When Twilight author Stephenie Meyer announced on Monday that she would finally be publishing her long-awaited book Midnight Sun, frenzied fans caused her website to crash as they desperately searched for more details.
We get it, tbh. The follow-up to the cult hit saga is no less than 12 years in the making. Talk about keeping us in suspense.
In a way, the story surrounding the development of Midnight Sun is worthy of its own novel.
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So, what do we know about what is likely to be another bestseller for the Twilight mastermind?
When will Midnight Sun be released?
The new addition to the franchise lands August 4th, an incredible 12 years after the publication of the last Twilight instalment, Breaking Down (2008).
It appears that Meyer considered postponing the release further due to the coronavirus crisis.
"I hope this announcement doesn't seem ill-timed," she wrote on her website.
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"I really considered delaying the release until the world was back to normal. However, 1) who knows when that will be? And 2) you guys have waited long enough. Much longer than long enough, actually."
She added that the expansion of the saga will give fans "some pleasure and something fun to look forward to."
Amen to that.
Why the 12-year delay?
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Way back in 2008, part of the manuscript for the book was leaked online, leading Meyer to put off the project indefinitely.
At the time, the author called the leak: "a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being."
The experience meant that Meyer didn't feel mentally well-placed to continue writing the book.
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She quipped: "If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James [that's a vampire tracking Bella, FYI] would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story."
Now, over a decade later, Meyer is ready to catapult fans into a new chapter.
What do we know about the story?
Well, firstly, it will be told from teen vampire heartbreaker Edward Cullen's perspective.
The book isn't a prequel, or a sequel, as such. In fact, Midnight Sun actually began life as a writing exercise, to explore alternative points of view.
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Meyer wrote on her website: "The more I wrote, the more I became convinced that Edward deserved to have his story told.
"At first I was planning to post it all here on my website, but I changed my mind for two reasons, the most important being that Edward's version is much longer than Bella's - Edward over-thinks everything."
We can expect plenty of intensity from our heartthrob narrator, then.
Publisher Little Brown teased that: "This unforgettable tale as told through Edward's eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting beautiful, mysterious Bella is both the most intriguing and unnerving event he has experienced in his long life as a vampire.
"As we learn more fascinating details about Edward's past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he let himself fall in love with Bella when he knows that he is endangering her life?"
What has Stephenie Meyer said about the release?
Talking about the upcoming release in a pre-recorded broadcast for Good Morning America, Meyer said: "I am very excited to finally, finally announce the release of Midnight Sun on 4 August."
The author continued: "It's a crazy time right now and I wasn't sure it was the right time to put this book out, but some of you have been waiting for just so so long it didn't seem right to make you wait any more."
Meyer went on to draw comparisons between the world she inhabited while writing Twilight, and the one she finds herself in now.
"Working on a book for more than 13 years is a strange experience. I'm not the same person I was then. My children have all grown up. My back got weird. The world is a different place. I can only imagine all the things that have changed for you," she said.
"But completing Midnight Sun has brought back to me those early days of Twilight when I first met many of you. We had a lot of fun, didn't we?"
Oh yes, we did.
Naturally, Twilight fans are palpitating at the prospect of another book from Meyer.
The four-book Twilight series sold over 100m copies, while its sister five-film franchise took home a staggering $3.3billion (that's £2.6billion) at the box office.
No pressure then, eh?
Midnight Sun is published 4th August.
Featured Image Credit: Summit Entertainment