On Episode 158, Alli finally gets up to speed on the world of the Vampire Diaries! You may be familiar with this universe from the show that premiered on The CW in 2009, but it all started with a series of books written by L.J. Smith, beginning in 1991. The first book in the series is called The Awakening, and it inspires conversations on this episode about everything from Renaissance garb and mean girls to the logistics of vampirism and the evolution of YA. Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 internationally bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, The Unhoneymooners, Twice in a Blue Moon, The Honey Don’t List, In a Holidaze, and The Soulmate Equation. Follow Christina Lauren on Instagram (@christinalauren) and Twitter (@ChristinaLauren).