As some of 你 may have heard, my partial draft of Midnight Sun was illegally 发布 on the Internet and has since been virally distributed without my knowledge 或者 permission 或者 the knowledge 或者 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 给 to trusted individuals for a good purpose. I have no 评论 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 作者 of the Twilight Saga, I control the copyright and it is up to the owner of the copyright to decide when the 图书 should be made public; this is the same for musicians and filmmakers. Just because someone buys a book 或者 movie 或者 song, 或者 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 粉丝 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. 写作 isn't like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way 你 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 粉丝 not read this version of Midnight Sun. It was only an incomplete draft; the 写作 is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I 评论 on this violation without driving 更多 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 你 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 粉丝 who have been so supportive of me over the past three years. I cannot begin to tell 你 how much each of 你 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 更多 time with my family and working on some other 写作 projects.

--Stephenie