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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

I've been answering some emails lately, and . . .

I've been answering some emails lately, not exactly because I have free time, but because I've been overwhelmed by guilt, and because some of them I'm going to post as blogs (my answers, not the whole emails or my guilt). I wanted my faithful subscribers to know that if they have a question, now is probably a good time to ask it.

Only please no more "I'll die if so-and-so and so-and-so don't get together in Midnight, or "Promise that you won't kill so-and-so"--which I completely don't understand. Neither I nor my assistant ever threatened to kill anyone, not even to get leverage with my publishers (although I have to assume they read this and it might be a tactic worth trying). Elena and both boys commit lover's suicide the real Japanese way--and I don't have to worry about writing any more books! (Although I do have to worry about whether readers are close to a trash bin or toilet and how fast they can run. And I suppose about hate mail, which I don't get from Twilight fans anymore. I wonder if, like John Doe, they did finally look at the copyright dates?)

Ground rules: I won't give away the plot of Midnight--I never do with the ends of trilogies--and even I don't know if there will be any books after Midnight. I'm still trying to negotiate a contract for more books, although it's been a harrowing experience that I think has scarred me for life. Hate mail or snarky criticism will be weeded out by my assistant before I am allowed to see the Inbox. Anything else is fair game, and I know anyone nice enough to have subscribed to my blog won't deliberately try to upset me.

By the way, my website is in the middle of a complete redesign by a real whiz of a wizard who, unlike Lightmaker or Nikimedia, actually understands what I want. And this blog page will be the first page after the new (short) movie. So from the time it's unveiled I will be able to do my own updates, and blog my little loving heart out.

Plus, there will be new Vampire Diaries stories, the end of Ash and ML's story, new art, an updated book list, and new contests for ever bigger and more expensive prizes. If I can get it approved there will be a section for things that my publishers had me cut out of my books (for length or other reasons). And I also hope all my old blogs will stay . . . no, I promise they will, one way or another. So stick around, please. And please keep reading--and writing.

Oh, and finally, if you haven't been able to find me on Facebook, I'm authorljsmith. Another gift from my publishers. Hoorah? Hoorah.