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Olympia Elk Herd Big "Buck" Here are various reference sources that either aren't available or no longer available on the internet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mugglecast 8/7/08 Interviewer: Hello Stephenie Stephenie: Hi Andrew Interviewer: How are you today? Stephenie: Pretty good. I'm starting to get a little nervous because of the show tonight-that always happens. Interviewer: Yeah, you're in the middle of this tour right now-what is this, your second or third? Stephenie: Um, this is my fourth tour Interviewer: Oh, okay Stephenie: So the first two for the books, then one for The Host, then various international tours. Interviewer: Right, Right. And, you are in Chicago tonight, right? Stephenie: Right Interviewer: Awesome-So we're going to ask you some questions about the Twilight fandom and how it compares to the Potter fandom since we are a Harry Potter fan site. And then we'll get into some stuff about Breaking Dawn. Does that sound good? Stephenie: That sounds cool. Interviewer: Alright, cool. Interviewer: With the release of Breaking Dawn the press is really all over this huge phenomena that you've created with these books and a lot of them are comparing you to JK Rowling because of the similarities in the fandom. Why do you think so many Potter fans also enjoy Twilight and vice versa? Stephenie: Cool. Yeah um, I think everyone says that actually, not most of them. I get that all the time now and I don't really know, when it comes down to it there isn't that much that is similar-about the books except for the fans of the books are very similar. And of course all my fans are Harry Potter fans because everyone is a Harry Potter fan. That just goes without saying, right? Interviewer: I agree with you, yeah. Stephenie: So, I mean I think that fantasy, yeah and they're fun reads, uh, but they do appeal to people that like a little bit longer book, so there's that too, I guess. Interviewer: Right Interviewer: Okay Stephenie, in your opinion, what is it about this whole genre that appeals to so many readers? Stephenie: Uh, the vampire genre? Um, you know, I don't know because I'm not, I don't read vampire books so, before, now I'll be able to so um, I've never really been into it before so I'm no sure what the appeal is. I think it's because a lot of people like horror movies, people aren't me I guess people like to be scared and vampires, of all the monsters that we can scare ourselves with, are definitely the sexiest. Interviewer: Oh, yeah, right. Now, one major difference between the fandoms, is that-between Harry Potter and Twilight-is that J K Rowling has had ten years to develop her fandom. Whereas yours had only had three years. So, if your fandom only had 10 years-not only-if your fandom had ten years to develop, do you think it would grow into this huge thing? Stephenie: Wow, you know, I don't know, every thing has been so much more than I expected… Interviewer: Yeah Stephenie: Um, so it's hard to say-I kind of keep waiting for it all to crash and burn. Interviewer: It just seems like, you know, I would have to wonder what would happen if there were just more time. Um It would be fun to watch, and just seeing this whole fandom grow has been a lot of fun to watch. The Twilight. Stephenie: Yeah, it's been real fast I mean, obviously cool, it's been fun for me, so, I don't know, I kind of like the idea of starting over with new characters though, uh, it's something I imagine J. K. Rowling deals with is that people feel like the characters belong to them, and after a while they have a very definite idea of what they want to see happen. You don't have to deal with that-so much when you're starting over with fresh characters. Interviewer: Is that is hint of uh things to come? Stephenie: Well I, well obviously I've got to go and do Midnight Sun, so people don't come after me, right? So, I'm still in the Twilight world for now. But then I've got a lot of other, you know, non-vampire ideas, ghosts, time-travel mermaids, I've got a ton of stuff to work on. Interviewer: A whole spectrum there. Interviewer: So um, considering that you've said that the two stories don't have a lot in common, what do you think Harry Potters fans would like about Twilight, especially people that haven't read the books yet? Stephenie: Huh, you know, I don't know. It's not, to me it's so not comparable, uh, but I do think that people that are readers-I was always a reader when I was growing up and I just liked really big stories and I never wanted them to end. Um my stories are long, so they have that going for them, and I think that they're kind of fun, fast reads, um, you know, for as long as they are I think, my priority is always entertainment, um and so I think that that's similar with Harry Potter. Rowling has such a whimsical, magical escapism that's really cool. Twilight, I think is a little bit closer to home because it's set more in the world we know-but I still think it has that escape that people might be looking for. Interviewer: Yeah, and I gotta say, you know, that's what I always liked about your books is-is it is set in today's world in America. I've always appreciated that you referenced to Rotten Tomatoes in uh, Twilight or New Moon… Stephenie: Well, you know, Rotten Tomatoes is a good tool. Interviewer: Yes, it is. Interviewer: Okay, uh Stephenie, you've read the Harry Potter books, correct? Stephenie: Yes Interviewer: Okay-Um what would you say is your favorite of the series? Um, probably number three...I'm just a huge Cyrius Black fan. Interviewer: Right on, right on, I'm there with you. Stephenie: I had a hard, I had a really hard time when he died. It was not easy for me. Interviewer: Well, I think we all felt the same way. But, if you had to pick something specific, or maybe not so specific, what do you admire most about J. K. Rowling's work? Stephenie: Oh gosh, her imagination. I mean she, I when I work I work within the world that I'm in because I like having that foundation of realism, also it's a little easier, people are used to being in this world. To create a whole other world and get the walls up as solidly as she does takes a ton of imagination and just a real gift. Um I'm constantly amazed by that with her. Interviewer: Okay, so if Harry and Edward had a duel against each other using their own abilities, who do you think would win? Stephenie: Oh gosh, don't get mad at me, I mean, but, okay, I don't know what a wizard fight looks like in her head. I know what it looks like in the movie, so I kind of have to go on what it looks like in the movie, but, here's the thing: if it's possible for a human to duck a wand beach at them, a vampire's not going to have a problem. I mean, the fight would be over in .01 seconds because Edward would be across the room, snap his neck and be done. He wouldn't even have time to say the spellwork. So..I'm sorry, Edward would win that one. Interviewer: Yeah-I agree with that. All right Interviewer: Let's move on to Breaking Dawn now, and if you the listener have not read Breaking Dawn yet and you plan on it, and don't want to be spoiled, now's the time to fast-forward about 30 minutes ahead to get to get the rest of Mugglecast because we all finished reading it, I think it's safe to say we all loved it. Interviewer: Yeah, it was amazing. Stephenie: You know, I haven't all the reaction yet, but I hear murmuring that some people are upset with me so, I'm glad to hear you guys liked it. Interviewer: Well, it's over, that's probably why a lot of people are upset. Interviewer: Yeah, that's definitely part of it, I think. Stephenie: Well, you know it kind of goes back…Actually it kind of goes to what Steven Speilberg was saying, about the new Indiana Jones, and how people had written their own stories. And I think that when you, leave that space for people to do that, it's hard to make them happy. Interviewer: Exactly. Yeah. Interviewer: So, um, did you always have a four book saga planned out in your head? Stephenie: No, um, when I wrote Twilight that was you know, I didn't know I writing a book…I wasn't thinking about that, right? So, when I wrote that uh-it was its own thing. And then when I continued on, um, I wrote, you know, the other sequel, Forever Dawn, which was basically a rough draft of Breaking Dawn. Um, and then, so then that was the end. So the two books then, and then my editor came and said, you know, you skipped right over the end of high school, we really want to see more high school Bella, let's go back and develop that. And, so that's what I did. But I knew the ending when I started New Moon, I knew it would be a four book story arc. Interviewer: Ohhh. Wow. Interesting Well how did you come up with the… Stephenie: I'm a little more…I'm a little disorganized, as you can tell. Interviewer: I think it turned out great, though. Interviewer: So, Stephenie, How did you come up with the title for Breaking Dawn? Um. Stephenie: Well, you know, the first book was originally called Forks because I just really liked that and I thought, I would pick up a book called Forks, how could you go wrong with a book called Forks? My editor didn't think that was a very good idea so we, kicked around a ton of titles, and when we finally did come up with Twilight, then the other titles became really, easier, New Moon became obvious to me and Eclipse as well. And then, Breaking Dawn, I…Forever Dawn sounded so cheesy I didn't want to go back to that, I wanted more of a sense of impending doom while at the same time a breaking day, you know, and actually um, Pel on the Lexicon was the one that originally suggested that, I just was just kicking it around, what do you guys think, and she said Breaking Dawn and I said ohh, I like that, and that's what I ended up using. Interviewers: Oh Wow. Okay. Awesome Interviewer: Okay, So, this has been discussed endlessly, the cover of Breaking Dawn. What does it mean to you? Stephenie: Ooh You guys are..are, I figured I'd answer that one tonight for the very first time but you guys beat me. Um the cover has kind of two things, um, for me the main thing is, this is a metaphor for the entire story arc because you have Bella going from being the most helpless player on the board going to being the most powerful player on the board. Interviewer: Yes! Interviewers: Oh Matt had it right! Good job, Matt! Stephenie: Pawn to Queen. And then the other…I kind of wanted to foreshadow the final scene in the book is not a battle scene, for me it's more of a courtroom drama, and so I wanted to get that sense of people very methodically plotting their moves, and so I liked the chess metaphor. Interviewer: Oh wow! That's great, you know what I really loved about this cover is that there's so many ways you could interpret it. Interviewer: Yeah um, Stephenie: Right. All the covers are that way, to an extent and so I thought it fit well with the.. with the whole series. Interviewer: Sure. Um hmm. Interviewer: I will say we spent hours, sitting around discussing what this cover could have possibly meant. We had everything you could possibly think of. It's ridiculous. Stephenie: Well that's exactly how it's supposed to work, so awesome. Interviewer: So, this might be a difficult question to answer but what was your favorite scene to write from Breaking Dawn? Stephenie: I said at Comic Con like my favorite Bella and Edward scene was in Breaking Dawn, and it's the very last scene in the book when like the last two pages. Interviewer: Awww Stephenie: Yeah, that was one of my favorite scenes. But then, writing the Jacob Black section was the most fun I've ever had. I was just laughing the whole way through. It was fantastic. Interviewer: I have to say, I am so appreciative that you did that, because Jacob, I know that I'm not the only one here who says that Jacob is their favorite character, and reading from his perspective was just awesomeness.. That's the only way I can describe it. Fantastic. Stephenie: Writing from his perspective was just hugely fun. And, he's always been one of my favorites and I've been hearing his little snarky inside comments the whole time I've been writing. I know what he's thinking, I've been hearing his responses that he doesn't say and it was finally great to be able to have those. Interviewer: I'm so glad you brought up those snarky comments because I was actually laughing as he was saying some of those things. Especially the Rose Jacob interaction. It was just so funny. I loved it. Stephenie: I very much enjoyed Jacob and Rosalie. Interviewer: Yes. I love them. I love those blonde jokes. Well, I just love when Bella was sick and when Jacob's point-of-view, he was kind of taking over Bella's sarcasm, a little bit. Interviewer: Yeah Interviewer: And he kind of mentioned that, in the book. Stephenie: Well one of the things that went into Forever Dawn, the original series, it does not have that perspective, the whole thing is narrated from Bella's perspective because Jacob had not developed into the character he was into by the time of Breaking Dawn. Um, you know in Twilight he has a very small role. So, but part of the problem with the original draft was that it gets a little grim, for a while, and I wanted to, you know, I wanted to be outside of this life and death struggle, for a little bit. And, you know, have it there, but at the same time be away from it. And I also at the same time wanted to show where the action was. Bella was sitting in the house for a week, um during that part of the time, doing nothing. And there's a lot going on that she can't see. So I needed a different set of eyes. Interviewer: Yeah. Interviewer: So, um, kind of moving along a little bit, Reneesme, Um, was she always going to happen from the beginning, or was she a surprise to you the way she was to Bella and Edward? Stephenie: Uhhh…from the time I started Forever Dawn, she was a big part of the story. And in fact with the editor situation, they wanted me to end the story at three books. And, I couldn't do that and get Nessie at the same time. And so it was really for her that I was fighting that whole time because I wanted her. Interviewer: Oh wow, so kind of like the way Bella was fighting for her. That's really… Stephenie: It's similar, it's very similar, actually. Interviewer: Going back to Jacob a little bit because, I'm like Laura, he really is one of my favorite characters, I really love him a lot, um, I've listened to some judge him a bit too harshly because of his behavior in Eclipse, and I'm wondering, do you think that now, after Breaking Dawn, after we've seen all these sacrifices that he's made, do you think that he's redeemed himself? Stephenie: You know, I don't know, because I thought that people would get him in Eclipse. You know, I thought that they would understand how much of his gruffness and his attitude is about his heart being broken, and how much he was already giving in Eclipse to make an alliance with his enemies for her. I mean, so much of the self-sacrifice and the willingness he was to hurt himself for her kind of broke my heart. And then for people not to get that, I was very surprised. So, I will never predict that people will find Jacob Black redeemed, no matter what I write, because I don't know if some of them can be convinced in any direction besides just hating him. Interviewer: Yeah. Right. And I was disappointed with that too because from the very get go I loved Jake, you know? So… Stephenie: Well I've always been inside his head, so I've never gotten that sense that sense that he was up to no good and that he was a bad person. That's always surprised me. Interviewer: Right. Right. Well, what about imprinting? Um there was a bit of that-well obviously a lot of that in Breaking Dawn, but Jake says at some point, I think it's when he's talking to Leah that he isn't too thrilled with the idea of having him imprint. I think he says something along the lines of he wanted to keep a mind of his own, or at least he had a mind of his own or something. So, what are your thoughts on imprinting? Do you think that it sort of relinquishes free will or is it just sort of a way the werewolves, or the shape-shifters, excuse me, the shape shifters version of soul mates? Stephenie: Um, I'm kind of on the line between that. On the one hand, it doesn't leave you a choice. And it can mess up your life like it did with Sam, you know, and someone elses life in the bargain. Um, on the other hand, it gives you a like long love that you're never going to tire of, and that is always going to be fresh and new. And so there's a gift and and a curse wrapped up in there. Interviewer: Right. Interviewer: One thing I had been wondering about, towards the end, there is the resolution with the Volturi. Why did you have the Volturi understand Reneesme's situation instead of having some kind of, you know, climactic battle or something. 'Cause, um, it was a surprise, I did enjoy it, um, but I was surprised that the Volturi sort of, you know, understood, not so much coward away but… Stephenie: Were cowed. Interviewer: What's that? Stephenie: They were cowed, they were cowed, and it wasn't a big battle were everyone got slaughtered and a lot is because I was not ready to slaughter everybody. If it would have happened that way, and I had…I had this discussion with my editor, there were a couple of different people giving me feedback on this and I always wanted it to be a mental game. I knew I who I was going to kill, and I didn't want to go there. It was always this way for me… Interviewer: Speaking of… Stephenie: You know, but I thought about doing it, but I just couldn't do it. Okay Good, Okay Interviewer: So, just speaking of the Volturi, we were curious to learn more about some of the other vampires. Like for instance, what did Jane have as a human that translated to her special ability as a vampire? And, are there any other interesting tidbits you could give us about any of the Volturi or the Denali that we don't already know? Stephenie: Well, that's an open ended question. I could go on for hours. There is some stuff on the website actually about Jane and Alec and how they were sort of shaped as they became vampires because they were, you know they were in England and considered witches because they had, like Alice had (unintelligible). When the Volturi caught up with them, they were actually being burned at the stake, which shaped how their powers manifested. It was the pain of that. Interviewer: Okay Stephenie: So, that was one, but yeah, others of the characters have backstories in my head, and I'm kind of waiting for um, some questions that I'm expecting about the uh, the index that I provided at the end. I'm sorry I'm pretty sure those are coming. Interviewer: Oh yeah… Interviewer: I thought that…I thought that was pretty cool, how you had that in there. Interviewer: Yeah, I like them too. I liked as a reference, to keep going back and forth. Interviewer: So, why was Bella able to essentially, um, skip her newborn stage? Was it due to the um attitude and preparation that they had suggested? Stephenie: Yes, it was because, well because her personality is a very controlled personality in some ways, and um it translated really well. She was sort of uniquely fitted towards it. Interviewers: Yeah. Right. Okay. Interviewer: She pretty much embraced the vampire stage too. I mean she pretty much really-it wasn't really like, her body was, her whole existence wasn't against it. Stephenie: No, is wasn't. Everyone else was kind of stunned by it. Interviewer: Um hmm. Yeah. Stephenie: The Cullen family anyway. And then there those that were born into different families, like the Volturi, would never have been taught that they needed to do anything differently. So, she just had a lot more prep time on it than anyone else. Interviewers: Yeah. Right. Right. That makes sense. Interviewer: Now, this it seems like this is somewhat disputed between some of the vampires, particularly Edward and Carlisle, um, at least for a little while. Is there an afterlife for the vampires? Stephenie: Again, you know, I'm not good about answering questions about things that haven't been answered in the novels. Um, because there's that chance that I might go there. So, I mean, I think that, at this point in the story it's still up in the air. None of them know, because they haven't seen. Interviewers: Yeah. Um hmm. Okay. That makes sense. Interviewer: I think you've touched on this a little bit already, but our next question was, there ever a point when you ever considered killing off one or more of the main characters? Stephenie: I'd know who would have to die if I went ahead with the series. Um, and that is kind of the reason I don't want to. I'd have to kill a lot of people, if it ever really came down to a fight, a pitched battle. Umm, people would die and that's no fun. So, I know who I would kill, but I don't know if I ever would go there. Interviewer: Uh huh. Interviewer: We saw that the issues between Jacob and his old pack were resolved in Breaking Dawn, but does he ever go back to join them, with Sam and his pack, or does he stay as an Alpha and lead his own? Stephenie: Um, the Alpha thing isn't really something you can turn off, so, he realizes he's in so that's why he's sort of pulling some of his friends over and he's got his own pack now. There's no going back. Interviewer: Um, and speaking of that, did you always know that Jacob and the rest of the pack were shape-shifters, or was it just kind of something that came about, maybe at about the middle of the series, maybe? Stephenie: Um, I still think of them as werewolves because, really of the definition of a werewolf-a man that turns into a wolf, so technically, yeah. But, I knew their, I knew their backstory in a very, um, I hadn't defined it entirely, but I knew where it came from. And I knew that it had been a different story than if they'd been bitten as with traditional werewolves. And, so, I kind of had to make a decision early and do traditional werewolves exist and where are they at? You know, what's with the moon and the silver bullets? And, I kind of decided they must have, and they would be close to extinct at this point. Um, and so I've known that. Interviewer: Edward mentioned at the end of the book that the Volturi would eventually try to pick each of the family off individually. Does this mean we'll see more books about the future of the Cullens? Is that what you may be leaning more towards, or are you ready to, like, move on to something else? Um… Stephenie: So, I mean, that's definitely left open for that purpose. Um, clearly, you know, there would be a possibility for a lot more stories there, but I have not yet decided. You know, I have to admit, it's been a really long year. And uh, I don't know if I'm ready to dive back into that. I think instead I'm going to go into a different direction for a while. Interviewer: If you had to chose a character's point of view to go from, other than Edward's, who would be your third favorite to work from, I guess it would be? Stephenie: You mean, from this point out? Interviewer: Yeah, just from anyone else's point of view. I mean like, Jasper's or Alice or Carlisle, Alice of course, yeah. Stephenie: Do you mean like for, to go back and redo…or from this point on? Interviewer: Well, maybe, their story, or something? Interviewer: Yeah, maybe. Stephenie: Um, well, because I'm writing from Edward's perspective, does that make sense? I actually begin to give a lot of people's perspective because he's reading all their thoughts. Interviewer: Oh, yeah. That's true. Stephenie: So, you really get a lot of Alice. A real sense of Rosie, as well. And Emmett. You really get their perspective too, when Edward's telling the story. I don't really have the urge to go back to any of those characters. And, if I were to go forward, I don't think those would be the ones I'd choose. Interviewer: Oh okay. Interviewer: So, we got to see a lot of really cool new characters in Breaking Dawn, just as personal aside, I have to tell you how much I adore Garrett. I mean... Stephenie: I'm a big Garrett fan, I love the guy. Interviewer: And, his little monologue, his little monologue at the end the revolutionary, that just thrilled me, I mean he just won me over completely, but, I mean, who's your favorite of the new characters? I mean personality wise and who you like to write? Stephenie: Um, I enjoyed Siobhan quite a bit, she actually had, and Maggie, in the original draft; it was longer towards the end, it was too long, it got cut down, it's still very long, uh, but I cut out some interactions with Silbhan, and then uh, I also, I really enjoyed the Romanians, they're new to this version of the story, and I love having them come in with their totally different attitude and their kind of their, I got a huge kick out of them. Interviewer: That was funny. I loved the Romanians. Interviewer: Didn't Aro give them a look too? It was like ah, geeze. Stephenie: Oh, yeah. Interviewer: Yeah, that was great. Stephenie: It was like the last cue and they were still like the thorn in the side, that they hadn't quite eradicated the entire clan you know. Interviewer: Right. Um hmm. Interviewer: So Stephenie, this question I've been dying to ask ever since Breaking Dawn was finished. What is your opinion, or, not what is your opinion, gosh, what is the overall message to the series? Stephenie: You know, my editor said that to me, when I gave her the outline, she said, "what's the moral of the story?" and I'm like, there's no moral to the story, the point is to have a good time. The message is: "Did you enjoy the ride?" I hope hopefully, because that's what it was about. Entertainment. Nothing beyond that was intentional. Interviewer: Oh okay, interesting. Interviewer: Right, yeah, um, okay, so I have a question for you about Jasper because our mutual friend Kim is just in love with him, so, and she's wondering: Does Jasper actually feel other people's emotions or does he just feel the emotion coming off of them? Stephenie: Oh, he feels their emotions. To me, there's not really a distinction there. Um, for him people are putting out this emotional aura all the time, and if someone is very sad then he's going to feel that too. He can separate from himself a little bit, you know, and he, he knows that he's not sad, but he's still feeling the effects of it. Interviewer: Right. Um hm. Right Interviewer: Well, when he's trying to influence someone else's emotions, does he have to feel it himself, like it he's trying to calm someone down, does he have to feel calm, or is he able to do that outside his own emotions? Stephenie: He has to be calm to calm someone down. Interviewer: Wow. Poor Jasper. You feel so bad for him. Stephenie: He's had a lot of practice. He's good at it. Interviewer: Yeah, I guess that's true. Interviewer: So, we kind of talked about the encyclopedia or the official to the Twilight saga that was advertised at the end of Breaking Dawn. What, if anything, can you tell us about what to expect? Stephenie: You know, I am only tangentially involved in that. I think a lot of that will be old information to someone who's read everything on the Lexicon, and everything on my website, and everything that out there. They'll be like "oh yeah, I know a lot of this." But to someone that hasn't put in that effort it will be a good reference guide for them. I'm hoping to be able to add in some new material. Don't know if it's going to happen. We'll see when we get off tour and what their production schedule is like, uh, if what I'm working on doesn't make it in time, I'll just put it on my website. Interviewers: Okay. Cool. Awesome. Cool Interviewer: Now Um, So you have a question? Interviewer: Oh, Okay, Sure. Well, I know that you're a big fan of the band Muse and so am I. Um, So, I was wondering: Is there any particular songs that really stood out to you while you were writing Breaking Dawn? Any one or two in particular that inspired you the most? Stephenie: Um, on my playlist at the end, in the in the.it's fitted to the battle scene. Um, I hear the song Take a Bow as the Volturi are coming into the meadow. I can just see them almost moving to that, the way it builds and kind of expands, I mean, it's an amazing song. And then, Assassins is Garrett's speech, which you guys (unintellible). Interviewers: Oh, Great. Right. Interviewer: Perfect, yeah, I totally see that. It's a good one. Interviewer: Um, now a couple of questions about the movie, um, at Comic con you were doing an interview with Catherine Hardwicke, the director, of course, and she said that you'd be seeing what they had put together the following Tuesday. Do you want to say anything about the film? Like, have you seen it, like a rough cut of it, at this point? Stephenie: I did see a very, very rough cut, there were, you know, there's a lot of transitions and things like that, a lot (unintelligible) because its still in the very early stages, but I'm kind of amazed at how the emotions come through, and how (unintelligible) Rob is and how Bella-ie Kristen is, and how them together just really caught that chemistry, Its kind of mind blowing. Interviewer: Wow, awesome. That's really exciting to hear. Stephenie: And I think, I think all of you knew Rob before as Cederic, and kind of seen him in action, but you're going to be blown away. You're not going to believe it when you see how-what his skill range is- he's amazing. Interviewer: Right. 'Cause Matt and I were at Comic Con, and we saw the scene that they played at the panel, that now like historic panel, with you guys, and um that scene, it seemed like it was pretty much complete. Uh, it was definitely a lot different that when they played it at the MTV Movie Awards, and that scene was just awesome. It just felt so cool. Interviewer: I was so excited, the last scene we actually saw what Bella was seeing when she got bit. And then they stopped. Interviewer: Yeah, that was crazy. So is it true to books? So you think the fans are going to be very happy with it? Because that's always been a big thing with Harry Potter, about how it being true to the books. And, frankly, they really haven't, and it's a thing the fans have come to accept. So, what do you think the Twilight fans should expect? Stephenie: It totally depends on the attitude they go in with. Like, I had people email me about trailers they've seen and say, you know, this line is different than it is in the book. I'm concerned. It's like, okay, you need to be because if you're expecting them to come out and spout all the lines that are in the book and have things happen in the same order, it's just not possible unless you're doing like a 12 hour you know miniseries. Interviewer: Exactly. Yeah. Stephenie: Yeah, can't be done. But, what I was looking for, and hoping for, was that it would feel like Twilight, and the little things that are different are almost like little extras, you know that totally could happen because they're absolutely in character, and when they're talking to each other it sounds like Edward and Bella and its like little extras for me and there's scenes I wish I could put into the book; they're that much in line. So, if you're expecting to see the book exactly as it is, you're not going to see that. But you are to see the soul of Twilight, and that's what counts to me. Interviewer: Yeah. Awesome. Stephenie: So, Elizabeth just walked in, and that's my cue. I have to run over to the theatre. Interviewer: Oh, well Stephenie, thank you so much, this was a lot of fun. Stephenie: Well, I had a lot of fun too. Interviewer: Good luck on your show today, and I'm sure you'll do fine. Stephenie: Thank you. Interviewer: We'll see you Thursday. Matt and I are going to be at your LA stop. Stephenie: Oh cool, cool, see you on Thursday then. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted on Sat, May. 03, 2008 Stephenie Meyer's vampire novels were the dawning of a career By JOHN MARK EBERHART The Kansas City Star Maybe it's because she's a mother to three boys; maybe it's just because she's a compassionate person. But Stephenie Meyer loves to see the good in people - even the "bad guys." "My books really aren't horror novels," Meyer says from her home near Phoenix before coming to Kansas City for a sold-out appearance. "The vampires are a source of light in my novels. I tend to look at the bad-guy side of things - giving them their side, letting them talk." The vampires in question populate Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse, the first three books in Meyer's outrageously successful Twilight Saga series. The fourth, Breaking Dawn, will be published Aug. 2. Meyer's appearance Thursday in KC is actually to talk about her first non-vampire novel, The Host. Young-adult readers and older ones have embraced the vampire series with the kind of passion J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter elicited: millions of copies sold (4 million in the last 12 months alone), ardent devotion (143 weeks combined on the New York Times best-seller list), and the inevitable film adaptations - the first, "Twilight," hits theaters Dec. 12. As for why the books enthrall readers: There's always the old-fashioned sex appeal of vampires - the taking of blood, neck biting, the intimacy of the exchange. Yet Meyer downplays it a bit: "Since I haven't read a lot of vampire books, I really haven't absorbed that assumption. The act of sucking blood is not this sensual, sexual, romantic thing; it's a very violent, gruesome act." Perhaps. But these characters are teens. In Twilight, Bella Swan is a "new kid" who leaves Phoenix for a small town in Washington state, where she feels (of course) out of place. She falls for Edward Cullen, a handsome boy vampire. As Booklist opined: "This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella's scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally." Viscerally but also safely, or at least somewhat innocently, given the fantasy setting. At the very least, the Twilight books are once removed from the realities of teen sexuality explored in such young-adult books as Meg Cabot's Ready or Not. Tuesday, though, will bring the publication of The Host, in which Meyer will take her fans in a different direction: It's a non-Twilight novel that is ostensibly science fiction, though on her Web site ( www.stepheniemeyer.com) the author calls it "science fiction for people who don't like science fiction." Preorders already have ensured The Host's success; last week it ranked 24th on amazon.com and 19th on bn.com. Meyer will be in Kansas City Thursday to sign and discuss the book, but according to Rainy Day Books, the thousand tickets are gone. "It's definitely a departure in that it's a whole new cast and crew in my head," Meyer says. "But, at the same time, I think my established readers will be comfortable with it; they'll get into the rhythm of it and find that it sounds like me. Stylistically it's very similar." The Host is the story of Wanderer, a member of an alien species that takes possession of human minds and bodies. Nearly all of humanity has yielded to these alien beings, but Wanderer's host, Melanie Stryder, is an especially strong human. Her will is not entirely broken; she pushes back at Wanderer, and the two minds must find a way to deal with each other. "It's science fiction because it's about aliens," the author says, "so there's no other way to categorize it. And I like science fiction. But this doesn't feel to me like science fiction; once you get past the basic premise, it's just about being human." The very word host, in this context, can give one the willies. Indeed science fiction writers and filmmakers have addressed this in works ranging from Ridley Scott's "Alien" and its sequels to Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers to John Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as "Village of the Damned"). In those works, though, it was clear the invaders were sinister, while The Host is a bit more ambiguous. The book "is told from the perspective of one of the aliens," Meyer says, "and the aliens, instead of being these horrible monsters who destroy everything … they're kind of the good guys." Of course. Meyer's compassion rears its head again. "I think that's still kind of a hard stretch for us to accept, good guys who are not us. But in this case, arguably, they've done a much better job with the world than we have. They've ended world hunger; there's no more violence; everything's happy and peaceful; and everyone's kind and trustworthy." As with her vampires, Meyer's aliens come off as sympathetic in part, she thinks, because of her role as mother to Gabe, Seth and Eli. "They're 10, 7 and 5. They're perfect. If I could stop them from aging, I would! There are no diapers (now), everybody's self-sufficient, they're fun. We can go to an amusement park, and everybody has a good time. And yet no teenagers - no drivers!" Life in Momworld, Meyer says, means you're always looking for the best in people. "Being a mom is a crash course in deep compassion. Everybody's somebody's kid, right? So as a mom, compassion comes with the territory. You want people to be happy; you want to understand them; you want them to be well-adjusted." When it comes time to write, those values translate easily to Meyer's pages. "Your characters become your children, and you want good things for them." Dad, by the way, is Christian Meyer, though Stephenie calls her husband Pancho, based on a nickname bestowed by his grandmother. She has known him for 30 years, since she was 4; their parents were friends. They were not high school sweethearts; the attraction happened in Meyer's college years, after they hadn't seen each other for a while. "We saw each other again, and we'd both changed a little bit." Her reaction: "He looks good!" Meyer earned a bachelor's in English from Brigham Young University. But motherhood might yet have been her only job were it not for a dream she had in 2003 - a dream about a girl and a vampire sitting in a meadow. That was rather odd, given her background. Yes, she's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but she also describes herself as "a total chicken," not a lover of scary yarns. "I've never read a Stephen King book in my life. The most I can handle as far as scary movies is Hitchcock; anything beyond that, count me out. Suspense is OK. I really don't like gore; I hate the slasher type of thing. "I have never seen a vampire movie. I don't read vampire books. The Twilight series got started because of (that dream) I had, and I still have no idea why I was dreaming about a vampire." She started writing with no other intent, she says, than to entertain herself. "I wasn't planning on publishing it. It was for an audience of one." That audience has multiplied quite dramatically. Meyer confesses to being a bit shy in front of crowds, but now that experience is part of her life. "I wrote these stories because I wanted to tell them to myself. And that was … kind of enough, to get that much joy out of something. You don't ask for more. To have other people respond to it as emotionally as they have, that they care as much as I do about these characters, was unexpected and overwhelming." She laughs. "Fanaticism is the reason the word fan exists. It makes me feel great." But the work is what motivates her. After this book tour, she'll return to writing Midnight Sun, which will be the fifth Twilight book. Her Web site has a tab labeled "Other Projects." It's empty for now, but one suspects that won't be the case for long. ________________________________________ To reach John Mark Eberhart, books editor, send e-mail to jeberhart@kcstar.com or call 816-234-4772.