Personal Correspondence #7

Again I have swiped several questions and answers from the group at MySpace.  Many thanks to them for letting me share this information with you.

Q.  If Bella ever got a pet, would it be hard for Edward to come around?

A:  No. Animals don’t appeal to my vampires at all. It’s quite a sacrifice for them to exist on animal blood. That’s why Edward compares it to living on tofu and soy. Imagine your very least favorite food. (So, for me, that’s probably something like shepherd’s pie.) Now imagine all your favorite foods on the table next to the one you hate.  (Mmm! Cheesecake! Caramello bars! Filet mignon! Sour cream potatoes!) If you’re a Cullen, you have to dig into that shepherd’s pie day in and day out and try to ignore the cheesecake. Sigh. It’s like living on a diet forever, no cheating.

And, the bigger the animal, usually the better it tastes. Predators are the most tasty (though they’re still shepherd’s pie next to a human). A cat would present no temptation at all.

On the other hand, the cat would absolutely hate Edward and refuse to be anywhere near him. Animals freak out around vampires.

Q:  Why do they sparkle?

A:  They sparkle because they have turned to substance that is somewhat like diamond.  Their bodies have hardened, frozen into a kind of living stone.  Each little cell in their skin has become a separate facet that reflects the light.  These facets have a prism-like quality–they throw rainbows as they glitter.

Q.  What happened to the piece of pizza Bella dared Edward to eat? Would it be stuck in his system for the rest of eternity? Vampires don’t, um, go to the bathroom. Would he just have pizza floating in his stomach for the rest of his life? Ew…

A:  Ew, yes. He’d have to cough it up later to get rid of it. Not the most pleasant thing, which is why the vampires only eat food when they absolutely have to in order to blend in.

Q.  Does Esme have a favorite son or daughter? (What about Carlisle?)

A:  Esme and Carlisle love all their "children" in different ways, but they both have a soft spot for Edward because he was with them first, and he’s such a deeply good person. The others are good, too, but Edward is special. And I’m not just saying that because I’m in love with him.

Q.  Is there anything that Edward isn’t perfect at?

A:  He tried really hard to always do the right thing. However, he does make mistakes and no matter what your intentions were, when you make mistakes you end up living with the consequences. This all sounds like crazy babbling now, but you’ll understand after New Moon and Eclipse.

Q.  I was wondering if they could have an actual TALENT enhanced. Like if you were really artistic or musical or something in your human life, could you bring that on to your vampire life?

A:  Yes, Edward’s human musical ability was enhanced in his vampire life. Rosalie’s mechanical prowess, something she didn’t use much while human, also was enhanced. They all have their talents.

Q. I was reading last night and it was the part where Edward made Bella promise not to go into the woods alone… Was it because of Edward himself or because there were other vampires there?

A:  It was because the Cullens aren’t the only vampires in the world. They are often visited by old friends and newcomers (like James). Most of the time, it’s just a friendly visit, but it’s still not going to work out so well for a human who happens to be in the visitor’s path. Edward knows how Bella is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he knows that she smells better than most humans, even to others besides himself.

Q.  What percent of vampires occupy America? Like 5%, 10% of the population? Or if that’s too specific, the world?  Just curious on how many vampires there are.

A:  Much less than one percent. It’s not easy to successfully create a new vampire (most attempts fail…and become dinner instead). Also, the population goes down as often as it goes up because most vampires don’t get along with each other as well as the Cullens do. They tend to get a little territorial, and sometimes they fight over their food.

Q.  When vampires feed off of humans, do they drink out all the blood? And if they do what do they do with the bodies, do they just let bloodless bodies lie around or dispose of them?

A:  They drain the bodies, and then hide them (it’s not good to draw attention to oneself). For example, if Laurent was taking a stroll through the woods and happened on a tasty hiker, after drinking all the available blood (and it’s almost impossible to stop, once you get started–that’s why so few vampires are successfully created), he might rip a large spruce out of the ground, throw the body under it, and then replant it. It would only take a few seconds and very little effort. There are lots of ways to dispose of a body when you have superhuman strength.

Q:  What happened to Billy Black that he can’t walk anymore?

A:  He has diabetes, which caused nerve damage in his feet and legs. He hasn’t had to have anything amputated yet, but he’ll never walk again.