Vampire Diaries

[isadora]

She must be completely unstable. What else could it be?

I wonder if she gets money for every book as the creator of the series? I mean, at the VERY LEAST she should get that. If she doesn't then she should sue her agent and the publisher.

Can anybody think of a case where an author is fired from her own series? Without it being read? If it didn't sell then they wouldn't publish it. I get that. But with a TV show on the air? And without it being read? She must be a nightmare to work with. I can't fathom why they wouldn't even read it except that they had the rights to the series itself (and the right to continue the series without her at their discretion, even using a ghostwriter! They can use her name without her being involved at their discretion! Crazy!), knew she was impossible to work with (be it her personality or the quality of her work), and had to look out for the bottom line. The fact that they have the rights to all that? That at some point she signed over the series rights? Should lead to a lawsuit with her agent and/or lawyer. They simply were not protecting her at all.

ETA: Oh!!! I get it. It's not her series. She was hired to write books by Alloy, a book packaging company (I used to think I wanted to do that kind of work).

You might wonder why the book packager and Harper would do this to me. I am not sure either, but usually a book packager gets very submissive, non-assertive writers to write for them—not to mention that most of them, writers or ghostwriters, have had a lot of publishers turn their books down. Book packagers are used to do a lot of editing on their author’s books—because the books need intense editing.

But I’m not submissive, and I always fight editing. In Midnight, I had to fight to keep many Bonnie scenes in the book. I’m not at all sure they liked the things I was doing with Bonnie and Damon—they kept trying to cut such scenes. And of course they didn’t like Elena’s behavior at all. They want strictly Stelena books.

So last fall when I gave them the book Phantom, they didn’t bother to give me edits. Instead, I was given a letter addressed to the ghostwriter by name, telling her to completely rewrite my book. They wouldn’t even listen when I pleaded and promised to do Phantom as they required. The simply took the series and gave it to the ghostwriter . . . to write not only The Hunters trilogy, but whatever comes after that.

[jennk]

I know nothing about publishing. When someone gets hired to do this, how much about the series has already been decided?

Is that just an email she sent to a random fan? She seems super crazy.

[ophy]

So . . . in a sense, she was *also* a kind of ghostwriter, I guess?

I'm with you, jen. Don't get this concept at all . . . a publisher just says, "I want a book with teenage girls and hot vampires, and since Stephenie Myers hasn't had her sparkly meadow dream yet, I guess you can write it." ??

I also think it's funny that Alloy only wanted Stelena books, when it's the triangle that makes the whole thing compelling. Although, based on the novel descriptions, I can't imagine why anyone would want BookElena with BookDamon. He sounds even more unstable than our TVDamon, and that's saying something. Besides, Delena probably loses something without the visual appeal of the eyesex.

Speaking of which, apparently they call Ian Somerhalder "Smolderholder" on set, due to the proficiency of his eyesex skills. I've now seen quite a few candid clips where Nina calls him just 'Smolder', which I think is a fuckdorable nickname. If your boyfriend can't even look at a chair or a doorknob without sexin' it up, you are honor bound to give him as much shit about it as possible.

[isadora]

Book packagers come up with an idea (or are handed a concept from the publishers) and hire out freelance staff to write and design, and deliver a final product to the publisher to distribute, etc. I have often wondered if the author of Gossip Girl even has a stake in her series--I'm guessing not based on LJ Smith's deal. That said, she's probably not stupid and understands that she has to play nice what with her being a glorified ghostwriter! Heh. I love how sneering she is of her "submissive" peers.

So somebody at HarperCollins was all, "I was just talking to the YA lit buyer at Borders and there are no vampire books out for teens right now. And there is a goth subculture that is not being served." This story takes place in 1990, when Hot Topic was a new chain, Borders was opening a new store every month, and YA lit was not popular with anybody but 11-year-old girls. "We don't have the resources to fill this niche for whatever reason so let's go the lazy route and just have Alloy do it for us. No pesky authors! No tedious submissions to slug through. I like it!"

And so Alloy would likely put together a concept and hire a writer to slap it together. Submissive or not (though they have a vested interest in VD as a brand so they have every right to ask for submissiveness). My guess is that LJ Smith had her own ideas, wrote whatever she wanted regardless of the specs they sent her and they fired her for not doing as asked. But they gave her a LOT of leeway if they published a bunch of books with Japanese spirits and hard to follow plots. Now that the show is out and sales are up, up, up they very likely had to have a meeting wherein they decided to cut her loose because her books were too weird and hard to edit. I don't blame them, from the sounds of it.

ETA: I doubt Alloy has a vested interested in the pairing--I'd bet anything they want would be based on popularity and easy jacket copy.

[ophy]

BTW, Alloy is launching a new web series starring Mason Lockwood and Shiri Appleby (Roswell!) online, called 'Dating Rules From My Future Self'.

http://www.cinemablend.com/televisio...nce-38290.html

Also, Mason Lockwood is dating Lady Gaga. I was wondering why the guy Gaga was papped with looked familiar.

EW's new TVD promo has got me hyperventilating. Oh, Stefan!
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/03/th...villain-video/

[isadora]

GOD, I've been DYING for the shows to come back! I just have two episodes of Mad Men left and then I need the new shows to get a rollin'!

[ophy]

I might not get to see the new ep until naptime on Friday!

Is there a way to watch online while it is airing or right after?

[isadora]

I do not know the answer to this because I TiVo and watch as soon as possible. Sometimes, if I know Mr. Is will be chatty and annoying, I wait until Friday morning to watch.

[jennk]

I only know of shady/illegal streaming websites where you could find it maybe an hour or 2 after airing.

[ophy]

I did get to watch!

AND THERE WAS RECIPROCAL SMACKITY.

Thank the good beek.

I'm not sorry that Jeremy is gone. Still don't know what Stefan's endgame is, though. Poor Rebekah!

[isadora]

I love that this show knows exactly who and what I'm sick of, turns it on its head, and sends the boring packing.

Like they were all: Eh, time for Jeremy to have a downward curlicue. Eh, also we're so sick of that. Let's theme it around little brothers and how annoying they are and then pack Jeremy off to the relatives for a spell. Sounds good. Love the parallel little sibling storylines. Two of the three were put in ice. And the final third of the sibling triad sealed that this shit is a love triangle! Wheee! Triangles everywhere.

Love it!! Guilty smackity is my favorite TV smackity!

[jennk]

I love this show! I was bored for a lot of this episode, but I think it set up a lot of stuff and, yeah, a lot of the boring was Jeremy, so it was kind of nice that he's leaving. I'm guessing they will just send him away until they come up with something interesting to do before he comes back.

I really did not expect the kiss at the end. Definitely thought they would build that shit up at least until the finale. It was a nice parallel to the Katherine/Damon kiss from the season 1 finale. Excited for post-kiss angst and extra guilty eye-sex.

[ophy]

I'm kinda of wondering if it *will* be all that extra guilty. I feel like they set Elena up in this ep so she could move on with Damon if she wants to *without* guilt. She could forgive Stefan for not caring about her, but she cannot forgive him for being willing to let Jeremy die. I thought that was a real eye opener for her.

[ophy]

PAMBIC.

mr.o watched TVD with me last night (we only have one tv!), and his comment was that the CW could save a lot of money if they either replaced all of the video with Dawson's Creek episodes (using TVD audio) or vice versa since they are basically the same show. And he didn't even know Kevin Williamson was responsible for both shows! I thought that was both insulting and astute.

Anyway, he kept up a mocking commentary (in Klaus' accent) throughout the whole show, so now I really will have to do a naptime re-watch.

[isadora]

This is why it is preferable for Mr. Is to not be in the room. We also only have one TV (though five hundred content delivery devices!) and he was tinkering with a project on the dining room table and he kept asking questions from the other room the entire time. Verray annoying. "Who just got hit by a car!? Are they dead!?" Shaddup with the questions already!

Yeah, I think Elena is cool enough to be like: You turned serial killer (which I'm perfectly ok with) and you didn't protect my brother so I'm totes moving on. With your emotionally unstable brother who once killed my brother in a fit! Luckily he was wearing his magical ring!

It's best to leave logic at the door and just pay attention to all the eyeball sex! Hee!