VANCOUVER, B.C. — When Stephenie Meyer walks into a room of Twilight fans, there's no doubt she's their undisputed vampire queen.
Ten lucky Twilight fans from around the world have come to this metropolitan Canadian city to meet the mega-selling author whose young-adult novels about an alluring vampire and his human soul mate have entranced them since 2005.
It's hard to say who's enjoying this total Twilight talkfest more — the attendees or the writer.
"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.
But every
Twilight fan intuitively knows why Vancouver, home of the
2010 Winter Olympics, is a logical meeting place — the cast and crew of
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and
Part 2, the final movies based on the four-book series, have been filming here since mid-February.
These die-hard Twi-hards know everything about the paranormal series that centers on the love between Edward Cullen, the sexy vampire portrayed in the films by dreamy
Robert Pattinson, and teenage Bella Swan, played by the enigmatic
Kristen Stewart.
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 0held 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.
Super fans, super discussions
In roundtable discussions with Meyer at a Vancouver hotel, the winners discuss with finesse and endless authority vampire anatomy, werewolf legends, the back stories of the series' minor characters and, of course, the Edward/Bella/Jacob love triangle. (Jacob is the werewolf who also loves Bella and is played in the films by the often shirtless
Taylor Lautner.)
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."
•On an as-yet-untitled book she might publish next: "It's a fantasy that takes place in another world where people are using bows and arrows and swords. There's a little bit of magic, but it's a very limited form of magic. The characters are human, and some have the ability to use magic and some don't. It's pretty dark. People die. The main character is a 17-year-old girl, and she's kind of cool."
•On another book she might complete and publish: "When I was growing up, I was obsessed with mermaids. I do have a very elaborate outline for a book. I'm not working on it right now, but I have the feeling it's going to be big. It's going to be 1,000 pages."
•On the second book in her three-book adult science-fiction series that began with The Host in 2008: "I have the outline written and the first two chapters. I need to get on it."
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."
To find out what mysteries remain and if it's hit Stephenie that the saga is coming to an end
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