For the book readers of The Vampire Diaries, there is one character that is part of the gang which, for reasons only the people who create the show know, is not included physically on the show. That character is Meredith. She is one of my favorite characters while I read the books and it made me sad to see that they did not seem to include her. What some may not realize is that while she’s not there to join the gang of humans, witches and vampires, a little bit of her is incorporated into characters on Vampire Diaries.

Bonnie

• Meredith’s appearance is described as having an olive complexion, dark eyes, heavy black lashes, and loose black hair. Out of all the characters from the show, this description would best describe Bonnie.
• Meredith has a strong opinion about vampires (more of a hate for them) especially towards Damon. The reason it seems, at least for the book fans, is that after Klaus had attacked Meredith’s grandfather, her family was never the same. Bonnie has shown throughout the show, after Grams’ death, to hate and not trust vampires and in a way blame Damon for her grandmother’s death.

Damon

• Meredith makes very witty comments throughout the book which is one of the reasons I love her. Since she is clearly missing from the show, the writers of Vampire Diaries had to use Damon with his funny one liners.

Elena

• Cool, calm and collected is Meredith’s middle name. In my own opinion, The TV Elena captures that part of Meredith well. Elena isn’t one to freak out when its a bad situation. But then again it can be Nina’s portrayal of the character.

There are a lot more examples of parts of Meredith that are in the show. But I would like to end by just remembering the missing character: Meredith Sulez.

Source: Vampire Diaries Wiki

You’ve heard our interview with Crissy Calhoun, author of Love You To Death, and you know we’re giving away two copies of the book, but now you can have your chance to meet here at Fan Expo in Toronto. Crissy will be hanging out and signing books at the ECW Press table, plus she’s going to be on a panel.

Sunday August 29 at 3 p.m.
FROM NOSFERATU TO TWILIGHT: VAMPIRES IN FILM & TV
Come and discuss the undead from your favourite movies and TV shows with our panel of experts and professionals including: BECCA WILCOTT (author, Truly, Madly, Deadly: The Unofficial True Blood Companion), CRISSY CALHOUN (author, Love You To Death: The Unofficial Companion to the Vampire Diaries), GEMMA FILES (screenwriter, film critic, teacher,author The Book of Tongues), with moderator NANCY KILPATRICK (vampire expert and author of Nancy Kilpatrick’s Vampire Theatre).

Photo Credit: Harper Teen/Entertainment Weekly

These books are not written by L.J. Smith, but the books will have a television show tie-in. L.J. The format of the books will be a diary style from Stefan’s point of view. Fans will learn how Stefan and Damon met Katherine, how they become vampires and their struggles with being vampires.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Crissy Calhoun has written an amazing book about The Vampire Diaries. Everything you ever wanted to know about the show is in this book. If you call yourself a Vampire Diaries fan you must have this book. The book provides a lot of information including those “hidden gems” you may not have picked up on when you watched the show. Listen to our interview with her as she explains the book; you won’t be disappointed.

Go deep into the heart of Mystic Falls with this episode-by-episode look at the first season of The Vampire Diaries.

Premiering in the thick of the vampire craze, The Vampire Diaries has proven itself to be much more than yet another addition to the overpopulated, undead pop-culture racket. Its mix of romance, horror, drama, and humor has won it great ratings for The CW, international acclaim, and a growing and devoted fan base.

Love You to Death: The Unofficial Companion to The Vampire Diaries is the essential guide to the show, featuring:

* the story of L.J. Smith who first introduced Elena and the Salvatore brothers in her bestselling book series;
* background on Kevin Williamson (Dawson’s Creek, Scream) and Julie Plec (Kyle XY), the masterminds behind the adaptation from page to screen;
* biographies of the actors who bring Mystic Falls’ residents to life (. . . or afterlife);
* insightful explorations of each episode with information on the rich history, supernatural mythology, film references, character development, and much more; and
* exclusive interviews with TVDers, like the much-loved Malese Jow (Anna) and the fandom’s fearless leaders.

With photos of the irresistible cast and of the show’s filming locations, Love You to Death captures the fun, fangs, and fear that make The Vampire Diaries so epic.

Crissy and ECW Press were nice enough to give us two copies to as prizes for our listeners. All you have to do is listen to the podcast, fill out the form below and that’s it. This contest is open for residents of the United States and Canada only. Two winners with the correct answer will be picked at random. No duplicate entries please. The contest ends August 30, 2010 at 11:59pm CST.

Contest is now closed. Congrats to our winners!

“There’s two kinds of floods of mail I get. One, there’s the floods of mail from people accusing me of stealing, and they list about 30 things from ‘Twilight.’ I usually write back just one sentence: ‘Look at the copyright date.’ Actually, I get a tremendous amount of apologies back. A lot of people have the guts to write back and say, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so sorry.

If Smith unabashedly favors the bad brother in her books, she’s also becoming a big fan of him on the small screen too. “I especially like Damon; Ian Somerhalder does very well,” she said. “But I really, really like the Elena that they picked, Nina Dobrev. Even though she’s brunette, and not blond, which took some getting used to for me, she’s a great actress. And I love the Stefan that they’ve picked. I just think that they’ve done a terrific job of interpreting it for TV.”

Read the complete article at MTV News!