Shadows of Truth - Update
Hello Everyone!
I apologize for this not being a new chapter of "Shadows of Truth", but since I've been getting so many lovely comments this year on the story, I wanted to write an update for everyone that has very patiently waited to find out what happens next. Not nearly as long as all of us L.J. Smith fans have been waiting for "Strange Fate", but still a long time. I also wanted to give you some background behind how the story initially came about.
First a bit about the history of the story. I used to belong to an L.J. Smith fan club called Devil's Playground, which sadly closed down as of January 31, 2015. It was a fun place to discuss all of the novels, anything supernatural related, fan theories, and to commiserate over the eternal wait for "Strange Fate". Someone had posted under The Vampire Diaries (TVD) forum asking if anyone would be interested in writing a story about Meredith and Damon. TVD was never my favourite out of all her series (I was more partial to "The Secret Circle", "The Forbidden Game" and "The Night World" series), but I loved the characters of Meredith and Damon. I saw a lot of potential in writing a story about the two of them.
I'm sure the person who had the idea to write the story must have shared her real name with me at some point, but for the life of me I can't recall what it was. The name she used on Devil's Playground and as her e-mail handle was Hera Night, the same author name we used on , so I will simply call her Hera. I want to give credit where it's due, so I must give Hera credit for the main outline of the story. She came up with the idea of the Dark Veritas (DV), Meredith's grandfather having met Klaus's brother, Kane, during WWII who was the leader of the DV and Meredith pretending to be Damon's sex slave to infiltrate the DV. All incredible ideas, which I think is a huge part of why this story has remained popular all these years later.
When I came on board, Hera had already written the first chapter. She had lots of great ideas, but her writing ability wasn't very strong. The first chapter was rather rough around the edges. I've always enjoyed writing and did some role playing in a different fandom (V.C. Andrews) for a few years so I was the stronger writer out of the two of us. I took the first chapter and revised it, expanding on the scenes Hera had already written, which included the scenes where Meredith goes home to find out her grandfather has died and where the gang gathers at the airport to see Stefan and Elena off on a flight.
After the first chapter, I wrote the bulk of the story, using Hera's ideas as the story progressed. She had an approximate idea of what was going to happen, but nothing set in stone so sometimes I was just winging it. Between Hera's ideas and my winging it, we must have crafted something special because it resonated with all of you wonderful people.
Hera and I had a good collaboration at first. I was doing the majority of the writing, but I thought that was okay since I was still making sure to use her ideas as the story went along. I think she expected us to split the writing more 50/50, though, because things got tense between us. It's possible she felt like I was taking over the story, which I didn't mean to do. I was just the stronger writer so I was primarily the one who took her ideas and expanded on them or translated them into particular scenes. I will admit at some point I did start to feel rather possessive of the story and as much as I wanted her to feel like she was contributing half the effort, I knew her weaker writing style wouldn't work with what I'd already created.
So maybe I became a bit of a prima donna, but for a good cause. What I created would not have been as powerful, however, without Hera's brilliant ideas.
However it all happened, our collaboration came to an end right around when Chapter 11 was written. Without Hera as my muse, I didn't know which direction to go with the story. I was like a film director without a script. So I just kind of left it.
The story hasn't entirely left my mind, though. You are not alone in wondering where things would have led for Meredith and Damon with the DV. And I knew if I left this mortal coil without answering that question for myself, and many others, that I would be forever haunted by this unfinished business. Not to mention all of the fans in the afterlife who would not let me rest in peace. Hell hath no fury like a fan whose questions go unanswered. I have some authors I could definitely haunt in the afterlife. If George R.R. Martin passes away before he completes "The Fire and Ice" series my ghost will hound him until he answers all of my questions.
The renewed interest in the story recently has made me really want to revisit it and finish it. As I mentioned earlier, since I was going off Hera's ideas, there were some parts were I was just winging it, not entirely sure where things were going to go. So I will most likely be doing a rework of the story, to make it stronger and more cohesive. The main components of the story will still be there (Meredith, Damon, the DV), but I want to change some things around.
I can't make any promises as to when I will be releasing this revised version, but rest assured that I haven't given up on "Shadows of Truth". I've been going back through the original books (Books 1-4; I haven't read the newer books and don't plan to) and have been making notes. I have an approximate idea of how I'd like the story to go, but I still have some details I need to sit down and figure out. Once I have the main story arc figured out then I will go back through what was officially published to figure out what would be good to keep and discard. I promise to do my best to keep certain scenes intact or to at least incorporate any popular lines into new scenes. Meredith must remain not particularly fond of pomegranates - or jackasses.
Last, but not least, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for your kind words about the story and also for your encouragement to continue it. Both have meant a great deal to me. They've let me know that I do have some talent with words and that it would be a shame for me to let that talent be squandered. You have helped to give me the courage and confidence to revisit the story and finish it. I will do my best to not let all of you amazing people down.
I know you have all been infinitely patient waiting for the next chapter of "Shadows of Truth". I wish I could give that to you right away, but I need a little more time to sort out the story for myself and how I would like to tell it without Hera's input. So thank you for your patience and I can promise it won't be another 8 years to find out what happens to Meredith and Damon with the DV.
I will be posting another update responding directly to some of the reviews I've received, but this one became longer than I intended. It's too bad I can't directly reply to some of the reviews, but feel free to Private Message me if you have any other comments or questions.
Lots of Love to you All,
Hera Night (½ of her anyways - my real name is Rebecca)