''I read it when I was nine,'' says Meyer, ''and I've reread it literally hundreds of times. I do think that there are elements of Edward in Edward Rochester and elements of Bella in Jane. Jane was someone I was close to as a child we were good friends! I think in some ways she was more real to me than any other fictional heroine.''
Which pop culture nuggets helped the author hatch her vampire epic? For starters, My Chemical Romance, the X-Men, and...''Baby Mama''?