As some of 당신 may have heard, my partial draft of Midnight Sun was illegally 게시됨 on the Internet and has since been virally distributed without my knowledge 또는 permission 또는 the knowledge 또는 permission of my publisher.

I have a good idea of how the leak happened as there were very few copies of Midnight Sun that left my possession and each was unique. Due to little changes I made to the manuscript at different times, I can tell when each left my possession and to whom it was given. The manuscript that was illegally distributed on the Internet was given to trusted individuals for a good purpose. I have no 코멘트 beyond that as I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution.

I did not want my readers to experience Midnight Sun before it was completed, edited and published. I think it is important for everybody to understand that what happened was a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being. As the author of the Twilight Saga, I control the copyright and it is up to the owner of the copyright to decide when the 책 should be made public; this is the same for musicians and filmmakers. Just because someone buys a book 또는 movie 또는 song, 또는 gets a download off the Internet, doesn't mean that they own the right to reproduce and distribute it. Unfortunately, with the Internet, it is easy for people to obtain and share items that do not legally belong to them. No matter how this is done, it is still dishonest. This has been a very upsetting experience for me, but I hope it will at least leave my 팬 with a better understanding of copyright and the importance of artistic control.

So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. 글쓰기 isn't like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way 당신 feel changes everything. If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely.

I'd rather my 팬 not read this version of Midnight Sun. It was only an incomplete draft; the 글쓰기 is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I 코멘트 on this violation without driving 더 많이 people to look for the illegal posting? It has taken me a while to decide how and if I could respond. But to end the confusion, I've decided to make the draft available here (at the end of this message on the Midnight Sun page). This way, my readers don't have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay honest. I hope this fragment gives 당신 further insight into Edward's head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story. That's what inspired me to write it in the first place.

I do want to take a moment and thank the wonderful 팬 who have been so supportive of me over the past three years. I cannot begin to tell 당신 how much each of 당신 means to me. I only hope this note will stop all the confusion and online speculation so that the Twilight universe can once again become the happy escape it used to be. After this incredibly busy year, I am now focusing on spending 더 많이 time with my family and working on some other 글쓰기 projects.

--Stephenie