Stephenie Meyer's latest novel is The Host, a paranormal romance which takes place after most of humanity has succumbed to an alien species that takes over people's minds, but leaves their bodies healthy and disease-free. Melanie Stryder is a feisty human who refuses to allow the invading alien soul named Wanderer to take over her mind. Melanie pursues her lost amor interest, compelling Wanderer to come along for the journey. When Wanderer falls in amor with Melanie's boyfriend, things get a bit tricky.
The Host has already found its way onto the New York Times bestseller list. In this interview, Meyer talks about what inspired her to write the book, how she approaches escritura romantic science fiction and what escritura projects she's working on next.
What inspired the idea for The Host?
The kernel of thought that became The Host was inspired por absolute boredom. I was driving from Phoenix to Salt Lake City, through some of the most dreary and repetitive desert in the world. It's a drive I've made many times, and one of the ways I keep from going insane is por telling myself stories. I have no idea what sparked the strange foundation of a body-snatching alien in amor with the host body's boyfriend over the host-body's protest. I was halfway into the story before I realized it. Once I got started, though, the story immediately demanded my attention. I could tell there was something compelling in the idea of such a complicated triangle. I started escritura the outline in a notebook, and then fleshed it out as soon as I got to a computer. The Host was supposed to be no más than a side project - something to keep me busy between editing stints on Eclipse - but it turned into something I couldn't step away from until it was done.
Did tu approaching escritura The Host, your first adult novel, differently than your YA series?
Not at all. Like the Twilight Saga (this is probably the only way The Host is like the Twilight Saga!), The Host is just a story I had fun telling myself. My personal entertainment is always the key to why a story gets finished. I never think about another audience besides myself while I'm writing; that can wait for the editing stage.
tu have referred to The Host as being a science fiction novel for people who don't like science fiction. Can tu explain why?
lectura The Host doesn't feel like lectura science fiction; the world is familiar, the body tu as the narrator are moving around inside of is familiar, the emotions on the faces of the people around tu are familiar. It's very much set in this world, with just a few key differences. If it weren't for the fact that alien stories are por definition science fiction, I wouldn't classify it in that genre.
There is a lot of internal dialogue between Wanderer, the narrator and invading "soul", and Melanie, the human whose body Wanderer is now living inside. Each character has her own distinct voice and internal struggle. Was it a challenge to have the two characters, who essentially take up one body, stand on their own?
Wanderer and Melanie were very distinct personalities to me from día one; keeping them separate was never an issue. Melanie is the victim - she's the one that we, as humans, should identify with; at the same time, she is not always the más admirable character. She can be angry and violent and ruthless. Wanderer is the attacker, the thief. She is not like us, not even a member of our species. However, she is someone that I, at least, wish I was más like. She's a better person than Melanie in a lot of ways, and yet a weaker person. The differences between the two main characters are the whole point of the story. If they weren't so distinct, there would have been no reason to write it.
Did any of the characters surprise tu while writing?
I am constantly surprised por my characters when I write - it's really one of my favorito! parts. When a character refuses to do what I had planned for him o her, that's when I know that character is really alive. There were several characters who caught me off guard with The Host. One in particular was slated for a bit part as the wingman to the villain. Somehow, he knew he was más than that, and I couldn't stop him from morphing into a main amor interest.
Your Twilight series has had a lot of crossover appeal for adult readers, do tu think The Host will also appeal to your younger readers?
I've had a great deal of interest from my YA readers about the release of The Host. I have no doubt that they will continue to make up a core part of my readership. I amor blurring the lines between the different genres and categories - because in my head, a good book won't fit inside the lines. I hope that The Host continues to do what the Twilight Saga is doing: mostrando that a good story doesn't belong to any one demographic.
How do tu feel about the enormous success that you've had with the Twilight series? How has it changed your life?
I am continually shocked por the success of my books. I never take it for granted, and I do not count on it in my expectations of my future. It's a very enjoyable thing, and I'll have fun with it while it lasts.
I've always considered myself first and foremost a mother, so being a writer hasn't changed my life too much - except I do travel a lot más and have less free time.
What adult authors do tu read?
I've been lectura libros for adults my entire life. Growing up I was an avid reader - the thicker the book, the better. Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind, The Sword of Shannara, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, etc. I'm a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, and Jane Austen - I can't go through a año without re-reading her stuff again.
What's next?
I'm currently finishing escritura the fourth book in the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn, which will envolver, abrigo up Bella and Edward's story. I plan to then write Midnight Sun, which is Twilight told from Edward's perspective. After that, I may write some sequels for The Host, o a may pull another outline from my files to play with. I won't stop writing; there are too many stories I want to tell.
