The final YALLFest interview is here! This is a big weekend for Melissa de la Cruz, whose book, Witches of East End has been adapted to a television series premiering this Sunday night on Lifetime! More on that after the interview!

Photo Credit: Denise Bovee

What one thing do you need to have when you write?
Fear. Sometimes rage. I find that to truly focus I need to feel panic, and then suddenly everything in my manuscript becomes clear. I work best under duress, which is something my editors have learned and they’re quite good at instilling fear in me. J I appreciate that! I also work well with many distractions, I think it’s because I had a day job for nine years and had to write my books in the middle of doing my real work.

Describe your book in 5 words.
Post-apocalyptic. Zombie. Dragon. Pirate. Fantasy.

What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
The first, definitely.

Best writing tip you ever received?
To introduce the love interest in the first 30 pages, not that specifically but learning that there was CRAFTING involved in writing a novel, not just voice.
What one young adult novel you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
Harry Potter. Because! I don’t think I have to explain.

Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
1. I was a child model.
2. My favorite One Direction guy was Harry, but now it is Louis.
3. I have a Maltese named Mimi. She is not named for Mimi Force, our kid named her.
4. I learned to drive at 34.
5. I like savory treats better than sweet.

Where’s your favorite place to write?
In a cubicle, surrounded by softly ringing phones and people murmuring. Sadly this is no longer possible for me.

What are you working on now?
My new series THE RING AND THE CROWN coming next spring from Disney-Hyperion.

What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
YA Fantasy and Paranormal. My favorite genre to read is “literary” fiction, but I would have to say I really enjoy bestsellers just as much, I like popular fiction, no matter what genre, I like to read what a lot of people are reading and take the pulse of the culture. But for my own taste, I love smart angry women writers like Lionel Shriver and Kate Christensen. Also cookbook memoirs.

At what point in the development of an idea do you know that it will become a full-length novel?
When we’ve sold it!

Be sure to watch the TV adaptation premiere of Melissa’s book, Witches of East End Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 10/9c only on Lifetime.