Archives for May 2008

We have a couple of items to share with you tonight.  First up is an excellent article from a UK site called Times Online.   Once again Stephenie is compared to J.K Rowling, but the report hones in on the differences and how Stephenie has her own niche. 

“Everyone is looking for the next J.K. Rowling. It’s not going to happen. That’s just something that is never going to happen again. She was, is, something that will not be repeated.”

Also, there is a quote about the film which will answer the pressing question as to what the rating of the film will be.

“I put in a clause in the contract that the movie had to be PG-13 so I could go see it,” says Meyer.

Also, there was another Deseret News article about Stephenie and The Host that we need to share with you.  You can read it on line here. 

Since so many people are asking, there are currently 2,563,394 views on the Twilight Trailer at 10 pm EST which is not enough to beat out Indiana Jones.  Still an excellent effort on the part of a film "no one has heard of" according to some sources!

Lastly, in response to questions in our inbox, yes we know about the book New Dawn.  It is an unauthorized book of essays on the Twilight phenomenon that was put together by Borders. It features commentary  from upcoming writers who mostly are attached to Simon and Schuster.  It is not a preview of Breaking Dawn.  It is only available from Borders.

Tomorrow is MTV’s regularly scheduled Twilight Tuesday. It also happens to be Robert Pattinson’s birthday on Tuesday and Nikki’s on Saturday.  (Please hold off the happy birthday’s until tomorrow though :D)

So, to start off the celebrating just right, we thought it would be a good time to share a little bit of director Catherine Hardwicke’s enthusiasm for the film. It’s even more fantastic when you consider that she’s this upbeat after what they called "the worst day of filming on any set ever" due to the weather conditions.

Off camera you can hear Alphie asking the questions while Cocoa films.  This is just another in a long line up of amazing content we brought back for you, the most dedicated of Stephenie Meyer fans, from the set of the movie Twilight.  Discuss this and other Lexicon movie set exclusives on our message board.

Edit: Bumper Music: Starlight by Muse
         Intermission: Wanna Be by The Spice Girls

SheKnows has posted a precursor article on the Twilight phenomenon.  They will be posting an interview with Stephenie on May 23rd.  Be sure to check back when it’s posted.

Here’s BethG reporting in!

The pre-dawn hours of May 6 found us making our way to the Barnes and Noble at Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, TX, with hopes of getting tickets to the Q&A and signing with Stephenie to be held on May 10. We arrived at 6 am to find about 250 dedicated fans (which included a surprising number of very patient dads) already in line for the store’s 7 am opening. Those at the front of the line had arrived more than 12 hours earlier! The weather was damp, windy and chilly. Hats off to the brave souls who camped out. By the time the store opened, the line had grown to around 400, but things moved quickly and we were back in the car by 7:45 am, clutching our tickets for auditorium seats (Row G!) and multiple copies of The Host. Good timing, as it began to pour down rain soon after.

By contrast, the afternoon of May 10 was windy, hot and humid. Welcome to Texas, Stephenie! We had our books ready to go, so we joined the crowd of 1000 enthusiastic fans filling the auditorium and cafeteria of Frisco’s Centennial High School, including Twilight celebrities such as The Bella Cullen Project band. Many creative shirts were spotted throughout the crowd. As it got closer to starting time, the excitement built and spontaneous chanting/cheering for Edward, Jacob, and Stephenie broke out.

Shirt pics

Pics from the event

Introduction by Barnes and Noble lady, with lots of screaming from the audience. (YouTube video)

Stephenie says she’s happy to be in Dallas (more screaming) and explains that she is answering pre-submitted questions.

YouTube Playlist with questions

The Host Questions

1. What was your inspiration for The Host? Twilight was a dream, was it something like that?
No, my theory is that you only get one dream that good in your life. You can choose to forget about, or you can choose to write it down. I chose to write it down. She goes on to speak about how her favorite thing in the world used to be reading a good book, but at age 29 she figured out that her favorite thing was actually writing a good book. She talks about enjoying complicated relationships, such as two people in one body fighting over the same guy. Sci-fi was what she grew up with, so it was natural that she would venture into sci-fi.

2. On your website, you say that you are anti-human. What exactly does that mean?
She talks a little about how people have accused her of being anti-feminist, but the story of Bella and Edward would have been the same if the roles were reversed and Bella was the vampire. Same goes for the genders of the characters in The Host. She refers to herself as an equal opportunity oppressor. She says the humans in her stories tend to be weak, compared to the other characters she makes up. Stephenie says writing from the perspective of the alien (Wanderer) came naturally.

3. How did you go from Twilight to The Host? Did you have to catch yourself from using Edward’s and Bella’s names?
She tends to get very involved in the story when she is working on a book, so it does take a while to switch gears to another story. After working on editing for the Twilight series, she’d have to take about 2 days to read over what she’d already written, outlines, etc. to get back into Host mode.

4. Are any of the characters in The Host based on people in your life?
The character Doc ended up taking on some characteristics of her younger brother (and webmaster) Seth. *big cheer from the audience*

5. Was it hard transitioning from writing for teens to adults? (part of question cut off in video)
There is no difference. The last thing on her mind is the target market of her audience. A good story is her focus.

6. In both The Host and Twilight, you explore the value of a soul. Why?
Stephenie talks a bit about her religious background influencing her thoughts about why we are here and what’s coming next. In The Host, her characters explore the question: If the world has been destroyed or taken over, what does that mean for people of faith? She feels this makes them more real, more well-rounded.

Miscellaneous Questions

1. Do you have any tips for people like me who want to publish books?
Don’t focus on the publishing, focus on the enjoyment of writing. The writing is the fun part. Being an author is not as glamorous as it seems. After you’ve written a book, do research, follow the rules, be persistent, and you have a good chance at getting your work in the hands of someone who will give it a chance.

2. How do you keep a plot going once you’ve started your idea?
It is always about the characters. As long as you have interesting and exciting characters, the story will flow. Exception would be for a mystery, where you have to plan out that plot very carefully.

3. What other characters would you like to write stories for?
Right now in her computer, she has started a story about a ghost, one about mermaids, and some about regular ordinary people in a murder-mystery plot. She’d like to try a little bit of everything.

Stephenie remained on the stage for the signing, and everyone waited patiently for their chance to file across and have their books signed. When our turn came, she was gracious and funny. She said to say hi to everyone at the Lex and to be sure and say good things about her. We assured her that we would give a full report on her amazing wit and beauty. It was a great day!

The Utah Deseret News has a story on Stephenie and what to expect at the signing at Thanksgiving Point.  

The LA Times feature story on Twilight we told you about ran in the paper today. They will also be posting new "exclusive" pictures soon on their website.  Use that link to check back for the images, coming soon.

Don’t forget to check out the Twilight Trailer.  It is soo close to breaking the record for most viewed trailer online!!!

Current total views 8:46 EST:  2,403,785 views!!!

11:27 EST: 2,438,042 million views!

We made the following post a year ago, and it still seems appropriate, especially since Stephenie is flying home in time for Mother’s Day.

The success of The Host signing Tour continues. Last night Stephenie was in Frisco, Texas. She now heads home for a break before doing a local event at Changing Hands Bookstore, where you can order signed copies of any of Stephenie’s books, and then on to Salt Lake City. 

Alphie and Pel will be at both Salt Lake City events. We’ll give a full report. So if you’ve got a great The Host tee shirt, hat, poster, have named your newborn twins Jared and Ian, etc. look for us outside the event. We’d love to feature your creativity on the Lexicon.

Also despite rumor to the contrary, Elvis left the building...er…wasn’t actually there.

Later we’ll have a full report from Lexiconer BethG

We mentioned yesterday how today’s LA times would have never seen before photos.  If you live in the LA area, it’s well worth getting a copy of the paper. For those of you who don’t live out in sunny Southern California, we offer you the next best thing.  Thanks to Twilight Obsessed for the heads up and to Christal for letting us link.

The Dallas Morning News is also covering Twilight. They feature local band The Bella Cullen Project.  Thanks to Ally for the heads up.

The IMDB now has Twilight as a featured trailer on their front page.

Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote the script for the Twilight movie, was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule (When you read the interview, you realize that this lady has multi-tasking down!) to tell us about writing the movie script.

Some highlights include:

"There’s nowhere I’d rather be than in a room full of talented writers, breaking story together. But it can also be a little like being crammed onto a submarine during wartime."

"And of course, Catherine, whose work I absolutely loved, so I was a little intimidated meeting her. I went in and talked about how I thought the book could be structured. We discussed many different options, but the one thing we all completely agreed on was that the book was our bible. We would not veer off it."

Here’s the interview. Thank you again to Melissa, and thank you to Cocoa for acting as our interviewer.

Twilight Teez still has great tee shirts, but they are now expanding their jewelry business. They previously brought you Bella’s bracelet, he only officially approved version of the bracelet authorized by Stephenie Meyer.  Now they are creating a new product, Bella’s engagement ring.  They have a survey up and need your help so they can make some decisions on where to go with this product. Chime in and give your opinion on their survey.

Tired of Twilight videos being all over the place? Chris and Geo over at Twilighters have come up with a great solution. Introducing TwilightTube!  Kudos to Cris and Geo, check them out!

We mentioned earlier this week how Stephenie was featured on NPR’s Fresh Air. Well, now there is a link. Thanks Adalia.

The LA Times has an article on the Twilight Movie. EDITED: We have been given a tip  that the Sunday LA Times print edition will have an exclusive, never seen before photo. So, if you live in the area, it’s worthwhile getting the paper.