The Word Cloud

When I was thirteen years old, my favorite cousin let me borrow (ok, let isn't exactly the word.  More like I hounded her until she gave in) her L.J. Smith books that she had shoved into her anal retentive bookshelf (all shelved by genre, author and in alphabetical order)

I whizzed through them in a little over a week and to this day, I don't think anyone has influenced my love of reading and writing YA books as much as LJ Smith.  Those books had an everlasting effect on me.  When I went back the US this past summer, I found her witch series still in my parent's upstairs bookshelves (no I never did return them to my cousin.  I know.  I'm terrible).  And although, to my grown up and more critical eye, I realised that it wasn't the best or most eloquent thing I'd ever read , her stories still never failed to draw me in. 

Well, all of that has come to an end.  Yesterday I decided to reread the original Vampire Diaries since the series has come out in the US (which I was thrilled upon hearing ofcourse).  The first three books were just as good as I remember.  (I still think they're better than twilight)  The fourth was always my least favorite but I was surprised to find out, while doing some internet digging, that LJ Smith had come out with a fifth Vampire Diaries book last year!

I hopped right to the amazon.com and looked at the first chapter page.  After two lines I said 'wtf is this shit?'  (I know, I can throw my lent resolutions out the window about now)  And as I scrolled down to read the review, I was completely, utterly devastated.  Apparently my favorite YA author, the one who inspired me to write, has gone completely nutters and by some stroke of insane money driven motivation on the part of her editor, they actually published her recent book even though its a scattered, terrible mess that hardly even resembles the LJ Smith I once knew.   

I never thought this would have such an effect on me but it does.  I feel really really sad and dissapointed right now.  
I guess there's some consolation in the fact that the Vampire Diaries series is doing so well and their script writers fortunately are just as, if not more talented then the young LJ Smith and have done wonderful things with her characters and plot lines from the first three books.  It's just a shame that I'm looking forward to what they do with the Vampire Diaries more than I am about what the actual author has done, or will ever do:(