Twilight News – Stephenie Meyer’s New Interview with USA Today

USA Today interviewed Stephenie Meyer in Vancouver on Friday & Saturday last week in conjunction with the launch of her LONG OVERDUE The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide which will be out on April 12 . In the interview Stephenie spoke MUCH about the new book, her role as a producer in the final installation of the Twilight Saga films and give us all some JUICY tidbits about Breaking Dawn!

To celebrate the release of this book, Stephenie Meyer had also invited 10 lucky Twilight fans from all over the world to Vancouver for a 2 day ‘chat fest’ with her.

“I just love having the chance to sit down with a small group of fans,” says Meyer, who is looking a little more Hollywood these days and a bit less like a suburban mom of three. “Bigger events are just too nerve-racking.”

For this literary star, the days of chatting with a few fans at a local bookstore are over. Meyer is an international celebrity. Her books sell in dozens of countries. The film versions are hotly anticipated. Fan sites have gone viral.

This two-day chat fest with Meyer, which took place last Friday and Saturday, was a top-secret affair. Even the attendees weren’t told where in the world they’d be meeting with Meyer until after they were notified they were among the chosen 10.

Ranging in age from 15 to 34, the contest winners include Eden Marie Starnes, 16, of Port Charlotte, Fla., and the sole male winner, Stefan Caes, 26, of Germany, who secretly entered the contest in hopes of winning and surprising his wife, Jenny, also 26, who’s here with him.

“We’ve been together since we were 17, so we see a lot of our story in Edward’s and Bella’s,” says Jenny, who married Stefan nine months ago.

Two fans were chosen in random drawings held by Little, Brown for Young Readers, Meyer’s publishers in the USA and Canada. The others won contests — which ranged from creating videos to writing essays to completing a Twilight trivia quiz — sponsored by publishers in France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Taiwan, China, Brazil and the U.K.

But like seasoned journalists (many of these fans blog about the series), they’re also here to ferret out juicy details: When will Meyer publish a new novel? What’s it like being on the Twilight film set? What’s new in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, a 543-page encyclopedic companion that Little, Brown will publish in hardcover for $24.99 on April 12? (The e-book will be available for $11.99 on April 13.)

 

Meyer, relaxed and happy to share, tells them plenty:

•On the illustrated guide: “My favorite part is the vampire histories. There’s a lot there that’s new. Alice’s (Cullen) back story is one no one has known until now. And I think fans will be surprised at how much fun (Cullen nemesis) Victoria’s story is.”

•On whether she’ll ever write more books about Edward and Bella: “The story’s already been told, and I doubt I’ll ever write another series based on the same characters.”

•On the possibility she’d ever finish Midnight Sun, a Twilight novel told from Edward’s viewpoint that she nixed when parts of it were leaked online in 2008: “I’m hoping to do it someday because I know that’s what people want. No matter what book I put out from here to eternity they’ll want Midnight Sun, but I’m just not writing about vampires right now.”

What Meyer says about the filming of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which because of the expansive story line is being told in two parts. (Part 1 is scheduled for release Nov. 18 and Part 2 in November 2012):

•The much-anticipated wedding of Edward and Bella has not been filmed yet, but Stewart is being fitted for the as-yet-unrevealed bridal gown. “It’s such an interesting mix,” says Meyer. “It has a vintage feel, but at the same time, there’s an edge to it. It’s really beautiful. And then on Kristen — oh, she looks amazing in clothes —and in that dress she’s so lithe and unbelievable.”

•On working with Pattinson and Lautner: “Rob is more like Jacob than Edward. He’s goofy, he’s funny, he doesn’t take much seriously. But he can turn Edward on like that (she snaps her fingers) when he needs to be Edward. Taylor’s who we hang out with most. He’s a lot like fun, happy Jacob.”

•On her expanded role as co-producer of the two new movies: “The big difference is just being there and seeing everything. I feel I’ve seen so much of the movie and really understand what it will look like. There are still a lot of compromises. That hasn’t changed. It doesn’t make a huge difference, but I have a producer credit, which is crazy.”

Fans, says Meyer, can expect a surprising performance when Stewart transforms from human to vampire. “She’s created a new character. I was really impressed. I’ve only really seen her as (the human) Bella, so to have her step up and change it in the right way — she didn’t have to talk to me. She knew. She knows the character so well now. She has really good instincts, and she looks amazing.”

Meyer says the first Breaking Dawn movie may end “when Bella opens her eyes as a vampire. That’s the way it’s been shot. They can still do it any other way, but I think that’s the general idea. You kind of have to get there in the first film. That way you have all the time in the world to explore being a vampire and those exhilarating first moments.”

READ MORE OF THE INTERVIEW AT USA TODAY!

April 1, 2011 | Categories: Breaking Dawn, Breaking Dawn News, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight News | Tags: Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide OUT on April 12 2011, USA Today | Leave A Comment »