Comments from first observer:
I just got back from the Torrance The Host signing and it was amazing! This was my first time seeing Stephenie Meyer and between my sister and me, we got all of our books signed. DHfreak joined us too and I seriously had the time of my life.
Once inside, everyone greeted Stephenie with a huge round of applause and cheers that could have broken any sound meter. She came out and she answered a lot of new questions. I really don’t remember all of them, but the most memorable ones were these below (and of course of I’m going to paraphrase).
Why Cheetos?
She said that she tried to put herself in a world where she was deprived and the things that she would most miss would be Cheetos and Twinkies. She said, “Come on everyone knows the smell of Cheetos. Plus, Cheetos are so dang delicious!”
Which part of the book would the song “The Ghost of You” by My Chemical Romance (from her The Host Playlist) fit the book best?
Jared, she said, is the character the song fits the most because when he sees Wanderer in Melanie’s body, it’s as if he is seeing the ghost of Melanie, and it’s not really her.
Why are Sharon and Maggie so mean to Wanderer when she risked her life for them?
Since the book is written in Wanderer’s point of view, we all see that Wanderer means no harm and wants to protect them. She’s is really compassionate and wouldn’t hurt them, while Sharon and Maggie see her as the alien that took over Melanie’s body. Melanie isn’t there. They see her as what they are afraid of and what will take their kids when they are sleeping.
Who do you prefer: Jared or Ian?
It all depends. Jared is the masculine type that would ride horses and wears cowboy hats, while Ian is the type of guy that would read you poetry.
Which actress could she see playing the Seeker?
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Account from second observer:
What inspired her to write The Host?
She started saying that it was saved in one of the files in her computer. She said that it wasn’t like Twilight, which came to her in a dream coming to her in a silver platter. She had been driving in an ugly desert and that is when she started thinking, “What would happen if two people were in love with the same person and were in the same body?” She wrote it down in her computer and during the process of editing Eclipse she started to write The Host.
Where does the human go when the host takes over?
Her response was that it depended on where people think a soul goes after they die.
What planet would she pick to live on out of the ones she created?
She responded with definitely not The Mists, since she hates the snow. She said that she would live in the Singing World or Planet of the Bats. She likes that they communicate by music, and even though she doesn’t want to be blind, she could also fly.
Jamie and Jacob (from The Twilight Saga) seem very similar. Were they where intentionally written that way?She responded by saying no. However, she does feel the connection that Melanie has for Jamie is what Bella has for Jacob. They want to protect them and take care of them.
Is there going to be a sequel for The Host?
She responded that there may be. She wasn’t sure yet, but if she did continue it would be a trilogy. She also said that it would possibly be in Wanderers perspective. But she knew what was coming for the characters, so it was going to be hard.
Are the characters of her books inspired by real people?
She answered by saying that unfortunately, they weren’t. However, she did use her sibling’s name: Jacob. Her siblings had told her that she had used their brother’s name but not theirs, so she ended up using her siblings’ names in her books (Emily, Heidi). However, her siblings are nothing like the characters she created except her brother Paul. She also said that Doc in The Host was inspired by her brother Seth who is the webmaster for her site.
I’m a writer. How can I overcome writer’s block?
She answered by saying that she rarely had writer’s block, but when she did, she would turn off all the lights to be in complete darkness, then turn on rock music really loud until her head would be cleared. She recommended the band Muse.
Additional Comments:
Stephenie also gave us Ian’s age, which she stated as being 27. She said that she had not started writing when she was young. What she really did was read a lot. She loves reading books, but she didn’t read Stephen King because they where too scary for her.
Source: The Host Novel LiveJournal
Thanks to observers: nerdtillend and dhfreak
