My Weekend in "Twilight"

Hello all! I am still recovering from my adventure the first weekend in August. Stanford is a bit miffed (he had to stay at home and miss the trip), but I traveled via train to NYC! Maggie, my partners best friend, is currently working on her PhD in Film and New Media (check out her blog!). Maggie has traveled the world -- she is/has been studying in Wales for years, traveled to historical sites relating to Arthurian legend, and recently found herself on a movie set. This is where our paths crossed as Maggie and I share the same taste in literature. We adore fantasy literature! I love the creativity involved in this literary genre; opening the page and being transported to another world!

Maggie returned home (to Lancaster) a few months ago and chatted about the Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer that she was really excited about. Of course, a few days after Maggie left, Stanford and I traveled to Barnes and Noble to buy the first book in the series. About two days after that we made the same trip for the second book in the series, and finally two days after that I HAD to have the third book. Its a great series -- vampire, love story, suspense, intrigue -- you just HAVE to read them!

Maggie returned from another trip (studying somewhere ... I don't really remember) and I carried the books down the steps, showing her the result of her last visit. She was really excited and explained to me that the fourth and final book in the series was to be released the evening of August 1st, and that the author was creating a concert and book signing around the event in NYC. A few weeks later I found myself submersed in all things Twilight.

The weekend was incredible! The fan following of this series is the largest I've ever seen -- MTV and their correspondent Kim Stoltz (of America's Next Top Model) has been following the series and helping to stir the fandom into a frenzy at the culmination of the fourth book release. I had the pleasure of chatting with Kim for a minute or two as I attempted NOT to gush, but Kim was a favorite model in my household! Maggie was interviewed by MTV about being on the movie set of Twilight, and her experiences following the evolution of the book series into a movie.

My favorite part of the weekend was the concert event prior to the book signing. About 2000 of us filed into the Nokia Theater to hear Justin Furstenfeld of the band Blue October, hear a few words from the author, and go crazy nuts screaming in between. The author of this series has released her "playlists," or music that she feels inspired her as she was crafting each literary work. The fans have attached themselves to these playlists -- so much so that Justin of Blue October played an integral part in the event. He came on stage and played a few songs that spoke of a few of the characters feelings from the book series (this all was completley coincidental; Stephenie explained that she had heard a few of Justin's songs on the radio and felt they were the embodiment of a characters feelings as she was writing the series). Stephenie Meyer was then introduced, and she spoke about the release of the last book and her plans for the future. Then she reintroduced Justin Furstenfeld and the two had an unplugged casual jam session on the stage, where Stephenie mentioned a character and a scene from one of the books and Justin played the song that Stephenie felt embodied that character and moment. What a great time in the midst of a ton of screaming teenagers!

I can't describe the cool factor in this new component of a book release! In the event industry, we are always searching for the new and innovative. I was able to witness a new and innovative event technique while being enchanted with Twilight!