Author Interview: Going Dark by Melissa de la Cruz

Remember when adults warned us about the dangers of social media? I don’t think anything could have prepared us for influencer culture. We sat down with author Melissa de la Cruz to talk about Going Dark, a thriller mystery centered around social media. Check out our interview below and grab Going Dark, out now!

Going Dark

by Melissa de la Cruz
Published by: Union Square Co.
on January 31, 2023
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Pages: 336
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“An intense rollercoaster of a thriller and a searing indictment of which victims get our attention and sympathy.” –#1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu

In this ripped-from-the-headlines Gone Girl meets A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz weaves a white-knuckle YA thriller about a beautiful young influencer who vanishes after going on vacation with her boyfriend.

#WhereisAmeliaAshley

The Influencer Amelia Ashley shares everything with her followers – her favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants, her best fashion tips, and her European trip-of-a-lifetime with her hot boyfriend.

The Boyfriend Josh has no choice but to return home without Amelia after she abandons him in Rome. He has no clue where she went or how her blood got in his suitcase. Why won’t anyone believe him?

The Hacker To Harper Delgado, Amelia Ashley is just another missing white girl whipping up a media frenzy. But with each digital knot she untangles about the influencer, Harper wonders: who is Amelia Ashley?

The Other Girl Two years ago, another girl went missing, one who never made headlines or had a trending hashtag.

The Truth Amelia’s disappearance has captured the world’s attention. What comes next? Watch this space…

Told through a mixture of social media posts, diary entries, and firsthand accounts, Going Dark is a gripping, suspenseful thriller about all the missing girls who fall off the radar, perfect for true crime fans and readers of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus.

Interview with Melissa de la Cruz

What was research like for Going Dark?

I watched a ton of fashion and travel influencers. I went down a rabbit hole of Tik Tok videos and Instagram Reels lol. Then I also spoke to my friends in law enforcement about certain aspects of the case and how to make sure it was all believable.

What was it like writing in a modern epistolary format? How did it differ from your usual writing style?

It’s a bit of a departure, I tend to write in close third person, so this was a little different. I enjoyed trying this new format, I felt like I was able to really inhabit the character’s skin by writing in their diaries.

Did your thoughts on social media change after writing Going Dark?

I don’t think my thoughts changed so much as solidified. I don’t think social media is great for us as a species, for the continuation of the species lol. My policy on social media is only to do it if it’s fun and makes you feel good. The minute I start feeling badly about myself or too jealous or outraged, or doom scrolling, I have to stop myself. I’ve actually deleted Twitter from my phone and I noticed I’m so much happier without it. I also don’t post so much on FB anymore, I mostly just post my private life to a small group of family and friends on FB. I enjoy posting on instagram, and I feel like that is a necessity and I don’t mind keeping that up. For TikTok I have a TikTok assistant who keeps telling me what the trending sounds are and what to post. But I’m too busy writing books! Being a content creator is its own full time job, and I already have one.

I think it’s too easy to think things online are the truth, when in fact, no one knows what the truth is because it’s not real life. So I’m very skeptical of social media and I think Going Dark proves that.