The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner -- Today!!

Hey all! Today is the day to get your feverish little hands on the Eclipse novella "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner". It seems to have crept right up on me. Which is a good thing I suppose, since many have been chomping at the bit to get it for months. Well, this watched pot has finally boiled so get out there on Amazon and start shopping :)

AMAZON LINK

<3 Happy hunting, mis amigos petite!

Happy 2010, Friends!

Hi all. Well, we've made it through another year. Last year was one of economical uncertainty for most of us. But thankfully we had a monetarily cheap but emotionally rich past time to make the year one to remember. And that's our love of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. I hope Mrs. Meyer knows the great joy she perpetuated with her wonderful story.

Back to work today.. Back to the grind. So I figured to offset the tediousness of reality I better get crackin' on some super deep and thought provoking Twilight musings.

So dear readers, I'm going to really submerge myself into the Twilight world (again) and see what I come up with.

Hope 2010 treats us kind!

I had a minute today to wax philosophical...

Since I first saw previews for Twilight something has been nagging at me. I couldn't put my finger on it but I've figured it out. I totally love the look of Rob as Edward. I'm okay with that. And generally speaking, he's a fairly good Edward. And Kristen is um... okay looking as Bella (although this person more closely matches my idea of Bella) and we know I've had issues with Kristen's actual portrayal of how Bella would act/react/move/speak/blink (lol) BUT, my issue is that I never bought into the hype that the chemistry between Rob and Kristen onscreen was so great. I never saw it. I still don't. In my opinion, there isn't that much heat between them. And what's more, there doesn't seem to be any conviction behind what they say to each other. I don't believe them, I suppose is what I'm getting at. They said all the right words at the right times, seemed to understand the import of the words behind the dialog. And yet, there's more to just 'saying' them. I know they are only actors, and not Edward and Bella, but I know there are actors out there somewhere who could have made me yearn, ache and empathize with their plight to be together against all odds. I wanted so badly to feel it. I needed to know that Bella felt she would burst if Edward didn't lean in and kiss her. I wanted my heart beat to quicken when Edward's growing hunger forced him to expel Bella from him ...before he did something he'd regret. I never once got the right feelings while watching B&E interact onscreen. I couldn't tell that it was the end of the world for Bella being separated from Edward for even one day. I know I should have felt that way because that's exactly how I felt when I read the books. I yearned for his return right along with her. I hated the times Bella showed up at school and found that Edward and the rest of the Cullen's weren't there. It depressed me when she'd go home to her room and he wasn't there. When he leaned in for the first time, just to 'try one thing' I thought I'd go mad with want!

I'll admit, the Edward conjured up in our own minds based on the words crafted by Stephenie is a hard act to follow. Same with the addictive, incendiary love and lust between Edward and Bella. There is a perfection of angsty love on those pages that would be near impossible to duplicate. But still, I feel a little slighted that Rob and Kristen didn't come closer. I think there was so much worry about the technicality of getting it right, they over thought it. They being not just the actors, but all involved: director, writers, lighting guy, lol. I think everyone believed that the onscreen Edward and Bella had to embody what made us all fall in love with them in the first place, so much so that they focused on pursuing that perfection and lost what should have felt easy: the natural, undeniable, immediate attraction between the two.

I never once felt watching either movie that these are two people who want more than anything to be together, that they'd rather die than live without each other or that their attraction was so demanding that they had to be touching at all times, that Bella would risk her own death over and over to keep trying to be with him or that Edward would subject himself to constant, torturous pain just to be with her.

I know those are hard things to convey onscreen. But the heart wants what the heart wants. And I know it's not impossible because someone else did it. Taylor Lautner. He made me believe him. He was subtlety heartbroken over and over by Bella's unintentional rejections. His unrequited love was so... delicious. I bought him hook, line and sinker. As Jacob, he became the boy whose sunny disposition wouldn't let him be defeated. He wore his heart on his sleeve valiantly and was the eternal, beautiful best friend. I found him irresistible. Some of you may scoff and accuse me of reacting to his (stunningly) transformed body from that of a boy to a man and while I cannot deny that his physical presence was noteworthy, it's not what I'm proud of here. I'm proud of the fact that Taylor was willing to gruelingly work out to change himself completely. He's committed to being Jacob and it shows, and not just physically. In the last scene of New Moon, when Jacob whispers "Bella", I felt it. In that one word, I knew that he was putting himself out there and not caring who saw (Edward), pleading with her, but still knowing he had lost (the battle but not the war) and was subsequently broken.

My little gripes about things should by no means be considered as admission of any sort of dislike for any of the Twilight movies. I just pointed out something that needles at me. I applaud Rob and Kristen for taking on two of the most beloved characters of the last decade. And here's hoping that next time, they'll get a little closer to that sweet tortured love that haunts my fantasies.

Now, That's a Twilight Cake!

I saw this today and I had to share because I know you'll appreciate this!

Hey, here's some pictures of Taylor Lautner!

I don't know why I never thought of posting pics of Taylor before but it finally hit me that some of you guys might want to see his... bulging biceps and his beefy frame and his gorgeous smile. But that's just you.. Not me.

Okay, pathetic attempt to blame you guys for me posting ridiculous amounts of Taylor Lautner pictures. The sad part is, I don't even have enough common sense to be ashamed of myself.

Now hear this! I'm done pretending that I:

A.) Don't want to feverishly ogle every beautiful image of Taylor I can find
B.) Am not crushing on him as Jacob Black

There, you happy? Just ogle the damn pictures too and quit looking at me that way. Geesh!

yummy

That right there is one hot smile.

My Favorite New Moon Scene

Hi all. I'm sure I had something concrete to say... I just, you know, found this picture and all of a sudden I... really don't remember what I was going to tell you..

Funny how the brain works. Anyway, here is a nice little picture that displays the culmination of all those touch-and-go moments between Jacob and Bella. You know, all those little moments when their eyes meet or their hands touch. Little by little the two of them work up to this point, mostly because of Jacob's persistence. Bella is sort of along for the ride, as we know, humoring Jacob so as not to hurt his tender teenage feelings. She's lucky Stephenie Meyer didn't write me into New Moon because something tells me I would have been the horny Jacob groupie always popping in for a visit. I guess Bella would have just had to deal with that big ole hole in her chest all by herself. :D

Howdy Fellow Twilighters!

Hi all! It's me! And not the narrative me that you've grown accustomed to over that past couple of months, ;)

I hope you are enjoying my story of Kate and David. The end of this lovely duo's journey is nearing! I had to break formation though and speak to you as a fellow Twi-Hard. If you've visited His Amber Eyes recently, you'll notice the countdown to the New Moon premiere in the right hand nav. Only 69 days left to go!!!

As the premiere nears, my story will wrap up and you'll see more posts regarding New Moon details and specifics - cast interviews, on set photos, video clips, trailers! Got to get the masses amped!!!! I feel it already, don't you?? What a wonderfully enticing year this has been so far, counting down to the end of our wait. I can tell you that I think New Moon is going to be ridiculously great!! We'll have to go see it twice as many times as we saw Twilight (right, Peggy? ;))

I know that I'll be torn between who I love best - Edward or Jacob. Just like when reading the book. You can tell from the newest video clips that the heat between Bella and Jacob.. AND Bella and Edward is going to be white hot!

So on to the real reason for this post: VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM NEW MOON! Yay!!!!

I, of course, have viewed it already and all I can tell you is I CAN NOT WAIT . . . !

Enjoy, friends :)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 'Meet Jacob Black' Preview in HD

New Moon the Movie: differs from the book?

Just read that there definitely will be at least a few detours from the book in New Moon the movie. So far, it's nothing to ruffle your feathers over. So, settle down Twilighters.

Life & Style magazine states that in New Moon, when Bella plays the dare devil to conjure up the sweet voice of beloved Edward, the actual image of Edward will appear. This of course allows for more Edward screen time. Which apparently Summit and Chris Weitz believe is the key to continued success in the movie adaptation of the saga. Maybe it's just me, but I would enjoy the movie even if Edward was a 'no show' for the whole middle of the movie. Not that I won't LOVE seeing him in phantom-ish visions throughout. But just like in the book, we all anguished over his absence, and it made his return all the sweeter.

Whatever though. Either way I'm stoked to see it.

More On Edward & Jacob

Am I any closer to solving my dilemma of who I love the most, Edward or Jacob?

Nope.

But I will tell you that all this introspection has really got me in touch with what drives my feelings. It's not like it's a new thing for me, I pretty much set around thinking all the time, :D I'm an introverted kind of gal. I guess that's why you are reading this now. I formulate thoughts on something and it feels like it might bubble over if I don't get it out. Hence, blogging.

So anyway, back to Jacob and Edward. I'm reading Eclipse now and all this closeness between Edward and Bella is like a fix to a junkie. I can't get enough of it. And yet, when I put the book down to do annoyingly unavoidable stuff like, GO TO WORK, I find my mind drifting to Jacob.

Funny, isn't it? The story of Bella and Edward is what drives us all to turn those pages with vampire quick reflexes. Jacob's character may be considered by some readers as just a means to add friction and conflict to the story. But to me, he's that warm and fuzzy thing (literally) in the story that worms his way into my heart. His character, more so than any other besides Bella perhaps, grows (again, literally) and becomes more than what he starts out as. He's very human in that.

Through trial and triumph, his character develops. But he is always true to himself and looks at life through the eyes of an optimist. The light of his infectious happiness is addictive itself. Bella refers to Jacob as her own personal sun and I think that's an apt description of him. He has an undeniable pull for anyone lucky enough to be close to him, as any celestial body should. And I think that is one reason Jacob always nudges Edward out in my daydreams. I'm drawn in by his light, endearing, happy contentedness no matter how much my X chromosomes may demand that I yearn for the dark, complicated, brooding one.

These are all qualities that a real person could have. And even though he is no less fictitious than Edward, there is something inherently attainable about Jacob.

He may be a werewolf but his love is within the realm of believability. Edward's love is perfect and unerring. Edward's love is like him, to good to be true. Too good to even pretend to be true. And in that perfection lies the crux. His love is flawed in it's very nature. I find it hard to wrap my brain around such total consuming devotion. To my fantasizing mind, it's not even plausible to imagine such a love for myself. Because although I may be able to imagine a vampire or werewolf lover, I just can't seem to trick my head into believing anyone, human or otherwise, could honestly express feelings like Edward has for Bella.

Maybe that says more about me than it does about the love itself. Maybe it's a sign of some inner self deprecating notion. Maybe it's a sign of self contempt. ...I think I like me. I think it's more to do with my lack of ever finding what I've been looking for. I've had relationships. But I've never experienced any relationship that complimented or completed me in the fashion that Edward and Bella's love completes them.

And I know now that that has something to do with why I get so emotionally involved with the books. And why I feel so destitute every time I finish reading them. I am elated while reading. My mind pushes to the side the fact that I yearn for that kind of love and will never find it. Instead I focus on enjoying my voyeuristic view into this most coveted of fictional lives. I stave off the heartache of reality until the end, when I have no choice but to evaluate my own life in comparison, whether I want to or not. It just sort of happens.

Freshly after reading the saga, it's painfully obvious that I feel like something is missing. Not in a panicky kind of way either. In the sense that although I am totally content, I know that my experiences would be heightened if I had that perfect of soul mates to share each day with. I may step onto the porch to enjoy a beautiful moonlit night, or wonder at the invigorating electricity of a rainy day. No matter what, all things would be better if I could share it with an Edward, or especially a Jacob.

That's all the insight (ha ha) I have for right now. But be warned, my emotions run the gamut every other minute and I'm always on the precipice of an epiphany. So tomorrow's post may contradict this one completely.

Until next time, dream on fellow 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.

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!

Twilight Revisited!

I was on call for my job all of last week so I didn't get to go see Twilight again. But I am planning on going again this Friday. I know compared to all you other Twilighters out there I'm a lightweight! But I always had intentions of seeing it again. I wanted to let the first viewing stew for a while. Let it simmer and fade. THEN head back out and see what I glean from a second viewing. I want to know if my opinion will change.

I was planning on going alone to see it this time. But I got a happy surprise when I read my email today. My best friend Peggy wants to go see it again too. This is major news to me. I've created a Twiligher! I am the only one of my small group of friends who was obsessed over the Twilight saga. The only one to even read them actually. But my friends were so enticed by the hype surrounding the movie and the lure of a midnight showing that they accompanied me to see Twilight. I must tell you that after seeing it, Peggy went home and bought all four books.

I think that my friends may have thought that these books were your typical vampire stories. You know; blood, fangs, long black cloaks and scary glowing eyes in the dark. But after seeing Twilight, they realized that it is as far from the vampire cliché as you can get. (Not that I mind the cliché, I rather enjoy any vampire story!) The Twilight saga doesn't fit into the mold of the typical vampire story, it's a romance, plain and simple. BUT, there's the alluring part. Neither is the Twilight saga a typical romantic story. It fits into both the category of vampire story and romantic story, but in an atypical way. It breaks the mold. And that is one of the things that makes it so special. There is nothing in the story that seems familiar and so you are compelled to keep reading (usually in an obsessive sort of way that all us Twilighters comprehend). That appeal is something very hard to explain and therefore, very hard to convince someone of. I know I just gushed about how wonderful these books are to everyone I ran in to, but until a person can experience for themselves, it doesn't quite grip you how addictive Twilight is! Come on, how can 17 MILLION of us be wrong? :)

So I think that we'll see a grand spike in the Twilight saga's book sales. Because not only does the Twilight movie fulfill something that all us original Twilighters were waiting on, it also serves as a catalyst for new Twilighters. If you are like me, you'll jump in feet first and reread that saga again like it's the first time! Enjoy the amazing journey all over again, with all the new fanatics in tow.

Me and Twilight, a love story

I was a late comer to the Twilight saga. I hadn't heard of these wonderful books until this past summer. I was searching for new books by another vampire novelist, Charlaine Harris. She wrote the great Southern Vampire Series novels starring Sookie Stackhouse. Anyhow, I was online looking up vampire novels and Twilight popped up. I saw an image of Robert Pattinson (RPattz) and Kristen Stewart together for a magazine shoot. I read a small blurb regarding the movie adaptation of Twilight and how insanely popular the saga is. I thought to myself 'What?! A vampire series that I'm not in on?' And then I promptly put it in the back of my mind. But I did note that it was RPattz, the boy from Harry Potter. I thought wow, he's quite striking!

A couple days go by and I'm in the check out line at Wal-Mart and I see the very same image of RPattz and Kristen on the cover of US magazine. I thought it weird that I'd see a reminder of the Twilight series again. I was at the library the next day and I decided to see if I could find at least the 1st book in the saga to read. I went to a kiosk to search for the author or the book title. But don't you know I'd forgotten both the author's name and the name of the book? I was thinking 'Whisper' for some reason. Add to this the fact that the Cambridge Crossroads library's electronic book search is so extremely slow that it's infuriating! After failed search attempts that took me (no kidding) about an hour, I wondered if they had the US magazine so I could check the exact spelling of her name. I was on the hunt. I found that issue of US and emblazoned her name in my memory: Stephenie Meyer. One more quick (ha ha) search of the library and still I found nothing. So I said screw this place and went home and bought Twilight and New Moon online, sight unseen. ...And I never looked back. I tore through both books and like a heroin junkie, I had to have another fix. And fast. I went to Wal-Mart right before I finished New Moon and bought Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

I was blissfully happy, but (like Forks, WA) there was a rain cloud on the horizon of my happiness. I knew from googling Stephenie Meyer that book 4 was to be the last in the Twilight saga. I didn't think I could make it without more! I was hoping she'd be more like Charlaine Harris who has cranked out 8 Sookie Stackhouse books (and still counting). I guess Charlaine spoiled me. Stephenie is being stingy with her word count. I knew that when I finished Breaking Dawn I was going to be depressed. I could feel it coming. That's how enraptured I am with the world of the Cullens and Forks and clumsy old Bella. I love them all. I love Edward, Bella, Sheriff Swan, Billy Black, Jacob Black (who doesn't? Dreamy wolf-boy!). Heck, I love the freaking table that the Cullen's pretend to eat lunch at every day in the cafeteria of the high school. I love Edward and Bella's biology table. I love the rocking chair in Bella's bedroom... Yeah, I'm a junkie alright. And I was gonna hurt when the saga ended. I had to form a plan, and quick. I was tearing though those pages.

Right around that time, I'd started keeping daily tabs on http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/ and I read that somehow a rough draft of Midnight Sun was leaked onto the Internet. Midnight Sun?! What is this? As if you don't know. It's the Twilight story as told by Edward. Now we're talking! I could never get enough of Edward. And to hear the story from his point of view; heaven! I always wondered what was going on in his mind behind all those tortured and moody looks. Wondered what parts of the truth he was filtering out for Bella's benefit. I wanted to read this bad.

So, my plan was this:
1. I would immediately start re-reading the Twilight saga as soon as I finished Breaking Dawn and
2. I'd not allow myself to blaze through Midnight Sun like a mad women. I'd savor it. I'd dole out little doses of Edward's story a couple pages at a time.

So far it's worked. I still haven't finished Midnight Sun and I'm reading the Twilight saga for the 3rd time now. I know, I'm a freak. But hey, I'll handle my obsession how I see fit! Besides, you know that if you are setting here reading a blog about Twilight by some crazed lover of the saga, then you yourself have issues every bit as convoluted as mine, and they need addressing! But you'll never see me passing judgement, friend. I feel your pain.

I've managed to stave off the heart ache of being done with Twilight for good. Besides, I still have the movie to look forward to. I think I am going to have to play the interventionist to my Twilight saga junkie. I will allow myself to keep on rereading Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn and Midnight Sun until the movie opens. And then in true glutton form, I'll go watch the Twilight movie 5 or 6 (thousand) times, talk obsessively about it to friends, neighbors and family until they want me dead, and then let it go. Go cold turkey. Yeah, we'll see how that plays out - I'll let you know.

Now we know we can't live with out Twilight, but why? I try to put my finger on just what is so darned intoxicating about this story. People all over the world are stuck in Forks, WA, literarily speaking. Yeah, I've got some thoughts. Sometimes writers write things called back stories before they even begin to write the actual story. The back story is basically a history of a character. By writing out every detail about a character, you make them more 3 dimensional, more fleshed out. It helps when you are writing the story because the character seems so real that you can get inside their head and see how they'd react to any given situation. I don't know if Stephenie did this, but it sure feels like it. It would help in explaining why (at least for me) I sometimes forget that Edward (or Bella or Jacob) aren't really existing somewhere on this earth.

Another theory of mine: Not only is Edward (and Jacob too, for that matter) a purely mythical creature but, the love that is portrayed between him and Bella is a mythical creature as well. It’s every bit an illusion. I think anyone who reads it wishes and yearns for such a love to exist. That makes the whole idea of the books addictive. Plus, the fact that their love, throughout the saga, can’t be consummated builds the reader into a frenzy. Truly, Stephenie Meyer is a genius. This love is always patient. And unconditional. Edward is content to set in the rocking chair in Bella's bedroom for 8 or 9 hours while she sleeps (I passed a rocking chair outside a Cracker Barrel this morning and my heart ached; *psycho*), or to lay beside her and hold her. He never tires of this, never has anything that he thinks is better to do than be with her. I find it also very appealing that he can be that protector that every girl secretly yearns for. In Edward's case, his over protectiveness is sweet and endearing because it comes from a pure place. There is never any machismo attached, as there would be with a real human man. Never any boasting superiority complex about ownership of the girl or the need to be protective because the female is weaker and therefore inferior. No, in Edward's case he's bossy because he simply wants Bella to live to be with him. Who could fault that?

And one final reason I fell in love with Twilight and all the characters within, is because of rainy old Forks itself. I have always been drawn to the rainy, darker side of life. What can I say? I'm Irish. Stephenie so convincingly describes a place dreary with daily precipitation. That alone is a draw for me. The weather and woods and beaches of Forks, Washington are so well described, they are memorable and important Twilight characters in and of themselves.

Others must feel the same way to. It would explain the flood of fans to Forks and La Push Washington lately. I bet Forks, WA is loving Stephenie Meyer right about now.