The LA Times has an interview with Melinda Clarke.
Check it all out here.
Here is an excerpt:
Thursday night is your last episode of “The Vampire Diaries”!
For the time being, I think.
Will we see you again?
You never know when a character might die on this show, obviously, but I don’t think I’m giving too much away by saying that it’s a possibility. I saw a quote from [co-creator] Kevin Williamson recently where he said that I’d been established now as Matt’s mom and that they’d have me for as long as I want them. He’s cute. I’ll say this: There’s definitely a climax to Kelly Donovan’s arc in this episode. You may or may not see her the rest of the season, and I will always be open to the idea of being around for “The Vampire Diaries.”