Vampire Diaries Writer L.J. Smith Useless at 66

L.J. Smith, the writer of The Vampire Diaries novels, died at 66 on March 8 in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Her accomplice, Julie Divola, instructed The New York Occasions that Smith died in a hospital after combating the long-term signs of a uncommon autoimmune illness over the previous decade. Smith’s dying was additionally confirmed on her web site.

Born Lisa Jane Smith on Sept. 4, 1958, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., her household quickly relocated to Southern California. Raised in Villa Park, Calif., Smith selected to mannequin her pen title after her two favourite fantasy writers, Lord of the Rings writer J.R.R. Tolkien and The Chronicles of Narnia writer C.S. Lewis.

The late writer earned her Bachelor of Arts in experimental psychology from the College of California, Santa Barbara, in 1982. She taught kindergarten and particular training for a number of years earlier than pursuing writing professionally.

Smith printed over 24 books and reportedly left behind three unpublished works upon her dying. Many of those novels have been geared in direction of younger grownup readers. She started writing her first fantasy novel, The Evening of the Solstice, whereas in highschool. This novel attracted the eye of Alloy Leisure, a e book packaging firm since acquired by Warner Bros.

The publishing group signed Smith on to write down The Vampire Diaries as a younger grownup reply to the success of the 1994 movie adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1976 gothic-romance vampire novel Interview with the Vampire. The primary in Smith’s collection of novels was printed in 1991.

Each the novel collection and the tv adaptation of The Vampire Diaries heart on highschool pupil Elena Gilbert, who finds herself caught in a love triangle between Nineteenth-century vampire brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore.

Smith’s novels, initially printed by HarperCollins all through the early Nineties, gained a cult following within the mid-2000s, after they have been tailored into the hit CW community present of the identical title starring Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert in 2009.

By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free day by day e-newsletter to remain up-to-date on the very best of what PEOPLE has to supply, from juicy celeb information to driving human curiosity tales.

Not realizing it was a work-for-hire contract, Smith was fired by Alloy and changed with a ghostwriter after writing her preliminary Vampire Diaries novels, prompting a protracted hiatus from writing. She returned within the 2010s, reclaiming her personal authentic characters via the rising medium of fan fiction.

The Vampire Diaries was among the many most prolific tv reveals from the vampire media renaissance of the late 2000s and early 2010s, alongside different fan favorites like Twilight and True Blood.

Smith’s agent, John Silbersack, instructed The New York Occasions that she was writing till the very finish.

“She had been fairly unwell, however regardless of the difficulties and the ache, she was fiercely devoted to persevering with to write down,” Silbersack mentioned.

Smith is survived by Divola. The couple don’t share any youngsters.