Melissa de la Cruz is the No. 1 New York Times, Publisher's Weekly and Indie Bound best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages, and edited the inspiring anthology of true stories, "Because I Was a Girl." She 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. At Columbia University, she majored in art history and English. De la Cruz lives in West Hollywood with her husband and daughter.