When I was a little girl growing up in the Philippines, the first movie I ever saw was Cinderella, which had been my mother’s favorite movie as a child. It was the first movie I ever watched with my daughter, and it also became her favorite movie. (My favorite is Sleeping Beauty.) Disney magic was a huge part of my childhood, and now it is a huge part of my daughter’s. It was wonderful to watch the old movies again with her while I was writing this book, as well as share the new Disney Channel movie that inspired it. I still can’t believe that I got to play in this universe and with these characters who defined my childhood. It’s been a magical journey, and I owe my thanks to the people who helped me on my way. My publishing family—my editor, Emily Meehan, my publisher, Suzanne Murphy, and everyone at Disney Hyperion, especially Seale Ballenger, Mary Ann Zissimos, Simon Tasker, Elena Blanco, Kim Knueppel, Sarah Sullivan, Jackie DeLeo, Frank Bumbalo, Jessica Harriton, Dina Sherman, Elke Villa, Andrew Sansone, and Holly Nagel, who have seen me through countless books and launches, thanks for keeping the faith! Marci Senders, who put together a wickedly awesome design, and Monica Mayper, who made sure every villainous dangling participle fell into place. Disney Consumer Products grand poobahs Andrew Sugerman and Raj Murari throw the best parties. Jeanne Mosure is my hero. Big thanks to Rebecca Frazer and Jennifer Magee-Cook from Team Descendants, and all the lovely folks at the Disney Channel, especially Jennifer Rogers Doyle, Leigh Tran, Naketha Mattocks, and Gary Marsh. It was a thrill to meet director Kenny Ortega, production designer Mark Hofeling and the stars of the movie, Dove Cameron, Booboo Stewart, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson, and the inimitable Kristin Chenoweth. Screenwriters Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon’s script was hilarious and inspiring. My agent, Richard Abate, is the man. Melissa Kahn is awesome. Thanks and love to the DLC and Johnston families, especially my nephews Nicholas and Joseph Green and Sebastian de la Cruz. I get by with a little help from my friends, especially dear Margie Stohl. My husband, Mike Johnston, is a creative genius, and he and our daughter, Mattie Johnston, make everything worthwhile.
I hope you enjoyed the book and that it created a whole new set of Disney memories. You won’t want to miss the movie. Thank you for reading!
xoxo Mel
MELISSA DE LA CRUZ (www.melissa-delacruz.com) is the author of many novels, including The Ring and the Crown, The Witches of East End series, and all of the best-selling books in the Blue Bloods series: Blue Bloods, Masquerade, Revelations, The Van Alen Legacy, Keys to the Repository, Misguided Angel, Bloody Valentine, Lost in Time, and Gates of Paradise. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.