Meyer, Stephenie 1973–

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Meyer, Stephenie 1973–

Personal

Born 1973, in CT; married; husband's name Christiaan "Pancho" (an auditor); children: Gabe, Seth, Eli. Education: Brigham Young University, B.A.

Addresses

Home—Cave Creek, AZ. Agent—c/o Jodi Reamer, 21 W. 26th St., New York, NY 10010; jreamerwritershouse.com.

Career

Author.

Awards, Honors

Editor's Choice selection, New York Times, and Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults and Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers listee, both American Library Association, all 2005, all for Twilight.

Writings

"TWILIGHT" SERIES

Twilight, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2005.

New Moon, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2006.

Eclipse, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2007.

Breaking Dawn, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2008.

OTHER

The Host, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to Prom Nights from Hell, HarperTeen (New York, NY), 2007.

Adaptations

Twilight has been adapted as a major motion picture, Summit Entertainment, 2008.

Sidelights

Stephenie Meyer is the creator of the phenomenally successful "Twilight" series about a teenaged vampire. The four books in the series—Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn—have sold millions of copies and found their way onto bestseller lists across the United States. Often compared to books by bestselling novelist Anne Rice, and with sales reminiscent of British author J.K. Rowling, Meyer's romantic vampire novels have attracted throngs of teenage readers. As Cindy Dobrez noted in Booklist, Meyer's "Twilight" books "began as a simple vampire series and quickly became a megaselling publishing phenomenon."

Meyer was born in Connecticut in 1973. Her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, when she was four years old. "I am the second of six children," the author told Cynthia Leitich Smith in a Cynsations online interview. "I think that coming from such a large family has given me a lot of insight into different personality types—my siblings sometimes crop up as characters in my stories." After winning a National Merit Scholarship, Meyer attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Meyer got married and gave birth to three sons before she embarked on a writing career. As she told Smith: "I have a husband and three young sons who all are slightly bewildered with my sudden career shift from mommy to writer. A lifelong reader, I didn't start writing until I was twenty-nine, but once I began typing I've never been able to stop." Meyer's entry into the world of vampire literature began as the result of a dream she had on June 2, 2003. As she explained to William Morris of A Motley Vision online: "It was a conversation between a boy and a girl which took place in a beautiful, sunny meadow in the middle of a dark forest. The boy and the girl were in love with each other, and they were discussing the problems involved with that love, seeing that she was human and he was a vampire. The boy was more beautiful than the meadow, and his skin sparkled like diamonds in the sun. He was so gentle and polite, and yet the potential for violence was very strong, inherent to the scene." Meyer recorded her dream later that day, and she continued writing the rest of the summer, finishing her manuscript in August.

Almost overnight, Twilight propelled Meyer into the ranks of top-selling writers for teenage readers. The vampire love story features teen narrator Isabella "Bella" Swan and her love interest, Edward Cullen. Bella has just moved from Phoenix to the small town of

Forks, Washington, and is now living with her police chief-father. The first day at her new school she is attracted to Edward, a vampire who has trained himself to feed on animal, rather than human, blood. Trouble soon arises in the form of another group of vampires who have no such restraint. While the novel concerns vampires, the story is more romance than horror. Amanda Craig noted on her Web site that Twilight is the "chaste yet intensely erotic description of a teenager's love-affair with a vampire." Referring to the novel's romantic story, Meyer told Rick Margolis in the School Library Journal: "I do like to say it's a vampire book for people who don't like vampire books."

Twilight won critical praise from many quarters. A Publishers Weekly contributor, for example, called it a "riveting first novel, propelled by suspense and romance in equal parts," as well as a "tantalizing debut." Similarly, Hillias J. Martin, writing in the School Library Journal, called the book "realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, [a novel that] will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it." "Twilight builds to a dramatic and suspenseful second half, not to mention a nail-biting conclusion," according to online reviewer Linda M. Castellitto in BookPage. For Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper, Twilight is a "dark romance [that] seeps into the soul."

In New Moon Bella loses her vampire lover only to be courted by a teen who is an incipient werewolf. The Cullens move from town, fearful that they cannot control themselves and that they may do harm to Bella. Months later she comes out of her depression and strikes up a friendship with a Native American named Jacob. Meanwhile, she is also pursued by an evil vampire whose presence triggers the lycanthropy in Jacob's genes. While all this is happening, Edward is seemingly determined to die at the hands of an Italian vampire cult. Booklist contributor Cindy Dobrez predicted that "teens will relish this new adventure and hunger for more," while Kliatt reviewer Claire Rosser similarly concluded that young readers "will be eager to share [Bella's] passion and her adventures."

Eclipse finds Bella faced with a difficult choice. She must decide whether to become, like Edward, a vampire or to stay human. Bella knows that her choice will spark a war between the vampires and the werewolves. Meanwhile, Seattle is being terrorized by a serial killer and a female vampire is out for revenge. When Bella is placed in danger, Edward and Jacob find themselves forging an unlikely alliance to save her. Norah Piehl noted in TeenReads.com that, "since Meyer's books have always been more of a love story than a vampire series,… many readers will appreciate Eclipse's more firm grounding in reality, largely focusing on character realization rather than on melodramatic, metaphysical conflicts." "The supernatural elements," wrote a critic for Publishers Weekly, "accentuate the ordinary human dramas of growing up." "Just like the first two novels,"

Janis Flint-Ferguson wrote in Kliatt, "this one is hard to put down as it draws the reader into heart pounding gothic romance tinged with mythic horror."

The much-anticipated conclusion to the series, Breaking Dawn, appeared in 2008. Having exchanged their wedding vows, Bella and Edward embark on a romantic honeymoon, after which Edward will transform his bride into a vampire. The pair is unprepared for Bella's surprise pregnancy, however, and complications arise during the delivery of their half-human/half-vampire baby. Surprisingly, the initial response to the novel from Meyer's legions of fans was one of disappointment. "Meyer's trouble may have been the simplicity of her romance saga," wrote Chicago Tribune critic Patrick T. Reardon. "The core questions had to do with whether Bella and her vampire boyfriend would have sex and whether Bella would become a vampire." Reardon added that "however Meyer answered them, it seems clear now in retrospect that she was bound to disappoint some major segment of her readership, the majority of whom are teenage girls." Still, Breaking Dawn received a number of positive reviews. "Many readers seem to be on a honeymoon high," noted Carol Memmott in USA Today, and Time contributor Lev Grossman described the novel as "a wild but satisfying finish to the ballad of Bella and Edward."

Meyer's books have attracted a great number of devoted fans. In Pasadena, California, a "vampire prom" was held, just like the prom that Bella and Edward attend in Twilight. Tickets for the event sold out in seven hours, so a second prom, held later the same day, was added. Hundreds of fans, mostly girls, showed up at both events and, over the course of several hours, Meyer autographed some 1,000 copies of her books. On the eve of Breaking Dawn's publication, hundreds of bookstores across the nation held vampire-themed parties.

Speaking with Gregory Kirschling in Entertainment Weekly, Meyer explained the appeal of her vampire books: "I think some of it's because Bella is an every-girl. She's not a hero, and she doesn't know the difference between Prada and whatever else is out there. She doesn't always have to be cool, or wear the coolest clothes ever. She's normal. And there aren't a lot of girls in literature that are normal."

In addition to her "Twilight" series, Meyer has also written a science-fiction thriller titled The Host. The work concerns a race of parasitic aliens that inhabit their human hosts and work for the betterment of the planet, eliminating war and curing disease. Some individuals resist the invasion, however, including Melanie Stryder, a seventeen year old who is captured and taken over by a soul named "Wanderer." What remains of Melanie's consciousness exerts a powerful influence over the alien, and Wanderer journeys to a desert strong-hold to locate the teenager's family and friends. Critics praised Meyer's decision to feature an alien protagonist, Booklist contributor Jennifer Mattson commenting that "the view of the apocalypse from the vantage point of one of its horsemen makes for propulsive reading." According to Karen E. Brooks-Reese in School Library Journal, "Questions of what defines humanity and love add a philosophical angle to an engaging and entertaining title."

Success has not drastically changed Meyer's life. "In my everyday, normal life, it's just something I don't think about very much," Meyer told Cecelia Goodnow in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Asked by Smith if she had any advice for budding authors, Meyer stated, "If you love to write, then write. Don't let your goal be having a novel published, let your goal be enjoying your stories. However, if you finish your story and you want to share it, be brave about it. Don't doubt your story's appeal." She concluded, "If I would have realized that the stories in my head would be as intriguing to others as they were to me, I would probably have started writing sooner."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Advertising Age, August 11, 2008, Nat Ives, "Making Release of Breaking Dawn One for the Books," p. 7.

Arizona Republic, October 17, 2005, Kathy Cano Murillo, "A Vampire Bit Her with Writing Bug."

Booklist, November 15, 2005, Ilene Cooper, review of Twilight, p. 58; July 1, 2006, Cindy Dobrez, review of New Moon, p. 51; September 15, 2007, Michael Cart, "Everlasting Love," p. 58, and Cindy Dobrez, review of Eclipse, p. 74; March 1, 2008, Jennifer Mattson, review of The Host, p. 29.

BookPage, October, 2005, Linda M. Castellitto, "Dreams of High School Vampires Inspire a Toothsome Debut."

Business Week, August 11, 2008, Heather Green, "Harry Potter with Fangs—and a Social Network," p. 44.

Chicago Tribune, August 12, 2008, Patrick T. Reardon, "Breaking down Breaking Dawn."

Entertainment Weekly, August 10, 2007, Gregory Kirschling, "The Q&A: Stephenie Meyer's ‘Twilight’ Zone," p. 74; May 9, 2008, Jeff Giles, "Alien Nation," p. 68; July 18, 2008, Karen Valby and Kate Ward, "The Vampire Empire," p. 22, and Nicole Sperling, "Twilight Hits Hollywood," p. 28; August 15, 2008, Kate Ward, "Out for Blood, Twilight Fans Bite Back at the New Book," p. 8, and Jennifer Reese, review of Breaking Dawn, p. 68.

Globe & Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), September 8, 2007, review of Eclipse, p. D18.

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, April, 2006, James Blasingame, review of Twilight, p. 628.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2005, review of Twilight, p. 1031; July 15, 2006, review of New Moon, p. 727; March 1, 2008, review of The Host.

Kliatt, September, 2005, Michele Winship, review of Twilight, p. 11; September, 2006, Claire Rosser, review of New Moon, p. 15; November, 2006, Michele Winship, review of Twilight, p. 29; November, 2007, Janis Flint-Ferguson, review of Eclipse, p. 12.

Maclean's, July 28, 2008, Brian Bethune, "Love at First Bite," p. 53.

Miami Herald, September 8, 2007, Sue Corbett, "The Hero's Tall, Dark and Toothsome."

New York Times Book Review, February 12, 2006, Elizabeth Spires, review of Twilight, p. 17; August 12, 2007, Liesl Schillinger, review of Eclipse, p. 19.

People, September 8, 2008, Bob Meadows and Kari Lydersen, "Stephenie Meyer Written in Blood," p. 90.

Phoenix New Times, July 12, 2007, Megan Irwin, "Charmed: Stephenie Meyer's Vampire Romance Novels Made a Mormon Mom an International Sensation."

Publishers Weekly, December 8, 2003, John F. Baker, "LB Preempts ‘Anne Rice for Teens,’" p. 12; July 18, 2005, review of Twilight, p. 207; October 31, 2005, Jennifer M. Brown, "Twilight in Translation," p. 28; July 17, 2006, review of New Moon, p. 159; July 23, 2007, Rachel Deahl, "Little, Brown Has Big Plans for Meyer"; August 20, 2007, review of Eclipse, p. 69; March 31, 2008, review of The Host, p. 42; August 11, 2008, Sam Nelson, "Breaking Trust?," p. 5.

School Library Journal, October, 2005, Rick Margolis, "Love at First Bite: Stephenie Meyer Talks about Vampires, Teen Love, and Her First Novel, Twilight," p. 37, and Hillias J. Martin, review of Twilight, p. 166; August, 2006, Hillias J. Martin, review of New Moon, p. 125; June, 2008, Karen E. Brooks-Reese, review of The Host, p. 171.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 6, 2007, Cecelia Goodnow, "Stephenie Meyer's Forks-based Saga of Teen Vampire Love Is Now a Global Hit."

Time, May 5, 2008, Lev Grossman, "The Next J.K. Rowling?," p. 49; August 18, 2008, Lev Grossman, review of Breaking Dawn, p. 65.

USA Today, August 16, 2007, Bob Minzesheimer, "Vampire Tale Takes Bite out of ‘Potter,’" p. 1D; August 7, 2008, Carol Memmott, "Dawn Fans Light up over Saga's End," p. 1D.

Virginian Pilot, August 12, 2007, Edward Nowatka, "Teen Series on Vampires Eclipses Rivals," p. E5.

Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2005, Angelica Delgado, review of New Moon.

Wall Street Journal, August 10, 2007, Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, "Booksellers Find Life after Harry in a Vampire Novel," p. B1.