Interview with Melissa de la Cruz for The Queen's Assassin
The Queen's Assassin (Queen's Secret #1)
by Melissa de la CruzPublisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Release Date: February 4th 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis:
Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.
Caledon Holt is the Kingdom of Renovia's deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in brawn or brains, which is why he's the Guild's most dangerous member and the Queen's one and only assassin. He's also bound to the Queen by an impossible vow--to find the missing Deian Scrolls, the fount of all magical history and knowledge, stolen years ago by a nefarious sect called the Aphrasians.
Shadow has been training all her life to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunts--to become skilled enough to join the ranks of the Guild. Though magic has been forbidden since the Aphrasian uprising, Shadow has been learning to control her powers in secret, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Caledon Holt.
When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice to hunt down a new sinister threat to Renovia. But as Cal and Shadow grow closer, they'll uncover a shocking web of lies and secrets that may destroy everything they hold dear. With war on the horizon and true love at risk, they'll stop at nothing to protect each other and their kingdom in this stunning first novel in the Queen's Secret series.
Can you briefly describe THE QUEEN’S ASSASSIN and its characters?
It is about the kingdom’s most dangerous assassin, Caledon Holt and a mysterious girl named Shadow and their tangled adventures in politics, deception and magic.
Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?
I love both Shadow and Cal equally, it’s hard to choose one over the other. Shadow is headstrong and spirited and Cal has a tough exterior that hides a vulnerable heart. I love both of them. But maybe my favourite character is Queen Lilliana as I’ve always sympathized with adults who make hard decisions.
How did the story occur to you?
I literally dreamt of the characters. When I woke up I wanted to know more about them so I wrote the book.
If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?
Diego Luna looks a lot like Cal, so a young Diego Luna. For Shadow, Zendaya would be great.
What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?
Someplace where they serve mulled wine.
Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE QUEEN’S ASSASSIN?
They can try my book THE RING AND THE CROWN, which has romance, magic and politics in it as well.
What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?
Starting.
What’s next for you?
April brings my first graphic novel GOTHAM HIGH, and then summer brings my Little Women re-telling JO & LAURIE written with Margaret Stohl! I also have a new middle grade series starting in December called NEVER AFTER. And of course the sequel to Queen’s Assassin, THE QUEEN’S SECRET comes out in 2021.
Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.
Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.
She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.
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. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).
She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.
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