Bookstore throws party for latest in 'Twilight' series

Barnes and Noble Booksellers is throwing a party Friday night to rival New Year's Eve.

But in this instance, the partygoers will be counting down to the stroke of midnight so they can get their hands on the latest in the "Twilight" series penned by Phoenix author Stephanie Meyer.

While they're waiting to read about the latest adventures of Eddie, a handsome vampire, and Bella, just an average girl, fans can pass the time with a costume contest, participate in a scavenger hunt, play "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" with trivia questions from the books and just plain share the excitement with other fans of the series.

The party will take place from 9 p.m. to midnight at the bookstore at 819 W. 32nd St. At one minute after midnight, "Breaking Dawn," the fourth book in the series, will go on sale.

All ages are invited to "come take a bite out of fun," said Penny Bell, who recently took over as manager for the bookstore's children's department. The store will be decked out in black and red, and there will be fun things throughout the store, she said..

Bell described the series as written for teens, "but I know all age levels enjoy the books. It's about vampires and werewolves and just plain fun."

She herself got hooked when teens she was working with as a children's reading specialist in San Diego talked her into reading "Twilight," the first in the series.

"I read it in one day," she said. And she's excited as anyone else to read "Breaking Dawn."

"I'm dying to see what happens with the characters," she said.

Other books in the series are "New Moon" and "Eclipse."

On her Web site, Meyer recalled how she first met the characters of her books. She dreamed that two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods.

One was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that they were falling in love with each other while the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of the girl's blood.

There was nothing to be done but to start pounding the keys to tell their story, Meyer said. One book led to another, then a third and now the fourth.

Not to mention a movie contract. The movie made from the first book will be released Dec. 12.

Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English literature. She lives with her husband and three young sons in Phoenix.

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Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.