'Twilight' Brings New 'Dawn' for Meyer

Julu 31, 2008 — -- With 10 million books sold, thousands of fans eagerly anticipating her latest release and several comparisons to another superstar female author, writer Stephenie Meyer finds herself as the season's most talked about novelist with her fourth "Twilight" book, "Breaking Dawn."

And while the upcoming film "Twilight" is an adaptation of the first book in the popular series, which mimics the success of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" franchise, the mother of three says "it's a really flattering comparison, but I like being Stephenie Meyer. It is really cool."

Check out ABCNews.com Saturday, Aug. 2 at 12:01 a.m. to read an excerpt of "Breaking Dawn."

Meyer, whose new edition in the vampire series arrives in stores Aug. 2, was mum on the details of the release, save one tidbit.

"I got to write a wedding, which was so much fun," she told "Good Morning America" today.

The Brigham Young University graduate, who lives with her family in Phoenix, has inspired a deep devotion among her fans, who use the Web to spread their passion to the masses. Though 'tweens and teens are a large part of her fan base, Meyer's work has admirers across generations.

"I've got a ton of fans my age, the 30-something moms, which I love because I wrote the book for myself. So it makes sense to me they will like it too," said the 34-year-old. "We've got boy readers and got everyone from I think — I got a letter from an 86-year-old grandma excited about the series [...] to my age down to 8-year-olds."

When Meyer pens her novels she isn't writing for her fans, but rather for herself, she says.

"I think the most important thing is just to enjoy the writing. Write like there's no one else that will ever read it and you're the only reader that will read it," she said. "That's how I write. I forget the whole world when I write."

Her philosophy has worked and made her vampire tales a key part of any summer reading list.

Meyer said her inspiration comes from the characters themselves.

"Once you have the characters in place ... when you have strong characters, they just decide the story themselves. So I just went along for the ride and get to watch what they do. It's exciting," Meyer said.

For the author, who penned her first book following a dream in 2003 that inspired her novel, Meyer said she never could have envisioned how much success that nighttime tale could bring her.

"I didn't picture anything like this. It's really exciting that they care so much," she said.

Many fans worried "Breaking Dawn" would be the end to Meyer's fan-favorite characters, but that's not entirely true.

"It's the end of Bella's story [as the narrator]. She's not going to tell the story anymore," Meyer said. "I don't know if I'm completely finished with the characters. There's a reason it had to end, though. I think there's a national natural arc to a story. If you prolong it, it doesn't read well."

Meyer added she had the idea for "Breaking Dawn" years ago, before she had published the first book in the series.

"Two years before anyone had seen 'Twilight,' this book was brewing," she said.

Even with all her success, which includes being named one of Publishers Weekly's most promising new authors in 2005, Meyer said she's just a regular mom and wife.

"When I'm at home everything is just normal. I'm just mom," she said. "[But] every now and then I have to be Stephenie Meyer and go on the road."