The song for this chapter is Where’d You Go by Fort Minor

Somehow, I have gotten hooked by New Moon within the first few chapters. When I should be working to cure my editingosis I am actually reading this book and wondering: have Edward and Bella really parted ways for good?

Time passes: the first two words of this chapter seem brutal and sharp in contrast to the flowing paragraphs Stephenie has written before. The thoroughness of Edward’s disappearance has left Bella’s life in that state.  There isn’t a trace that he was ever there, as if all that happened in Twilight and in the first three chapters of New Moon were just something that Bella imagined. After paging through the months, I am reminded of the way Bella was at one time, in the beginning of Twilight. It is like taking a time machine. I remember this Bella: sullen, quiet, just as she was before Edward.

With the months that have passed, however, it feels like the pain of Edward leaving has turned into a numbness. It’s like a constant ache to Bella that is so strong eventually she might forget about it being there.

I shuddered when Bella pulls out that calculus book. What a misery. I’m taking calculus this next semester, and being one who absolutely abhors all things involving the mathematics (besides adding royalties and paychecks), I nearly fainted flat when I discovered I have two courses of it. Oh joy (oh rottenness). Bella sums up my thoughts exactly:

Reading math was even worse than listening to it.

For some reason, when Bella asked Jessica who she had recently been out with, my eyes swept across the page, and I thought that Jessica had said she was out with a Yankie, instead of Eric Yorkie. Weird. Then, lo and behold, they head on off to get some food, passing by One-Eyed Pete’s:

The struggle that Bella goes through to get over Edward seems torturous. While she knows she will never get over him completely, the only way she can move on with her life is to move past what is gone, and leave the memories of Edward behind.

But at the same time, I see that Bella is holding onto Edward still. Her memories of them together were so strong that I find myself remembering parts of it as well. It is rather concerning when you think about the condition Bella has been left in. She is withdrawn and antisocial, and now she is seeing things that are not there and hearing voices in her head.

Because the books are so popular, I’ve been slightly spoilered already, and I know that somewhere along the lines, Jacob Black becomes important (apologies if I’ve been spoiled wrong and I’m incorrect). So I would really like to hear from those Jacob-lovers if Bella’s intense withdrawal from Edward is one of the reasons you think Jacob is better for her? Do you think she is too obsessively attached to Edward for the relationship to ever be good for her?

It seems to me that by the end of this chapter, Bella is already doing much better than she was before- though I can still feel that glimmer of hope that Edward will return, and that things will go back to how they were before. But simply getting out and doing something appears to have brightened Bella future somewhat. I guess there is something fulfilling in zombie films after all…

——NOTES——

- Again, I cannot reply to emails suggesting songs for New Moon. Please only submit them through the page linked in the right sidebar.

- Last week, I hit 1,500 subscribers on my Youtube! THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE! I am currently #17 most subscribed this week in Partners, which was my first Youtube award, so if you haven’t already, please subscribe so I can stay up there!

- Someone asked to see a photo of my writing notebooks- it’s on my other blog.

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The song for this chapter is Lonely People by America

Due to some research by Maureen Johnson, I realized that my busyness is quite common this time of year: nearly every writer I know is undergoing revisions, and is getting behind on everything else in the process. But, I managed to sneak away and tackle the dreaded Chapter 3 in New Moon…

I have never had a chapter that carried so much warning. In fact, my last chapter post had more comments on THIS chapter than on Chapter 2. You people have left me filled with dread of what I’m going to find in here.

First off, Bella’s caught the I’m-better-than-you-because-I’m-a-vampire disease:

It seemed strangely childish. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for normal human behavior today. Those pitiful, weakling creatures, sniveling like worms…

But then, things immediately get serious. I notice that Edward is different in this chapter, so much that I’m beginning to feel early on what could be coming. He seems indifferent and unaffected, as if he’s walking in a daze and really isn’t feeling anything. There is a numbness in his voice that seems to tell me that something is bothering him very deeply. I feel that it is the growing pressure on him that every moment he is near Bella, he is putting her in more danger. Seeing what happened in the chapter before, with Jasper, only seemed to strengthen this in Edward’s mind: not only him, but his entire family, is different, and dangerous to Bella.

Edward is in turmoil. Part of him wants so deeply to stay with Bella, because he loves her. The other part feels that if he really does love her, then he would leave, and let her have a normal life.

This chapter is so sad. It is different. I remember a Bella and Edward in Twilight who loved each other, and who were talking all the time: it just never seemed to end, their dialogue through the whole book. You can tell a lot about two people from the way they talk to each other. It seemed endless, the sweet words they exchanged for no reason, the jokes between them about vampires and humans. Their conversations were really what made them who they were.

But suddenly, Edward seems to have become a brick wall. He is no longer the same person, but brooding and depressed, even around Bella. I feel as if all the love is gone.

And then, it all comes down to Edward’s three words:

“Bella, we’re leaving.”

Through all the time of reading Twilight, I did not realize how attached I had become to the idea of Bella and Edward being together. This book, as you’ve read in my bio, is my first vampire romance novel. So I am not one to become attached to two characters being together.

But for some reason, there is a deep and vast connection between Bella and Edward that left me very down as I sped through the rest of the pages in this chapter. It was like a deep gloom had settled over my room.

I realized that I did not pick up the second book in this series to read about Bella, the main character. I didn’t pick it up to read about Edward either. I picked it up to read about Bella and Edward. To me, they were so close, they were nearly one. I wouldn’t have read this book if there was only one of them, going off on adventures as a vampire or a human. And now that one of them is gone, it is like half of the main character has been split away as well.

I hope you’ll forgive me for not posting anything funny this time. It’s really hard to find something funny in a chapter that leaves me so sullen. I will be honest and say that by the ending of it, I was beginning to feel very down; and also uneasy, as I realized I had become attached to these characters when I had tried so hard to keep a sane mind about me.

Somehow, right after Edward left, I really did start to care even deeper about what happened to Bella, and had a deep urge to want to comfort her; while the rational side of me roared in my ear: It’s only a blasted book! Sometimes, we do not listen to our rational sides; or more commonly, do not want to listen to our rational sides.

I don’t think I have ever read a chapter as long as Chapter 3. After thirty-one pages, it would be very easy to rationalize stopping. However, when I got to the last page of the chapter, and instinctively began turning the pages again, I realized that I was literally paging through the months, skipping ahead in time after Edward disappeared from Bella’s life.

Because I’m rambling already, and I’m still in the middle of Chapter 4, I will be posting about it very very early tomorrow (think 5 minutes past midnight again).  And to all the commenters: you were right. I really couldn’t stop at the end of Chapter 3 this time.

—ADDED JULY 22, 1:13PM: I absolutely abhor self-promotion, but I just reached the #17 most subscribed in Partners on Youtube, and if anybody hasn’t sub’d me yet, please check out my channel, as I’d really like to stay up there! And thanks so much to everyone who got me that high.

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Hey people! For those of you who realized something was wrong, my web server was down yesterday for hours, and then proceeded to immediately block me from my own control panel (the beasts). Just now, I have finally gotten in. So, my Monday post on the (much forewarned and dreaded) Chapter 3 will actually be posted very very early tomorrow (think 12:04 AM early, CST)

Funny thing is, I think I use the same company as TwilightTeez does (or now, did). Tis the season for Twilight sites going down.

–Kaleb

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Since I was 9 years old, my computer homepage has been Yahoo.com. Thus, to me, something is ‘big’ when it makes the front of Yahoo.com. Second to me being featured, I have been looking forward most to seeing Twilight greet me when I go on the internet: and lo and behold, Stephenie just made the front page news:

Twilight on Yahoo.com

So, if you haven’t already seen it a few million times, head on over to check out the new trailer (without that announcer guy talking over it ). And I’d love to hear what people think of all the new scenes.

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THE AUDIO-BOOK BURGLAR "I am a younger brother . . . the middle child. My sister, as so many teen girls are, is completely obsessed with twilight. Obsessed to the point where she has an entire ipod devoted to having the books on tape at her ears at all possible times . I keep hearing all my female friends gush over how gentlemanly Edward is and how 'why can't I be more like him' or how adventerous Jacob is and so on, over and over again, so I decided that I was going to figure out what all the fuss is about. My sister, who usually sleeps while listening to the books, was charging her ipod one night instead, so I went in and stole it. I spent all night listening and eventually got hooked. I now see my younger twin siblings, who are a boy and a girl, as Jasper and Rosalie. The boy usually stays in the corner ( although he instinctively knew to go and give my sister a chair when she found out about the twilight movie) and the girl is always out there just like Rosalie. She got hooked by my sister and has now taken to actually referring to herself and her twin as Jasper and Rosalie. But then, unfortunately, my boys caught me talking about my theories for breaking dawn in my sleep. So now my secret's out and my sister will probably never forgive me for stealing her ipod because, as she puts it 'those two weeks were the most unrestful nights of her life' But the good news is I got a girlfriend because I "became" Edward. She is my Bella. I also think that my older sister actually is psychic because she already knew to reserve my a copy of breaking dawn too." Submitted by W

He gets a free t-shirt from TwilightTeez.com for his story!

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The song for this chapter is Vulnerable by Secondhand Serenade (suggested by Ana)

There was a group of people keeping up with the odd and unusual snacks I would have while reading Twilight, and now you can add tacos to the list for New Moon. In fact, as I move on into chapter 2, my room smells with that delightfully spicy aroma, as I have it still steaming on the plate as I continue munching onwards into Chapter 2.

Before I was so cliff-hangingly left off, Bella had somehow managed to turn a tiny paper cut into an all-out, glass covered wound, a feat only accomplish-able by herself. Every vampire in the room, understandably, tensed at the sight of blood, most of them having to immediately go outside with Jasper as he fought them to get at Bella.

Jasper seems to be the weakest of them all when it comes to being a vegetarian, harder for him to fight against the innate yearning for human blood that the others find easier to resist. Seeing the struggle that even Emmett has when trying to control him, I’m sure any animal would feel at least slightly uncomfortable venturing near their hunting grounds.

I have been intrigued by Carlisle since Twilight, when they visited his office and Bella heard the story of his life. I had completely overlooked the fact that being a doctor, Carlisle would be forced to be around blood many times a day. He has built up a significant amount of resistance to it, so that even when Esme and Alice must leave the room, he is still able to stay and help Bella, like he does with his own patients.

Reading on Edward’s past was rather interesting, as I have been wondering the depths of it since Twilight. It is easy to forget that at one time, Edward was a human, and had real parents who died humans as well. Who were his parents, and what were they before their deaths? How did Edward’s mother seem to know that Carlisle was a vampire? It seems very odd and it leads me to wonder if there is more behind it (or again, I’m reading a bit too deep).

It is also rather interesting to hear Edward’s beliefs on life after death. It seems to speak that he believes himself to be a monster, a soulless creature that is simply there and an abomination of sorts simply through his existence. This extends Edward’s fear for Bella becoming a vampire even further. Not only does he fear for what could happen to her now, but he also believes that it will rob her of her soul. I think I’m beginning to see that there is a bigger picture: Edward, most of all, does not want to be the one responsible for hurting Bella in such a way that is irreversible.

On another note, like Bella, I was beginning to get rather curious as to how Mike Newton kept popping up in conversations with Edward. Mike Newton this. Mike Newton that. Finally, it comes out: Edward sees Mike as a safer, more normal guy than he is; a non-vampire who would be better for Bella than him. Bella, however, puts it all to rest:

“I’d rather die than be with Mike Newton,” I protested. Then, crossing her arms, she continued. “Better yet, I would rather be doused in water, then locked into the trunk with a basket of singing serpents, then run over by a freight train and monster trucks, then passed through a scrap metal machine with eighty-five gears stretching me like taffy; rather than be with Mike Newton.”

Come now Bella. Mike isn’t really that bad, is he?

I will be getting to the next chapter as fast as I possibly can. I know I keep saying that and then spreading days between them, but unfortunately this happens to be the busiest two months of my life so far! I’ll be speeding through some more soon. And, I’ve got some stuff you might like right after August 3 is up…

——NOTES——

- Please do not send song suggestions to my email: use the form (link at the bottom of the right sidebar). I can’t answer all those emails about the songs, so they don’t get sorted right and I don’t get them on for the song picks.

- If you haven’t already, please read the new notice about commenting.

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TWILIGHT AT THE BEACH   "So, I live in a house with a twin sister and mother who are both "Twi-hards". They're always reading the books, gushing about Edward or Jacob and getting angry when they find scenes in the movie that aren't in the book. We go to the beach every summer, which is about a five hour drive. I usually have my iPod plugged in, but of course, my dear sister packed the charger the night before and so my battery died after an hour. I had nothing better to do than listen to whatever Mom and Emma were listening to. It sounded kind of cool, there was a guy attacking a girl and a battle being planned. I ask my mom what this was, and she said Twilight with a giggle. I started listening, it was at the part with the baseball scene. I got really into it by the end, and my sister had her copy of the book (of course) with her on the trip. I borrowed it and read the story from the beginning the very next day. The best part is a really cute girl saw me reading it on the beach and started a conversation about how great Twilight is. We've been dating ever since.." Submitted by A.

Thanks to him for the story! He gets a t-shirt for free from Twilightteez.com!

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 The song for this chapter is Iris by Goo Goo Dolls (suggested by Deby A.)

I almost didn’t post today, fearing that three posts in a row might make people think I was forming a new habit, an expectation I would never be able to keep up with thanks to my impending deadline and already up-till-3AM days. However, the pull of New Moon was much to strong: and thus I embark into Chapter the First anyway!

My absolute first thought upon opening the first chapter of New Moon is: I am ninety-nine point nine percent sure I have read this before. I honestly can’t explain it, but somehow between 2006 and now, I have picked up this book and read the beginning of the first chapter. Maybe one of the many times I was standing in a bookstore, just paging through the YA section, and just picked up New Moon on a whim. Or I might have read it as an excerpt off Amazon.com sometime. Either way, I recognize it like déjà vu. And it is very interesting to think that sometime, long ago, I actually read part of this novel: having no clue at all what it was.

The first scene of this book has instantly drawn me in: beautifully written, so much that I didn’t even expect what would happen, even with that feeling that I’ve read it somewhere. Like the ending of Twilight, the thought that Bella the human could grow old while leaving Edward the vampire as 17 is startling: especially to them. Is it more frightening to Bella, that she must age and leave Edward the same; or for Edward, that she will die someday and leave him behind, alone again?

And, I must remind Bella, eighteen is not quite that old. If she thinks eighteen is old, and I am nineteen…where does that leave me?

AHAH! Stephenie said ‘Moot Point’ again! If not for me, that phrase might go entirely unnoticed by everyone reading, but thanks to my previous encounters with the phrase, you all might be pleased to recall my possible definitions to it, including Davy Crockett’s favorite pose (the Moot Point) and the latest scores in a game (due to the coach tripping the referee with a chocolate goose, the opposing team was given one Moot Point). I am nearly certain there is some story behind Stephenie’s attraction to ‘moot point’ just as my unintentionally common usages of the words ‘abysmal’ and ‘abhor’ and ‘rot’ probably do not go unnoticed.

Anyhow, enough of my silliness. The Volturi immediately leapt out at me: who are these vampires that I’ve heard about, and now finally have a name? And how is it that by making them angry, they can kill vampires? I have little doubt as the book unfolds I’ll be seeing more of the Volturi.

And, Alice…

“No presents,” I protested in a mumble.

She finally seemed to process my mood. “Okay…later then. Did you like the scrapbook your mom sent you? And the camera from Charlie?”

Show off.

While reading my new book (which, unlike my edition of Twilight, is hardcover) I discovered a new use for a cell phone:

Cell Phones: Good for Holding Open Books

One thing that I think should be done soon, if not immediately, is to find a name for Bella’s truck. After all, that old red thing has survived many a season, and now on top of that, it has ‘personality’ as Bella puts it (which almost seems like an excuse for a shower of rust when closing the door). How can such a thing not have a name?

Back in the olden days, people would name their cars, like Dashing Hopes or The Fiery Carriage. I, coincidentally, name most of the cars in my writings: and if another author leaves out a name for their vehicles, I usually go right ahead and name if for them myself, as they obviously simply forgot (what author would not name their cars?). Bella’s old truck might be the Rusty Bucket or Bloody Awful Noisemaker… anyone else have suggestions? (ADDED: Other than The Thing, which I don’t think has yet been passed as its Official Name )

As I got to the end of chapter one and saw Bella opening her gifts, I instinctively allowed my mind to relax. After all, nothing bad usually happens when one is opening their gifts. Wrong. After Bella cut her finger, that tiny drop of blood: I can see the entire room immediately tense up.

I was so happy to see the vampire action right up in the front of this one. But oh the torture! Leave me hanging so much at the end of the first chapter? Sheesh.

——NOTES——

- I just cleared out all the old song suggestions from Twilight: now everyone can start suggesting songs for chapters in New Moon (obviously, somebody was ahead of me, and already did for chapter one- one of the songs that didn’t make it for the Twilight Song :D). Send them in over here.

- Emails coming to those who sent them! Also, everyone who’s asked for a preview of my book: I’m working on it. I have your emails but I’m still way behind.

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Those of you who came Saturday evening got to see the unveiling of the new header for New Moon. I must admit, I was really sweating it out. See, I order my books on Amazon. Last week, I realized that I had forgotten all about the fact that to get books from Amazon, they must be shipped. Whoops.

Luckily, there happens to be an Amazon warehouse within 30 minutes of me, and thus the shipping that should have taken 4 days took 24 hours. Wait, forget I said that: I have a new alibi. I couldn’t wait another second for New Moon, so I paid loads to have it overnighted. That sounds much better

I don’t exactly know what my expression in this photo (<—)  is saying. One second I look like I’m stunned because someone sees me reading New Moon; the next second I look rather annoyed and about to whack somebody with a club. If you want to see the rest of the photos, look in this direction.

This post, also, happens to be the first in the category known as New Moon. So here’s to starting the book! My first chapter post will be here very soon. And I’d love to know what you people think of the new top design

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The Song for Twilight is

YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL by THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS

And thus, the votes are in: nearly 10,000 over the span of two weeks. The votes were very, very close. The number 2 song was within 50 votes of the top. In order after the top song, the next four runners-up are:

 2. Time Is Running Out by Muse

 3. Lion by Rebecca St. James

 4. Iris by Goo Goo Dolls

 5. Hero/Heroine by Boys Like Girls

Back in April, the day I first bought this site, I went to sleep literally thinking that I was wasting my time, because nobody would ever read it, much less find my commentary on the books entertaining. Before I woke up the next morning, 4,000 people had already come to prove me wrong. It is hard to describe how great it feels seeing the wonderful reception the Twilight family has extended towards me.

Since April 16th, I have received 750,000 hits, uncountable emails, a mention on Stephenie’s blog, interview and appearance requests, been named the #7 Twilight site in the world, and met countless new friends that I would never have known if not for this site. It is truly unbelievable how fast everything happened and how much everyone has supported me and my (painstakingly slow) read through Stephenie Meyer’s amazing books. I cannot thank all the readers of this site enough for all you have done for me.

I will keep my final thoughts on the book short, so as not to sully the ending with my own commentary. My final review is below, and can also be found in my library later this evening:

I am a guy, and I read Twilight to discover the reason so many girls around the world have fallen in love with the books and a vampire named Edward Cullen. Now that I have finished the first part of the saga, I think I have uncovered some of it, though I have probably only scratched the surface of all that can be taken from this wonderful novel.

With Twilight, Stephenie Meyer has told a story of the changes that can happen to a person when they love someone. At the beginning of the novel, I saw Bella as a girl who abhorred everything about Forks. But by the end, it is her home– and with her is a vampire who cares for her more than he cares for himself.

The character of Edward Cullen was one of the mysteries I originally set out to solve: this person that millions of girls worldwide have fallen in love with, just as Bella did inside of the novel. Like many guys, hearing from girls about how wonderful Edward is made me a bit hesitant to want to read an entire book that seemed, from the outside, as simply a checklist of the things that make him perfect and real guys dismally inadequate. But after I actually opened the book and studied Edward a little closer, I had to ask a few questions: Is Edward idolized so much only because he is a perfectly formed vampire? Would he be thought of so highly if he was still so attractive, and yet selfish and uncaring?

Because of this, I don’t believe girls love Edward only because he is built like a model and is a vampire. I think that the inside counts just as much as his outside appearance. There are many things that us less-than-Hellenisticly-perfect guys can take from the book by watching Edward: the respect he shows towards women, the selflessness of his actions, the level of polite elegance he maintains, the maturity of his judgment, among many others. These are all things that real guys can actually learn from him– and they don’t have to be vampires to do it, either.

The story in Twilight is hopeful and bittersweet in the same breath, which is as close to real life as a description can come. It is a story of love, but most of all it is a story of how true love can break down the strongest of barriers: even barriers that can stand between a human and a vampire.

I’m hoping that now as I move through the rest of the series all of you will continue to read my blogs, and that I can continue to make you laugh with my attempts at wit. I have some very big plans for interesting stuff coming up, and I hope you can stick around to see them unfold. Now…on to New Moon!

 (Added 11:59 AM): NOTE: I WILL BE STAYING AT THIS SITE FOR THE REST OF THE TWILIGHT SAGA. There will be no move to newmoonguy.com or anything. However, look forward to some design changes

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