By Christina Radish

New York Times best-selling author Stephenie Meyer (www.StephenieMeyer.com) took over the Torrance High School Auditorium on May 22^nd, for a discussion and signing of her latest release, The Host, which is also her first adult novel. Taking paranormal romance into alien territory, this mature and imaginative thriller is propelled by equal parts action and emotion. In this new world, a species of altruistic parasites has peacefully assumed control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but feisty Melanie Stryder won’t surrender her mind to the alien soul called Wanderer. Overwhelmed by Melanie’s memories of fellow resistor Jared, Wanderer yields to her body’s longing and sets off into the desert to find him.

One thousand fans turned out to see the 34-year-old mother of three, who is best known for the hugely popular Twilight series, that also includes New Moon, Eclipse and the upcoming Breaking Dawn (August). Twilight is an action-packed, modern-day love story between a human, Isabella “Bella” Swan, and a vampire, Edward Cullen. Like all vampires, Edward is immortal. However, he doesn’t have fangs and he doesn’t drink human blood. To Edward, Bella is the thing he has waited 90 years for: a soul mate. But, the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of Bella’s scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy.

With over 5.5 million books in print, Twilight is a cultural phenomenon, with a dedicated fan base eager to see the much-beloved story brought to the big screen. The highly anticipated film version of the tale, released in theaters by Summit Entertainment on December 12^th, will see Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in the leading roles.