Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is the author of the "Twilight" series of fantasy books gaining popularity in the current young adult readers' market. However, she has adult fans, as well.
Stephenie Meyer was born December 24, 1973, in Hartford, Connecticut. She is the author of the books The Host and Twilight, along with Twilight's sequels New Moon and Eclipse. Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book, is written primarily from Bella's perspective [Bella is the main character in all the books], with sections written from different character lenses. In the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn was released on August 2, 2008. She has also written about half of the first draft of Midnight Sun, a companion novel in the series retelling Twilight from the perspective of Edward Cullen. [1]
Meyer grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, a member of a large Mormon family. She attended Brigham Young University, where she received a B.A. in English in 1997. She married Christian Meyer in 1994, and together they have three sons. They continue to be active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Meyer claims to have never seen an "R" rated movie.
According to Meyer, the idea for Twilight came to her in a dream about a girl and a sparkling vampire sitting in a meadow on June 2, 2003, the transcript of which is now Chapter 13 of the book. Meyer had to fill in background leading up to the dream-event. After finishing the first novel, Meyer signed a three-book contract with Little, Brown and Company. Meyer had not written anything before her dream caused her to write. Her main creative outlets were scrapbooking and making elaborate Halloween costumes for her children. [2]
Meyer initially wrote an alternative sequel to Twilight, called Forever Dawn, which she then used as an outline for the remainder of the series. She has stated that the novel will never be published, as it doesn't fall into the genre of young adult. [3] The third book in the series, Eclipse, was released on August 7, 2007. The fourth book, Breaking Dawn, was released on August 2, 2008, in the United States and Canada and on August 4, 2008, outside of North America. Meyer has revealed that Breaking Dawn will be the last book written from Bella Swan's perspective, [4] and stated on her website that there will be more than four books. Meyer has also stated that her other novel, Midnight Sun, will be more of a companion piece to the series than a genuine sequel, as it will describe Twilight from the view of Edward Cullen. [5] A rough first chapter of Midnight Sun has been posted on Meyer's website, though she has stated that it will be edited and otherwise changed before being released as part of the novel in the future. [6]
Together, Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse have sold more than 5.3 million copies in the United States and spent a combined 143 weeks on the New York Times' best seller list. [7] The success of the books is breeding a pop culture surrounding the stories, as has happened with the Harry Potter books. Meyer is quickly becoming a literary phenomenon.
Summit Entertainment optioned Twilight in April of 2007. The film version is currently categorized as Post-Production on Summit Entertainment's website. Catherine Hardwicke has signed on to direct, with a script by Melissa Rosenberg. It will star Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan and Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen. The movie is set to be released on December 12, 2008. [8]
Meyer's beliefs are key to understanding the characters in her books, as well as their decisions and behavior. Resisting temptation is a recurring theme. There is no smoking or drinking among the characters in the books; they have what Time Magazine calls "fine moral hygiene." Sexual tension is just that—tension. It is desire combined with restraint. The characters exercise what Time Magazine calls "the erotics of abstinence." That abstinence can be erotic is in actuality a fact of life and is what people have defined as "romance." Romance disappears when sexuality steps in. Abstinence in the face of desire has had an addictive attraction for Meyer's readers. In addition, Meyer has displayed a virtuousity in maintaining tension and holding back the flow of information, creating suspense.
