The Ashleys- by Melissa de la Cruz

The Ashleys Fans: What inspired you to write The Ashleys? Was it a TV show, book,  movie, or something else?
Melissa: I always loved the movie Heathers and can quote lines from it (NOT ONES I CAN REPEAT HERE! LOL!) And I always loved when Heather tells Veronica, 'you wanted to be a member of the most popular clique in school, if I wasn't head of it, I'd want the same thing.' Because don't we all want to belong? And be in the in- group? Funnily enough, the answer to the question for me, has always been 'I don't know, I guess, but really, maybe not.' I was definately not part of it in high school, so I thought that when I went to college, that would be something I would shoot for. But when I got there, I met so many more interesting and awesome people, and we didn't care who thought we were cool. The important thing is we thought we were. So, if you think you are cool-- if you believe it, other people will too. I know that is long and rambly... and also, I think it's not really about powerful or pretty but about fun. The people I became friends with in college were hilairious and troublemakers and rule-breakers and hyper-smart and interesting so of course everyone else wanted to know us.

The Ashleys Fans: Every school has a clique, or a group of mean people. Growing up, where do you think you stood?
Melissa: I had two different high school experiences because I went to high school in Manila before I moved to San Francisco. In my first high school, I was part of the fun and smart girls. It was cool to be smart, and I liked being part of a group-- my friends were really interesting and read a lot and were a lot of fun. We weren't the most popular, but we held our own. I felt like I finally 'belonged' somewhere. Sadly, when we moved to San Francisco, it was a huge culture shock, and I felt very awkward and shy just when I was discovering my confidence. It felt like a huge step backward, socially. Once again, I was in the smart group, but sadly this was not a cool group to be in. It was very nerdy, and I felt I wasn't myself there, because while I have nerd-ic tendencies, I am pretty social as well, given the chance. But I guess I can't complain. I've always been in the smart group and it's always a good group to be in.

The Ashleys Fans: How do you think you relate Ashley, A.A, Lili, and Lauren?
Melissa: Sometimes I feel like they are my daughters and sometimes I feel like they are me. I always like my villains the best, so I love Ashley. A.A. is very cool and relaxed, which I aspire to be, although she has bad luck with boys! Lili is a lot like me, because I was an over- achieveing girl except I was nowhere near as organized. Lauren definitely has a lot of my awkwardness but she's the smartest so hopefully she will redeem herself soon!

The Ashleys Fans: Is there anything you'd like to change about the books?
Melissa: Interesting question! I think I would probably have liked to change Billy Reddy so he was an eigth- grader actually. I think having Billy be a sophomore made him too old, and when I wrote Jealous? I had to add a new character (Max) for Lili to like because having Billy be a sophomore dating a seventh- grader felt icky to to me and my editor. But then I love Max, I like his grungy thing, so maybe it's okay I had to get rid of Billy.

The Ashleys Fans: How many books do you plan to write for The Ashleys?
Melissa: I have no idea. It's an open-ended series so as long as you guys keep reading them, I'll keep writing them. I know my publisher wants at least two more.

The Ashleys Fans: Do you any advice for people who go to a school where there are bullies?
Melissa: Sigh. I myself was bullied so I know what that's like. I think the best way is just to ignore the taunts and find some friends. So much misery at school comes from not being developed socially. You have to figure out how to make friends and fit in. It's very important to happiness. As for bullies-- know that the bullied are the people who rule the world. So many people become something in life in order to 'prove' something to people who belittled them, myself included. When I was in high school there was this mean girl who used to make fun of me all the time, but fast-forward a few years later, when I was doing press for my Fashionista book, she was a lowly editor at a TV network, and she had to cover ME for a story. I was the star, she was the helper. It was so funny-- I said, 'hey didn't we go to high school together?' And she didn't even acknowledge it. She was so embarassed I was so much more succesful. I was like, SCORE! So you know-- you get your revenge even if it's years later. I don't think I would be as driven as I am now if it weren't for all the naysayers in my life.

The Ashleys Fans: If The Ashleys were to be made into a TV show or movie, is there anyone in particular you'd want to be in it?
Melissa: I have no idea-- I'm really bad at new actresses. I think Demi Lovato and the girl from iCarly are cute. But by the time the movie or TV show happens, they'll probably be too old if they aren't already.

Melissa de la Cruz's website is: http://www.melissa-delacruz.com