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Author Stephenie Meyer, who filled the world's bookshelves with the bloodsucking love of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen is back with a new book — or a new twist on her old book.

"Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined" is a gender-swapped version of her original hit, released on the 10th anniversary of "Twilight." 

Bella is now Beau, a human (to start with, anyway), and Edward is Edythe, a vampire pushing 115. 

Why the switch? Meyer writes in the book's foreword that she wanted to show that Bella wasn't just a damsel in distress — something the books have been criticized for — but a "human in distress." 

The recasting can be seen a response to readers' calls for more strong female characters and women in heroic roles.

On "Good Morning America" today, Meyer said the new version of her characters don't follow the exact same path as "Twilight."

"The further you get in, the more it changes because the personalities get a little bit different, but it starts out very similar," Meyer said. "It really is the same story because it's just a love story and it doesn't matter who's the boy and who's the girl."

It's too early to say how fans will react to "Life and Death," but Meyer's track record is undeniable: Her previous four novels have sold more than 150 million copies, and the film adaptations raked in $3.3 billion.

Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Tracy Mumford

Author

People have criticized Stephenie Meyer for her "damsel in distress" protagonist, Bella Swan. For a 10th anniversary edition, Meyer swapped the genders in her vampiric love story.

'Twilight' author rewrites the original, but swaps characters' genders

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