Q & A with a Twilight blogger: TWITARDED

The girls who run the TWITARDED blog are not afraid to make fun of Twilight or even themselves, for that matter. As a result, their snarktastic blog posts have won them a loyal following and even a nomination as one of the finalists for "Funniest Blog" in the 2009 BlogLuxe Awards. The two bloggers who run this site go by the names "Jennny Jerkface" and "Snarkier Than You," and they write a wide variety of posts. From pining over a life-size stand of Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen to discussing the possible consquences of coming out of the "Twilight Closet," the TWITARDED girls have yet to encounter a topic related to Twilight they won't cover (or snark at).

Q. Because it needs to be asked: Team Edward or Team Jacob?

JJ: Team Edward. All the way. I guess you could say I like my men with a dangerous side to them. Poor Jacob wouldn't stand a chance.

STY: I’d love to be all diplomatic and say that I’m “Team Switzerland” or something like that, but I am 100% Team Edward. Edward Forever, Jacob Never! (Woot!)

Q. OK, now that that's out of the way, on the rest of the questions. What is your favorite moment(s) in the Twilight series?

JJ: I love the conversation that Edward and Bella have in the car in Twilight when he admits he's a vampire. It was definitely a "squee" moment. I really also enjoyed Rosalie's tale in Eclipse -- it helped me understand why she was just a ... difficult character.

STY: Hmmmm… That’s a good question! I’m not sure if it’s partly because it’s been so inescapable in the Twi-blogdom (or anywhere else for that matter) lately, but Edward and Bella reuniting in New Moon has always been a favorite moment of mine. I missed him so much throughout New Moon that I was practically doing cartwheels when they were finally reunited!

Q. What is your favorite book in the Twilight Saga and why?

JJ: New Moon, hands down. Just as their love story brought back memories of the excitement and anticipation of first love, their break up really struck a chord with me. Her pain was palpable.

STY: Twilight itself will always be nearest and dearest to my heart. I think Midnight Sun is probably my favorite out of everything Stephenie Meyer has written, but I guess it doesn’t really count as an “official” book in the series (yet – c’mon, SM – we want it!!!). From either perspective, I adore the story of Edward and Bella meeting and falling in love.

Q. If you could ask any question of Stephenie Meyer, what would it be?

JJ: Oh boy. I think I would have to ask her what on earth she was thinking when she came up with Renesmee.

STY: I’m sure if I looked hard enough I would find that she had probably already been asked – and answered! – just about any question that I could possibly think of, but I do occasionally wonder if there was ever any consideration given to having the Twilight Saga made into a series before it was committed to the big screen. While there are things I adore about the Twilight movie, I think the reason it also disappointed me on some level is that you simply can’t squish 500 pages of character development into a two-hour movie without losing a quite a bit.

Q. Of all of the vampire abilities, which would you like to possess and why?

JJ: I definitely would NOT want to have mind reading abilities. I don’t want to know what people are thinking about me. I would have to go with Alice’s abilities. In this economy it might be nice to know I’m going to get laid off before it happens…

STY: It’s tempting to say “mind reading!” but I guess when I think of what that would really be like, it would be awful. I don’t think I’d want to be in other people’s heads that much! Um… So I guess Alice’s ability to see the future would be my fave – so many useful applications! In fact, I’d like the whole “Alice Package,” please: excellent fashion sense, ability to see the future, immortal. Yup, that would work for me.

Q. Name three words that describe you.

JJ: Loud. Crass. Dorky.

STY: Flippant. Loyal. And of course Twitarded.

Q. What inspired you to create your own Twilight site?

JJ: Twitarded was really STY’s idea. She was a bit bent that I wouldn’t let her write ‘all Twilight, all the time’ on another blog I was trying to get running. Naturally, about 20 seconds after started Twitarded, the other blog was immediately abandoned and we’ve been happily obsessed ever since. I love to write and Twitarded has given me a great outlet.

STY: Honestly, Twitarded was started as sort of a lark. Or more accurately out of spite: JJ was starting up a non-Twilight themed blog and asked me to write with her. For better or for worse, this was at about the time we had both first read Twilight, and in the middle of my pestering her to tell me exactly how frequently I would be able to post about Twilight (her unacceptable answer being "not every post"), I created TWITARDED. And JJ was on board about two seconds later.

Q. What advice do you have for those who want to create their own Twilight site/blog?

JJ: Have fun with it! The more you enjoy writing about your topic the more others will enjoy reading it. And reach out to your blog community. There are so many great people out there that not only have amazing blogs themselves, but are willing to help you with yours.

STY: Make sure you are madly in love what you’re blogging about and and if at all possible, join forces with a friend. I would never have been able to do this without JJ, and even if it was remotely possible to have gone it alone, it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as fun or rewarding an experience.

Q. What are the pros and cons of being a Twilight fan over the age of 13?

JJ: I honestly don’t think there are really any cons, but that’s only because I’m used to people looking at me like I’m crazy.

The pros, on the other hand, are endless. Not only do I get to read something immensely enjoyable, I get added bonus of running around like a twelve year old with an action figure (very liberating, I assure you), meeting awesome people on line and best of all, writing my own blog. And the fan fiction that is out there is also very beneficial and very, very grown up.

STY: Well, I think we all know the obvious “cons” – embarrassment, hiding your obsession from others, risking ridicule by busting out mini-Edward in public – lol! But the “pros” far outweigh any downsides. I think the intensity of the “first love” story is such a strong pull for the older fans because it really reminds you what that felt like. And revisiting that place and those feelings is incredible. Plus the whole incredible Twilight online community had added an amazing amount of enjoyment to the whole experience for me as I connect with our readers and other bloggers.

Q. Do you feel that the advertising campaign for the Twilight books and films adequately represents the older fan-base? Why or why not?

JJ: I don't think so. I suspect that no one was really prepared for all the 30+ women to go gaga over the series. They really focused on the younger demographic.

STY: I honestly don’t think so. At all. It seems as is the advertising and licensed gear and all that is targeted squarely at the younger fan base, otherwise why would I have to suffer the humiliation of being a card-carrying “Hot Topic Frequent Buyer”?

Stay tuned for next Monday's Q & A with another Twilight blogger over the age of 20. Thank you to all the readers who sent in recommendations for other Twilight bloggers. I have enough suggestions at the moment so please do not send any more.

You can follow TWITARDED online at the following site:

TWITARDED

Like reading about Twilight? Check out these articles:

Stephenie Meyer dazzles in Twilight

More "Twilight" goodies you can sink your teeth into this fall

NECA to release limited edition "Twilight" trading cards

"Eclipse" to begin filming on August 17th

Summit unveils official poster for "New Moon"

EW.com releases 3 exclusive pictures from "New Moon"

Official "New Moon" website goes live

"Twilight" the theme of this year's MTV Movie Awards

Stephenie Meyer's "New Moon" is a heart-breaking, nail-biting tour-de-force

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