My professional opinion after reading Twilight and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

1. Jacob is alive. Edward is dead.
2. Jacob is warm and cuddly. Edward is an ice cube. He has to cuddle on top of the sheet so Bella doesn’t freeze.
3. Jacob is happy and smiles all the time. Edward is moodier than a PMSing adolescent.
4. Jacob listens to Bella and compromises. Edward decides what’s good for Bella and dictates.
5. Jacob makes Bella happy. Edward makes Bella anxious and obsessive.
6. Jacob and Bella have equal power in their relationship. Edward has all the power.
7. Jacob made Bella sad for two weeks. Edward make Bella suicidally depressed for many months.
8. It takes Jacob one day to apologize for making Bella miserable. It takes Edward most of a year and a whole lot of drama.
9. Bella loves Jacob for his sunny personality. Bella loves Edward cuz he smells good and looks pretty.
10. Jacob’s age difference to Bella is two years. Edward’s is one hundred (robbing the cradle much?).
11. Jacob is only dangerous to Bella when he’s angry. Edward is dangerous all the time (especially once a month: If Bella’s paper cut puts him on edge, what does her period do?).
12. To be with Jacob, Bella would live life to its fullest. To be with Edward, Bella would say goodbye to all family and friends and DIE.
13. Did I mention: Jacob is hot. Edward is freezing. Who wants to cuddle with an ice cube?

Reading NEW MOON in the Uncompahgre Wilderness in Colorado.

EDITED TO ADD: Kids, I’m all for free speech and literary discussion, but let’s keep the discourse courteous. No name calling. No swearing.

Where will you be April 25, 2009? Getting burnt to a crisp in Orlando at the Romantic Times Convention? Or embracing your inner vampire in the sun-free Pacific Northwest at KatieCon?

CROUCHING VAMPIRE, HIDDEN FANG
Author Katie MacAlister sent out more updates on her plans for KatieCon 2009, and it sounds like a lot of fun:

I’m envisioning an all day event with a buffet lunch, and probably either an afternoon tea, or some sort of afternoon dessert. There would definitely be a Q&A session, and also some games like romance Jeopardy (with prizes!), a raffle benefitting local charities, and even possibly a version of GothFaire with some fun folks brought in to read palms and tarot cards, take pictures of auras, do henna (temporary) tattoos, chair massages, etc.

If that isn’t enough to sway you from the RT Vampire Ball to rainy Sea-town (or Bellevue as the case may be), Katie may have copies of her May 09 book, Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang, to give to attendees two weeks before anyone else gets them! Whoot!

TWILIGHT
From Vampires AND the Pacific Northwest to Vampires IN the Pacific Northwest: the trailer for Twilight is out and it looks…creepy. Note to self: must read Twilight before movie debut December 2. As you may know, I’m particularly attached to books set in my rainy state. Stephanie Meyer on why her vampires live in Forks:

For my setting, I knew I needed someplace ridiculously rainy. I turned to Google, as I do for all my research needs, and looked for the place with the most rainfall in the U.S. This turned out to be the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. I pulled up maps of the area and studied them, looking for something small, out of the way, surrounded by forest… And there, right where I wanted it to be, was a tiny town called “Forks.” It couldn’t have been more perfect if I had named it myself. I did a Google image search on the area, and if the name hadn’t sold me, the gorgeous photographs would have done the trick. (Images like these of the Hoh Rainforest (a short drive from Forks).

She’s correct, the Olympic Peninsula is BEAUTIFUL. Mr. Wonderful and I just came back from camping there and we didn’t get rained on! Quite the accomplishment for the world’s only temperate rain forest.

Where will I be in April? I dunno yet. I’ve always wanted to go to a masquerade ball, but the stories from this year’s RT Convention were less than appealing. What about you – which would you attend? Have you been to an RT Convention? Have you read Twilight? Are you going to see the movie?

Edited to add:

I’m so sad that Breaking Dawn is coming out during the RWA conference, because I’ll miss this awesome-sounding book release party at Powell’s City of Books. It makes me wish I lived in Portland:

COMING AUGUST 1: BELLA’S BALL
Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard of a little someone named Stephenie Meyer. Between her popular vampirific YA series, the Twilight Saga, the film version of the first book, Twilight, (filmed in Oregon and releasing on December 12), and her new novel for adults, The Host, Meyer is quickly reaching a J. K. Rowling-level of fan devotion. That’s why, on Friday, August 1, we are thrilled to host Bella’s Ball, a midnight release party celebrating the long-awaited fourth book in the saga, Breaking Dawn. Come to Powell’s City of Books for fun and games. Enter our costume contest. Listen to a spooky DJ. You can even donate blood (easier than the vampire’s way) at a Red Cross blood mobile from 3:30-6:30 p.m. and be rewarded with priority line-placement when the book goes on sale. I know! Hold your squeals of joy, all of you in the Edward or Jacob camps. We’ll see you there!