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A dim light fell on the country this weekend, as Stephenie Meyer's first book in the "Twilight" series went to the cinema and dazzled 16-year-old girls across the country and people who act like them. For the rest of us, bewildered is probably a better word to describe what happened.

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Meyer graduated from BYU in 1995 with a bachelor's in English. Because of this inside angle, The Daily Universe requested an interview with the 34-year-old author last week However, we were snubbed. After a few hours of searching, our reporter finally tracked down Meyer's publicist's e-mail address. But the publicist sent us an e-mail telling us Meyer was on much deserved time off. That's publicist-speak for "She's not going to grant you an interview, so don't bother us."

I'm willing to give Meyer the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure her publicist didn't even pass the message along that her alma mater's newspaper requested an interview. If Meyer has time for a self-indulgent cameo appearance, she has time for a 15-minute phone call.

We don't fault Meyer for being a little self-indulgent. She has achieved a degree of success few thought possible after J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" turned normal people into ravenous fans. We would, however, fault Meyer if she thought she doesn't need to talk to us. We may not be ABC or MTV or some of the national media outlets that have interviewed her, but we are her school. It'd be a shame if all her new-found fame and fortune has made her too cool for us. After all, some might call her books a fluke.

Then there's the possibility Meyer is just embarrassed to talk to us. For characters who are supposed to be chaste, Bella sure didn't look like she wanted to wait for marriage when she had her pants off for Edward. They only actually kissed, but they did it with her pants off. The entire film is just as sexually taunting, with Bella and Edward continually tempting themselves for more. I'm not sure I would call that chastity.

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Otto Penzler Investigates the HMH Rumors

The news that Houghton Mifflin Harcout is suspending book acquisitions sent shockwaves throughout the book publishing world. So Otto Penzler decided to find out from the source if the report was true. He was told by a high-ranking HMH executive that the story was overblown and that Penzler could keep acquiring books.

"I was told that it had been blown out of proportion and that there was simply some belt-tightening going on. I asked, 'Does this mean I can keep buying books?' 'Absolutely,' I was told. Penzler says the information came from a high-level Harcourt Houghton executive, whom he declined to publicly name, saying he wanted to preserve the official's privacy.

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[Harcourt spokesman] Rosenfeld has called the current policy "freeze-lite," although cracks keep appearing. Rosenfeld confirmed that education and children's books are still being acquired, did not dispute Penzler's assertions and added that the "right" book, of any kind, would still be considered. He said talk of a freeze had been taken out of context.

"A headline about a freeze is very appealing but, in reality, all we're doing is taking a good, hard look at everything that comes in, much the way this company is watching all expenses and expenditures," he said. "It's just a higher degree of scrutiny." Asked if agents should continue submitting manuscripts to HMH, Rosenfeld said, "I don't see why not."

The other rumor making the rounds is that HMH is up for sale and that acquisitions are being slowed in light of that fact. But so far there is no news leaking out if anyone has made a bid for the company.

Posted on November 26, 2008
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Johnson, Updike Awarded Bad Sex in Fiction Awards

Author Rachel Johnson has won the Bad Sex In Fiction Award. Her winning love scene occurs in her novel, Shire Hell.

Johnson said: "I always wanted to win a literary award and to bag this coveted prize -- a prize that has been won by admired giants such as Norman Mailer, Sebastian Faulks and Tom Wolfe -- is, for me at least, a tremendous honour." The prize, awarded by Literary Review magazine, was presented by actor Dominic West, star of US TV series The Wire.

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Johnson's winning passage includes the following lines: "I find myself gripping his ears and tugging at the locks curling over them, beside myself, and a strange animal noise escapes from me as the mounting, Wagnerian crescendo overtakes me. I really do hope at this point that all the Spodders are, as requested, attending the meeting about slug clearance..."

Rachel is the sister of London Mayor Boris Johnson. Rachel was not the only winner. John Updike received a lifetime achievement award. He has been nominated four times for the award: the latest was for a ghastly scene from The Widows of Eastwick. The judges stated that Updike had kept them entertained for many years. Congratulations to the winners!

Posted on November 25, 2008
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