Stephenie Meyer Won’t Release ‘Midnight Sun,’ Blames E.L. James’ Novel ‘Grey’
For years, Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, has teased the release of Midnight Sun, the story of Twilight from Edward’s point-of-view. While fans of Stephenie Meyer have been waiting patiently for Midnight Sun to be released, it now looks like that may not happen.
The 10th anniversary of Twilight was celebrated this week with a new edition of the novel, which included Life and Death, a reimagining of the story with the genders of lead characters Bella and Edward flipped.
Meyer is said to have apologized for not publishing Midnight Sun, stating she didn’t have enough time. According to Entertainment Weekly, Stephenie’s apology is in the foreword of her new book, but at the New York Comic-Con, Meyer gave an entirely different reason.
Stephenie reportedly told the audience the publication of E.L. James’ Grey, the retelling of Fifty Shades of Grey from Christian’s point-of-view, has stopped her from moving forward with Midnight Sun. The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy infamously began as Twilight fan fiction and seems to be a proverbial thorn in Stephenie Meyer’s side.
On a panel at the New York Comic-Con to promote the 10th Anniversary Edition of Twilight, Meyer revealed she recently began working on Midnight Sun again after finishing Life and Death…until the release of Grey was announced back in June.
Tech Insider reports the audience cheered when Stephenie said she had written two paragraphs for Midnight Sun; however, those cheers were cut short when Meyer said the news the next morning sent her reeling.
“So what do you think was the top story on Yahoo the next morning? Grey. It was a literal flip the table moment for me.”
Stephenie also reportedly said, “Midnight Sun is kind of cursed,” which was also a reference to the debacle in 2008 when 12 unfinished chapters of Meyer’s book were leaked. Meyer was upset by the leak and released a draft of the novel on her website.
Twilight Tenth Anniversary/Life and Death Dual Edition was published last week and fans quickly snapped up copies, causing the book to grab the No. 2 spot on Amazon as of late Thursday night. Business Insider reports, however, that many fans are complaining Life and Death often has the same wording as Twilight.
Meyer says rather than an actual book, she views Life and Death as bonus material.
“I want to say this is not a real book, and I am totally aware of this,” Meyer said.
For those wondering why Stephenie Meyer rewrote Twilight flipping the gender of the two protagonists, her reasons are simple. The author says she did so in response to criticism that Bella became too swept up in her romance with Edward and the opinion that Bella was too much of a “damsel in distress.” Meyer wants readers to see that Bella’s reactions were normal in the midst of supernatural creatures.
“[S]he’s actually just a human in a world full of superheroes. Can you lift a car over your head?” Meyer says in response when Bella is referred to as a “damsel in distress.”
In Meyer’s Life and Death, Bella Swan has been transformed into Beau, short for Beaufort, and Edward Cullen becomes Edythe. Werewolf Jacob becomes werewolf Julie. Stephenie says she enjoyed writing the book and changed up some of the Twilight mythology in an effort for consistency.
Mathilda Gregory for the Guardian believes the gender flip is a “brilliant” idea.
“The idea of a moody teenage boy going gooey over a centuries-old, mysterious, super-strong woman who can fly feels revolutionary. Add in… pages of moping about whether or not this powerful older woman actually likes him, and a pack of lady werewolves, and this is sounding like the book I’ve been waiting to read all my life.”
Meyer said writing the gender flipped version of Twilight was “fun, and when something is fun you tend to keep doing it.”
Do you hope Stephenie Meyer will end up releasing Midnight Sun one day?
[Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images]
