Stephenie Meyer Talks ‘Austenland’, Motherhood With Teenagers, Twilight

Stephenie Meyer wrote the Twilight saga when she was a stay-at-home mom, now her kids are teens (and one tween) and she is producing a new movie, Austenland.

A lot has changed for this self-made author, from staying at home caring for her kids, to being one of the most recognized names in modern literature thanks to the mega success of the Twilight books, and of course, all the hype Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart brought to the films.

Austenland is completely different for Meyer, she is producing it, so there is not the enormous amount of pressure she felt when her work was the one being put on the big screen.

The romantic comedy is based on the book of the same name by Shannon Hale and tells the story of a thirty-something woman who is obsessed with English novelist Jane Austen (Pride And Prejudice, Sense And Sensibility).

This new Stephanie Meyer production stars Kerri Russell, who plays Jane Hayes, spends her life saving to travel to an Austen type resort in England to try and find her love.

“I did this because when I read Austenland in an early format, Shannon sent me the manuscript, I wanted to go to there!” Meyer says. “I wanted it to be real.”

Mom.me spoke to the mother of three about her new film and writing with young children. She says she felt a lot of pressure trying to keep things as close to the book as possible, because of the fans, who wanted the characters to look exactly like her description in the books.

With Austenland she felt freed, Meyer adds. It was nice to change things a little from the book without having to worry too much about outside influences.

As far as writing Twilight while raising small children Stephenie Meyer says she did a lot of late nights, after everyone was asleep, 10 years ago this summer. She reviewed her drafts while holding her kids in her arms.

Her sons are older now, but the author says she’s not ready to kick the eldest out of the house. “He’s he sweetest boy.” the proud mom says, although he’s your typical, uncommunicative teen at times, but gives her hugs frequently.

One of her sons changed his name temporarily because other kids were picking on him at school due to his famous mom and her “kissy books.” He told everyone his name was Bernard.

Meyer’s success has allowed her to have her own production company, Fickle Fish Films, with which she is making Austenland. She says she enjoys the script editing part of her job, it’s different from writing.

What is her advice to would-be-authors that are afraid to try what she did,

“Do it. I don’t know why people hesitate because if it’s horrible, you still get the fun of writing it, and then you can just keep it and read it yourself…just sit down and write it. If you’re writing it and it feels like a chore, maybe it’s not for you. But if you’re writing and you’re loving every second, then keep going.”

Stephenie Meyer’s Austenland opens in New York and Los Angeles on August 16.

[Image: Gage Skidmore]