The Secret Life of Vampires

"Breaking Dawn," the final book in the mega-successful "Twilight" series, about a sexy vampire named Edward and the girl who loves him, goes on sale Aug. 2. Author Stephenie Meyer talked to Susan Elgin about books, boys and blood:

Edward is so perfect—you've ruined regular men for a lot of teens. Do you feel bad?
Oh, a little bit, I guess. I just wanted to write for myself, a fantasy. And that's what Edward is. But it could be a good thing, too. There's nothing wrong with having high expectations, right?

Has there ever been an Edward in your life?
No, no, I wish. I've had very typical, normal, human relationships my whole life.

No vampires?
No, none of that goofy, swoony stuff. I was always a little grown-up for my age.

How do you kill your version of vampires?
If you tear them apart, they can be reassembled. But you can't burn them while they're still together because, well, obviously they can run faster than that. You must tear them apart and then burn them, to be sure.

That's pretty graphic.
Yeah, they're actually really flammable once you rip them apart. The venom is flammable.