Kansas City Star editor’s mournful 2008 plea to ‘Twilight’ author is finally answered
Editor’s note: In 2008, when Sharon Hoffmann was a Huge “Twilight” Fan, she wrote with anguish about an installment in the sparkly vampire saga that would never be published.
Fast-forward to Monday: Author Stephenie Meyer announced that the discarded book, “Midnight Sun,” would indeed see the light of day after all, on Aug. 4.
Could Meyer have finally listened to a fan’s desperate plea? More about her decision below. First, the original story (which Hoffmann is a bit ashamed of now). It carried this headline:
Stephenie Meyer, will your Sun ever rise? Please don’t give up on your ode to Edward
We were shocked — shocked! — to hear that some miscreant leaked a draft of Stephenie Meyer’s “Midnight Sun” on the internet.
This was her little writing exercise that was evolving into a novel, telling the story of her megahit “Twilight” through the gorgeous golden eyes of vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen.
Thievery! We refused to so much as peek, even when Meyer reluctantly decided to fight back and post the rough, incomplete story on her own site, www.stepheniemeyer.com.
But we could hold out for only so long. Sorry, Stephenie, but this is a must-read for any self-respecting “Twilight” fan, especially with the movie version coming in 56 days. Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward, used “Midnight Sun” to get into character, after all.
Here’s some of what we learned:
▪ Turn-ons: Besides Bella’s alluring scent, Edward is drawn to this human for her bravery, maturity, selflessness, kindness, incredible skin and “eyes like melted chocolate,” even before she falls for him.
▪ Major self-confidence issues: He has no clue any girl could even like him. His cold hands must be repellent. His perfect smile must be terrifying. His whole persona must seem sinister.
▪ That’s true, sort of: Edward was just too intense for most mere humans; he didn’t soften up until he was courting Bella. So the whole chick magnet thing is new for him.
▪ Most humans are so pitiful: Since Edward can read pretty much everyone’s mind, we learn more about two-faced Jessica, shallow Mike, annoying Tyler and other characters populating Forks, Washington.
But — big sigh — the manuscript is just 264 pages and stops right before the fantastic glittering meadow scene halfway into “Twilight.”
“I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on ‘Midnight Sun,’ and so it is on hold indefinitely,” Meyer wrote on her site.
Nooooo! Maybe we can use the power of the press to change her mind and get Edward’s version completed and into bookstores where it belongs. Hey, it’s been almost a month now since her depressing announcement.
So write your pleas and loving reassurances to Stephenie Meyer at (an email we no longer use). We’ll forward them to her in a big, encouraging Kansas City care package.
You know, send a little Sun shine her way.
And now for the update:
Twelve years after the last “Twilight” installment, “Breaking Dawn,” hit stores and the first “Twilight” movie hit theaters, Meyer has decided to release “Midnight Sun” after all.
In a note to fans Monday, she said that in this age of coronavirus, books have become her “main solace and happiest escape.”
“Completing Midnight Sun,” she said, “has brought back to me those early days of Twilight when I first met many of you. We had a lot of fun, didn’t we?”
Yes, we did.
Here’s the full text of the announcement from Meyer’s website:
“First of all, I hope that you and your families are all safe, healthy, and in a good place. That’s the main thing.
“Second, I’m happy to announce that Midnight Sun is finally (very close to) ready! And will be in bookstores on August 4th. I hope this announcement doesn’t seem ill-timed; I really considered delaying the release until the world was back to normal. However, 1) who knows when that will be? And 2) you guys have waited long enough. Much longer than long enough, actually.
“I don’t know how everyone else is coping, but right now books are my main solace and happiest escape. Personally, I would be nothing but delighted if one of my favorite authors announced something new for me to read. (No pressure, Laini Taylor.) So, I hope this announcement gave you some pleasure and something fun to look forward to.
“Working on a book for more than thirteen years is a strange experience. I’m not the same person I was then. My children have all grown up. My back got weird. The world is a different place. I can only imagine all the things that have changed for you. But completing Midnight Sun has brought back to me those early days of Twilight when I first met many of you. We had a lot of fun, didn’t we? Throwing proms and hanging out in hotel rooms and reading on the beach (while getting the most epic sunburns of our lives). We made hilarious t-shirts and fabulous websites. We found kindred spirits that are still in our lives now. I hope going back to the beginning of Bella’s and Edward’s story reminds you of all that fun, too.
“Stay tuned this summer—we have lots more fun things planned. Music (of course), contests, information on the book tour, and more will be posted on this page. I hope to see all of you soon! It’s been too long.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 4:40 PM.
