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Every author knows that seeing your work adapted for the screen is a mixed blessing: The money and exposure is fantastic, but there's always a risk that those Hollywood philistines will fail to capture the essence of your storytelling or, worse, change your carefully-drawn characters. And why should Gossip Girl author Cecily von Ziegesar, who created her series at bastion of artistic integrity Alloy Entertainment, be any exception?

When she heard that her books had fallen into the hands of OC creator Josh Schwartz, she feared that the result was "going to be totally cheesy," she admits in an interview. For the most part, she's happy, especially with Ed Westwick's performance as Chuck, but says: "Vanessa is one character they ruined. In the book, she's kick-ass and has a shaved head and wears lots of black." Yes, we can see how TV execs wouldn't have thought America was quite ready for that!

'Gossip Girl' Author Is A 'Faithful Watcher' Of The TV Series — Although One Thing Was 'Ruined'... [MTV via Jezebel]