What We’ve Learned from Stephenie Meyer’s Book Events Q&A

Stephenie Meyer has participated in a few virtual book tour events and has answered a few questions that fans will be very interested in! Here are a few of the details we have learned along the way. 

Will there be more Twilight Saga Books?

YES! But we don’t know when.  Stephenie said she has two more books planned. The first book would take place about 4 years after Breaking Dawn. And Freaky Fred from Bree Tanner would be important to the second book.  She also wouldn’t answer a particular question about the Volturi and even said that would lead to spoilers. She did say that the Volturi would have to be dealt with.  However, it’s going to be a while!  She has a whole chapter of the first book done, but she wants to work on something else before she writes more Twilight Saga.  

Will there be more books from Edward’s perspective?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! She was very clear about this.  Midnight Sun took too long to write and was too dark that she will not write from Edward’s PoV again.  

Will Midnight Sun be a movie?

She said there is always a film possibility. But she said the problem is that sound editing would be hard to fill in all the sounds Edward hears in his mind. Also she said that no human comes close to looking like the vampires in her mind. She suggested that animation would be a great way to do it!

How did they come up with the cover of Midnight Sun?

The cover went through several changes. Originally she wanted a hand squishing the pomegranate. This would echo the hands holding the apple on the cover of Twilight. But the photographer came back with an altered version that looked like a heart and that’s the one they eventually went with.  

What was she most proud of from Midnight Sun?

Without spoiling for anyone who hasn’t read… Stephenie was very proud of the moment that comes just after Edward watches James’ video near the end of the book.  

What was the most fun to write in Midnight Sun?

She said every moment that wasn’t in Twilight was fun.  All the parts where she had to stick to a script and make it fit was hard. Of those moments that were fun, the car chase was the most fun!

TheHostPBWill there be more Host books?

She has the books all planned and outlined and but she’s over planned and uncertain of when she will write it.  

What book will she write next?

Stephenie said she has about 23 different novels started on her computer.  Some are just basic outlines.  Some have full pinterest boards.  Some are more developed than others.  So she doesn’t know what’s coming next.  

Will there be any more films based on your books?

Stephenie finished a screenplay for the Chemist and said it’s ready to be filmed.  But she would really like to see Life and Death as a film because she loved the characters of Edythe and Archie so much.  

She also said that if the Twilight Saga books are ever filmed again they will be an extended episodic TV show, like the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice.

What’s her favorite scene from the book that wasn’t in the film?

Blood typing! Which tends to be everyone’s favorite missing moment.  

Special trivia Info…

Bella’s shield comes from Charlie’s muted quietness and Renee’s powerful volume. So Bella’s quietness is super strong.  

The Volturi were not originally in New Moon. They were added in at the end from a suggestion Stephenie’s mom made to add danger to the end. 

Bella went to Horizon High School in Arizona. 

Carlisle bought Esme an island because she is beautiful and he wanted to see her in the sun. 

Forever Dawn (the original sequel to twilight where Edward didn’t leave Bella) is copyrighted, so it’s at the Library of Congress should you want to read it. 

Special thanks to OhMyCarlisle and Rosmelie for some of the questions from the film event. 

 

Stephenie Meyer on Writing Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun CoverIn a new article with the New York Times, Stephenie Meyer addresses some of her nerves about writing Midnight Sun, publishing it after such a long wait, and why it did take so long to finish.  

Stephenie first addresses the fact that she didn’t think that many people would care about the book only to be reminded of the saga’s popularity when her website crashed. 

“I’m pretty sure people aren’t going to get exactly what they think they’re getting. Because of all the time that’s passed, they’ve built up in their minds what they thought it was going to be, and so no one can live up to those kinds of expectations.”

Why wasn’t it published earlier – or why publish it now?

“Because I finished it. The reason it wasn’t published earlier was because it was not done, and when I did see the light at the end of the tunnel — when I saw that I was actually going to be able to finish it — I started the publication process right away, because I knew there were people who had been waiting really kindly and patiently, but also anxiously, for quite a while.

And then Covid-19 happens. And so do we put it out still? It became quickly obvious that there wasn’t a real end in sight with Covid. I am really excited when I have a book to read right now, because there’s not much else that’s exciting. I hoped people would feel the same way.”

Why did it take so long to finish?

“The real reason the book took so long to write is because this was just a huge, pain-in-the-butt book to write. With some of my books, it was like they were writing themselves, and I was just working to keep up with dictation. That kind of writing is fun and exciting. This was like, every single word was a struggle.”

What can fans expect?

“I think the part that people won’t expect is: Edward is a very anxious character. Writing him made me more anxious, and that’s one of the reasons it was hard to be in that story. His anxiety combined with mine was potent. He starts off fairly confident, but boy does he get broken down by the end. Bella really breaks him into pieces. I think he comes across in “Twilight” being very strong and so super sure of himself, when that never was really actually the case.”

What were your favorite bits to write about?

“The best parts to write, hands down, were the times that Bella was not present, and I wasn’t locked into a certain set of dialogues and actions. That was when I felt he could be more himself.”

“Some people are going to like some characters more, and they’re going to like some characters less, because not only is he spending time with them that way, but he is reading their minds all the time. It’s a reflex reaction for him, he can’t control it, so you get, not just a picture of people, you get the full story all the time, which is kind of overwhelming. I think you get a sense of how overwhelming it would be to constantly have people’s voices in your head.”

Will you write the other books from Edward’s PoV?

“No. Not at all. This is it for Edward. Writing from his point of view makes me extra anxious. And the experience of writing this book was not a super pleasant one. So no, I wouldn’t want to do that — especially given that “New Moon” would just be a nightmare of depression and emptiness. I think this gives you enough of a sense of what it’s like to be Edward that you could go and look at the other books and you would know what’s going on in his head.”

What will you write next?

“I have, like, three candidates right now. I work on them occasionally. When “Midnight Sun” is out and that’s passed, then I’ll see which one is pulling me in. I’d like to do something in fantasy fantasy, where you have to have a map in the beginning of the book, but we’ll see if that’s the one that gets picked.”

 

For the whole article, visit The New York Times website.  

Midnight Sun Drive-In and Virtual Book Tour Update

Stephenie updated the information on her book tour for Midnight Sun. With all the social distancing rules changing moment by moment, this may change again in the next few weeks.  But as of July 20, here is what we know from Stephenie…

On Friday, August 7th I’ll be at the Skyline Drive-in Theatre in Shelton, WA with Ballast Book Company for a socially distanced, in-person Q&A followed by a screening of the Twilight film. *If all goes as planned, you’ll be able to ask me questions from your car and we can share some safe and masked fun.  Visit the Ballast Book Company site for details.  

On Saturday, August 8th the amazing bookstore, An Unlikely Story, will be hosting a Drive-in event with the Rustic Drive-In Theatre in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. I really wanted to be there in person, but travel restrictions are keeping me from attending. However, I will be there with you virtually and you’ll be able to ask all your Midnight Sun questions in real time via Instagram Live, and then watch the movie. Make sure you have Instagram on your phones! Visit the Unlikely Story website for details. 

There are also two virtual events hosted by Books a Million and Barnes and Nobel. 

Monday, August 10th
4:00 PM PT | 7:00 PM ET
BAM Virtual Event
Tickets: crowdcast.io/e/7mdhaol9/register

Friday, August 14th
4:00 PM PT | 7:00 PM ET
Barnes & Noble Virtual Event
Link: https://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble/

Stephenie Meyer on Letters To…

Stephenie surprised some fans by doing a Q&A on Letters To…

Midnight Sun Sneak Peek and a Note

As promised, Stephenie Meyer has released a Midnight Sun sneak peek today at StephenieMeyer.com.

“From now until the Midnight Sun release on August 4th, every Tuesday and Friday we’ll be posting a quote from the book. And today, the 17th anniversary of the day I started writing Twilight, we’ll post the first. Enjoy. Be safe, stay healthy, and enjoy.”

She also shared several website links that focus on racial injustice and how you can help. While we enjoy this peek at Midnight Sun, let’s not ignore what’s going on in the world around us. We can and must do better to make change happen. Here are the links Stephenie shared today. 

“We can affect change in our homes and our communities. If you are looking for resources on education, advocacy, places to donate, or ways to help, please check out some of the links below. It’s a place to start.

The Obama Foundation is a wonderful resource for education on police violence and antiracism, ways to take action, and information on organizations that encourage reform.

The Cut has a very informative article called How to Support the Struggle Against Police Brutality. It details helpful ways to safely support protests right now.

Vote.org allows you to check your registration status, register to vote, and request absentee ballots. It also provides election Covid-19 information and a handy election protection guide.”

 

Stephenie Meyer’s Letter to Fans

Stephenie Meyer has updated her website with a letter to her fans and a bit of a teaser!

Stephenie writes, “These are tip-in pages, which will be bound into new copies of Midnight Sun, and I just signed sixteen thousand of them. I hope you’re able to get a copy. Barnes and Noble has sold out, but there should still be some available at Books-A-Million. As more become available from other venders, we’ll update you here.

Thanks again for being awesome, and check back here on June 2nd for the first little breadcrumb of fun leading up to the release on August 4th. “

This confirms for everyone that if you order a signed copy from Books a Million or Barnes and Noble that it will be a true signature and not a stamp. The page will be added to the finished book after it goes to print. 

So… what do you think the breadcrumb of fun she is hinting at could be? Leave us a comment with you ideas!

 

 

Stephenie Meyer’s Message on GMA

Stephenie Meyer shared a video message about the release of Midnight Sun on Good Morning America this morning.  If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look!  It’s good to see Stephenie again.

She says, “It’s a crazy time right now and I wasn’t sure if this was the right time to put this book out, but some of you have been waiting for just so, so long. It didn’t seem fair to make you wait anymore. Sorry about the bad timing. Hopefully this book can be a distraction from the real world.” 

Fans everywhere are saying thank you!!

 

Stephenie Meyer Talks to MTV About Being Inspired to Start her Production Company

MTV chatted with Stephenie about Austenland and Fickle Fish Films

Stephenie Meyer Clarifies Her Remarks to Variety

On her website, Stephenie Meyer clarified her remarks to Variety about being “over Twilight” that were found in this article.

Hi everyone,

I’m just back from my short publicity tour for Austenland, and very glad to be home with my boys. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer with your families, and that you have a few more weeks to enjoy (unlike Arizona, where we were back to school last week).

With all the travelling, I only just heard about the current controversy, and I am both surprised and dismayed. I am horrified that my words could be construed in any way to mean that I am “over” the lovely people who embraced Twilight, made it such a huge hit, and changed my life. The time I’ve spent with my fans has been one of the most precious gifts of this whole experience and I will certainly never forget them or think of them with anything but immense gratitude. I was lucky enough to see a few of them Tuesday night at the Apple “Meet the Filmmakers” event, and they were so lovely! I’m always surprised and touched that people still care about my stories.

Any of you who have ever watched me answer a question live, especially to an indulgent inquirer like a fansite, know that I do tend to go on. Though I try to be as concise as possible to make editing easier for whichever news outlet I’m working with, I’m (still) not very good at it. If you look at the Variety article, you’ll notice that I’m speaking in very short statements. Of course, I didn’t actually. I spoke in run-on paragraphs and made the poor, sweet man who interviewed me comb through painstakingly trying to find a few completed sentences that he could use to convey the idea of what I was saying. Unfortunately, in shortening the interview to a usable size, some of the meaning of what I was trying to say was lost, and I believe the statements I made ended up sounding much more harsh than I meant them.

Even those of you who love Twilight the most (in fact, especially those who love it the most) have probably noticed that there’s been just a teensy little bit of backlash following the success of the books and films. I try my hardest to be thick-skinned, but I’m not much better at that than I am at brevity. So when I speak of Twilight becoming a negative place for me, it is entirely that near-omnipresent Twilight antipathy that I am speaking of. And I’m not complaining or saying it’s unfair—I totally understand and even empathize with its existence. I’m just saying that Twilight isn’t the wholly positive place for me that it once was.

Also, in regards to being “over it,” I will admit, it’s getting harder to answer the same questions about Twilight that I’ve been answering for the past decade (especially when I’m so excited to talk about Austenland). I can only imagine you are just as over reading those same answers. And the little bit about posting which characters died? That was referring to a solemn oath I made years and years ago to some cool fans. I swore I would not take to my grave the ideas I had for future stories, even if all I could to was list the outcomes in bullet points.

So please, never think I don’t appreciate the people who read, watch, and love Twilight. I am grateful for your existence every single day. Thanks for the most amazing decade!

Love,

Steph

Stephenie Meyer Interview in Vulture

Stephenie Meyer talked to Vulture.

 

But you look fabulous now! You’re camera ready.
Oh, thank you! But I don’t feel camera ready. I was doing Good Morning America, and they had this show beforehand, have you heard of this thigh gap thing? It’s like this new obsession with young girls, being so skinny that their thighs don’t touch, and there’s a gap there, and the bigger the gap, the more excited they are. They post pictures on Tumblr, and they’re starving themselves, becoming anorexic to do this. And they’re already so thin. So in a world like that, do you ever feel … ? I mean, girls that are size one already feel too heavy. And so I always feel bad on camera, which I probably shouldn’t. I should just embrace it. But I see pictures of myself, and my stomach just drops: “Oh, do I really look like that?” Ugh, it’s hard.

Did writing this and producing the film help cure any post-Twilight depression you might have had?
I totally thought that was going to be a thing! I waited for it, and when it didn’t happen, I thought, Oh, it’s because we still have all this stuff ahead. We got to the last premiere, and it didn’t hit. I felt nothing but relief. Analyzing that since then, I feel like it was because I was ready to walk from that world. I don’t miss the characters. Now, I may someday feel like, “Oh, I miss Bella. I want to hang out with Alice” or something. But right now, I’m happy it was what it was, I’m happy to be done with it, and I don’t feel any depression about it, which is nice. And it is nice to have another world to be excited about.

You’re expanding this world into a trilogy?
I’m working on a second book, we’ll see where it ends. I hate to predict anything, even if I have this great outline. You know how they say if you go one degree off, by the time you get to Iceland, you’re 5,000 miles away from where you intended to be? I do that in writing all the time, one little degree change and there goes your ending!

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