L. J. Smith (author)

2.1. Birth and childhood

Smith was born in Orange County, California. While sources provide varying birth dates, ranging from as early as 1958 or 1959 to as late as 1965, the Korean source specifies September 4, 1965, as her birth date. She spent her childhood in Villa Park, California, where she attended Villa Park High School.

2.2. Education

Smith pursued her higher education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she studied experimental psychology. Following her studies there, she continued her academic journey at San Francisco State University to obtain her teaching credentials. A significant influence on her early writing aspirations was her high school English teacher, Zoe Gibbs, who encouraged Smith's confidence in her writing abilities.

3.1. Beginnings and early works

Smith initially worked as an elementary school teacher. However, after three years in this profession, she transitioned to full-time writing in 1989. Her aspiration to become a writer began in her early childhood, noting that a teacher's praise for a poem she had written in kindergarten or first grade sparked her desire. She began writing seriously during her elementary school years.

Her debut novel, The Night of the Solstice, was written during her high school and college years and was eventually published by Macmillan Publishers in 1987. This was followed by Heart of Valor in 1990. These initial works faced poor sales, partly because they were mistakenly marketed for children aged 9 to 11, rather than the young adult audience for which Smith intended them.

3.2. Major series and success

The turning point in Smith's career came in 1990 when she was commissioned by Elise Donner, an editor at Alloy Entertainment, to write The Vampire Diaries series. She immediately drafted the scene where Elena, Bonnie, and Meredith decorate the gym and Elena first encounters Damon, a scene later included in the first novel. For other characters, she drew inspiration from her adult novel-in-progress, The Garden of Earthly Delights. Smith chose to set The Vampire Diaries in Virginia due to family connections there, finding inspiration in the small towns and local lifestyles.

Following the success of The Vampire Diaries, Smith expanded her literary output with three more trilogies: The Secret Circle (1992), The Forbidden Game (1994), and Dark Visions (1995). The first installment of her Night World series was released in 1996, with eight more books in the series published over the subsequent two years. These series solidified her reputation in the young adult fantasy genre.

3.3. Hiatus and return to writing

In 1998, Lisa Jane Smith entered a decade-long hiatus from writing. This break was primarily due to personal family commitments, as she took on the responsibility of caring for her sister's children after her brother-in-law was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. During this period, she also experienced the loss of her mother, who passed away from lung cancer.

Smith returned to writing in 2008, coinciding with the launch of a new website and the publication of a series of new short stories. Her existing works gained renewed attention with the reissuance of The Vampire Diaries series in 2007, followed by new printings of The Secret Circle trilogy and Night World series in 2008 and 2009. The Night of the Solstice and Heart of Valor were also reissued in 2008. From 2009 to 2010, three new installments of The Vampire Diaries were published, further contributing to her resurgence in the literary world.

3.4. TV adaptations and publishing disputes

The popularity of Smith's novels led to successful television adaptations. The Vampire Diaries was adapted into a TV series in 2009, which became widely popular. This was followed by The Secret Circle, which also became a TV series of the same name in 2011.

However, Smith's involvement with her most prominent series encountered significant challenges. The final volume of The Vampire Diaries that she wrote entirely was The Return: Midnight, released in March 2011. She submitted a draft for the subsequent installment, The Hunters: Phantom. However, a dispute arose with her publisher regarding a pivotal plot twist in the narrative. This disagreement ultimately led to the termination of her involvement with the series. The episode was subsequently revised and completed by a ghostwriter. All subsequent installments of The Vampire Diaries have also been ghostwritten. Smith was similarly replaced on The Secret Circle series, with Aubrey Clark taking over as the ghostwriter for later books.

5.1. Night World Series

• Secret Vampire (1996)
• Daughters of Darkness (1996)
• Spellbinder (1996), also known as Enchantress in the UK and Australia
• Dark Angel (1996)
• The Chosen (1997)
• Soulmate (1997)
• Huntress (1997)
• Black Dawn (1997)
• Witchlight (1998)
• Strange Fate (To be announced, TBA)

5.2. The Vampire Diaries Universe

5.3. The Secret Circle Series

• The Initiation (1992)
• The Captive (1992)
• The Power (1992)
• The Divide (2012) (written by Aubrey Clark)
• The Hunt (2012) (written by Aubrey Clark)
• The Temptation (2013) (written by Aubrey Clark)

5.4. The Forbidden Game Series

• The Hunter (1994)
• The Chase (1994)
• The Kill (1994)
• Rematch (TBA)

5.5. Dark Visions Series

• The Strange Power (1994)
• The Possessed (1995)
• The Passion (1995)
• Blindsight (TBA)

5.6. Wildworld Series

• The Night of the Solstice (1987)
• Heart of Valor (1990)
• Mirrors of Heaven (TBA)

5.7. Novels

These are standalone novels not part of a larger series.

• Eternity: A Vampire Love Story (TBA)
• The Last Lullaby (TBA)