Twlight’s Midnight Sun was recently released, coincidentally around the same time I’ve been working on the second edition of The Needle’s Eye. We meet again, Twilight… Love it or hate it, that’s up to you, but especially since I was working on a Needle’s Eye commentary, I was reminded that one reason I wrote The Needle’s Eye in the first place was because of Twilight.
Is that surprising? I wonder.
I discussed some of this in the upcoming commentary published in the second edition, but I was vague about it. I didn’t mention Twilight by name. I thought I might go into a bit more detail here. Maybe it makes for an interesting read.
This will be, as much as possible, spoiler free.
I wrote The Needle’s Eye somewhere around 2008-2009. At the time, Twilight was at it peak popularity, and I was personally annoyed by it. Part of that was probably jealousy, to see something so popular and wonder why I couldn’t have that, but I also had strict opinions about literature in my twenties, about what was good and what wasn’t, and sparkling vampires fell into the realm of ‘not’.
I just want to reiterate that I try not to hate on other works anymore. If I don’t like something, whatever, I’ll move on. If someone else wants to like it, that’s fine with me. We’re all entitled to our opinions and to like what we like.
For me, this dislike gave me an excuse to retaliate and create my own work of art.
There was one specific line that got my mind turning. I can’t quote it exactly. Maybe it was even on the back of the book. It was something like this:
“I knew two things. One was that Edward was a vampire. The second was that I was irrevocably in love with him.”
Okay, Bella. I see you.
So I said to myself ‘here is what I will do’. I was like the Grinch making plans. I decided that I would write something with that idea in mind, but I would write about men who were truly dangerous, and about girls who were infatuated with them anyway.
And so, that’s what I did. (The Needle’s Eye is not actually about vampires, by the way.)
If you’ve read The Needle’s Eye before, and wondered why I did what I did with the story, that’s why. It was to console my own dark mind.
Of course, if you haven’t read it and you’re curious to know exactly what I mean here, I hope you’ll check out the second edition or audiobook, out Sept 30!
As a reminder, I’m still posting something every day as the month rolls along, so be sure to follow me on all my social media to get all the teasers.
And just so you know, tomorrow is the cover reveal!
Project Nevermor 