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TwilightMOMS has gained a reputation as one of the best Twilight sites, with up-to-the-minute news and commentaries, plus an extremely active board that will give you hours and hours of interesting reading. I was particularly happy to note that one Twilight Mom wanted me to become an 'Honorary TwilightMom member'! To the sweet TwilightMom who made that post, you really made my day!
Seriously speaking, it's hard to launch and operate a forum. It requires lots of time and patience, but it seems TwilightMOMs are doing just great.
In this interview, we talk with TwilightMOMs creator and owner, Lisa Hansen. In one of the most enlightening interviews about the fandom and Meyer's book, we ask Lisa a range of interesting and serious and fun questions. Take a look!
Twilight MOMS is one of the most active and really engaging Twilight sites on the net right now. There are so many interesting discussions and what I find so amazing is the organized way in which the forum operates. Tell us, is the smooth management of Twilight Moms something to do with your line of work, or do you just happen to be the organized type of Mom?
That last part just made me laugh so hard. "Organized type of Mom"? You should see my house... wait... no you shouldn't. I love organization but after I had my first baby I realized it was not going to be a reality in my life to the extent that I would like it to be.
After creating TwilightMOMS it was refreshing to have this one tiny part of my life that I was able to control and organize however I wanted. But as it grew it became very obvious that I had to let go and allow people to help me. I'd love to be able to claim that I am solely responsible for making the site what it is today, but the truth is, I have numerous women who donate and volunteer their time and talents toward running the site. They are amazing. Utterly AMAZING! Those amazing women coupled with the structure of the administration and moderators keeps the site running like a well-oiled machine.
TM has become worldwide, with an ever-increasing membership, and we noticed that it's always one of the very first to post fresh news. Who are the people behind TM, aside from you, who are responsible for its day-to-day operation and maintenance?
I have three assistant administrators who I depend on immensely. Their user names are: inspiredbytwilight, *gypsy wings* and ~kirsten~. There are three groups of moderators, each has a leader, there is a member management group, a secretary, and we can't forget our TMInsiders. They are ALL just normal average moms and women who carpool, fix dinner, work full time, go to school, etc etc etc. They go above and beyond. All for the love of TwilightMOMS.
Let's go back to Stephenie's book, Twilight. Some people have been telling me they were quite reluctant to get a copy of the book, especially at a bookstore since Twilight is classified as 'young teens'. How did you manage to get your own copy?
Ironically enough I was introduced to Twilight by young teens. I was so completely and utterly obsessed that I couldn't do with just a borrowed copy. I HAD TO have my own. I couldn't care less what people thought of me buying this "teen" book. In fact it's not uncommon for Twilight fans to have two sets of books. One for them to always have within reach, and the other for loaning out.
What would you consider to be the book's qualities that make it unique and everyone's favorite? For you personally, why did the book affect you in such a way that you were compelled to seek out other readers and eventually made you to create Twilight MOMS?
I have never been affected by a book like this before. There have been a handful of books that have impacted my life but none that has turned my life upside down. I was never into vampires or fantasy or anything like that. I like realistic stories and lots of romance.
What Stephenie Meyer has done is to completely recreate the vampire and werewolf as we have known them for hundreds of years. She has made them "real". When I have co-workers trying to razz me about my "vampire books" I find myself correcting them. When they mention crosses, or garlic, or fangs my natural response is, "That's just a myth... REAL vampires aren't affected by crosses or garlic. And REAL vampires don't even have fangs... duh!" Stephenie has redefined the vampire and werewolf in a way that we romanticize them in a good "super hero" type of way instead of a dark and scary gothic kind of way. Her characters and stories are believable. They are realistic. It's that sense of reality that has caused a reawakening of that feeling of intense love we felt when we fell in love. Every woman wants to be loved with the intensity and attentiveness of Edward but with the innocent playfulness of Jacob.
The press is somewhat reluctant to embrace the so-called 'Twilight phenomenon' and there are a number of critics who seem to have a rather poor impression of Twilight. Why is that? What do you think are the reasons that the book is getting its share of bad press?
Critics will always be out there. It's impossible to make everyone happy. When Star Wars first came out in the 70s, critics gave IT bad reviews. That being said, I think, in general, critics are underestimating the impact of this book and the intensity of the fans. I also think it gets a bad rap from its categorizing as a YA or "teen" book. This book has tied together grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces, aunts, husbands & wives, fathers, brothers, cousins and so on.
I don't know if this has happened yet, but let's say it were to happen. Suppose there is an opportunity to talk to Stephenie during dinner and you got an hour to be alone with her. What sort of conversation would other people hear from the two of you?
That's easy - we'd be talking about Hotties! ;)
Of all the characters in Ms. Meyer's books, which among them do you identify with the most? Why is that?
This is a hard one for me. I can identify a little with all of them. Esme, who is the "mom". Jacob for my playfulness. Rosalie for my really really ridiculously good looks, and Alice for the way I prance when I walk. (OK... those last two were a joke. lol!)
Do you think all these fans will go to the movies to watch the film? It seems that the film company (Summit Entertainment) that is now financing the movie gambled their money and entered a risky venture…?
They did gamble with this movie. But they hit the jackpot! Fans will be seeing the movie multiple times.
What would you say to a Twilight skeptic? How would you convince her/him to read the book?
In my most pitiful voice:
"The doctor says I only have a week to live *cough* and my last dying wish is for you to read this book.*cough cough* Oh, and make sure you return it so that I can be buried with it."
The Twilight fandom is diverse, extremely pro-active, and to a very large extent quite united in their support for Stephenie Meyer. As someone who has taken a leadership role in promoting the books and organizing the fans, what are some of your most memorable experience with fellow Twilight fans?
When TM was a teeny tiny MySpace group we would talk about how Stephenie Meyer would totally love our group. We wondered if she even knew that she had fans that were the same age as her. (We all thought it was just the handful of us.) We wished there was a way to invite her to our funny discussions, not for Q&As or anything, just for fun. We were beyond ecstatic when she actually signed on after we became a quickly growing website. She answered questions, made funny comments and interacted with us. It was a blast. She fit in just like any other member. It was a significantly smaller community then. She doesn't sign in very much anymore... but we know you're lurking every day, Stephenie. *waves hi*
What would you consider are issues that the fandom should carefully look into and if possible get seriously involved in?
Becoming a positive influential force is something everyone should become a part of no matter what you are a fan of. Finding ways to donate your time and talents to people and things that have nothing to do with you is the greatest gift you could give yourself as well as others. Thinking of others more than yourself. Activities and friendships that are centered in helping and uplifting others is the greatest cause to be involved in.
How about issues that you think would harm fan unity?
Issues such as open negativity, ridicule or criticism of each other are incredibly harmful to unity. The things that are most detrimental to a fan base come from within the fandom itself. Those things destroy the reputation of fans as a whole, as well as the unity within the fan base.
Do you think TwilightMOMS would still be online after all the books have been adapted into movies?
We will be online for as long as there is an internet! I have best friends all over the world now. I couldn't imagine not keeping contact with my buddies in Australia and New York and Georgia and Germany and on and on and on. TwilightMOMS members have "peeps" all over the world. It's one big network of best friends! We'll always need a place to escape to and play!
How do you foresee the future of TwilightMOMS in relation to Stephenie and her future works?
Oh, you must have me confused with Alice Cullen. I can't foresee the future.
;)
In a previous article I declared that while Twilight sites are also quite competitive in their quest to bring in the latest, freshest news, most of these sites maintain quite a friendly and even warm and close relationships with each other. Am I correct?
I have seen an amazing camaraderie with the fans everywhere. There are those few bad apples, but you'll get that in any group. We all just want to know everything Twilight as fast as we can get it and we don't care what the source is, just as long as it's valid news.
Which would be some of the sites that Twilight MOMS get along very well?
I'm super impressed with TwilightTEENS.com so much so that I wanted to affiliate with them. The site is owned and run by teens and they have really created an amazing community of fans over there.
The Lexicon is another that we love because of their wealth of information on everything Twilight. They have been around the longest and we even have a bunch of their admins, moderators and members on TwilightMOMS. Likewise we have MOMS who are active on the Lexicon too. Twilighters.org is a fun bunch! I have a lot of fun on their site. Really nice members!
The message boards for Twilight on IMDb are fun too. We've got MOMS active over there too. There are too many great Twilight communities to count! I even hear great things from ones in South America, Europe, anywhere really.
At TwilightMOMS, what would you consider three of the site's most important milestones/accomplishments, and what makes them so important and special for you?
1. Creating a meaningful place on the internet for women to escape to was an amazing accomplishment in and of itself. But to have created a place so fun and engaging that people keep coming back is even more than I ever expected.
2. Gaining the friendship and respect from the younger fans has been thrilling and an honor. At first it was a struggle to help people understand that until TwilightMOMS, older fans didn't have a place that felt like "home". We couldn't find each other because the fan base was predominantly young women and we were just kind of floating around here and there trying to fit in, but never feeling completely comfortable. But the younger Twilight fans have warmed up to us and have become so super supportive. I am just in awe at how kind and enthusiastic they have been. I get emails everyday from young fans telling me how cool they think the TM site is, or thanking us for all our pictures and fun stories, girls even send in links, information, and pictures that they think we might be interested in, and I even get messages from girls asking how we can get their moms to read Twilight. I love the younger fans. How can you not? They are just so talented and intelligent. Very impressive people.
3. Meeting 14 other women at the first TwilightMOMS Get Together was an amazing milestone that has sparked other get-togethers and events in the name of TwilightMOMS everywhere. This has become a cherished tradition allowing our friendships to expand beyond the computer or phone.
Finally, your message to all Twilight Moms, what would you like to say to them?
A fansite is only as good as it's members. TwilightMOMS is what it is today because of you. Thank you for blessing my life and the lives of each other with your laughter and friendship.
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