for the 13th book to come out. How much do you know about the first 12 books? Like, do you know what happened in those books? Like, do you have like this whole separate plot in your head or are you kind of going along and figuring it out as, as the reader is, I know a little bit,
Speaker 3:Oh, what happened in the first 12 books, but I, you know, I did not sketch a whole 12 book series
Speaker 2:Because then you'd be writing that one probably.
Speaker 3:I mean, I like to kind of tease and I put a few hints about what happened before. Um, but you know, the goal of the series is not to, um, to present all those books, you know, it's, it's more like there are these books and then here is the new series and, um, you know, while it's fun to kind of go back, I read a review, a review that said, Oh, this is just an ad, a commercial for the first 12 books. And I just laugh because I was like, well, there were no. So I was just like, Oh my God, profound misunderstanding. The funny, yeah.
Speaker 2:Complement though, because clearly this reader, like you made it seem so real that these, these 12 books must exist because it seems so grounded. And that
Speaker 3:Over in my head, I have to do anything more specific. I'll be like, I'll be kind of annoyed that I didn't write down all the small things that I put in. I'm going to have to like, go back, look for it, say what had happened. Right,
Speaker 2:Right. And make sure you're not conflicting with something you said and keep it all straight.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah, no. I was like, Oh, I was just start writing down notes for that. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So do you know how many books, uh, this series is gonna be?
Speaker 3:Um, you know, I don't, and it's funny because even with blue bloods, which ended up being seven books and all I had planned for nine books, um, but then at the end kind of realized seven was the right number for it. The, my publisher, uh, Disney published, Bluebloods only published two at a time. So I don't know why I had this huge number in my head, you know, when they were literally only buying them, you know, two, a piece, which I think is pretty normal with how well, I would say not normal. Um, so, so McMillan has bought two books and they're buying a couple more. Um, and then we'll see, we'll see what happens. So I kind of like, uh, a little bit more of an open ended series arc for this one. It's not like so specific or I have to have whatever, nine or seven books in my head. Um, when I'm hoping I get to tell a couple, you know, a couple more volumes, they kind of warn you like right before I would say, like right before you're publishing, um, the second to last book, they say, you know what, the new, the one after this is the end. So then you get to
Speaker 2:Time to wrap it up.
Speaker 3:That's funny,
Speaker 2:You are not going into this with like a master plan where you have the plot figured out for the next, you know, 10 books in a row or anything. You're, you're kind of just seeing where it takes you.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I have like a little bit of a master series arc, but I don't know exactly how many books it will take to get there. So I just have a little bit of a plan, but also, and I, and I realized I had to have more of a plan than I did. Yeah. I was gonna, you know, kind of have it be a little bit more freewheeling. And then I realized, Oh, no things have to build, you know, and I got to go back to my series brain, um, and start planning and seeding things. So yeah, I have a little bit more of a plan.
Speaker 2:Right. And then what about, like from book to book, do you tend to be more of a plotter?
Speaker 3:Oh, yes. For, for each book, I am a complete outliner. I outline each book, um, pretty specifically, um, you know, down to the chapter and then I write about a hundred pages and then I see whether I like my outline if it's working out, if I want to keep going with the outline or if I want to change the outline a little bit, usually what happens is I have to change the outline for the next, you know, 200 pages a little bit. Um, and then, um, but usually the book is kind of complete in my head in the movie. So it doesn't, it doesn't deviate so much.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. So you have a plan, but you can be flexible with the plan.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah. And I, you know, I said that and I realized I'd rewritten the ending to this book several.
Speaker 2:No, I get it. I mean, I feel like I have my quote unquote process, you know, people are always asking about your process and like, I can give the bullet points, but everybody's different, you know, you don't, you don't really know it. It's, they're all their own unique challenge.
Speaker 3:Exactly. Exactly. I mean, they each have a life of their own and the story takes you to a different place or the place that was outlined. Um, which is always easier.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's nice when it happens. It doesn't happen a lot. Yeah, no kidding. Um, so here on the podcast, we we've talked a lot about how, you know, when an author is having fun with their writing, it kind of, it just shows through like, as a reader, you can sometimes just tell like this author was just playing here. Um, and that's really how I feel reading never after, like, there are so many, just little jokes and wordplay and like snarky little asides from the narrator. And it just has this vibe of playfulness that made the, the language of the book. Very fun and very charming. And so I am curious for you, like, is that like, yeah, you were just playing, having a lot of fun or were you intentionally trying to develop this voice and this style, um, as a part of the story?
Speaker 3:No, I mean, I'm S I'm so glad you pointed it out. Cause I actually noticed that, um, when I read it and when I, when I was talking to my editor about it, I said, Oh my God, I'm having had this much fun in years. I had so much fun writing this book. Like, it really felt like, you know, it's just bubbling over with like these jokes. And I was cackling when I was writing, no, I really have a lot of fun with it. I had a lot of fun with the fairytale kind of rhyming, um, intonation in the beginning. It felt like I was learning how to write again a little bit and I did take it so seriously, you know, like, you know, it almost felt like writing when I was a kid when you're just kind of playing around and, uh, and I really enjoyed it. Yeah. There was something about Philomena, you know, while, you know, she's a little bit based on me, maybe a little bit, you know, my daughter was in sixth grade when I was writing it. And, um, and her friends were in sixth grade. My nephew who was a little older, had just finished middle school, you know, and the, there was just a lot of things about being in middle school that I was hearing about. And, you know, kind of shocked by again, even though, you know, you forget what middle school is like my nephew, um, the bullies at his school were called the fettuccine Alfredo because they were so fancy. Cause they always ate fettuccine Alfredo
Speaker 2:From real life. Cause that whole, all of the little names that she gives them cracked me up.
Speaker 3:I mean, it was so funny. I mean, you know, and, uh, and I just thought it was so funny that these kids, you know, named themselves and were named that. I was like, I gotta use that one day. Um, yeah, no. And it was a, and my kid was in the advanced math, you know, and the, you know, it was always hard, a little bit for nerdier. Um, you know, kind of, uh, kids were small. You always have to think one of her friends got mad at her, but she got a hundred on her math test. And, you know, I just completely forgot about that. I forgot about the jealousy at that age. Um, and how hard it is to be different. So yeah, a lot of fun with that. I processing both their childhoods and mine into the book.
Speaker 2:I'm a little jealous that you have kids in your life that are at that age. Like I am waiting for my kids to get old enough that I can start taking ideas from them and their friends. Like, I'm just like where I need teenagers in my house for inspiration.
Speaker 3:It's the best. And it is, um, it's interesting when they get to be that age. Um, you know, because they suddenly have a lot of opinions and she'll tell me, Oh God mom, that is so lame or God that cover, you know, it's a, it's a little bit funny when you have, you know, your age group that you're writing for living with you.
Speaker 2:I know I can imagine that would be, yeah, it would be a little surreal. I'm sure it
Speaker 3:Is a lot of fun and you get a lot more kind of direct feedback and a lot more ideas. I always tell her, you know, if you give me an idea that works out in the book, I'll pay you
Speaker 2:Family business.
Speaker 3:Exactly. And it's a good way to get your kids to talk to you too, because they're helping you out with your work, but really they're telling you about their lives. So,
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I love it. I feel like I'm getting both writing and parenting tips right now. Um, so on that note you have now written, you've written middle grade. You've written why? Yeah. You've written for adults. What are some of the differences between writing? Like how do you approach the stories differently based on what age group you're targeting? Yeah. Um,
Speaker 3:Right now I'm really drawn to middle-grade. Uh, it's just so much more fun, a little bit of adventure, a little bit of humor. And I think what middle-grade books are really about is about, um, figuring out who your friends are, you know, it is about friendship and navigating friendships. So I really enjoy writing about that. I think that's kind of the difference for me with middle grade and young adult with young adults. It's really about planning out who you are. And also, um, I mean, a lot of the white books that I love are about, do you love, um, so that's really, you know, kind of the core of, um, of that. Yeah. So, you know, I feel like middle grade is about friendship. Y is more kind of about identity and romance. And then with adult books, I feel like they're mostly about disappointing.
Speaker 2:How did you that's so pessimistic,
Speaker 3:You know, I just, you know, it, it, and it just feels like that is an adult way. It's about being mature and kind of handling, you know, the bad thing, how life disappoint you see when it doesn't really live up to the promise. Whereas writing for kids, it's all about that promise. It's all about, you know, being on the cusp of everything and everything is starting and that's, what's really fun about it.
Speaker 2:[inaudible] so when you get an idea for a story, does it come to you? Like this is clearly a middle grade, or this is clearly a Y a or do you kind of consider like, okay, how would this look is Wyatt? How would this look if I did it as an adult? Like, are your stories feel like they're very set when they come to you or do you kind of explore different paths for them before you decide?
Speaker 3:Uh, the funny thing is, uh, never after started out as a completely different book, it was a more, uh, it was a[inaudible] idea. Interesting original idea was inspired by seeing a and us weekly of the actors who played John Snow and you greet. So there's a photograph of kit Harrington and, um, and Rose Leslie. And they had played these kind of tragic characters from game of Thrones and, uh, Rose Leslie's character dies. And she was John snow's great love. And it was just so sad, you know, in the books and in the TV show. And then I saw this photo of them getting married, the actors fall in love, it was filled with so much happiness. And I thought, Oh my God, in an alternate world, John Snow. And he agreed, got married. And so I thought, Oh, I have to do something with that. It wouldn't be interesting to do a why a book, you know, about a fantasy series and then the actors who played them. So I try to do it as a why a novel, but it didn't quite gel. Um, so then I thought, okay, well, you know, what I like about the idea is, you know, kind of doing something with the fantasy and the real world and trying to figure out a way that, you know, to combine the, and then I wrote another proposal, um, about, uh, a middle grade adventure with a book series. And then my editor, my agent said, you know, I like it when it feels like it needs something more. And it was literally, we were sitting at dinner, um, during the holiday season, because usually it comes out to LA uh, for, uh, their company holiday party. And we also have a dinner and I cooked it up, like at the dinner. I said, Oh my God, it's called never after. And it's about fairytales and, you know, with all the other ideas. And I remember we were like, Oh my God, this is great. Yes. You know, one of those light bulb moments when everything kind of clicks into place,
Speaker 2:I love that story. I think so often. And even I do this where like, if I have an idea and maybe I write a draft or I'm exploring it, and then it like takes a total left turn and you end up somewhere totally different. I feel like there can be part of us that thinks like I'm doing something wrong. Like, what am I doing? Um, and so I love hearing that, that you started in one place and then ended up in a totally different place with it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I mean, I'm not, uh, I don't like to force things thinking, you know, you know, I really liked this idea of this Yia, um, you know, kind of actors and the characters kind of, you know, having this other romance parallel life. Um, but it didn't quite take flight and, you know, I was kinda like, I was like, Oh, instead of forcing it, maybe I can just use it some other ways. I'm kind of like to like step back and see, okay, well, I can't use that, but what can I use from this? You know, this was still something that was valuable. Um, you know, if I can figure it out. So it's like a puzzle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, exactly. I, the analogy like a puzzle a lot, like you're taking little bits and pieces from all the random parts of your life and trying to create something new out of them.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, definitely.
Speaker 2:Um, so you are very prolific and possibly the most prolific author that I have had on this podcast so far. Um, and it's just like scrolling through your website and looking at all of your amazing book covers. I mean, it's kind of dizzying how much you have written. So talk to me about, uh, you know, here you are well into your career as a writer, how are you staying engaged with, with the passion of writing? How are you keeping the joy alive, this many books into it? Yeah,
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I, I think that it's, uh, it's important to keep the joy alive and I think, uh, too much is spent time wining group of writers together. I mean, all we do is complain and writing sucks. It's so hard and you can really get sucked down into this kind of negative, uh, thinking. Um, and I do try to, uh, you know, uh, just kind of guard against that and remember that I really enjoy it. And, and I do, I enjoy amusing myself. I enjoy entertaining myself. I, my, I really enjoy writing. Um, and I enjoy writing books. Uh, and, uh, I don't know, that's something I think you have to, uh, work on projects that interest you, you know, and I, I think that's part of how to maintain a career is how to figure out what interests you and how to make that something that other people are interested in. Um, and I think that's just about being maybe a little tapped in maybe being curious about a lot of things. Um, I'm writing a Yia, uh, romance now, uh, that's a kind of a retelling of Cinderella, but it's set in the court of Louis the 14th. And I want to do that. Like, that sounds really fun. Cause I was doing research on, on the sun King and we were the 14 and, you know, if I could do another historical, um, and it's very different from never after, um, we just got this historical component and it's it's Yia, so there's like a big romance in it. So it's like, I have to kind of, um, I guess, you know, they're both kind of based on something, but there are two different stories. Um, and I don't know, I just, I'm interested in things. So, you know, I'll, I'll learn about some weird facts, you know, of something about, I think it was like we went on a tour of Versailles and they, you know, and we have this image of Versailles as this like really, you know, glamorous, you know, Royal. And they said when it was actually a working palace, it was too small. And people, there were people everywhere. Like they were like, you know, the scullery maid sleeping in the hallways and, you know, people sleeping in the attic, like it was just bursting with people. Um, and it was quite dirty. Oh my goodness. Like how interesting, you know, we have this vision of this Hollywood castle and that's not how, you know, how the castle lived, you know, when it was used.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Have you seen the Netflix series Versailles?
Speaker 3:Uh, is the, is it about the real Versailles? Okay. Um, no, I have not. Is it good?
Speaker 2:It was good. It was really good. It's not for kids. I'll put that warning
Speaker 3:There listed
Speaker 2:There's this, um, the imagery of it and the costumes and everything are just gorgeous. Yeah. It talks about that and talks about how it was so crowded when Louis the 14th started like demanding that everybody move in and didn't really give the nobility a choice and everyone was like, but there's not enough space for us. Where are we going to go?
Speaker 3:Yeah. No. So that's just so weird, right?
Speaker 2:Um, no, I'm the same as you. I mean, I'm just so curious about the world and, and I just want to learn so many things and there's just so much out there.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And I think, you know, it's cool to hear about other writers, you know, and what they do and, you know, just reading about how Rick and just finished like a master's or a PhD, or he starting one and Celtic mythology. I thought that was so cool. Cool. Go back to school. And I'd been thinking about that too. I was like, Oh, maybe I'm going to audit a class. I mean, you just want it gung and you want to keep being interested in the world. You don't want to be, you know, a grumpy person on the lawn being like,
Speaker 2:Like a goals. Don't be the grumpy person on the lawn.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 2:I've been trying to ask, um, every author that I've spoken to the last couple of months, just about writing in 2020, in general, this year is different. It is strange. I feel like we're all kind of coping in different ways. So for you, what has writing been like in 2020? Uh, how's it been going? Do you have any tips for people who maybe are struggling this year to, you know, engage their creativity?
Speaker 3:Yeah. I mean, it was kind of weird because in the beginning, when we were all on lockdown and quarantine, you know, it really didn't feel that much different from, especially when you're on deadline, you're kind of on lockdown. Um, you know, when I'm on deadline, I don't go out. I don't leave my house. I don't see friends, I just work. Um, you know, I have meals, I see my family, but, you know, I don't like, my life really is kind of limited, um, to getting the book done. So in a way, locked down and was just felt very normal. It's like, Oh, not leaving the house for a week. I can do that. You know, just sitting here, you know, getting everything delivered. Like we do that anyway.
Speaker 2:And you're like everyone else welcome to my world.
Speaker 3:Exactly. Any different. Um, and then, you know, it kind of gets to you, um, I remember feeling really kind of hemmed in, you know, and you get a little depressed, I think, taking away our ability to plan and to dream like, Oh one day, I'll go there. I'll do that. You know, like taking away that future planning was really hard. Um, and then it was depressing doing the doom scroll, you know, you just don't want to get into that spiral of reading all the bad news the first time that definitely is, you know, that really kills creativity. Like you're not going to be able to make anything if all you're doing is being anxious and, you know, reading all the bad news of the day. So I think you definitely have to kind of put that aside a little bit. You kind of have to have a boundary between that and your work and your mind. Um, yeah, I don't know, in a way it's been much easier. I've gotten a lot of work done because I don't have the distraction of having to go on tour or having festivals, you know, usually, um, it's so busy there's book expo America, and then there's, you know, you can count the calendar by the book festivals right around three, we should be an NCT Allan and then very it's ALA Midwinter. Um, so having that all taken away, um, means I have more time to kind of focus. So as long as I can focus, not doom girl and be all anxious, you know, I do get the work done.
Speaker 2:Good. Do you want to maybe talk about whatever you have coming up next?
Speaker 3:Uh, sure. So, uh, never after it's coming up December 1st and then after that, Oh, I was like, what is the, Melissa? You must lose cat. That actually is my nightmare. Um, I sometimes am like, have I forgot? Like I wasn't a nightmare that I had completely forgotten about one book and it was due that day and I had not done any work on it. And I was like, I forgot about that book, writing anxiety dreams. Um, so in fact, I think in March, uh, the, uh, sequel to Queens assassin called the queen secret is coming out. So it's the second book on the duology. And then in may, um, I have written a, an original novel in the high school musical, the musical, the series, uh, uh, uh, the road trip. So it's a road trip that bridges season one to season two of the high school musical series. So I have to ask how many books do you have coming out next year? I think I have one in February. I wrote this down, hold on and things do get moved around. So it's like, is that still coming out? Or that got me one second. Let me find my plenty vegan pub schedule. Oh, that's not the book schedule. Um, 20, 21. Yeah. Um, and then I have an audible, uh, uh, original audio book called the five year hitch, um, which is a love story, about two people who meet when they're teenagers and then every five years they get together and then they break up for some reason. Um, and then they discover they've married the wrong person. I mean, it's a really fun kind of when Harry met Sally, um, um, meets one day, uh, kind of project. And I wrote it like as like a radio play. So the actors who play the main roles, um, are Rachel, Rachel Boston and Daniel de Tomaso from which is a beast end. So it was kind of a fun reunion of our, which is cast a little bit. Um, yeah. And that's coming out, they just taped it and it was so great. It was so, so fun. Um, and that's coming out next spring and then never after two, which I'm almost done with is coming out in December. So I only have one, two, three, four books, a couple of, I find it hysterical that you had to go and check a document to be able to tell me, what do that was that two towering. I now officially feel like a slacker. I'm going to go write three more books in the next week so that I can keep up. I love that you are truly so inspiring. I love to hear it. Okay, Melissa, we are going to wrap this up with our happy writer lightning round. Okay. What book makes you happy? Oh,. It makes me happy. Um, I mean, Lord of the rings, I love that book. I reread it, you know, every couple of years and it always makes me happy if you could be transported into any fairy tale, which one would you choose? Hm. I, my favorite fairy tale of sleeping beauty, but I think it's a little too scary for me. Um, I actually, I think I would, I also like Cinderella a lot, you know, I like the make-over so definitely I don't want to live through the horrible stepsisters though. I just want to live in the moment when she turns, you know, when she wears a fabulous ball gown, Fritz.
Speaker 2:And what do you do to celebrate an accomplishment? Uh,
Speaker 3:Usually I try to, uh, we definitely celebrate a lot. We, you know, we celebrate every small victory, um, and we go out to eat, you know, we have a nice meal and we have some champagne I kind of started, you know, kind of, um, buying like jewelry to kind of Mark and occasions. I'll be like, Oh, that's the watch from descendants? No, that's the blue bloods ring, you know? So I do like to buy certain things to kind of remind me of that accomplishment.
Speaker 2:How do you feel the creative? Well, I think
Speaker 3:I do think that you need to, um, rest and I think going on vacation is a really nice time. I like to just really empty, completely empty and like not do any work, not think about work, not think about how this will affect my work. Um, and just really, um, just empty my brain. And then, you know, I, I think we are inspired by other things that are interesting. Like I, you know, I think art inspires art. So if there's something like a really good movie and I love when it's so good, like, you know, the things that are good, you always want to do something in response to it. You know, I find, um, and, uh, like I remember seeing Hedwig and the angry inch and being like, Oh, I just love that. And the theme and, you know, the songs they was so joyful, you know, just something that, um, something that's inspiring, that's new, you know, watch something I want to watch. I think there's a David Byrne utopia. The musical that I think is on HBO or people have said, it's really good. So I want to watch that and see if I get inspired by anything in it.
Speaker 2:What advice would you give to help someone become a happier writer?
Speaker 3:I think my, my biggest advice is something somebody told me, which was, we are not, um, you know, we're not the reaction to our work and we're not the market's value on our work. And, you know, I really have, uh, uh, I guess separated my identity from my work, you know, so to me, I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I'm a really good friend. And, you know, I really compliment myself on being good at those things in my personal life. Um, and then, you know, when things are going well with the work, you know, when things are just when books are selling really well, um, I don't feel it as much, so I don't feel the success as much, but the good point to that is I don't feel the failures as much either. You know? So you, because if you feel I in too much, you
Speaker 2:Just go insane. So I think you kind of have to be level-headed, you know, you never believe what is it? You never believe all the praise. You never believe all the bad reviews either. I love that. That is wonderful advice. Lastly, where can people find you? Uh, I am on the web@melissa-delacruz.com and on Twitter, Melissa Dela Cruz, and on Instagram author, Melissa Dela, Cruz. And that's pretty much where I'm active. Awesome, Melissa, thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you, Marissa. This was very, very happy and interview so glad I try readers. Be sure to check out Melissa's many wonderful books, her newest, never after the 13th ferry hits stores tomorrow. Of course, we always encourage you to support your local indie bookstore if you can, but if you don't have a local indie, you can also check out our affiliate store at bookshop.org/shop/marissa Meyer. If you're enjoying these conversations, please subscribe. And you can find us on Instagram at Marissa Meyer author and at happy writer podcast until next time stay healthy and cozy and your bunkers and whatever life throws at you today. I do hope that now you're feeling a little
Speaker 1:[inaudible].