born in Connecticut in 1973, Stephenie's Family settled in Phoenix by the time she was four. The unusual spelling of her name was a gift from her father, Stephen ( + ie ). Though she has had her name spelled wrong on pretty much everything her entire life long, it does make it easier to google her now.
She has five siblings: Seth, Emily, Jacob, Paul,and Heidi. She attended Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, AZ. Meyer attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she received a B.A. in English in 1995. She met her husband Christiaan, nicknamed "Pancho", when she was growing up in Arizona, and married him in 1994. Together they have three sons, Gabe, Seth, and Eli.
Meyer says that the idea for Twilight came to her in a dream about a human girl and a vampire, who was in love with her but thirsted for her blood, sitting in a meadow on June 2, 2003, the transcript of which is now Chapter 13 of the book. She had not written anything much before the dream, but in a matter of three months her first novel was finished. After writing and editing the novel, she signed a three-book deal with Little, Brown and Company for $750,000.
The sequel to Twilight, New Moon, had an unintentional staggered release all over North America, beginning in early August 2006. Stephenie Meyer initially wrote an alternative sequel to Twilight, called Forever Dawn, which she then used as an outline for the remainder of the series. She has stated that the novel will never be published, as it doesn't fall into the genre of young adult. The third book in the series, Eclipse, was released on August 7, 2007. The fourth book, Breaking Dawn, was released on August 2, 2008 in the United States and Canada and on August 4, 2008 outside of North America.
Meyer has gained a following among young adult readers for her "Twilight" novels, which are set in the small town of Forks on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. Forks has thus received an unusual amount of attention, and celebrates 'Stephenie Meyer Day' on September 13, the date of character Bella Swan's birthday, in honor of the author.
Fans express themselves in other ways: 'They dress up like her characters. They write their own stories about them and post their tales on the Internet. When she appears at a bookstore, 3,000 people go to meet her. There are Twilight-themed rock bands.'
Meyer, an avid reader, cites many novels as inspiration for the "Twilight" series, including "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontė and "Anne of Green Gables" by L.M. Montgomery. She also says that her writing is strongly influenced by music, and she posts 'playlists' on her website of songs which specifically inspired her books. Bands included most often in her playlists are Muse, Blue October, My Chemical Romance, Coldplay, and Linkin Park.
Summit Entertainment optioned "Twilight" in April 2007 when Catherine Hardwicke signed on as the director. The film stars Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, a teenage girl who falls in love with vampire Edward Cullen, portrayed by Robert Pattinson. The project was in development for approximately three years at Paramount Pictures before it was put into pre-production by Summit Entertainment. The novel was adapted for the screen by Melissa Rosenberg in late 2007, shortly before the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The film was primarily shot in Washington and Oregon in early 2008. Twilight was released in theaters on November 21, 2008, and grossed $35.7 million on its opening day.
Meyer revealed that Breaking Dawn will be the last book written from Bella Swan's perspective. Meyer has also stated that her other novel, Midnight Sun, will be more of a companion piece to the series than a genuine sequel, as it will describe Twilight from the view of Edward Cullen. A rough first chapter of Midnight Sun was posted on Meyer's website, though she stated that it would be edited and otherwise changed before being released as part of the novel. However, the novel has been indefinitely put on hold due to a recent leak of the transcript.
Source: Stephenie Meyer Official Site & Wiki
