Well, to do my webmaster justice, I shouldn’t have used the preliminary figures I gave out for our debut.  I’m happy to report that we actually had over 5,000 unique visitors, from 102 countries, with 33,000+ page visits.  I can’t say how delighted I am to welcome each of you.  And yet, there’s still so much I want to do with the website—if it wasn’t for that little thing called “writing for a living” I’d happily spend all my time pottering around here, because all the books I’ve already written are still alive to me. 

There is so much more about the Night World (so many of Hannah’s incarnations, the odd and, to me, rather poignant story of Ash’s repentance, the tale of Quinn’s love for Dove Redfern told in real time) and so many things about The Vampire Diaries  (Bonnie and Damon’s real first meeting, stories of the Dark Dimension, Sage and Damon’s bandit career, and more tales that I’d have to put huge spoilers in here to even name).  In my mind, the sequel to Dark Visions is clear (titled Blindsight), and clearer yet (since I’ve started to write  it) is the sequel to The Forbidden Game.  I even know exactly what I’d like to do with the never-written book to complete the Trilogy of Night of the Solstice and Heart of Valor.   But then new books nag at me, too.  Brionwy’s Lullabies, which took over Strange Fate so thoroughly that I had to make it a separate book.  Wanderer, which is my newest name for the story of Princess Aprit, who lives in a world of rather dark magic of its own.  And so many more.

But don’t worry—I have to finish the present Vampire Diaries books first.  And then Strange Fate.  I know this seems backwards, and I apologize to all who have been faithfully awaiting the tenth Night World book.  Again, it’s too complicated to explain how it all happened.

As for the agony and the ecstasy and the agony of the Secret Circle option, all I know so far is what’s out on Google.  And that means I don’t know anything at all.  (Except that some sweet fans are rooting for it.)  I’ll do my best to get more info, so that those who are rooting for it can let the CW know that they are.  That might do a spot of good.

And finally, to get round to what was supposed to be the point of this article, Happy Halloween!  I have been in such a crunch that I haven’t even carved a pumpkin yet or bought candy, but I do have a costume—a vampire cape, of course.  Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays and usually I do the whole shebang: scary music, flickering strobe light, several jack o’lanterns, spiced apple cider, and a friend or two to watch horror flicks from my video collection while we wait for the doorbell to ring.  One sad trend I saw last year was more and more kids coming costumeless.  Come on, kids!  Why should I just hand you a lethal amount of sugar if you don’t even bother to put on a silly hat?

Anyway, I hope that others who read this are prepared to enjoy Halloween, and that it’s ghoulishly delightful.  (It’s one of Damon’s favorite nights of the year, too, but of course when he rings the doorbell, it’s not a mini Hershey bar that he’s after.  He does the trick and you’re the treat.)  So be safe, Good Samhain, and Happy All Hallow’s Eve.