Twilight author Stephenie Meyer has found an innovative way to launch her book tour.
The novelist, whose Midnight Sun is slated for publication on Aug. 4, will kick off her tour with an in-person appearance at a drive-in movie theater, Publishers Weekly reports.
The socially-distanced event, sponsored by indie bookstore Ballast Book Company, will take place at the Skyline Drive-In Theatre in Shelton, Wash., on Aug. 7. Meyer will answer questions from the audience, who afterward will watch a special screening of the film adaptation of Twilight.
In a blog post, Meyer urged attendees of the event to “follow ALL of the safety guidelines the bookstores and drive-ins have laid out for you.”
“Wear a mask if you have to leave your car,” she wrote. “Be patient and courteous to the wonderful staff who will be running the events. Basically, let’s not any of us be Typhoid Mary, please!”
Meyer will follow up the event with a virtual appearance at Rhode Island’s Rustic Tri View Drive-In on Aug. 8. That event is sponsored by An Unlikely Story, a Massachusetts bookstore owned by Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney.
The event in Washington is already sold out, but Meyer’s fans will still have a chance to virtually see the author. She’ll be appearing at an online event sponsored by Books-A-Million on Aug. 10, and another one sponsored by Barnes Noble on Aug. 14.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
