Author Melissa de la Cruz talks about her Hamilton-inspired upcoming book, ALEX AND ELIZA.
If you’re like us, you probably can’t stop listening to Hamilton. YA author Melissa de la Cruz seems to be the same way. In a recent interview Melissa talks about how Hamilton inspired her upcoming book, Alex and Eliza, which will center on the leading couple’s love story.
EW also revealed the cover of the book. Check both out below!
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You were inspired to write Alex and Eliza after seeing Hamilton. What in particular about their love story inspired you?
MELISSA DE LA CRUZ: I am a sucker for the popular girl-poor boy love story trope, from Reality Bites to Moulin Rogue. And I had always had a soft spot for Elizabeth Schuyler, whom I used in my Blue Bloods vampire books as well: my heroine Schuyler Van Alen is named after her. After we saw Hamilton, my 10-year-old daughter was obsessed with Eliza, and it was her keen interest in Alex and Eliza’s story that led me to thinking that there was something more I wanted to discover more about the subject. I was originally just doing the research to answer my daughter’s questions, but I got caught up in it as well. I loved the story of the poverty-stricken colonel and his beautiful bride from the most prestigious family in the Colonies. I just swooned to their love story.And most importantly — what is your favorite song from Hamilton?
I have so many! “My Shot,” “Helpless,” “Satisfied” and “Non-Stop.” I also love the line from “Room Where it Happens” — “If you got skin in the game, you’ve got to stay in the game, but you’re not gonna win if you don’t play in the game.” So gangster!
Read the rest of Melissa’s interview here. Alex and Eliza is set to be released on April 11, 2017.