L.J. Smith Books In Order

Publication Order of Dark Visions Books

Publication Order of Forbidden Game Books

Publication Order of Night World Books

Publication Order of The Secret Circle Books

Publication Order of Wildworld Books

Publication Order of The Vampire Diaries Books

Publication Order of The Vampire Diaries: The Return Books

Publication Order of The Vampire Diaries: The Salvation Books

Publication Order of The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries Books

Publication Order of The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters Books

Publication Order of Point Horror Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

About L.J. Smith:

One of the most infamous novelists among readers of young adult fiction, particularly of the supernatural, fantasy and romance genre, is Lisa Jane Smith. Ms. Smith, or L.J. as she is known in the professional world, is the original author of the highly successful series called The Vampire Diaries. “Original” is the operative word here, because unfortunately, L.J.’s work has taken some interesting turns in the publishing world, surprising to her huge fan base and influencing the highly popular television series developed from her stories.

Background

Lisa Jane was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in September of 1965. She was raised in Anaheim, California and graduated from local schools before going on to college in both England and Santa Barbara, California. With degrees in both physiological psychology and English, she pursued a career with a Master’s Degree in Education as an elementary school teacher in the San Francisco area.

As a child, L.J. always wanted to be a writer and began with her first novel in 1987, Night of the Solstice when she was a student. It was published by McMillan and followed by Heart of Valor three years later. Sadly the poor sales were perhaps due to the critics deciding the books were most suited to the 9-11 year old market, not quite the young adult audience she was aiming for.

After three years of teaching, she committed herself to writing full time. What emerged was the first in a series of novels set in Virginia, a place where she had family and had visited often, enjoying the lifestyle of the small towns. She also named and developed a main character, Meredith, after her own niece.

The Vampire Diaries

Most readers are not familiar with the world of publishing and are somewhat surprised that authors are sometimes commissioned to write for

publishing houses. This was the case when L.J. was approached by Elise Donner, an editor at Alloy entertainment to begin a series about teenage love in the genre of vampires, supernatural characters, dark vs. light and good vs. evil conflicts. The company knew what was marketable and went about finding an author who could deliver.

The book that emerged centered around the fictitious town of Mystic Falls, Virginia.The main character, protagonist, is Elena. She falls in love with a 137 year old vampire, Stefan and is drawn to his supernatural underworld. She finds she is also drawn to his dark brother, Damon, which forms a love triangle. The story also revolves around the town’s mysterious past and the family of original vampires. The evil agendas of the family emerge to cause tension and tragedy for Elena to endure. Amidst it all is the central theme: a dark antagonist attempts to seduce the heroine into the darkness, but through her strength of character, he is instead reborn into the light.

The first book was a bestseller, due to the marketability of the genre and the quality of the writing. L.J. Smith suddenly had a huge fan base. But because she was commissioned to write the first book, editing of her creation always caused contention with her publishing company. All rights to the story were actually owned by the company, not the author. Creative control was not solely at the discretion of J. L. Smith.

Trilogies followed. In 1992 The Secret Circle, in 1994 The Forbidden Game, and in 1995 Dark Visions, and then in 1998, Smith decided on a long hiatus from writing.

A Return to Writing

When J.L. Smith re-emerged in 2008, it was with a new website, and, naturally, a new series of short stories called. Alloy Entertainment reissued The Vampire Diaries and there was buzz about the development of a television series, based on the characters and story. The television series was launched in 2010 to such popularity and it was labeled a “cult favorite” among teens. There was re-issuing of her other series as well: The Secret Circle Trilogy and Night World. Even her earlier published works were re-issued. Talks about developing The Secret Circle into a series became a reality when it started filming in 2011.

The Secret Circle

Sticking to her talent as a writer of the supernatural with romance undertones, L.J. Smith introduced the story of a coven of witches, all teenage girls in her new series The Secret Circle. Immensely popular as fiction, it too made its way into television production and was picked up by the CW network. Marketed as a Vampire Diaries companion series, it debuted to wide audiences in February 2011. It ran for a year, but was not renewed even with a campaign from its fanbase.

Successes

J.L. Smith’s books have garnished huge accolades from her fan base of young adults, mostly teen women. Awards were received as “Favourite Books” and “Teen Choice” winners. A final volume of The Vampire Diaries was written by J.L. Smith and released in March of 2011, before she moved on to the draft of a new installment of The Hunter:Phantom.

This is where things took an interesting turn. Due to the original contractual agreements with the publishing of the books, L.J.’s books came under the scrutiny of the editing team who insisted on significant plot changes. When no agreement was arrived at, the company decided to g with its own development of the story and released Smith of her status as a writer. The work was continued with a ghostwriter, and the only evidence of L.J. Smith’s contributions is noted on the cover with a “created by” credit.

Smith was also replaced by a ghost writer in The Secret Circle Series due to disputes over plot development.

L.J. Smith Today

L.J. Smith is still a writer at heart, even though she lost creative control of a huge franchise. She resides in the quiet bay area of northern California.She writes mostly stories, inspired by her quiet surrounding of the beaches, wilderness and wildlife she encounters. Her stories are still woven around the theme of good and evil that dwell in all of us. Some even continue the dramas that surround her beloved original characters, while others are featured as backstories. Her website offers a collection of inspirational music, poetry, merchandise, jewelry, and writing and art contests for her followers. L.J. writes on her blog, and responds to her emails and chats with her fans whenever she can.

One Response to “L.J. Smith”

1. Pearl MacDonald: 3 years ago

   Absolutely LOVED ALL L.Js books. I can’t wait to read STRANGE FATE. If it’s ever coming out.

   Reply