I wouldn’t normally make a post about something that wasn’t directly related L.J. Smith’s work, but in this instance I’m going to make a special exception, as it relates to the history of fanfiction in the L.J. Smith fandom and is something that is dear to many fans’ hearts.

Many moons ago there was a set of Vampire Diaries fanfics known as The Signet Series. To this day they remain some of the most popular fanfics that were ever archived on Twilight Tales, and I get asked about them on a regular basis. Fans of the series were upset to see it vanish a couple of years ago, as River removed it to make some extensive edits in order to publish her original ideas as a series of books in their own right.

Well, that day is here. Queen of Shadows (A Novel of the Shadow World) by River – now better known as Dianne Sylvan – is a very real, very shiny book.

From the back cover:

Spread throughout the dark corners of our world lies the Shadow World, a society of vampires that feeds off the living. In Austin, Texas, one woman’s madness will drive her into a world that few people ever see – or even know exists…

Shortly after she picked up a guitar, Miranda Grey conquered the Austin music scene with a newfound ability to psychically manipulate her audience’s emotions. But as her powers outgrow her control, her mind is increasingly invaded by haunting secrets and overwhelming sadness. Unable to look anyone in the eye, Miranda is fast approaching the edge of insanity – with no one to catch her fall…

When he outlawed killing humans, David Solomon ignited a civil war among Austin’s vampires. As Prime of the South, his sympathy for mortals angered the old guard who refuse to control their violent urges. David has his hands full with the growing insurgency, but he takes in a broken-down woman, a musician in need of supernatural guidance. Little does he know that Miranda Grey has the power to change his world as well…

 
Dianne has spent a lot of time reworking the series into her own original vision. While fans of the fanfic series will certainly recognise much of the story and themes, they will also discover that it’s very different in a lot of other respects, and no longer bears any resemblance to the world of the Vampire Diaries created by L.J. Smith. Dianne will also be taking the series in an entirely different direction than the original version. She’s keeping quiet about where the story will take us, so we get to enjoy all the twists and turns just like we did when we first read The Signet Series all those years ago. Hopefully you’re all looking forward to this new ride just as much as I am.

Read the first chapter of Queen of Shadows on Dianne’s website, and order it from Amazon.