Now who could this refer to - "I only had one negative experience and that interview did not make it into the book"?

Sorry, I have too many thoughts today!

catalyst2 | April 01, 12:39 CET

"I only had one negative experience and that interview did not make it into the book"

Catalyst2, i bet it was that ragamuffin Joss Whedon! Always so disrespectful, never has time for interviews, too busy with this and that! My God! He's not even that important to the Buffyverse anyway! Sheesh! Whydoes he keep on having to hog the limelight!

Apocalypse | April 01, 14:05 CET

LOL, yea why does he always hog the limelight ! :)

jpr | April 01, 14:16 CET

I wonder if those hints will be in the book. I want this! I really want to read the Denisof interview. He's a good soul. I can see why Aly fell in love with him.

electricspacegirl | April 01, 15:52 CET

I love Nikki Stafford's Buffy and Angel guides. Stafford's and Topping's are the best of the genre, in my opinion.

Electricspacegirl, some of the Season Six hints are in the book. (It's a great book, by the way. I recommend it very highly.) But there are other Season Six hints that I've heard elsewhere that don't make the book. You know what would be great? If there were a compilation, somewhere, of all the Season Six hints that have been dropped by Joss and others in interviews, conventions, etc. It'd be nice to have that all in one place to ponder the fabulous possibilities. I know I've missed all sorts of hints and that drives me crazy. I'm rewatching Season Five right now and it just kills me that this is *it.* A crime against narrative! That said, I agree with Stafford that "Not Fade Away" is a beautiful finale. I loved it immensely. It may be my favorite finale of all time.

Let's see, some of the Season Six hints I've heard:
--Dana would have made a return
--Wesley would be alive (and probably Gunn, too)
--Illyria would get further in touch with her inner Fredness and would do more back-and-forth switching, sort of like Superman/Clark Kent.
--The Circle of the Black Thorn would have played a major part
--There'd be major chaos (of some sort)

But there are so many other hints. Sigh.

phlebotinin | April 01, 18:29 CET

I also have both guides and recommend them highly! I've just recently started reading Topping, so Nikki Stafford was my first quality experience delving into books of that type.

In the quagmire of crap-ola that's out there, Nikki's books are a refreshing and entertaining standout. I've said it before but it bears repeating: Bite Me is my Buffy bible.

Willowy | April 01, 18:44 CET

"I only had one negative experience and that interview did not make it into the book"


Ok, I'm probably thick, but I can't find this in the interview.

Rogue Slayer | April 01, 19:22 CET

You are not thick at all Rogue Slayer - the article just got changed! When I read it originally, in the last paragraph of page one,that quoted line ran straight after "This isn't to say the interviews with J. August Richards or Amy Acker or Christian Kane or any of the others that I spoke to weren't as enjoyable,"INSERT QUOTED LINE HERE "It's just that as the interview was happening ....".

catalyst2 | April 01, 19:35 CET

Actually, Phlebotinin, i've heard very different season six hints to what you stated. They include the return of Oz in a recurring role, at least one episode would have seen Willow back and the reason for that would be that she returned to split Illyria and Fred into two individual beings, leaving poor old Amy with a double role for the remainder of the season.

Wesley was in fact not destined to die, as we all know, but other than that the last episode of season five was as it was always planned. The Black Thorn were always meant to be destroyed and the fate of Gunn has never been made clear, to the best of my knowledge, although i have always believed that he was the one who was meant to be sacrificed in Not Fade Away.

Kaine | April 01, 20:17 CET

I should definitely get this book. Bite Me! too! I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing about it. And I call myself a 'verse fan! So, who was she talking about in regards to the negative interview? Any guesses?

Harmalicious | April 01, 20:24 CET

Ok, thanks Catalyst2! Thought I was going bonkers. I wonder why they took it out? Too controversial?!

Rogue Slayer | April 01, 21:02 CET

Well, it's not very diplomatic and it does point a finger at anyone who does not have an interview in the book. I was surprised she let that slip.

newcj | April 01, 21:52 CET

I only wish she'd have come right out with it. I think she can be as diplomatic or not, as she sees fit. It's her book, her experience.

Willowy | April 01, 22:09 CET

Mercedes McNab confirmed at a con last year that it was Gunn who would have died had there been a Season 6.
And I'll add to the praise for Nikki's books. They are entertaining and very readable. And fullllllll of information.

Lioness | April 01, 22:37 CET

Ah, very interesting Warlock and Lioness. You see how many of the Season Six hints I've missed? Thanks for the info. I'm rather sad that Gunn would have died regardless (most for the actor, since I know he loved working on the series) but in his post-signing-memo-dead-Fred days, his death would have made tragic sense. A redemptive sacrifice.

I'm not surprised that Willow would have come back. Not only is she a great character but I feel they really needed to further address the "nobody trusts you anymore, Angel" coming from the Buffy camp. And Oz? Wonderful! And Illyria/Fred being split up - wow! As for the Black Thorn being destroyed, that's odd - I had heard that in the original scenario it wouldn't be, that it'd be a focal point at least for a while in Season Six. But clearly, what do I know? :)

Any good central sources for this information that you can recommend?

phlebotinin | April 01, 23:34 CET

Oh, I've read those hints before. I just want more details about the Wes/Fred/Illyria arc. I believe in an interview Alexis said that there would be a way to bring Fred back, but Wesley would have been torn and would have to make a choice between Fred and Illyria, whom he'd have grown attached to. And it breaks my heart that we never saw that. I can't get enough Wesley angst. And I sense in the end there would have been a happy ending.

I wanted Wesley to get some kind of happy ending, but first the pain, because happy ending need to be earned.

Man, now I want to work on my Wes/Fred/Illyria fic idea.

[ edited by electricspacegirl on 2005-04-01 22:16 ]

electricspacegirl | April 01, 23:54 CET

Wesley would have been torn and would have to make a choice between Fred and Illyria

Why choose? They're all open minded grown ups. And if he dated BOTH of them think of all the wackyness and misunderstandings that would ensue!

And preaching to the choir again but WB? Not doing S6? BAD idea! Bad!

zz9 | April 02, 00:33 CET

Angel and the Fang Gang killed the principal players of the Circle of the Black Thorn. This means by right, they had become the new Circle.

ZachsMind | April 02, 00:38 CET

Angel and the Fang Gang killed the principal players of the Circle of the Black Thorn. This means by right, they had become the new Circle.

I'm not sure the Senior Partners would see it that way. Since, ya know, the Senior Partners chose the Circle to be their instruments of evil in this dimension/plane/whatever. And I kind of doubt Angel et al would be interested in that function. But I suppose if they just wanted to assume the 'name', there wouldn't be anyone to challenge them...

Rogue Slayer | April 02, 02:09 CET

I didn't explain myself well. Wesley would have had to destroy Illyria to bring Fred back. And Wesley was attached to Illyria from the start, ever since Shells. Oh, and just thinking about it tears me apart inside. That story needs to be told.

I know a lot of people think that Wesley should stay dead, because if they keep bringing everybody back from the dead, it can lose its resonance. But I thought of a way to bring Wesley back. It's dark and scary and really not a show for network TV. It's a completely different Wesley that comes back. And it's an entirely different story than anything we've heard.

The ending I see for Wesley and Fred and Illyria is a happy ending, in a sense, but the happy has to be earned. That's why, to me, the journey there is dark and difficult. And it would be a happy ending with a side of loss. Because Wesley would end up caring for both Fred and Illyria.

That's my idea for a Wesley story. And talking about it again has made me want to break out my Wesley/Illyria ficlet and flesh it out.

I just got paid today. Maybe I'll head over to the bookstore and see if they have this book.

electricspacegirl | April 02, 02:35 CET

Hey all, I was reading along and thought I'd chime in. :) Thanks for everyone's comments about the books; I'm delighted to read that you enjoy them. But I do agree with newcj, who said I was not being diplomatic by suggesting I'd had a bad experience, because they're totally right. Kristy at CoA sent me the link before it was live and asked me to read through it and make sure everything was correct. Unfortunately my email was down yesterday and I only got it this morning. I read that line and it immediately jumped out as something I shouldn't have said, and I don't know why I did, so I asked if she could remove it because, as I told her, I didn't want fans speculating on who it was. The site had been live for a little bit, and she went in and removed it as quickly as possible, but unfortunately, it was obviously already seen. I do want to reassure everyone I wasn't referring to Joss, or even a major member of the cast, for that matter, so I hope that helps a bit. I don't meant to be mysterious, but I asked Kristy to remove it for this very reason, and I'm sorry I didn't do so sooner. I think everyone related to the show was under a lot of stress at the time, and I've chalked it up to that. :) I'd rather focus on the people I did interview for the book, who were all amazing.

Nikki Stafford | April 02, 02:36 CET

Thank you for your post Nikki Stafford, I'm sure we appreciate the clarification. Things happen. I'm sure we will stop speculating...someday. Glad to hear who it wasn't.

The book sounds interesting and you have certainly gotten enough positive comments about your work on this board for me to go looking for it and the earlier Buffy book.

Congratulations on your work being so well received.

newcj | April 02, 02:49 CET

Thanks Nikki. Bite Me was the first Buffyverse book I bought when I found out (very late) about the show and it helped me catch up.

zz9 | April 02, 03:09 CET

Nikki, I just last week got Once Bitten and am busily devouring it--great stuff!

Chris inVirginia | April 02, 03:14 CET

Thanks, Nikki! That was a good thing, removing that particular quote. I would have done the same. I'm just glad it was not who I automatically thought of. I'm happy with that, and I do understand that stressful situations bring on attitudes. I'm extremely excited about reading your book, well books. Thank you for posting, and congrats on your little one. Just had one myself, they're fun, huh?

Harmalicious | April 02, 03:16 CET

Thanks for posting here, Nikki! Like others, your "Bite Me" has long been my Buffy Bible and I preordered "Once Bitten" from Amazon so that it was delivered to me as soon as it came out. I *love* it. They have pride of place next to my Buffy/Angel/Firefly DVDs and I've reread them a multitude of times. They're so satisfying and intelligent. My only sorrow is that Firefly was cut down and I suppose doesn't have enough episodes to generate a publisher's interest in a guide. I'd love a Firefly guide by you, assuming you'd be interested in writing one.

Again, a huge thanks for all your contributions and I wish you the best in your future endeavors. Congratulations on your little one, too.

phlebotinin | April 02, 03:40 CET

Thank you Nikki. I never like to speculate about that sort of thing anyway. I'm calling my bookstore to see if they have your book. I'm sure I'll enjoy it very much.

electricspacegirl | April 02, 03:53 CET

Thanks Nikki, I have both your books and enjoy them very much. I know it's evil but I still wonder who the interview was and what happened, hey I can't help it I love a bit of gossip! :)

Passion | April 02, 17:26 CET

Thanks so much for your comments, everyone. Place of honor next to your DVDS, phlebotinin?! I'm so flattered, wow! Oh, and Willowy, I totally want your line on PR material for my books, haha... I mean, who doesn't want the phrase "quagmire of crap-ola" on their back jackets?? ;) By the way, I absolutely love this site, and I've just never posted before, but now I think I will! And congrats on your little one, Harmalicious! Yes, they absolutely do change your life. She is the BEST. (And no, before anyone asks, she wasn't named after Sydney Bristow, LOL!) ;) Thanks again, everyone. You've made my day. A wet, snowy, cold, blowing, crappy day here in Toronto.

Nikki Stafford | April 02, 19:26 CET

Heh heh, by all means, use it! Anything that will sell more of your books and keep you writing! I have my original dog-eared and highlighted (hi-lit?) Bite Me on my nightstand, a newer copy on my dining room bookshelf, and just bought one for my friend who just finished watching season 7 of Buffy on dvd. She's been dying to read it, but held off until she'd seen the whole series. Now that she's Buffy bereft, your guide is an oasis. She calls me up and we discuss chapters or even individual pages.

Your guides are definitive for me, and I blab to anyone else who's interested about just how thorough and necessary your books are for any true fan.

Glad to see you posting here! Welcome!

P.S. I told Karri that Once Bitten was out and that I saw her picture. She wasn't even aware it was out yet! Needless to say, she was thrilled to be included again!

Willowy | April 02, 20:23 CET

Well I bought this book last night and although I was sleep deprived and needed rest, I stayed up late reading it. Of course, I began with the Denisof interview. He seems quite the intellectual, doesn't he?. What a great guy. I loved it. Thank you, Nikki, for all your hard work in getting the interview and writing this book.

electricspacegirl | April 02, 22:30 CET

OK, off to the bookshop now. I have yet to read either of them. It's cool to see you posting Nikki, please join in on our ramblings more. Your most welcome!

nixygirl | April 03, 03:19 CET

Much appreciated for posting here!

On the stuff that we'd heard for Season Six, i seem to rememeber reading somewhere that it would be set in "a post-apocalyptic L.A.", which i guess means that i would have appeared in the series, wowed everyone with my prescense, leaving the whole of L.A. with a smile on their face. The whole of Season Six would have been about Love and happiness, joy and mirth. Angel would have become a P.A. to the stars, Faith would now be referred to as Dushy the Dushku, Illyria would have her own talk show, and Lilah would pop up every so often to spread messages of love and give flowers to Angel Investigations.

Just because of me!

Hugs and puppies everyone!

Apocalypse | April 03, 15:21 CET

Illyria as a talk show host! Oh, my god, the guests would be traumatized! Can you imagine that?

Apocalypse, that's high-larious!

electricspacegirl | April 03, 21:28 CET

Girl: "I'm six months pregnant with my cousins baby and my daddy threw me out because he said i was a whore!"

Illyria: "Your Pain is like rotting flesh, its fumes writhing through the air like soldiers falling in battle. I can feel it getting under my skin"

Girl: "Uh yeah, okay, i'll just be going now"

Thats the way i see it!

Apocalypse | April 04, 15:41 CET

The book is on the wishlist for my birthday, so fingers crossed and hopefully my husband knows what’s good for him.

Question to the mods: I really don’t mean to be snarky or discuss board policy (verboten!) but I am curious why Ms Stafford doesn’t have a shiny periwinkle/purple/whateverthecolourinyourbrowser signature when other authors do? Is there some secret discrimination going on against Canadians? :)

Coloured signatures are quite useful as one can easily miss a post otherwise. Although I am not sure it encourages postings on other subjects, as personally, I wouldn’t like to stick out like a sore thumb. (Oh, now I realise why I am not rich and famous. Duh.)

miranda | April 04, 16:27 CET