If you’re anything like us, you’ve been replaying Pretty Little Liars details in your head all summer over and over again, with the hopes that there’s something you overlooked. Subconsciously we’ve all got to know who the stalking, violent, and omniscient ‘A’ is, right?
Well Sara Shepard, the author of the PLL novels, has revealed that we might not find out any time soon, BUT there is an end date to all the madness… at least in the books. That date is whenever she finishes up the 16th book (Sara just recently released the 13th, titled “Crushed”).
Like you, we’ve never been so hooked on a storyline up until this point – hanging on every word Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily say in order to get some clue as to how their beloved, secret-keeping friend Alison got buried alive.
Here’s what Sara Shepard had to say about the characters, the storyline, mean girls and bullying and ending the saga via novel while she spoke to LATimes‘ David L. Unin:
The TV show of “Pretty Little Liars” is different than the books. Are you happy with the changes that have been made?
I am. I think it really works for TV. On the show, the four main characters are much better friends; in the books, they’re more apart, they keep secrets from each other. There are other changes: For instance, I had Mona die, but I think it’s cool that on the show she lived. The girls on the show remind me of the characters I write about, so whatever changes the producers want to make, I’m fine with it because they respect the spirit of the books.
You did a guest appearance on the show. Was it fun to interact with your characters?
I don’t think I even thought about it at the time, but yes, there is something interesting about coming face-to-face with the characters you created. Those girls, in some ways, are a lot like I was: arty, over the whole suburban scene, and wanting to get out into the world. So there’s some common ground there.
Do you have a favorite character?
I love all of them because they represent the way I was at their age. Spencer is an uptight, type-A personality, and Hanna cares a lot what people think and is heartbroken by her dad. My favorite character to write about, though, might be Ali; she really makes the story go. It’s both interesting to write about her and sometimes awful. But I like writing about mean girls because they stir things up.
Your characters all have issues, which makes them seem more real.
From the beginning of the series, I didn’t want to create characters who were perfect. In addition to her trouble with her father, Hanna has an eating disorder. Emily has sexuality issues, and her family is unsupportive. There’s also an overarching theme of bullying in the novels, which wasn’t in the news so much when I started “Pretty Little Liars” in 2006, but is very prominent now. So I do think about it. I get a lot of letters from readers, telling me they relate to the characters, and that means a lot to me. I want to reassure them that nobody is perfect and that we’re all struggling with stuff.
Did you ever think the series would go on for so many books?
At first, it was only going to be four books. Halfway through the second book, the publisher asked if I wanted to do more. So I started thinking about what I’d need to do to make that work. When the show started to do well, we began to talk about additional new books, and I got excited. At that point, I had finished book eight, and I was focusing on my other series, “The Lying Game.” But I really missed the “Pretty Little Liars” girls. Because I’d left book eight open-ended, I was really excited to write book nine.
How long do you plan for it to continue?
I’m working on book 14 right now, and there’s going to be a book 15 and book 16. Then I’m pretty sure that’s going to be the end. It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s hard for me to believe it’s going to be over, but I’d like to move on to something else. It’s tough to say, because the girls are such compelling characters. But I don’t want them to go to college. It seems like the right place to end.
We are 100 percent aware that the novels and the television series have been totally different, so just because one ends, doesn’t mean the other will!
SOURCE: LATimes || Photo Credit: GETTY
