Stephenie Meyer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephenie Meyer
Meyer in 2012
Born	Stephenie Morgan (1973-12-24) December 24, 1973 (age 51) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Novelist film producer
Education	Brigham Young University (BA)
Genre	Vampire romance, young adult fiction, science fiction
Spouse	Christian Meyer ​ (m. 1994)​
Children	3
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Stephenie Meyer (born December 24, 1973) is an American writer and movie producer. She is most famous for writing the Twilight vampire romance book series. This series has sold over 160 million copies and has been translated into 37 languages. Stephenie Meyer was the bestselling author in the United States in 2008 and 2009. She sold more than 29 million books in 2008 and 26.5 million in 2009.

Stephenie loved reading when she was young. She went to Brigham Young University and got a degree in English literature in 1997. She had never written a book before, but the idea for the Twilight series came to her in a dream. She was also inspired by writers like Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. She wrote Twilight soon after her dream. After trying many times, a publisher named Little, Brown and Company offered her a big deal for three books. This led to a four-book series, two spin-off novels, a short story, and very popular movies.

Besides books for young adults, Meyer has also written novels for adults. These include The Host (2008) and The Chemist (2016). She has worked in movie production and helped start her own movie company, Fickle Fish Films. She produced both parts of Breaking Dawn, the last Twilight movie, and two other movies based on books.

Stephenie Meyer's faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has influenced her stories. Ideas from her religion, like making your own choices, life and death, temptations, and eternal life, are important in her books. Some critics have said Meyer's writing style is too simple. However, her stories have also received praise, and she has many fans.

Time magazine included Meyer on its list of the top 100 most influential people in 2008. In 2009, Forbes magazine put her on its list of the top 100 most powerful celebrities. Her earnings that year were more than $50 million.

Early Life and Family

Stephenie Morgan was born on December 24, 1973, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was the second of six children. Her father, Stephen Morgan, worked in finance, and her mother, Candy Morgan, was a homemaker. Stephenie grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. She went to Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In 1992, Meyer won a scholarship that helped her pay for college. She studied at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She earned a degree in English Literature in 1997.

Meyer met her future husband, Christian "Pancho" Meyer, when they were children in Arizona. They got married in 1994 when Stephenie was 21. They have three sons together. Christian Meyer used to be an auditor, but he stopped working to take care of their children.

Before writing her first novel, Twilight, Meyer thought about going to law school. She felt she had no chance of becoming a writer. But she later said that having her oldest son, Gabe, in 1997 changed her mind. She realized she just wanted to be his mom. Before becoming an author, Meyer's only job was being a receptionist at a property company.

The Twilight Series

The Twilight Novels

Stephenie Meyer says the idea for Twilight came to her in a dream on June 2, 2003. The dream was about a human girl and a vampire who loved her but also wanted her blood. Based on this dream, Meyer wrote a draft of what became chapter 13 of the book. She wrote from chapter 13 to the end of the novel first. Then, she went back and wrote the first 12 chapters. She wrote in secret and did not plan to publish the book at first.

Meyer researched the Quileute Native Americans to include their legends and traditions in her novel. Some Quileute tribe members, however, found her use of their legends upsetting. Meyer finished the novel in three months. Her sister loved the book and convinced Meyer to send the story to literary agents.

Meyer sent 15 letters to agents. Five of them did not reply, and nine sent rejections. But one agent, Jodi Reamer, responded positively. Eight publishers then competed to publish Twilight in 2003. By November, Meyer signed a deal for $750,000 for three books with Little, Brown and Company.

Twilight was published in 2005. It quickly became popular. Within a month, Twilight reached No. 5 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Chapter Books. Later, it rose to #1. The novel was named the Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. It was also a New York Times Editor's Choice. Despite its success, Twilight was one of the most challenged books in 2009. Some schools and libraries were asked to remove the books because they were considered age-inappropriate or for their religious views.

After publishing Twilight, Meyer had already planned a story for a sequel. However, her publisher wanted her to write two more books about Bella and Edward in college. So, Meyer expanded the story into a series with three more books: New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007), and Breaking Dawn (2008). The original sequel idea she had was later used in Breaking Dawn.

In its first week, New Moon reached No. 5 on The New York Times Best Seller list. In its second week, it rose to No. 1 and stayed there for 11 weeks. In total, it spent over 50 weeks on the list.

After Eclipse was released, the first three Twilight books spent a total of 143 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. The fourth book, Breaking Dawn, sold over 1.3 million copies on its first day. The novel won Meyer a British Book Award for Children's Book of the Year.

The Twilight series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide in 37 languages. In 2008, all four Twilight books were in the top four spots on USA Today's year-end bestseller list. Meyer was the first author to have books in all four top-selling spots. The Twilight novels held the top four spots again in 2009. Many people believe the Internet helped the Twilight series become so popular. It allowed Meyer to connect directly with her fans.

The Twilight Saga Films

In 2004, Paramount's MTV Films and Maverick Films bought the rights to Twilight before the book was even published. However, the first movie script was very different from the book. In 2006, Erik Feig from Summit Entertainment made a deal with Meyer. He promised that the movie would stay true to the novel. In 2007, the rights were sold to Summit Entertainment.

Catherine Hardwicke was chosen to direct the first film. Melissa Rosenberg wrote the new script. Kristen Stewart was cast as Bella Swan, and Robert Pattinson was cast as Edward Cullen. Taylor Lautner played Jacob Black. The movie was released on November 21, 2008. It received good reviews and was a big success at the box office. It became the fourth-highest-grossing November opening weekend release at that time. Meyer herself makes a short appearance in a diner scene in the film.

After Twilight was successful, Summit decided to make a movie of the sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Each book adaptation had a different director. Chris Weitz directed New Moon, which came out on November 20, 2009. On its opening night, New Moon broke the record for the highest single-day earnings on opening day. Despite its commercial success, the film received mixed reviews.

David Slade directed The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third movie, released on June 30, 2010. Some critics called it the best film in the series. Summit then approved a two-part movie for Breaking Dawn.

In 2011, Meyer started her own production company, Fickle Fish Films, with Meghan Hibbett. Meyer spent much of 2011 producing both parts of Breaking Dawn. She also produced the film adaptation of Shannon Hale's novel Austenland. Breaking Dawn: Part 1 was released on November 18, 2011. The second part was released on November 16, 2012. Part one received mixed reviews, while part two received more positive reviews. Critics also praised the acting, especially Kristen Stewart's.

The Twilight Saga movies were very successful at the box office. With a total budget of $373 million, the five films earned $3.341 billion worldwide. However, the films also received a lot of criticism. Breaking Dawn: Part II won seven Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzie awards), which are given for the worst films.

In 2009, Stephenie Meyer was on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list of the world's most powerful celebrities. She was ranked No. 26. Her yearly earnings were over $50 million. She was the only author on Forbes's list of "Hollywood's Top-Earning Women." In 2010, Forbes ranked her as the No. 59 most powerful celebrity.

Meyer in 2009

More Twilight Books

In August 2009, USA Today reported that Meyer broke J. K. Rowling's record on their bestseller list. The four Twilight books had spent 52 weeks in a row in the top 10. In total, the books have spent more than 235 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list.

After finishing the fourth book, Meyer said that Breaking Dawn would be the last novel told from Bella Swan's point of view. In 2015, she published a new book for the 10th anniversary of the series, called Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined. In this book, the main characters' genders are switched.

On March 30, 2010, it was announced that Meyer had written a 200-page short novel called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. The book was released on June 5, 2010. It was also available for free online for a limited time. After this book was released, Stephenie Meyer donated $1.5 million to the American Red Cross Relief Fund. This money helped victims of earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. People who got the free e-book were also encouraged to donate to the Red Cross.

Midnight Sun was planned to be a companion novel to the Twilight series. It was meant to tell the story of Twilight from Edward Cullen's point of view. Meyer had hoped to publish Midnight Sun soon after Breaking Dawn. However, a rough draft of its first 12 chapters was leaked online. Because of this, Meyer decided to delay the project for a long time. She was upset by the release of a draft she called "messy and flawed." She then decided to work on books that were not related to Twilight. She made the unfinished draft of Midnight Sun available on her website.

In May 2020, it was announced that Midnight Sun would finally be released on August 4, 2020. After its release, it sold over one million copies. It was number two on Amazon's "most sold" list and number one on USA Today's bestseller list one week after it came out.

Meyer has mentioned that she has other book ideas. These include a ghost story called Summer House, a novel about time travel, and another about mermaids.

Adult Books and TV Shows

The Host

In May 2008, Meyer's adult science fiction novel The Host was released. It tells the story of Melanie Stryder, a young woman, and Wanderer, an alien "soul" that takes over her body. They are forced to work together. The Host started at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. It stayed on the list for 26 weeks. Meyer has said she intends to write a trilogy, with the next two books called The Soul and The Seeker. However, she has not published any follow-up novels to The Host as of 2024^[update].

The Host was made into a film with Andrew Niccol directing. Saoirse Ronan starred as Melanie Stryder. The film was released on March 29, 2013. It received mostly negative reviews and did not do well at the box office compared to the Twilight films.

The Chemist and TV Productions

In late 2015, it was announced that Meyer was producing a TV series based on Daniel O'Malley's book, The Rook. She bought the rights for the novel with her production company. However, she left the project soon after filming began due to creative differences.

In July 2016, Little, Brown and Company announced that Meyer had written an adult action thriller called The Chemist. It is about "an ex-agent on the run from her former employers." The book was released on November 8, 2016. In 2018, it was announced that Meyer's production company, Fickle Fish, would work with Tomorrow Studios to make a TV series based on The Chemist.

Writing Style and Inspirations

Writing Style

Since Twilight was released, some have said Meyer's writing has "all plot and no style." Her writing has also been called "fairly" poor. Meyer's stories often use detailed descriptions. She also tends to start her sentences with the most important information. Meyer has said that she purposely avoids describing her characters in great detail. She believes this helps readers imagine themselves in the characters' shoes more easily.

Meyer's work is often called melodrama. In Twilight, Meyer refers to classic books like the Book of Genesis, Wuthering Heights, Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Meyer has said that the style of each of her novels came from different types of music she listened to while writing. Studies of the Twilight series show that Meyer often describes characters by their eyes, face, and expressions. She frequently uses words like "black" and "dark." She also often contrasts warmth and cold.

William Shakespeare's plays influenced two of the Twilight novels.

Influences

Stephenie Meyer has said that her faith, Mormonism, is her biggest influence. However, actor Robert Pattinson, who played Edward, said Meyer did not mean to put Mormon references in the books and movies. Still, Angela Aleiss, a professor of film and religion, noted many clear influences of Mormonism in the Twilight series. Meyer has said, "Unconsciously, I put a lot of my basic beliefs into the story. Free agency is a big theme."

Meyer says many novels inspired the Twilight series. These include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Each book in the series was also inspired by a different classic story:

• Twilight was inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
• New Moon was inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
• Eclipse was inspired by Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.
• Breaking Dawn was inspired by Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Meyer has said that even though her books have vampires, she was more influenced by Austen and Shakespeare than by other vampire writers. Meyer has named Austen, Shakespeare, and Orson Scott Card as her favorite authors.

Meyer also says music is a big influence on her writing. She posts playlists on her website of songs that specifically inspired her books. Bands often included in her playlists are Muse, Blue October, My Chemical Romance, Coldplay, and Linkin Park. Meyer says Muse is a special inspiration because she uses the different feelings in their songs to inspire various scenes.

Main Ideas in Her Books

Making Your Own Choices

A main idea in Meyer's novels is the importance of making your own choices, also known as agency. In The Host, a character called the Seeker believes she is helping humans by controlling them. This is similar to a belief in the Latter-day Saint faith that Satan's plan was to "save" all souls by taking away their ability to choose and sin. The Seeker acts like Satan in the novel. Meyer tries to show that keeping the ability to make your own choices is very important.

Meyer's novels also include the idea of opposites. In The Host, a character named Wanda learns that even with the bad parts of humanity, beauty and joy could not exist on her old planets because darkness did not exist. Wanda learns that you can only experience light and joy by facing darkness and sadness. This idea is similar to a quote from the Book of Mormon, which says, "It must needs be that there is an opposition in all things."

However, in the Twilight series, the idea of "imprinting" goes against the theme of free choice. Imprinting is when a werewolf involuntarily forms a mate relationship. This means they cannot choose their partner.

Overcoming Temptation

Another idea is overcoming the challenges and temptations of life. This is shown by Meyer's character Edward. As a vampire, Edward's purpose is to drink human blood. But, led by Carlisle, Edward chooses to give up this life. He becomes a "vegetarian" vampire, choosing to drink only animal blood. He sticks to these values even though he faces daily temptation. This temptation grows stronger when he meets Bella, whose blood he finds almost impossible to resist. Edward changes as Bella's trust in him helps him trust his own ability to overcome temptation and keep Bella safe. Self-control is a big idea in the Twilight series. The word "self-control" appears 125 times in the books. The main characters often struggle to control their feelings, attractions, thirst, or jealousy.

Eternal Life

The idea of the difference between immortality and eternal life is clear in Meyer's Twilight series. In her novels, vampires are immortal and have superhuman gifts. However, the Cullen family often longs for things they cannot have. They are isolated and cannot form deep relationships with humans or other vampires. Also, the couples in the Cullen family cannot have children. This makes Rosalie very sad, as she envies Bella's ability to be pregnant.

According to Jana Riess, a professor of American religious history, Bella represents eternal life in Breaking Dawn. She achieves eternal life, not just immortality, because she fulfills Mormon ideas of eternal life. These include immortality, a perfect body, eternal parenthood, and an eternal marriage. Riess suggests that Bella gains immortality by sacrificing herself for the birth of her child. Bella is then brought back to life with a perfect vampire body. In Mormonism, being brought back to life happens within relationships. Bella enjoys her new body with her husband, child, and the rest of the Cullen family.

The titles of the novels also support this idea. At the start of the series, Bella talks about leaving Phoenix and going to Forks, saying "goodbye to the sun." The titles of the first three novels, Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, are all natural events where the sun is darkened. However, the last novel is called Breaking Dawn. This symbolizes the start of a new day and Bella's change into a vampire. It shows her moving beyond her old life.

Her Views

Religion

The Book of Mormon influenced Meyer more than any other book.

Meyer is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She does not drink coffee or smoke. She says her faith has influenced her work. She notes that her characters "tend to think more about where they came from, and where they are going, than might be typical." Meyer says she does not consciously try to make her novels influenced by her religion or promote spiritual purity. But she admits her writing is shaped by her values. She says, "I don't think my books are going to be really graphic or dark, because of who I am. There's always going to be a lot of light in my stories."

Growing up, Meyer's life and family were centered around The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She met her future husband at church. She studied the Book of Mormon carefully, saying it had "the most significant impact on [her] life." However, Meyer dislikes when the media constantly mentions her religion. She says the press does not focus on the religions of other authors.

Feminism

According to an article from The Guardian, Meyer sees herself as a feminist. Meyer has said, "the world is a better place when women are in charge." She also supported the success of Catherine Hardwicke, the director of Twilight. She enjoyed working with an almost all-female team for Austenland.

Meyer has explained that for her, feminism means a woman's ability to choose. She believes anti-feminism means taking away a woman's choice, whether it fits gender stereotypes or not. She said that some modern feminists go against their message of equality by limiting or shaming certain choices women make. She also stated that women who choose to stay home or have children are often criticized. She believes that limiting what women can do is anti-feminist.

Awards

Filmography

Adaptations of Her Work

• Twilight (2008), film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, based on novel Twilight
• The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), film directed by Chris Weitz, based on novel New Moon
• The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), film directed by David Slade, based on novel Eclipse
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011), film directed by Bill Condon, based on novel Breaking Dawn
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012), film directed by Bill Condon, based on novel Breaking Dawn
• The Host (2013), film directed by Andrew Niccol, based on novel The Host
• Twilight Storytellers: The Mary Alice Brandon File (2015), short directed by Kailey Spear and Sam Spear, based on novel series Twilight
• Twilight Storytellers: Consumed (2015), short directed by Maja Fernqvist, based on novel series Twilight
• Twilight Storytellers: The Groundskeeper (2015), short directed by Nicole Eckenroad, based on novel series Twilight
• Twilight Storytellers: Masque (2015), short directed by Cate Carson, based on novel series Twilight
• Twilight Storytellers: Sunrise (2015), short directed by Amanda Tasse, based on novel series Twilight
• Twilight Storytellers: Turncoats (2015), short directed by Lindsey Hancock Williamson, based on novel series Twilight
• Twilight Storytellers: We've Met Before! (2015), short directed by Yulin Kuang, based on novel series Twilight

See also

In Spanish: Stephenie Meyer para niños