James Lipton and the Actors Studio did it for fun with the actors…..Now, I’m doing it for fun with the writers.
Mention the names Stefan and Damon Salvatore, and teenage girls (along with most middle-aged woman), will squeal in delight. But who’d have thought these two dreamy vampires were the creation of a kindergarten teacher.
Lisa Jane Smith, or L.J. Smith as she is known worldwide has had an amazing, if not strange route into writing.
While attending high school, L.J. wrote The Night of the Solstice, and in 1987, she passed the handwritten novel, which filled seven lined note books, to a first time agent who typed the scribbles into manuscript form and sold it to MacMillan.
Although it received good reviews, sales were poor. And in 1990, second book Heart of Valour was released.
The following year,
HarperPaperbacks released a novel, which would go on to become one of the 21st Century’s biggest paranormal hits. Four volumes of
The Vampire Diaries hit bookshelves in 1991
: The Awakening, The Struggle, The Fury, with
Dark Reunion released a year later in 1992. Immediately, the Salvatore brothers were instant hits
.
L.J. Smith followed this success with The Secret Circle triology, and Nine volumes of the ever popular NightWorld Series.
But in 2005, another vampire inspired novel hit bookshelves across the world, and within weeks of it’s release, Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight was number #5 on the NYT Bestsellers list.
Over the years, the success of Twilight has been clouded by much controversy, and it’s uncanny resemblence to The Vampire Diaries has fans asking ‘Did Meyer steal the story?’ L.J. Smith declines to comment.
In 2009, following
Twilight’s 2008 box office success,
The CW network released
The Vampire Diaries onto the TV screen. The pilot attacted the largest audience of any series premiere since the network began in 2006.
The 2011 TV adaption of
The Secret Circle was an instant hit with fans, clearly making L.J. Smith a force to be reckoned with within the world of writing.
So, for a lady who refuses to even divulge her age, what would we find out about her in 30 Seconds?
1. What is your favorite word? Sisterhood
2. What is your least favorite word? Slut
3. What turns you on? Starlight
4. What turns you off? Clowns
5. What sound do you love? Zhay
6. What sound do you hate? Ach
7. What is your favorite curse word? Spit
8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Physicist
9. What profession would you not like to do? Plumber
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “Welcome Wanderer.”
Contact Information
For information regarding L.J. Smiths books and publishing company please visit the website: http://www.ljanesmith.net/www/
Blog: http://www.ljanesmith.net/www/blog
You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin
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