Lisa Jane Smith, known professionally as L. J. Smith, is an American author of
young-adult literature. Her books, which combine elements of the
genres of supernatural, horror, science fiction/fantasy, and romance, are
populated with apparently young human and supernatural characters locked in
dark vs. light, and good vs. evil conflicts. A dark antagonist typically
attempts to seduce a heroine into the darkness, and in some cases, is instead
reborn into the light. Her books, particularly The Vampire
Diaries and Night World, have been in the New York Times Bestselling and have
been nominated for Favorite Book awards. The Vampire Diaries and The Secret
Circle have both been adapted into TV shows.
Early life and education Smith is secretive about her age, but
multiple sources list her birthdate as September 4, 1961 in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida. She was raised in Anaheim, California, where she attended Juliette
Low Elementary School and Serrano Elementary, followed by Cerro Villa
Junior High School and Villa Park High School.
Before going to college, she moved to Goring-on-Thames, United Kingdom. She
attended Mills College for one year, then the University of California, Santa
Barbara, where she graduated with degrees in English and Physiological
Psychology. At the University of San Francisco she obtained a Master's degree
in Education both Regular and Special Education.
Smith began her career as an elementary school teacher, but left after 3 years
to pursue writing. She lives in Danville, California.
The character Meredith, in The Vampire Diaries series, is inspired by her niece
of the same name. She chose the setting of The Vampire Diaries in Virginia
because she has family there and was inspired by the small towns and
lifestyles. Career
Smith has said that she realized she wanted to be a writer sometime between
kindergarten and first grade, "when a teacher praised a horrible poem I'd
written", and she began writing in earnest in elementary school.
Her first book, The Night of the Solstice, written during high school and
college, was published by MacMillan in 1987, followed by Heart of Valor in
1990. They sold poorly, as they were labeled for 9 to 11-year-olds and not
for young adults, as Smith wanted. The Vampire Diaries series was
commissioned by Elise Donner, editor of Alloy Entertainment in 1990: Smith
immediately wrote the scene when Elena, Bonnie and Meredith are decorating the
gym and the heroine meets Damon, while, as for the other characters, she adapted
those of The Garden of Earthly Delights, an adult book she was writing.
Three trilogies followed: The Secret Circle, The Forbidden Game and Dark
Visions. The first installment of Night World series was published in 1996,
followed by eight more over the next two years.
In 1998, Smith began a decade-long hiatus from writing, returning in 2008
with a new website and a series of new short stories. The Vampire Diaries
series was reissued in 2007, followed by reprintings of The Secret Circle trilogy
and Night World series in 2008–2009. The Night of the Solstice and Heart of Valor
were also reissued in 2008. Three new Vampire Diaries installments were
published in 2009 and 2010. The series was later adapted into a TV series in
2009, as well as The Secret Circle, which became a TV series of the same
name in 2011. The final volume of The Vampire Diaries
written entirely by Smith was released in March 2011. Smith submitted a draft
of the next installment, but after a dispute regarding a pivotal plot twist,
her involvement was terminated by the publisher and the episode was revised by
a ghostwriter. Subsequent Vampire Diaries installments have also been
ghostwritten. She was also replaced on The Secret Circle series, by ghostwriter
Aubrey Clark. Bibliography
= Night World Series= Secret Vampire ISBN 0-340-69994-9
Daughters of Darkness ISBN 0-340-68982-X Spellbinder ISBN 978-0-671-55135-3
Dark Angel ISBN 0-671-55136-1 The Chosen ISBN 0-340-69003-8
Soulmate ISBN 0-340-69004-6 Huntress ISBN 0-340-70953-7
Black Dawn ISBN 0-340-70954-5 Witchlight ISBN 0-340-70955-3
Strange Fate Omnibuses
Night World: Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, Spellbinder" ISBN
978-1-41-697450-5 Night World: Dark Angel, The Chosen,
Soulmate ISBN 978-1-41-697451-2 Night World: Huntress, Black Dawn,
Witchlight ISBN 978-1-41-697452-9 Short Stories
Published on Lisa Jane Smith official website.
Thicker Than Water – Featuring Keller, Rashel, Galen and Quinn
Ash and Mary-Lynnette: Those Who Favor Fire
Jez and Morgead's Night Out = The Vampire Diaries Universe=
The Vampire Diaries Series The Awakening: Volume I ISBN
978-1-4449-0071-2 The Struggle: Volume II ISBN
978-0-06-199076-2 The Fury: Volume III ISBN
978-0-06-199077-9 Dark Reunion: Volume IV ISBN
0-06-105992-7 The Vampire Diaries: The Return Trilogy
The Return: Nightfall ISBN 9780061720802 The Return: Shadow Souls ISBN
978-0-06-172083-3 The Return: Midnight ISBN
978-0-06-172085-7 The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters Trilogy
The Hunters: Phantom The Hunters: Moonsong
The Hunters: Destiny Rising The Vampire Diaries: The Salvation
Trilogy The Salvation: Unseen
The Salvation: Unspoken The Salvation: Unmasked
Omnibuses The Awakening and The Struggle ISBN
978-1-41-782599-8 The Fury and Dark Reunion ISBN
978-0-06-114098-3 Short Stories
Published on Lisa Jane Smith's official website.
Matt and Elena – First Date Matt and Elena – Tenth Date: On Wickery
Pond Bonnie and Damon: After Hours
An Untold Tale: Blood Will Tell An Untold Tale: Elena's Christmas
Cuts from The Return: Shadow Souls Published on Lisa Jane Smith's official
website. Damon and Elena: Tumbleweeds
Dinner Disaster = The Secret Circle Series=
The Initiation ISBN 978-0-06-106712-9 The Captive ISBN 978-0-06-106715-0
The Power ISBN 978-0-06-106719-8 The Divide ISBN 978-0-06-213039-6
The Hunt ISBN 978-0-06-213042-6 The Temptation
Omnibuses The Initiation and The Captive Part I
ISBN 978-0-06-167085-5 The Captive Part II and The Power ISBN
978-0-06-167135-7 = The Forbidden Game Series=
The Hunter ISBN 978-0-671-87451-3 The Chase ISBN 978-0-671-87452-0
The Kill ISBN 978-0-671-87453-7 Rematch
Omnibus The Forbidden Game: The Hunter, The
Chase, The Kill ISBN 978-1-41-698940-0 = Dark Visions Series=
The Strange Power ISBN 978-0-671-87454-4 The Possessed ISBN 978-0-671-87455-1
The Passion ISBN 978-0-671-87456-8 Blindsight
Omnibus Dark Visions: The Strange Power, The
Possessed, The Passion ISBN 978-1-41-698956-1
= Wildworld Series= The Night of the Solstice ISBN
978-1-4169-9840-2 Heart of Valor ISBN 978-1-4169-9841-9
Mirrors of Heaven = Novels=
Eternity: A Vampire Love Story The Last Lullaby
References External links
L.J. Smith's Official Website L. J. Smith at the Internet Speculative
Fiction Database Ye Olde Blog by L.J.