L. J. SMITH - Blogs from 2011

The Harman and Redfern Family Tree OR Hecate Witch-Queen’s Family Tree

2011-12-19T07:03:12-08:00

Click Image to Download (PDF, 4.4MB)I’ve been asked when and how (and why on earth?) would I try to make a family tree that spanned about four thousand years of history, and was so complicated that even the most Deluxe of the Exclusive Family Tree software programs out there couldn’t begin to accommodate it, at least not in the ordinary, top down manner. (You know: where your grandmother and grandfather are at the top, and your mom and her brother, your Uncle Jack, are underneath, each with a spouse, and you and your two sisters and Aiden your little brother are on the bottom, with your obnoxious cousin Sean is right across from you, on the same line, but under Uncle Jack.)

I once coaxed a computer into drawing a shorter version of the family tree of Hecate Witch-Queen, and her two daughters, Hellewise Hearth-Woman the Mother of all Witches, and Maya Dragonslayer, the First Vampire for me. It came out on sixteen pieces of paper, I believe, that I had to put together like a puzzle. It covered the floor like a new rug and was completely impractical for reference (unless I wanted to paste it up like new wallpaper).

Before I say anything about how the family tree finally worked out, I’d like to explain why I started it. It’s for the characters in the Night World, and anyone who’s read the Night World series has undoubtedly already recognized the names Maya and Hellewise. But I started the tree before I knew that Maya and Hellewise existed. I started it for SECRET VAMPIRE, the first book in the Night World series; I did it for Poppy, the heroine. Or, to be more precise, for James Rasmussen, Poppy’s vampire soulmate, who was, I later decided, from the Redfern family, the strongest family of vampires in the world. I gave him a mother and a father, because I wanted him to have a history, and so I made him one of the lamia. Lamia (as far as I know) is really only an old word for vampire, but Night World lamia are vampires who were never human, who can breathe and eat and make more little lamia, like humans. But they’re still vampires, and their need to feed on the blood of mortal beings is just as strong as the made vampires, whose name is self-explanatory.

Made vampires are people like Poppy, who started as a human girl who had terminal and very aggressive cancer. She chose to let James make her into a vampire instead of living on for a few weeks or months in terrible pain and then dying from the cancer. She took a gamble, because even for a teen, the exchange of blood doesn’t always work. There’s an element of risk that the human being changed won’t be able to endure the process and will just burn out, as happens with all humans over eighteen or nineteen. Made vampires can’t grow a year older or an inch taller, where lamia can turn the aging process off and on as they like.

But back to the family tree. I wanted something special about the lamia, so I decided that they all (except the suburbanites who were trying to fit in) should have names of natural things: plants, animals, or minerals—gems, jewels, stones. That’s why the notorious lamia Ash Redfern had three sisters: Rowan, Kestrel and Jade. And that’s why James’ mother, a conservative Redfern is named Madder (a plant) and called Maddy. His father, from a less prestigious and more liberal line, the Rasmussens, is named Jasper, which just happens to be a mineral, but is also an ordinary human name.

I figured this much out for SECRET VAMPIRE. But if you look at them, in square C-17 of Version 1 of the family tree, they are a tiny island, with very little importance.

I really began to take the family tree seriously with the next book, DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS. In that book, Ash Redfern’s sisters tell Mary-Lynnette, the heroine, about a very important (and still very much alive) lamia called Hunter Redfern, who established many of the rules for the Redferns and the other lamia after he came to be the most powerful vampire in the world, save one—and she was only a legend to most. Hunter Redfern had allied the two families, the Redferns and the Harmans, by getting a witch, Maeve Harman, to do a blood-tie ceremony with him, making the two families relatives after many millennia of separation. He did it because like the patriarchal chauvinist that he was, he wanted a son to succeed him,. His wife Modesty was dead, and he had only daughters: Garnet, Lily, and Dove (Quinn fans take note). Unfortunately, even after the ceremony, Maeve Harman had a girl: Roseclear Redfern Harman. So after that, all Harmans and Redferns—the crème de la crème of vampires and witches had a little of the other clan in them.

Finally, in SPELLBINDER, the heroine Thea Harman tells the story of Hecate and her two daughters and I had a family tree that spanned many thousands of years and a headache. After that I was careful that everyone fit somewhere into the family tree I had outlined, even Delos Redfern, Wild Power and vampire from BLACK DAWN had his own little kingdom. Even lost witches like Gillian Lennox (Harman) from DARK ANGEL and Iliana Harman from WITCHLIGHT had their places. And I noticed something interesting. All the protagonists in the Night World books were falling into the same vertical line: they were all related and they were all about the same age. They’re in red on the family tree that Usok so cleverly mapped onto a system of reference.

I hope to do the same thing for the shapeshifters, although information about them is much more sparse. STRANGE FATE will clear up much of that confusion, and at last there will be enough about werewolves and other ’shifters to put onto paper. Right now, most people know that Galen Drache of the First Family of the Shapeshifters, whose chosen shape is a leopard to match his soulmate Keller’s black panther, has a cousin named Kierlan Drache who also chose a shape in the large cat family. And if you look at the very bottom of Hecate’s family tree you’ll find the vampire who is also a witch, although he hasn’t cultivated his powers, Mal Redfern Harman. (Witches are matrilineal—they pass the name through the female line). They’re the two soulmates of the human girl Sarah Strange.

I’d like to thank Mr. Usok Choe for this magnificent rendition of the Harman/Redfern Family Tree. You could actually play a game on this board: give a letter and number and then someone would have to make up a story about a person in that square. Of course, you’d have to keep to the A, B, C, and Ds pretty much or allow descriptions to also be part of names.

By the way, please don’t keep asking when STRANGE FATE will come out. I appreciate your eagerness, but every time I answer an email or Forum query about it, it takes time, and, more important, concentration away from my working at the book. It literally sets me back a day for each query, because I can’t get back into Sarah’s mind. I’m writing as fast as I can. And don’t believe any release date unless it comes from me. Thank you very kindly.

Twelve Winners of Snowflake Stocking Contest

2011-12-03T21:51:18-08:00

Well, earlier today emails have been sent and now I am posting the names of the winners of the Snowflake Stocking Contest here. (Thank you so much, those of you who sent me get well messages. I have seldom felt as unwell as I did yesterday and the night before.).

I would seriously advise anyone who entered this contest to be checking their spam or junk mail folders, just in case your email from me got misfiled. Also, of course, you can view this blog. In this case, there is a particular hurry because in only TWENTY-FOUR HOURS if you do not write to me at info@ljanesmith.net and under subject field write CONGRATULATIONS! you will forfeit your prize and I will have the attorney draw another name. But please be quick, because the holidays will soon be here!

Congratulations to the following winners. I am printing full names here, just so you’re certain it’s you! :)

Rosa Sawyers, Brighton – GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Nicole Pruitt, Sacramento
Dominika Warecka, Southhaven
Prianka Gunaratnam, Sydney
Julie Cole, Lakeside
Christine M. Gorman, White Plains
Maria Vasquez, Sacramento
Elaine Tan, Selangor Darul Ehsan
Hayley Fountain, Benton
Drew Lawrence, Capetown
Catherine Ott, Burton
Emily Chui, Monterey Park

Once again, congratulations and happy, happy holidays! AND GET BACK TO ME QUICKLY!

IMPORTANT!!
DO NOT FORGET TO SEND IN AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT EMAIL BACK TO INFO@LJANESMITH.NET
YOU MUST INCLUDE FOLLOWING TEXT UNDER THE SUBJECT FIELD OF YOUR EMAIL: CONGRATULATIONS

A few days ago I put a signature on my Forum messages.

2011-11-30T20:59:20-08:00

A few days ago I put a signature on my Forum messages. It was one I’d heard a long time ago and that had made a great impression on me. Attributed to many different people, it may have been said by Plato and goes more or less like this, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.”

At first, I think I just read it, thought “pop psychology” and started to read on—and then alarm bells (or alarum bells, as my beloved J.R.R. Tolkien would have it)—started to go off in my head. Great battle? What great battle? Of course, I was fighting a few great battles, but surely not everybody. . . .

Then I thought back to my adolescence, when I was fighting battles on every front, and so was everybody else I knew. The battle just to try to be myself, for one thing. The battle to deal with some fairly terrible stuff in my life. And I was living in America . . . in California, for goodness sake. What would a girl my age be doing in a poorer, less developed country? Carrying water—if there was drinkable water—and trying to make enough food for one to stretch into eight portions?

I thought of my father who has terrible pain in his back, undoubtedly brought on by the football scholarship that sent him to college . . . of an aunt whose mother had just died . . . of a friend who was always cheerful, and always kind. And a sort of ping went off in my brain, because this ever-cheerful friend had done a wonderfully kind thing for me, and . . . I want to pass it on. There can never be too much kindness in this world.

Christina, which I will use as an alias for the cheerful friend, had given me a wonderful gift, one that can help me at any time of day or night when I might feel in need of a little kindness. She’d given me a jar of KindNotes, which can be found at www.KindNotes.com and bears the logo “Send a smile each day.” It was a lovely jar, filled with miniature envelopes, inside of which is tucked a message. If you like, you can write write all thirty two messages by yourself—and this is what Christi—I mean Christina did. The site even has suggestions for what sort of things to say.

Everything about the gift is customizable, so you can give your pink-loving friend pink stuffing under her notes and cherry blossom envelopes. But most important is that you can say things that you might not want to say aloud, like “You’re the best Mom in the world and I’m sorry about breaking your vase!” or “You sure looked good in your little black dress last Saturday.” They can be as generic or as intimate as you like—and this gift keeps on giving. If the person you give the jar to has moderate patience, it can take weeks or even months before she or he opens that last note.

Such a simple idea—why didn’t anybody think of it before? We can be kind to others when we see that they are fighting a great battle, whether it’s being treated unfairly by their boss, or just generally grieving over the many, many injustices in life. And of course if you’re not the writer-type, or worry that your special honey will think you aren’t, you can just send a preprinted jar of cheery quotes. There’s something about actually reaching in and picking out an envelope, opening it, and reading it, that makes it different from inspiring messages in books or on billboards. There’s a tactile sense that is satisfied, sort of like getting your first much-folded love note times thirty-two!

And no, there’s nothing in it for me for this free endorsement of a product I find have just discovered. I would never do that. And, yes, if you are creative you can do this whole thing from scratch, using a large jam jar and just folding the messages for your giftee. But, yes, I have already placed and paid for my Christmas order for notes for people I want to be kind to. I like the look of the notes, the customizability of the filling and envelopes, and the friendliness and helpfulness of the people in the online store.

Now I know that everyone I meet is fighting a great battle. And I’ve decided that I would like to cheer some of them on. As a militant idealist, it’s my sworn duty to add a touch of kindness to this world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T15:58:23-08:00

I know this may be a little late, but I just wanted to wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving! I want to give thanks for each and every one of you, for guests and for forum members, for fans of every kind of book I’ve written, and for the wonderful people who have written me back to say that they’ve enjoyed my work. You are the reason that I write, and without you I would be back to making up stories in my head. I have so many things to be thankful for this year—new friends, a wonderful Administrator, but without all of you readers I couldn’t afford to keep up a site to thank you with. Each person who reads or recommends a book of mine does me an incredible favor. So I have for you the warmest of holiday wishes, and the most sincere gratitude. I’m having a “working Thanksgiving”—a turkey sandwich and as much writing as I can do (with a little stocking stuffing on the side.) But I hope everyone else is having a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving dinner, with the dish of their choice on the table and their family bringing warm smiles to their faces. If you haven’t yet joined the Forum, this would be a great time to do so, post a message, and be in the running for Bonnie’s Opal Ring. And if you haven’t entered the Snowflake Stocking Contest, you’re missing out on what could be a whole lot of fun. In any case, my warmest wishes to you all. Happy happy day!

Book of Shadows Contest Winners.

2011-09-20T19:39:42-07:00

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I am extremely pleased to announce the winners of the Cassie's Book of Shadow Contest, and to ask for Ashley Bredon, who won a Book of Shadows and a pen in the contest, contact me to let me know if she realizes she's won. We also had a no-show Grand Prize Winner (please, people, if you enter, remember to check your emails if you want to collect your prize).

The new Grand Prize Winner is Tera H. of Wichita, Kansas, and her essay answer to the question of "Who does Cassie belong With” was this:

I have always believed Cassie should end up with Nick. I was in love with him from the moment he saved Cassie from the Henderson brothers in the hallway, and my affection never wavered. Two things make me think Nick is ideal for Cassie. First, he recognizes her strength and integrity before almost everyone else does (excluding Diana). At the same time, he respects her gentleness and loving nature. Cassie deserves someone who so unwaveringly sees the best in her, and unabashedly affirms it. Second, Cassie and Nick each make the other better. Nick’s acknowledgment and support of Cassie’s strength and courage allow her to challenge herself and face her fears. Cassie, seeing herself through Nick’s eyes, is able to understand herself differently. In return, Cassie deeply changes Nick. At the beginning of the books, his innate bravery and truthfulness have made him distant and hard, and Cassie shows him that you don’t need to be unloving or angry to be strong. (Also, I'm a sucker for mahogany-brown eyes!)

I think she has some very valid points that I've explored in my own mind, especially in one scenario in which Nick pushes Adam out of the way of a truck too heavy for the fragile old New Salem bridges, and by doing so, both saves Adam's life and nearly dies himself. It's while he's floating on the brink of death, connected to a dozen machines in the hospital that the Circle does a ceremony with Cassie as leader, to try to drag him back from the rising waters of Death. To do so, Cassie uses the chalcedony rose that is the symbol of the love between her and Adam, and when Nick, still in the dark rising water, sees it, he believes that it symbolizes the fact that Cassie had given Adam up and brought the rose to him. Believing this, he returns with Cassie to life, even those those mahogany brown eyes Tera loves are blind now. When Cassie realizes his mistake she doesn't know what to do or who needs her most, and, characteristically, she and Adam decide she should go with Nick. But that's not the end of my musings, by a long shot.

Ahem! Some comments from the other winners of a Tiffany's platinum embossed Book of Shadows are:

Jennifer M, of Cincinnati, OH who says,

"I was extremely excited when I signed in to my email and saw the Congratulations email! I couldn't believe it at first. Thank you for the years of enjoyment your books have brought me and people across the world! I can't wait for the show! Again, Thank you!"

Fiona H., of Burlingame CA, who says

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!"

Hannan A., of Ahwatukee, AR, who says

"Omg thank you so much this totally made my night. I can't believe I won."

Emma S. of Calabasas, CA, who says

"Thank you sooooo much!!!! I'm so happy!!! I really wanted to win this thing!!!! I was at a sleep over and I wanted to check my email and I saw this!!!! Love you so so much!! I think I'm dreaming!!!"

Thank you to all who entered this contest! The new contest will be announced next week, and I, personally, would love to have one. In fact, I do have one! I couldn't pass it up. Thanks once more for all who took part in the Cassie's Book of Shadows contest, and to all those who gave intriguing, original, answers to the essay question. To the winners: I will try to mail your prizes this weekend. If you prize does not arrive within eight weeks, please write to me with the subject LOST PRIZE. Thanks!

BTW, Victor is settling in marvelously. He is such a good dog on leash and so funny and puppy-like when he is taken off and given the "Okay" command. Besides being the most gorgeous yellow lab a mother has ever loved . . . well, maybe I'm a little prejudiced. But he really is a sweetie and he says hello to all.

LINK TO "BOOK OF SHADOWS CONTEST" >>

To Explain Those Customs Forms...

2011-08-25T17:44:23-07:00

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You know, I was thinking that I'd recently referred to how hard it was to fill out a certain customs form, but that I hadn't EXPLAINED why this was so difficult. And in this case, with a worldwide audience, the explanation can be really important.

It's not that I freeze up on forms. I usually have no trouble. But there are a few countries where the U.S. Customs Form is just not built to accomodate the country's address to which I'm trying to send a package..

Or maybe it's me.

Most customs forms have you fill out something like name, street address, appartment address (if any), county (if any), city, zip code or country code (or these could go after a country) and finally country.

But some aren't like that. Some are built to haunt my nightmares.

And, of course, if you think you're going to get any help from the person at the Post Office, you're dreaming. The employeees are only there to say "I have absolutely no idea what to do about your problem. Next!"

I've also tried to use UPS or FedEx to help me with the really difficult ones, but so far no luck. That's when I really start to frustrated. I've already described what a US Customs form looks like, all right? But now I want to send some books to Hungary. And I don't speak ANY Hungarian, and the fans to whom I want to send the books know very little English, and, well what I what we get is this:

To: LJ Smith
Subject: Re: Hungary Book Fanatics

Hi.
The full address.:
HungaryKomárom Esztergom Megye2800 TatabányaGál István LTP 714 FSZ/2(Name)Tóth Gyula Many thanks to the books. Will be a good place.
Regards.:

As you may have noticed, instead of last the country comes first. As for what part of the rest is a street address and what is a zip code or county code or anything like that . . . well, I have no idea. Oh, I've guessed that Tóth Gyula is the name of the person to send the books to. But beyond that, I'm lost.

So if some nice Hungarian would like to explain to me which goes in the CITY part of a US Customs form and which part goes in the STREET part, it would be very helpful. (Especially since The Hungary Book Fanarics and I have gone over it about four times, with me receiving about the same thing each time.

And I am, I believe, part Hungarian on my mother's side. Very, very sad indeed.

And the Prize Goes To...

2011-08-12T07:00:00-07:00

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The Grand Prize Winner of the SECRET CIRCLE CONTEST is
Marisa Vanzant, who began by just being an autographed book winner but was randomly chosen from among the book winners when the original Grand Prize Winner didn’t check in within a week (and still hasn’t.) She says:

"Wow. I thought I was lucky when I found out I'd won the autographed book, and now I'm the Grand Prize Winner. This is so unreal, and so amazing that I would be chosen out of thousands of entries were submitted. Two of my favorite things ever are stories and accessories. Now I've won both of them from my favorite author! This prize is absolutely perfect! I've hardly ever won anything in my life (I'm 16), let alone anything good, or nearly as good as this. I would like to thank L. J. Smith for not only this wonderful prize, but also the wonderful stories she has created. I love every one."

Before announcing the winners of the ASPIRING AUTHOR’S CONTEST, I’d like to quote some lines from Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten”—a song that would have been most appropriate to give when the contest started, but what the heck. Here’s to each and every one of the nearly one hundred contestants who entered this competition. You are each a winner in that you’ve completed a book—some at the tender age of twelve or thirteen. And as for the rest, who are still working on their manuscripts, here are the words in “Unwritten” that touched me.

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned.

No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins!
The rest is still unwritten . . .

The two winners of the ASPIRING AUTHOR’S CONTEST are Christina Strobel, for her supernatural page-turner, TAKEN, and Becca Reed for her devilishly delicious THE GAME OF SIN. They each won an editing and query letter from Scribendi.

If you didn’t win this time, don’t fret—I promise to have another competition like this again in the not-too-distant future. And I want to whip something together with Figment.com as well—a contest for poetry or short stories, perhaps. Let me know if you would like something of the kind.

Cassie's Book of Shadows Contest Updated!

2011-08-01T14:55:58-07:00

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I think my brain has taken a vacation recently. Be that as it may, I'd like to add that the CASSIE'S BOOK OF SHADOWS CONTEST is undergoing some radical changes. For instance, the first question is now:

1.WHAT ARE THE NAMES OF ALL THE COVEN MEMBERS AT THE END OF THE SECRET CIRCLE, OMNIBUS BOOK ONE? FIRST NAMES ONLY FOR THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE LAST NAMES YET, PLEASE.

Actually there's something that didn't get into the books. Melanie goes by her mother's maiden name, so either just her first name or her mother's maiden name is correct.

Oh, yes, and you can enter as many times as you like, provided the entries are not exactly identical for all questions.

Also, there is a big change in the Grand Prize. Since everyone who lives by the sea like Cassie should have a suitable treasure to guard, the Grand Prize now includes classic Pearls by the Yard by that peerless Tiffany's designeer, Elsa Peretti. This includes the gorgeous Pearls by the Yard sprinkle necklace and the stunning Pearls by the Yard drop earrings, in palest pink.

And there's more. Witches, unlike royalty, do carry money, and they're proud to carry it in a Tiffany's City Clutch wallet, in--what else?--platinum grain leather, with a turn lock closure, accents in Tiffany blue. This invaluable item with its many inside compartments, is made in Italy and is the height of chic for the elegant twenty-first century charmer.

Together, this adds another $2,000 plus to the Grand Prize, making it the biggest in history: over $3,500.

And now to the HARD PART.

As regards the last question,

5. WHO DOES CASSIE REALLY BELONG WITH? GIVE HIS (OR HER) FULL NAME AND YOUR REASONS AS TO WHY.

I want your opinion and your own opinion only. I don't want to be told that Cassie belongs to someone although you'd rather see her with someone else. I want you to tell me why YOU think she'd be better off with whomever you like. You've got to have some reason, even if it's purely emotional. You can pair her with anyone, villain, Outsider, Circle member, or witch hunter. I don't mind, as long as you have an interesting reason. Remember: points for originality and interest. Also, the comparison between Elena and Damon has been made for Cassie and one character--but Cassie is definitely nothing like Elena, so please give me a better reason for your preference than a comparison to Vampire Diaries books.

Oh, yes, and the MASTER TOOLS are all three things the Secret Circle leader wears. That should be a big help with this question.

I'm hoping the Administrator will put up pictures of the new items soon. They're all quite stunning.

One final thought--if you're a writer and you still haven't checked out Figment.com. I have my profile up there, and I already have a bunch of ten figs to read and critique. As for the Aspiring Author's Contest, the winner will be announced any day now. I have finished reading manuscripts in the Aspiring Aauthor's Contest, and have decided upon the winners. (Yes it's a tie, and both winners will receive the full prize of a free editing or manuscript proofreading at Scribendi). But Figment.com is free, and if you store your writings there--and they need not be complete stories or books--you can get feedback from other aspiring authors as well as publsihed ones.

That's all for today. The best of luck in CASSIE'S BOOK OF SHADOW CONTEST!

First, Second and Third

2011-07-25T22:54:57-07:00

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First, the Aspiring Author’s Contest was incredibly successful. I believe that there were about a hundred entries, many on the last two days of the contest. I still have a few more manuscript chapters to read, but when I have finished, I will announce the list of the winners, and email them with the news.

If you don’t win (or even if you do), and you want a try at getting a critique of your manuscript, you might check out Figment.com which is “a community where you can share your writing, connect with other readers, and discover new stories and authors.” I am joining myself, and will be looking over ten manuscripts from Figment starting later in the week. I am also adding it to the links from this site. (Permanent Link at 'Links / Publishers & Friends')

Second, in case you missed the announcement, all the Midnight Jewel Boxes were mailed last Saturday. If you don’t receive on in three weeks or so, email me MISSING JEWEL BOX (unless you are out of the USA, in which case please wait five weeks.)

Third, here is part of an email I sent to a fan who had a question for me.

If you desperately need a wicked vampire fix right now, try one of these Night World books by me: Night World 1: Secret Vampire (James & Ash), and Daughters of Darkness (Ash & Quinn); Night World 2: The Chosen (Quinn & Hunter Redfern and friends), and Soulmate (Thierry); or Night World 3: Huntress (Morgead and his street gang), and Black Dawn (Delos, Hunter Redfern, etc.).

There are also some very popular heroines here: Poppy (Secret Vampire), Mary-Lynnette (Daughters of Darkness), Hannah (Soulmate), Rashel (The Chosen), and Jez (Huntress).

If you want a very wicked magickal guy madly in love with a human girl, and determined to make her his, try The Forbidden Game. If you liked Damon and his obsession for Elena, you’ll like gorgeous Julian and his obsession for Jenny, guaranteed. Warning: this trilogy-in-one-book is a bit adult and addictive. And, yes, I am planning on a sequel.

If you want a different kind of vampire, one that feeds on life energy without spilling blood, but does it pretty much the same way as any vampire in bloodlust, try Gabriel the delinquent, fresh out of solitary and thrown into telepathic Kaitlyn’s way in Dark Visions. If you like Bonnie’s powers, you’ll like Kaitlyn’s. Debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

If you like the relationship between Stefan and Damon, try Adam and Nick in The Secret Circle. They both love Cassie, the gentle heroine, but their approaches are very different. This trilogy-in-two-books-now is the one that the CW picked up, and that will debut this fall. Kevin Williamson wrote the pilot.

Thank you again for caring about which books are written by me, as opposed to others.

~ Lisa

The End of the Aspiring Author’s Contest

2011-07-14T07:00:00-07:00

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End of day today, July 15, 2011, marks the close of entries for the Aspiring Author’s Contest. If you haven’t sent your manuscript yet, please don’t send me an unfinished version of it—I’ll undoubtedly have another of these contests sometime, and there are other contests which you can hunt down using Google.

What I have found, in reading the entries so far, is that it is incredibly difficult to judge a contest like this. I constantly feel as if I am comparing mangos to papayas, or sports cars to diamonds. For one thing, I have received a huge inundation of manuscripts; many, many more than I expected, for a target audience of middle-grade to YA to adult, from authors in their mid-teens to their fifty-somethings, from countries from Australia to the United Kingdom to Egypt.

Also, in the last couple of days I've received approximately fifteen new entries. As you may already have read, I have a lot going on right now: professionally, medically, and personally. It’s going to take a while to read these entries and compare them to the ones that have come before. I thank you in advance for your patience.

You know, I really wish I had the resources, the time and money, to get every manuscript that I got a glimpse of edited. In fact, I’d like to line edit at least the sample pages from each book myself. I found that every single entry I read had merit and deserved to have the chance to be published. But what I have to do is to find the one manuscript that can benefit the most from what the editing or manuscript proofing at Scribendi has to offer. Or maybe the two manuscripts—this contest might end in a tie.

In any case, I would like to thank each one of the authors who sent me pages from their books. It has been an amazing experience. I am especially astonished at how young some of you writers are, who have finished a complete book and be working on the sequel while still in your mid-teens.

It’s been a privilege and an honor to read them! Watch this page and also on the Contest page for the results of the Aspiring Author’s Contest.

~ Lisa

New Rule for the Aspiring Author's Contest

2011-06-21T21:07:59-07:00

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See the next paragraph for the new rule. If you have already submitted chapters, don't worry about it. This is a contest for hitherto unpublished authors who have had trouble finding an agent, trouble making it out of the slush pile, or who have completed a manuscript and have published it themself as an e-book on Amazon. But let me write it out in the manner of our tireless and spirited Administrator (who has just become a Double World Champion of Taekwondo, and who deserves some serious respect for this amazing achievement!)

WHO CAN ENTER:
Any hitherto UNPUBLIISHED writer who has a COMPLETED (and that means finished, even if the ending is a cliffhanger and you plan to write, or have written, a sequel.) You must also be willing to email me (HERE'S THE NEW REQUIREMENT!) THE FIRST 50 PAGES and the last chapter of your book, along with with a word count, and a working title for your book. You must also want either

(1) a third-party complete editing of your book, complete with comments on the suggested changes, or
(2) a manuscript proofreading of your book, which means you're happy with everything in your book except all those little grammatical errors, like "Did they bring there bathing suits." She said. which would have the suggestion "Did they bring their bathing suits?" she asked. inserted beside it (with both options, you also get a clean copy with only the corrected manuscript.)

WHY ONLY COMPLETED MANUSCRIPTS?
Partly because this shows the dedication and work you've been willing to put into yout book. Also, because the third-party editing service that I have chosen, Scribendi, offers different packages of services depending on word count, and I am willing to take a book up to 65,000 words, which will cost just over a thousand dollars. It would be silly to waste this on a book only four chapters long.

HOW IS THE WINNER CHOSEN?
The winner will be chosen by me, after I read all the chapters sent to me by the date of the contest's end (see below). My decision is final.

CAN SHORT STORIES, NOVELLAS, NON-FICTION, OR FANFIC BE ENTERED?
Short stories, no, for the same reason as unfinished manuscripts. Novellas, yes, as long as the characters, plot, setting and characters are your own. Nonfiction, yes, but I warn you I may not be as interested in the Life Cycle of the Pork Tapeworm as you are. Fanfiction, no--but then you already knew that, didn't you? Maybe sometime we'll have a fanfic contest.

HOW DO YOU ENTER THE CONTEST?
Only one very simple way. You send the first three chapters (or if it doesn't have chapters the first 50 pages) and the last chapter (or last 15 pages) of your manuscript to info@ljanesmith.net. Please send as a Word doc, docx, or pdf attached to your email. The subject of the email should be ASPIRING AUTHOR'S CONTEST. Also please remember to include a word count of the completed manuscript--and a brief. synopsis in the email body wouldn't hurt. I will then email the winners, and we'll discuss which kind of service your manuscript needs--and you desire.

WHAT IS THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES?
If you have a completed manuscript, please send it ASAP. The contest deadline is July 15, so if you're just finishing a book right now, please scramble!

WILL THIS PROCESS GUARANTEE YOU AN AGENT OR PUBLISHER?
No, but it will, fingers crossed, be a big help in getting one. I may even choose to personally endorse your book, which should be worth a cookie.

GOOD LUCK IN THE ASPIRING AUTHOR'S CONTEST! MAY YOUR BOOK BE A RUNAWAY BESTSELLER!!!

Winners of the Midnight Jewel Box Contest

2011-06-15T20:00:00-07:00

Untitled document

Let me add here that a new box has come in: the “Violetta.” If violet is your favorite color you might consider it. (I have two in stock.) It is about the color of the flower necklace. That makes TEN jewel boxes all together.

Please, please follow the instructions given here exactly.

Below are the winners of the Midnight Jewel Box Contest. If they would be so kind, I would like them to RATE THE BOXES in a LIST just like this, from

1.    (the jewel box you like most) to
2.    (the jewel box you like second best) to
3.    (the jewel box you like third best) . . . all the way up to 10
10. (the jewel box you like least)

If you mouse over the line of pictures of jewel boxes, you can see their names. Also, please note that the wedding carriage box is shown open and closed and the Violetta is not pictured. THAT MAKES TEN BOXES IN ALL. If you think you’re lucky, you can send in fewer choices, but you risk getting a box not on your list at all.

Please make the list with numbers and one box to a line (like mine) for easy reference. I will do my very best to see that everyone gets an item as high on their list as possible, depending on when I receive their email.

All right, here are the ten winners:

Kiki L. of Miami Florida
Samantha M. of Laurel, MD
Kareemah B. of Mississauga, Canada
Amy S. of Glasgow, Scotland
Kari P. of Kalispell, Montana
Avni A. of Atlanta, GA
Mary O'Keeffe of Dublin, Ireland
Angelica Molina of Chicago, Illinois
Tatiana Lammers of Pacific Grove, California
Christina H. of Laramie, Wyoming

GOOD LUCK! Lisa ♥

You Might Take a Moment and Think . . .

2011-06-02T19:09:57-07:00

. . . about which of the Midnight Jewel Boxes you like best, and second best, and third best, etc.. You can just click on the little pictures to see the names of the boxes. The reason you might want to do this is that on June 15, at some hour unknown even to me at this point, the winners (both USA and foreign) will be notified in this blog, and possibly elsewhere (I'll make it clearer than mud come the day).. If you happen to see your name and the location you've used to identify yourself (like "Emma who lives under the Troll bridge") then you'll want to send an email to me as soon as possible. But, to try to please the most people the best I can, I am giving instructions to the winners to write down their first choice, second choice, third choice, etc. But if this is the first time you've ever been able to sit down and look at the boxes and their names, and you try to pick just one or two choices while you're flummoxed, then somebody else might get in ahead of you. I don't want to be emailing back and forth all day, so in order to get your Midnight Jewel Box--and the Tiffany Flower necklace and the autographed copy of Midnight--that go with it if you are the first person to get their email to me--I am making this part of the contest rules. If you win, you must email me a list that looks roughly like the one below (In other words. NOT ALL ON ONE LINE)--but of course with your own choices in it:

(EXAMPLE)

1. Wedding Carriage
2. Music of the Night
3. Crown
4. Violetta, etc all the way to
10.

And, by the way, we do actually have a tenth box that never made it into pictures. It is pale violet in color, bejewelled as for a princess, and I call it "The Violetta" because I also never saw a name for it. Remember as you look at the boxes, that there are two, open and closed, for the Wedding Carriage, but both are views of one carriage. I also have more than one of some of the boxes.

If you have a list done ahead of time then you won't have to worry about doing it at the last minute when, to your astonishment, you see your name here with the other winners.. You know all Oscar nominees have a Thank You note just hidden somewhere. There are only ten winners--but one might be you! Again, this contest is open to all countries, but if the taxes or customs your country imposes are your business.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

And what my last blog cut me off from saying-- that my readers are the most precious things in the world to me, and that I love each of you and that nothing makes me more proud than your loyalty. (One reader had a question about this.) You girls, guys, women--and, yes, some men--are the best!!

Just Some Random Thoughts

2011-05-25T04:15:32-07:00

Today (well, tonight) a fan wrote to me. She said, more or less, "Is Elena going to become a vampire again? I'd really like that. Could you tell the ghostwriter to put it into her books?"

I may seriously lose my mind. I can't tell the ghostwriter anything. First, I'm not allowed to. Second, if I were allowed to speak to her, what would I say? I know who she is. I knew her before I chose her as the person to carry the series on after I had written either three or six more books, whatever it took to get to the endgame. When I first started writing the new Vampire Diaries trilogy that most people have read by now: Nightfall, Shadow Souls, and Midnight, she was my editor at Harper. Now, Alloy and whoever is making the decisions at HarperTeen have decided that not only may I not make suggestions to the ghostwriter, but that I may not see the manuscript until it is finished and I may not comment on it (except to empty air) at that point.

From them, I understand it. But this woman had been my editor. We used to write cheery little notes to each other each week The Vampire Diaries was on the bestseller list. I used to call her my little bird caroling good news. And I picked her--I offered to make her a Bible of how the characters should be when I'd finished writing the books. But when the books were taken from me and given to her, she never emailed or called me to say, "Lisa, I'm sorry things turned out this way." Had our positions been reversed . . . well, as she knows better than anyone, I would have done more than email or call.

Do you know that The Vampire Diaries has been published in thirty-six (36) languages? And published in many more countries, because of course some countries share languages or publish in English, like India, because they have many dialects. I got a spreadsheet showing how the new trilogy, The Hunters, was already bought in so many places . . .

I want so badly to have input in the new books. And I'm completely shut out. Except for my name. My name will be on the covers, with a small "Created By" above it. And it will not be any part of my creation. After Phantom, which I did write, has been made unrecognizable.

Secret Circle TV Show News

2011-05-18T19:21:46-07:00

By Staff Writer: Jessica Sherman

The CW picked up The Secret Circle pilot for the upcoming season. The pilot was written by Kevin Williamson and Andrew Miller, who will also be executive producers for the show along with Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo from Alloy Entertainment. The pilot is shot in Vancouver with Liz Freidlander as director. The cast according to IMBD is set to include Britt Robertson (Life Unexpected) as Cassie Blake, and Thomas Dekker as Adam Conant. A full list of cast members and rumored cast members can be found on IMDB’s Secret Circle page.

As with any book going to the screen some characters are said to have been cut. Doug Henderson is still in limbo as he may or may not end up on the series. According to Zap2it “Chris (Doug's twin brother), Melanie, Laurel, Suzan, Sean and Deborah were all trimmed.” This may or may not be a permanent situation if the show makes it to series. I hate to see characters cut but it would seem The Secret Circle will be following the books a bit more closely then The Vampire Diaries TV show did.

Although the show will surely include a number of changes and variations from the books the pilot will be sticking to the main storyline about a shy girl (Cassie Blake) moving to her mother’s hometown in New Salem. After moving Cassie finds out that her new friends make up a coven of powerful witches and that she is in fact a witch too. The love story of Adam and Cassie is set to be a major theme in the show with Diana, Cassie’s new best friend and Adam’s actual girlfriend standing between the two.

In spite of working on both The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle shows, Kevin Williamson has stated that fans shouldn’t expect any crossover episodes between TSC and TVD. “Vampires and werewolves don't exist in the world of "The Secret Circle." At this early stage a lot can still change before fans ever see the pilot or episodes of the show. The good news is that The Secret Circle another of L.J. Smith’s best selling trilogies could soon be the hot new show on television. I for one am looking forward to the pilot and hope it makes it as a series. Congratulations to L.J. Smith for another hit story soon to be coming to life in our living rooms.

###

Winner of Commercial Contest!

2011-05-13T19:18:09-07:00

UPDATED 5/13/11:

Grand Prize Winner Says:

"Oh my gosh I can't believe it! I have never won anything EVER! First Thank you! Not just for choosing me, but for sharing your gift with all of your fans. I have been a Vampire Diaries fan since the beginning. You are the main source of my inspiration to write. I have read everything you have written and will continue to do so as long as you choose to write.

(You can use that for the quote if you would like :-) I am frankly just screaming my head off right now. Thank goodness my kids are at the grandparents!) "

-- Darlene G. of Bend, Oregon

Darlene is very kindly sharing her book autograph with her daughter Taryne, who also enjoys the series.

Thanks to all of my fans for participating in this contest.

Spot the Commercial!

2011-05-12T22:09:43-07:00

This is going to be brief, but sweet. I recently got confirmation from my agent that the commercial (I thihk it's going to be kind of a mini-comercial--anyway Those In The Know call it a call-out, not a commercial) for my last Vampire Diaries book Midnight will be on tonight.

Do people really watch commercials at all these days? I don't know. Maybe not.

Am I delighted that it will be on and natiowide, despite this? Definitely. My triumphant Primal Yawp when it was confirmed as nationwide defeaned all the neighbors and set their kids to barking and their dogs to crying. At last I will sort of in a non-material way almost rub shoulders with the biggies; Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, and, of course, Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, and Ian Somerhalder, my personal nomination for apotheosis of Damon Salvatore. (Apotheosis = best or most glorious example of something.)

Anyway, the call-out is supposed to be on. And so is the contest. Remember, due to time differences, the call-out will be on at different times depending where you live. It doesn't matter. Just address an email to info@ljanesmith.net, put in the subject field Midnight Commercial Contest and quote the first three words of the call-out in the body. Please don't make any snarky comments about the TV show or the call-out itself, because your email may mysteriously get lost on the way to the random drawing. (Not really, but don't do it anyway.) A very pretty Tiffany teardrop necklace (the teardrop, appropriately, is black onyx) goes to the randomly-drawn winner, along with an autographed copy of Midnight (and yeah, I just threw that in on an impulse. Why not?).

The contest ends at Midnight tonight, as is appropriate. The call-out is only for the USA, so I'm sorry to say that readers in other countries can't compete. But the Midnight Jewel Box Contest is still going strong, with its prize of gorgeous decorated boxes and another Tiffany necklace.

Good luck!

Everything and the Kitchen Sink

2011-05-01T17:53:13-07:00

First, I would like to say that the Winner of the Master Key Contest has been chosen and notified. As soon as she responds, I will be putting her name and comments up here, for those who want to read them. Since it was a little sad when I gathered the thousands upon thousands of entries, knowing that there could be only one winner, I decided that for the next contest, there will be ten winners, and eleven prizes, including a double Grand Prize.

Also, please, please read the other rules of the new contest. It is unlike any other that I have held, and it requires readers to be free on June 15, to pick their jewel box of choice, and--if they're fast enough--to win the Grand Prize.

There is one other thing I have noticed about the last contest. Despite my plea for readers NOT to put anything other than the old contest's full name (Master Key Contest) in the subject field, there are still people who put Contest or Key Contest or other variations. Needless to say, these entries were wasted.

TV Commercial for Midnight
I have good news, too! During the last episode of The Vampire Diaries TV show, on May 12, there would be a short commercial, or call-out, for Midnight! So don't change channels because even I have no idea where it will appear, except that the sponsors, Alloy Entertainment inc,. have assured my agent that it will not be in the finale after the end of the show. Be the first person to email me at info@ljanesmith.net with the first three words of the call-out, and you will get a $600 gorgeous onyx teardrop necklace from Tiffany's. Please type: Midnight Commercial Contest, in the eMail's Subject field. NEW RULES: Since I didn't take into account the fact that the Vampire Diaries TV show will be shown at different times throughout the USA, there are new rules to govern this contest and they are listed below and also on the Home page. This is the first time I've ever had a commercial for a book on TV, so I'm very excited. Of course, if you just want to sit back and watch the show without interruption, do so. There are plenty of contests in the future.

Rules for Midnight Commercial Contest
Take note of the first three(3) words* spoken or written in the Midnight commercial and send that information to me, L. J. Smith. You have until Midnight of May 12th (PST) to send me your answers. I will randomly select a winner and post the result here in my Blog the next day. The prize is a beautiful Tiffany Onyx Teardrop Pendant.

Put Midnight Commercial Contest in the subject field of an email then send to info@ljanesmith.net
Correctly write the first three(3) words of the commercial in correct order within the body of the eMail.
Entry Deadline is: Midnight, May 12, 2011(PST)

*NOTE: L. J. Smith and her attorney would be the final judge of these three "words." Please check with your local TV listings for up to date viewing and scheduling information.

Strange Fate
Finally . . . Strange Fate. I have said this before, but I will say it again now. Do not believe any sources that give an alleged publication date, except those on this site. I am still writing Strange Fate now, and doing it as fast as I can , , , but, as the last epic saga of the Night World series, it isn't something I can just whip up without much thought and hard work. It is very important to me to get this book right, and I really am working hard on it. I'm terribly sorry if anyone saw a publication date saying it would be out by now. I don't know why anyone would write that.

Just a reminder . . .

2011-04-04T15:53:07-07:00

This is going to be quite short and sweet. First, Midnight came out as Number Four in Publisher's Weekly, which is excellent considering that all children's books were being considered. So thank you once again, and I won't bore you with any more news of this sort.

Second, the one list that was destroyed and could not be reconstructed in my Outlook program was that of people who won the "Name for the next Arc" of The Vampire Diaries (and the name chosen was The Hunters). If you won this contest and asked that your autographed book be Midnight, and you haven't already contacted me to give me your address again, please do so now. Thanks to Alyssa and Eveline for doing this spontaneously.

Next, and I don't know if this will really help or not--I am still getting "entries" for the Master Key Contest that have "Contest" or "Key" as their subject. Please, please, I can't write to each of you individually, so tell your friends and family and pets that these are not valid entries. They will end up with the C's or K's when I alphabetize my Outlook program to show the correct subject: Master Key Contest. You might as well not bother to enter if you are going to use a subject of "Contest." The rules are so simple that I'm having trouble understanding why a fraction of my wonderful, literate, considerate fan base is not taking this in. In any case, I won't be writing to anyone individually this time to warn them--I just don't have time.

To end on a cheerful note: you'll never guess what the next contest will bring as prizes. But it's something good!

Midnight Debuts on the Wall Street Journal

2011-03-28T17:48:48-07:00

Well, usually I’m the last to know anything about anything, even when I’m not frenetically busy. I’m not sure why . . . I think perhaps I’m on some separate loop from most of the rest of the world. But this time I have news that my younger readers may not even appreciate as much as they should. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll tell it like it was. I was busy writing Strange Fate Sunday night when I happened casually to check my messages and I saw that much earlier my agent had sent me a message with the subject “Wall Street Journal.” I was immediately intrigued. I opened it and saw:

"You probably know this already, but MIDNIGHT made its debut at #5 on the WSJ hardcover fiction list, right behind adult bestsellers James Patterson, Jodi Picoult, Clive Cussler, and mid-grade phenom, Jeff Kinney (whose new Wimpy Kid movie opened on Friday)."

That means that Midnight (I always feel embarrassed about using the proper way of rendering my own book titles: in all caps) is selling up there with books for grown-ups in a list that covered all hardback fiction books that are out right now in the USA! And you know who made that happen?

You did!

By buying Midnight in such great quantities, you made Midnight not just a YA/children’s book bestseller on the New York Times, but a bestseller that competes with adult books and books whose movies have just opened! And the Vampire Diaries TV show is only showing reruns!

Thank you! Thank you! I’m so very grateful to each and every one of you who chose to buy Midnight, which I wrote without knowing it would be the last Vampire Diaries novel I’d be allowed to write.

My agent also congratulated me, but I think the congratulations go to you. You could have closed your hearts and not bought the book, but you opened your hearts and bought it. And that put it in that place on the Wall Street Journal—and that made me one very happy writer! I had to spend some time in my exercise room after reading the message, because I couldn’t stay on my chair and I couldn’t call all my family and friends at . . . guess when I got the message my agent had sent so much earlier?

Midnight, of course!

Midnight and The Master Key Contest

2011-03-14T07:00:00-07:00

It’s past midnight, which means that it is officially March 14, the day before the day when Midnight is supposed to come out. I just wanted to mention that in a short while I will have a new contest up and that it is a remarkable one. It has only one prize but that is a genuine, large (2.25 inches) 18k gold Tiffany Key with three prominent diamonds to represent your favorite Vampire Diaries love triangle. In fact, this key is one of the Master Keys, that are so important throughout the latest trilogy. This contest will be open to everyone, in all countries, and the Master Key comes with a personalized autographed copy of Midnight.

I’d also like to thank everyone who has been concerned over my health. I don’t really know much more than I did the last time I wrote, as my doctor is on vacation. (Of all the times!) I’ll put an update here when I know something concrete.

In any case, I hope those of you who have not already read Midnight, or don’t know the entire story from spoilers, will enjoy it. Just one day more. :)

Some Unexpected and Unwelcome News

2011-03-07T23:06:41-08:00

I just want to let the Black Rose prize winners who have checked in so far (and, thank goodness, we’re now down to two no-shows) that I meant to mail their prizes on Saturday but didn’t. I hope to do it in the next couple of days. Buying a house can be quite frenetic, and sometimes I’m not good at multi-tasking.

I should probably also mention that today my doctor just served up a new slice of excitement in my life: apparently I have some major health issues to do with my innards. I asked him how concerned he was about them on a scale of one to ten and he said “A five.” That may sound comforting—at least it’s not an instant death sentence, but it was enough to turn me, a lily-livered coward, into a bleached-white-livered coward in one blow. And worst of all is that I have a sneaking suspicion that he was trying to reassure me.

So it’s off to the hospital for sonograms and x-rays, and various tests of my bodily fluids. I really, really hate this kind of thing. I think that instead of trying to cram the Meredith’s Sapphire and Diamond Necklace contest into the last week before Midnight comes out, that I will simply count down the days until, say March 17, when the book should be in all bookstores, and then start the biggest contest I’ve held yet to celebrate its advent.

So . . . a ten day countdown starting . . . right . . . now!

Thank you once again for your continued emotional support re Vampire Diaries. It’s appreciated now more than ever.

Update on Black Rose Contest!

2011-03-01T02:15:13-08:00

The winners of the Black Rose Contest have been chosen and informed of their prizes. Sandra C. of Gilbert, AZ (yes, Gilbert as in Elena Gilbert!) won the Grand Prize and says:THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'M SO EXCITED, I CAN'T STAND IT! I KEPT MY FINGERS CROSSED! IT WORKED!

However, to my great surprise, there are about four black rose winners who have not yet responded. If they still have not responded by this coming Monday, new winners will be chosen and informed. I've already tweeted for everyone who entered the contest to check their email to no avail. From the thousands of entries to this contest I suspect that there was some douible entering by using various email addresses. There also seem to be some entries from people who don't live in the USA (I'm reading through the many entries, slowly but surely--remember, I don't touch them until the winners are randomly drawn) so it's possible that some of these no-shows may actually not live in the USA, which prevents them from sending an address. In any case, I think a week's wait is fair enough, and should these winners answer their emails in the future, I have enough black roses to accommodate them.

Once again I would like to thank readers for their continued support and kindness re the future Vampire Diaries books. I am more grateful than I can easily express. And I'd once again like to remind everyone that Midnight comes out in the USA on March 15 . . . and that I wrote every word of it. I will never forget any of you who have helped me with emotional support at this time. I can't thank everyone individually, so if you don't receive an answer please understand that it's because I'm overwhelmed with emails and that I am also trying to write Strange Fate (a job that has, unsurprisingly, been made more difficult by my own self-doubts and troubled mind.) I'm praying very hard that I won't be thrown into writer's block again. Each of your kind emails are like stars in a dark sky, showing me my path and reminding me that I have the most loyal and eloquent readers in the world.

Brit Robertson in Secret Circle/ Paws 4 a Cause

2011-02-12T17:42:37-08:00

You undoubtedly knew before I did, but :

Life Unexpected star Britt Robertson is returning to the CW as the lead of drama pilot Secret Circle. Written by Andrew Miller and Kevin Williamson based on the book series from The Vampire Diaries author L.J. Smith, Secret Circle tells the story of a young woman (Robertson) who moves to a new town and discovers that not only is she a witch and part of a secret coven, but she’s also the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle of good versus evil. Robertson, repped by Innovative and Levine Okwu Erickson, is about to start shooting the feature The First Time.

Brit is a very pretty girl and I think she'll make a fine Cassie. She's blond, and I'm not sure how they''re going to distinguish her from Diana (but maybe Diana has already been cut from the story). I'd be rather sad about that. I'm very eager to see the script. In any case, things are getting interesting.

But let's not forget the latest cause. For anybody who hasn't seen it, Natalie Gould's is the Administrator for Paws 4 a Cause, which supports St Tammany's no-kill animal shelter and Ian Somerhalder's Humane Society, and she says:

“We successfully raised $11,100 for the 2010 birthday project and we were able to present Ian with the donation at a fundraising event for the shelter in November. Shortly after that event, I began working hard at the 2011 campaign.

“The stakes (pardon the pun ;)) are higher and we have a huge goal to reach this time around. We are aiming for $30,000 and are hoping to give St Tammany Humane Society 85% of the donations, while the remaining 15% goes to Ian Somerhalder Foundation.”

“Ian himself is fully aware of our efforts. He currently follows us on Twitter and for the month of February, we are a featured change campaign on his foundation's website.”

There is very little I hate more than to see an animal hurt or killed. And since the St Tammany Humane Society is devoted to the goals of true humanity—you can’t be a human and enjoy knowing how many laughing, panting dogs, and purring Jellicle cats get put to death just because nobody wants them, I hightailed it over to http://paws-4-a-cause.org, the Paws 4 a Cause website. They’re doing good work, necessary work.

And right now they’ve collected $8,200 for this year, “But,” as Natalie says, “as our goals [for 2011] are high, we have a long way to go before we reach it. . . . Ian’s birthday is on December 8th and we will be presenting his donation at Unleashed: Bash on the Bayou on November 12th in Covington, Louisiana."

I don't know about you, but I went for my pocketbook right away. You can send donations to:

St. Tammany Humane Society
Attn: Ian’s Birthday Project
20384 Harrison Ave.
Covington, LA 70433
United States

And you can include a short note to say that this is for Ian Somerhalder’s Birthday Project so they can advise her of receipt and she can add the amount to her current totals.

I have begun autographing booksets for Paws 4 a Cause, the proceeds of which go to St. Tammany’s and Ian’s Humane Society, and will put together some special “goodie baskets” with all sorts of autographed and hard-to-find merchandise. I’d also like to make my readers aware of this cause, which has a certain crazy yin/yang harmony about it: TV show/book series; Damon/protecting furry animals.

It sort of reminds me of a line in the first draft of Shadow Souls, when Stefan is ill from starvation, which had Damon surreptitiously hunting for his younger brother and being seen “heading for Stefan’s attic in the wee hours, with a bunny under each arm, his expression daring anyone to ask him about it.”

In any case, I invite all my dearest readers to visit http://paws-4-a-cause.org and maybe render some help to those who don’t have human voices to ask for it. This is really a matter of life or death for them.

Thank You But Don't Boycott

2011-02-09T13:00:52-08:00

First, I want to thank my readers for all their messages of support. I’ve gotten far too many emails to answer, and I really appreciate the kindness and emotional sustenance you’ve given to me at this difficult time.

Second, if you’ve asked me a question about the future books or the endgame of The Vampire Diaries and I’ve been vague about what’s in store, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize. I really wasn’t looking forward to the day when I would have to talk about this.

Third, and most importantly, I want to ask anyone who was thinking of it, not to boycott Harper’s or anyone. It just doesn’t make sense. Although I wanted and still want more than anything to be able to continue The Vampire Diaries series myself, there’s no point in not trying the new books. (And remember, for fans of Bonnie and Damon, and strict Stefan and Elena fans, the immediate dynamics may be more to your liking.) Besides which, Midnight, which is all mine, is coming out in March, and I believe there may be some of my writing in Phantom.

Thanks again to all the fans who have shown loving and loyal kindness to me.

Updated Blog of Many Things

2011-01-25T23:21:25-08:00

UPDATES!

Well, Pamela H. from Texas forfeited her Grand Prize Winner status by ignoring multiple emails (and tweets) about being the second Grand Prize Winner in the Cassie’s Unicorn Egg Contest, and therefore we have a new Grand Prize Winner: Janae K. from Goshen, Indiana. Janae has responded, writing:

"Wow I am just SSSSSOOOOOOOOO excited to have won this contest I was sitting and reading my E-Mails and screamed so loud my parents had to come check on me! hah"

So, as planned, I’ll mail out all the prizes including that second Unicorn Egg this weekend, if anyone in the USA does not get their prize within two or three weeks, please email me with LOST PRIZE in the subject field, and I’ll track your package down.

As for the Black Rose Contest, my fingers are sore from telling people that an entry with a subject of Contest is not going to be in with the B’s when I alphabetize the entries for the attorney to randomly select eleven. I have blogged about this before and I’ll say it now . . . but I’m not going to respond to any more entries with a subject of Contest. There are far too many of them, and I don’t know where they are coming from, since on my site the rules are perfectly clear. If I were someone who’d been on some other site and heard that Contest is a proper subject for an entry, I would be slightly irked at the people who had wasted my time. Please, please, Contest writers, read the rules. They are very simple and clear—and the majority of people have them down precisely.

And yes, I am very sorry that the Black Rose Contest is not open to people outside the USA. I’ll explain why again. It’s because the roses are so fragile that it is not likely that they would make it to another country. In addition, the cost of posting the rose would be almost as much as the rose itself. And, finally, it is because your own government might hit you with a gift or customs tax, which I would not be able to pay. Nevertheless, I am brainstorming ways of making black roses available to people outside the USA.

Next on the list of what please not to write to me about is “When is Strange Fate (or for the uninitiated Night World 4) coming out?” I don’t know when it will come out. I haven’t finished writing it. I thought I had finished a “Volume 1” of it years ago, and had 500 manuscript pages to prove it. But Simon & Schuster didn’t want to publish the work in two volumes, and my editor there had some very valid criticisms, with far-reaching effects. And then the whole subplot about the post-Apocalyptic world took on a life of its own, and I removed it so that it could be finished as a new, quite serious book, called Brionwy’s Lullabies. What I am substituting are dreams that the main character, Sarah Strange, has about other characters you’ve seen in the Night World series, starting with Poppy and James from Secret Vampire. And no, she won’t have a dream for each book, and they won’t be in order.

Finally on the Secret Circle TV series front, again I know nothing. Nothing, I swear. I was promised a look at the script but even that has not materialized—I’ve been asked to “wait a little longer.” Why? I have not the slightest idea. I am expecting the deal to fall through at any second. Which is either my typical cynicism or a gut feeling for this paricular venture.

Finally, on a more cheerful note, the acquisition of my dream house is proceeding apace. Today I found that the builder and owner is just as sweet and gentlemanly a guy as I thought he was: he agreed to all the amenments my own real estate attorney suggested without hesitating once. I’m still all aglow at the thought of landscaping the backyard with my very own puppy (yellow Labrador Retriever for preference, but I’ll take just about anything that grows into a big cute dog) romping around and chewing on the deck. Inside, I have an office for writing in, and another office for doing bills and looking efficient in (my writing room is anything but efficient looking.)

A final thought. Any of you who know much about me know that my favorite author is Sir Terry Pratchett, the second-most read author in the U.K.; the seventh most-read in the USA, and a gentleman of rare humor, compassion, and eloquence. And any of you who know much about this extraordinary man know that he has a nasty, early form of Alzheimer’s Disease. Yes, he is still writing books, but I know how I would feel in his position. I’d like to ask all the young people who may be reading this blog to give their parents, grandparents, or other older relatives a big hug and be very grateful if they don’t have some form of dementia. Be glad that you have them. Think about what it would be like if you didn’t. We all have things to be very grateful for that we take for granted. Until we lose them.

Of Contests, TV Shows, and Many Things

2011-01-25T00:36:11-08:00

Well, this is a first. Pamela H. from Texas has been given more than enough time to answer multiple emails about being the second Grand Prize Winner in the Cassie’s Unicorn Egg Contest, and therefore we have a new Grand Prize Winner: Janae Kline. Who has not responded for several days. If she doesn’t answer her congratulatory email soon, then I’m not sure what should happen. I don’t want to keep the book winners waiting any longer, so I suppose I’ll mail out all the prizes but that second Unicorn Egg this weekend, and keep randomly choosing names from the book winners until one responds. Let this be a lesson to those using multiple email addresses: don’t lose track of them or you might lose a Grand Prize.

Finally, on a more cheerful note, the acquisition of my dream house is proceeding apace. Today I get to hear what my real estate lawyer thinks about the contract, which looked to me to be pretty standard and utterly confusing. I’m hoping for good news. I’m all aglow at the thought of landscaping the backyard with my very own puppy (yellow Labrador Retriever for preference, but I’ll take just about anything that grows into a big cute dog) romping around and chewing on the deck. Inside, I have an office for writing in, and another office for doing bills and looking efficient in (my writing room is anything but efficient looking.)

Dedicated to Ms. Gillette and Her Class

2011-01-13T19:10:00-08:00

I bought a lovely necklace a few weeks ago, and met a lovely, charming woman who, like me, had been a teacher. She told me a wonderful thing: that her daughter, Ms. Gillette, a teacher also, used The Vampire Diaries books to help encourage students to want to read. My heart melted like butter. I knew that some teachers I met in grad school or while teaching use my books, but not that this stranger was doing it as well.

I can’t tell you how many emails I have gotten that say, in essence, “I didn’t like to read before I found your books. Now I love reading and devour all sorts of books.” And each of these messages causes my heart to melt as well. (I’m not sure how it hardens up again, but it’s probably when I read a newspaper or even glance at the headlines on Yahoo or Google about the war, the economy, or other cheery subjects.)

But I want to dedicate today’s blog to Ms. Gillette, and all other teachers out there who are doing the same thing. To me, reading is an unparalleled pleasure, more fun than TV, movies or even texting my friends all day. I usually read several books at once: one for research for my own books, one new book for enlivening some of the short time when I’m not writing, one old and waterlogged book in the bathtub, and one book on my nightstand for reading before I go to sleep. (That is, for the few times that I actually go up to bed to sleep instead of falling unconscious upon my keyboard with visions of vampires dancing in my head.) `

Incidentally, my agent has indeed rustled up some news about the CW’s option on The Secret Circle. It seems that a script has been completed—and I will actually get to see it soon. I can’t divulge any details about it but frankly I’m thrilled to be allowed to see the script. I am still quite uncertain about the project’s completion: in this business it’s best not to get your heart set on something this early. I believed in the Vampire Diaries show the day the pilot appeared on TV—because I knew Mr. Williamson.

One more thing: I realize that everyone wants a black rose. But may I ask you to please, please read the contest rules. I am getting hundreds of entries with Contest!!! or some such in the subject line. These are wasted entries: they won’t be with the others that say BLACK ROSE CONTEST (or [BLACK ROSE CONTEST] or Black Rose Contest—all these are fine—when I alphabetize the entries to give to the attorney who randomly picks the winners.

Okay, and another thing. I am still desperately seeking the second Grand Prize Winner in the Cassie’s Unicorn Egg Contest. Pamela H. from Texas, check your email! In one more week, the Grand Prize will be awarded to one of the book winners!

The Results of Cassie's Unicorn Egg Contest

2011-01-08T15:20:04-08:00

Oops! This should say from 2011, but I can't fix it, so just assume I'm stupid. In any case, I am back from my holiday and I have news about many things, but the most important today is to note that the Cassie’s Unicorn Egg Contest is now closed.

The winners of both autographed Secret Circlebooks and the two Grand Prize Winners, who won the two exquisite Unicorn Eggs have been notified, and will, I hope, send me their addresses. I also hope the Grand Prize Winners find the sparkling Unicorns and the beautiful gold and white “shells” of their eggs as delightful as I do.

My sincere thanks to everyone who entered this contest, and to everyone who wrote that they would like to see a sequel to the Secret Circlebooks. For those of you who haven’t seen the news about it, that Secret Circle novella blossomed into a potential full-sized book, so I am not putting it on the Internet anywhere, but am hoping to finish it so that everyone can read it.

If you didn’t win this time, well, the Black Rose contest is already up--and those roses are truly gorgeous, not to mention the autographs that go along with them. The golden Perfect Rose Grand Prize has to be seen to be believed . . . and one lucky winner will get both kinds of roses. I just have to give public thanks to my genius Administrator for his super work displaying the prizes!

Happy 2011 to all . . . March and The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Midnight is right around the corner

Post-Script: By the way, I don’t know a single thing about the progress or abortion of The Secret Circle option by the CW. Maybe my agent can find something out for me; if so I’ll blog it.