Never since Twilight hit the shelves and movie theaters, has there been a more anticipated event than the sequel, “New Moon”. What is it that makes this a phenomenal event? There are “New Moon” parties planned and fan websites:

http://www.intothetwilight.net/
http://www.bellaandedward.com/
http://blog.eventsbyalice.com/

According to Stephanie Meyer, Twilight was inspired by a very vivid dream in 2003. She spent most of her waking hours for the next three months typing out her inspirations from that dream. She borrowed the name of Edward from Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen, two other famous authors. She also donated the name she had saved for her own future daughter, Isabella for the female lead.

She researched in old census records for the remainder of the names she used, and searched Google to find a place in the US with lots of rain. This led her to Forks, Washington and also to the Quileute Indian Tribe, who lived on the La Push Reservation, which she also wove into her story. Forks was actually the original name for the first book.

Stephanie said the voices in her head would not stop, and she would exhaust herself until she could get the words all down on the computer. To get more sleep, she would keep a notebook and pen by her bed so she could jot down ideas as they came rather than go to her computer. She did all this while juggling her responsibilities of motherhood. Her sister was the only one that she shared it with and who encouraged her to try to get it published. This process was all new to her, and she found it intimidating jumping through all the hoops to get her work noticed.

She actually felt a love for the characters in her story and that was kept her moving forward. After seven or eight rejection letters she was finally accepted for a three-book deal. She was offered a deal and Twilight, in only six months, had been dreamed about, written and accepted. Amazing story. Seems truly like a revelation.

Regarding New Moon, she had tried to continue on with the same characters in Twilight, and was even sad that she made Edward leave Bella. She even cried thinking that the story had to take that direction, but knew that was how it had to be. Edward must leave because he realized he was ruining Bella’s life, and he loved her too much to do that.

New Moon shows how Bella handles life without Edward, and she grows into a woman in the process. The name of the book comes from the mood of the sequel, which is the darkest night with no moon (new moon). This darkness reveals a hero in Jacob, Bella's friend. Originally he was not a werewolf in the writing of the story. Through Stephanie’s research on the Quileute Tribe, she learned about their legends and about their belief that the tribe descended from wolves transformed by a sorcerer.

Everything came together to make a fantastic story that has captivated young and old alike. Of course, the fact that they picked some very handsome gentlemen and other outstanding actors doesn’t hurt.

New Moon took five months to write but much longer to edit, and it was an emotional roller coaster for Meyers. She had to make several revisions before it was ready. Stephanie feels like she matured along with her characters. Sweet dreams everyone!

Many people are aware that Stephanie Meyer is a member of the LDS Church (Mormons). There have been articles written about how LDS themes show up throughout her books.