Read, Write, Repeat.

Twilight fans are everywhere. They’ve read all the books and seen the first two movies. But chances are they might be feeling a little … lost now.

What can they do while they wait for their next fix?

They might want to consider learning more about Twilight author Stephenie Meyer by reading a book written by Wisconsin author Lisa Rondinelli Albert. It’s called Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (Enslow Publishers, 2009).

Here, Lisa shares what it was like to write a biography of one of the best-known writers in the world today.  And how she interviewed Stephenie Meyer’s prom date.

Had you read any of the Twilight books before you were assigned to write Stephenie Meyer’s biography?
Yes! In fact, I bought Twilight for my daughter and we both became hooked. I pre-ordered New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, and it was the day of the Breaking Dawn release party that I was offered the contract to write Stephenie’s biography.

How did you approach researching the book? How many sources did you use? How long did it take?
I was on a fast deadline. I negotiated the contract Aug. 1, 2009 and had five months to turn it in for my Jan. 1 deadline. The publisher set the release date for July 1, so it was intense, but exciting.

I wasn’t able to get an interview with Stephenie, but I did make contact with her high school prom date and obtained never before seen prom photos. Stephenie hadn’t even seen the photo we use in the book until I put Kemery (her prom date) and her in touch. 

I also interviewed several fans who had had contact with Stephenie and they provided photos as well. Overall though, I relied on newspaper, magazine and television interviews for the majority of my research.

Twilight is such a huge national phenomenon. Did that make it easier or harder to write your book?
Both! It was easy because I had hundreds of interviews and articles to read. It was hard for the same reason, though! Hundreds of articles meant reading a lot of the same information over and over and trying to find interesting, kid-friendly tidbits to present in a fresh way.

What was the most interesting or unexpected thing you learned while working on the book?
That I really could get up at 5 a.m. in order to meet my deadline! Oh … you mean about Stephenie? The fact that she put Midnight Sun, the final installment of the Twilight saga, up on her Web site is pretty cool. Since it was leaked and floating around the Internet anyway, I think it was smart of her to take control back and offer it to her readers on her own terms.

Did all the teens and pre-teens you know suddenly think you were much cooler than before when your book came out?
There might be a few who think I’m a little cooler and it’s definitely been fun to talk Twilight with them!

Tell us a little about the rest of your work.
I have two other nonfiction books with Enslow Publishers – Lois Lowry: The Giver of Stories & Memories (2008) and So You Want to Be a Film or TV Actor? (2008). Both of those titles were fun to write and research, too.

My YA novel, Mercy Lily, is under consideration with several publishers right now. It’s a thought-provoking novel that deals with assisted suicide, veterinary euthanasia, and quality of life issues. In addition to young-adult novels, I also write picture books and middle grade/tween novels. I’m currently working on a funny, light-hearted novel for tweens that I have series hopes for. I’m represented by Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and feel very fortunate to be in such great hands!

And, finally, Team Edward or Team Jacob? Why?
Jacob! On paper I loved his character’s sincerity and devotion. That feeling remained when I saw the movie, but add in those abs and … Hello! Team Jacob!

Thanks, Lisa!

If you’d like to know more about what Lisa has in store, visit her Web site.