The Weather in Forks, WA

We here in Southeast Ohio are smack dab in the middle of an abysmal winter wonderland. As I checked the upcoming weather conditions for our area yet again, I wondered what the weather was doing in good old Forks, Washington.

I know I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was a little, just for a second. Then I laughed. Forks really does sound like my idea of Heaven. 100% chance of rain?! Who gets that lucky? Love it.

If Bella, Edward and Jacob were real, I don't know what they'd be doing right now. But whatever it is, I bet it would be indoors.

Top 10 Ways to Pass Time Until New Moon Comes Out

I know we've hit a dry spell as far as all things Twilight. So allow me to present to you some Twilight inspired ways to fill your time:

1. While away the hours with The Twilight Board Game available at amazon.com or many other fine retailers for a measly sum.

2. Delve into the wonderful world of Forks, Edward, Bella and the rest of the gang by indulging in a little fan fiction! Read someone else's fantasies come to life or better yet, create your own!

3. Channel your favorite Twilight character long enough to fill out a personality test. The results might startle you! Go on, make Carl Jung proud!

4. Create a local Twilight book club where you can connect with other Twi-hards! You can discuss at great lengths how Edward could stand to be around Bella during her 'monthlies' (come on, you know you've wondered it!), how Charlie could possibly not want to know why things got really weird after Bella and Edward's honeymoon or why Edward's saliva didn't poison Bella during those steamy kisses.

5. Go to Joann's Fabrics and thumb through the catalogs for Halloween costumes, find elaborate patterns that most fit your vision of how the Volturi dress, and then MAKE them!

6. Try your hand at art. Sketch one of the Twilight characters and post it on a fan site. Or bake a Twilight themed cake.

7. Pick out something from the Twilight saga and find out as much about it as you can. Examples: Forks, Washington, Quileute Indians, the Spanish Influenza pandemic... You get the picture!

8. Have a Twilight pajama party. Invite your friends over for popcorn, tunes and fun (you could play your official Twilight board game) and then play Twilight at the stroke of midnight!

9. Explore alternative vampire movies (yes, there were vampire movies BEFORE Twilight...) Familiarize yourself with other myths. Some recommendations are: Fright Night (I & II), Underworld (1 - 3), Innocent Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Lost Boys... OR if you really want to bring the fear watch 30 Days of Night and Salem's Lot!

10. If you are the biggest, most daring Twilight fan in the whole universe, you may consider this one. Get a Twilight tattoo! Just be 100% SURE that is what you want to do. And if you've decided that your love for the big "E" is so pure and unparalleled that the only way to truly express it is by PERMANENTLY marring your tender Twilighter hyde, then have at it! Don't forget to upload pics of your tat to share with other diehard Twi-Hards!!

Have a GREAT holiday weekend, my little Twilighters!

Stephen King on Stephenie Meyer!

Calm down Twilighters, it's not as dirty as it sounds. But it is pretty bad. During a recent interview, epic popular writer Stephen King was asked his opinion of current chart topping writers, in particular J. K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer. In Stephen King's eloquent style, he surmised that "Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.”

Now Steve, you are breaking my heart. I only hope that if I am ever lucky enough to have anything published that my style either appeals to you or you never read it. I can only imagine what Stephenie thinks of your comments. Although, I doubt she puts as much weight on your meandering talky-talk as I do. For I've grown up loving and respecting your work, and have been inspired by it. However, I will tell you, dear Mr. King, that I have never once read one of your books that I felt I couldn't put down (Although Cell came close). As is the case with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga. And not one book in particular, take your pick; Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse or Breaking Dawn. I had to have more, couldn't stop! Her writing is so addictive that as I neared the end of the saga, I (like a LOT of Twilighters) become melancholy at the thought of having no more of Stephenie's wonderful words to consume.

I am surprised that Steven King would be so hasty to write off Meyer's writing ability with such finality. Especially since he was considered a hack by many critics for a long time before finally gaining the respect he deserves. I would think he'd show some empathy for new writers, having been denied it himself.

Why is he saying that Stephenie's not a very good writer? I have my suspicions. I wonder if in his old age he's become a snobby elitist who sets high atop his mountain of money and picks apart the efforts of others writers. Maybe when he says she's not a good writer, he's referring to technical aspects of her writing. You know, the stuff that no one cares about except other elitist writers. For example, he may be saying that there are grammatical errors. Or he may be focusing on sentence structure - Meyer's does have an annoying habit of incessantly using em dashes throughout her prose - or maybe even the meandering uncohesiveness of plot development.

What King is overlooking is that 17 million (and counting) readers can't all be wrong. Meyer's writing has merit if so many people get enjoyment from it time and time again. Her writing evokes such loyalty that her fans are somewhat, um, fanatical. And we're not just talking about 'the girls' Stephen mentioned. There are boys, Twilight Moms, twenty somethings, thirty somethings; heck there's 40, 50, 60+ somethings out there pining over Edward, Jacob and the world of Forks, WA.

So, in summation, I have to ask: Is Stephen King saying that all of us who love the prose of a writer he thinks "can’t write worth a darn" are literary cretins? That's kind of how I feel; like my love is baseless in his eyes.

Not cool, Steve, not cool.

It was a Rainy Day in Forks Cambridge

Okay, so I'm treating this reading of Twilight like a new lover, taking it slow and easy. Enjoying every moment, feeling every sensation. I headed out to my car for lunch today and read a few pages of one of my favorite parts; the drive home from Port Angeles. When I got outside to my surprise it was raining, instead of the crappy snow that was predicted.

I am a lover of rain. I mean like, think of the person you know who really likes the rain. I'm ten times as bad as that guy (unless you know me, of course). Blame it on my Scottish roots, or my 'sunny' disposition :) or my preoccupation with all things goth. Any way you slice it, a storm cloud on the horizon will always bring a smile to my face.

I've always felt like when it's raining, there is a electric charge in the air. I feel like it's easier to breath. I just feel more alive and ...content. I have different feelings associated with different types of rainstorms. But more than anything I like a straight down, soaking, drenching, non-stop all day rain. Today's rain wasn't quite that good, but as seldom as we've been getting it lately, I'll take anything I can get (yet, another parallel to my sex life. Hardy har har.)

So I get out to the car and dive into my book. Here I am literarily and literally submerged in a rainy world. It makes it that much easier to live the story, to put myself in Bella's shoes. The temperature in the car was kind of on the cool side and that was a constant reminder of Edward's beautiful, frigid skin. The comparison coaxingly elicited thrilling shivers from me.

Needless to say, that half hour went by WAY to quickly. Call it a mini mental holiday. A moment in time immortalized in my mind as one perfect Twilight reading experience.

A Little TWILIGHT Experiment...

Hiya! I've decided to conduct a little experiment. I haven't read any of the Twilight books since before Twilight the movie opened. And here lately I've genuinely been missing it; the words, the details of Forks, nuances of Edwards looks explained, all the stuff not included in the movie.

I got Twilight out last night, right before I went to bed. Understand, I have a cold right now and the pinnacle of feeling crappy was around 9 PM last night. So, I get Twilight out, and I read the prologue, planning to start the book the next day..

Then I go ahead and read the first page. I felt miserable but I just couldn't tear myself away from those alluring words. Before I knew it, I was 60 pages in. I barely was able to set it aside and finally succumb to the rest I needed.

So I guess that no matter how many times you read the books, the words and phrases so artfully strung together by Mrs. Meyer will always have an intoxicating pull on the readers.

I am glad it's been so long since I've read them though because the details are unfamiliar to me again. Oh sure I remember the story and my favorite parts, but all the details are new again. I love that, even though I'll never be able to experience it like the first time I read it.

I've noticed something after having seen Twilight the movie so many times. Now when I read anything in the book that is in the movie too, I keep picturing the scene in the movie. It's somewhat annoying to me! I loved how my imagination filled in the blanks and built all the minute substances and situations. I am trying hard to push those images out of my head. Because although I love the movie, it's Catherine Hardwicke's vision of Forks and how it all went down there, not mine. I want my details back.

I'll keep posting on things I notice. I'm curious to see if I'm so heatedly drawn back into Edward's world with wild abandon, totally forsaking my real life to stick my nose in a book. The fact that there is a (very real) chance that that may happen is a little bit scary. But honestly, it's more exciting than anything and I'm looking forward to it!

Bring on the achy yearning for that glittering vampire manboy!