Stephenie Meyer's New 'Twilight' Book Introduces a Surprising New Heroine

Well before "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" hits theaters on June 30, "Twilight" fans will be treated to a new glimpse into author Stephenie Meyer's vampire universe.
On June 5, the 36-year-old multimillionaire author will release "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner," a novella that takes place concurrently with the events in the third "Twilight" book, "Eclipse." Only this time, the bloody tale of revenge and romance will be told from the perspective of Bree, a "newborn" vampire recruited by antagonist Victoria (to be played by Bryce Dallas Howard in the upcoming film) to kill human heroine Bella Swan (played, of course, by Kristen Stewart).
If fans are confounded by the news that a minor character from the series is the star of the first "Twilight" book in two years, they're not the only ones. "It's a surprise...I never intended to publish this story as a stand-alone book," Meyer says on her website. "I began this story a long time ago-before Twilight was even released. Back then I was just editing Eclipse, and in the thick of my vampire world.... I started writing from Bree's perspective about those final days, and what it was like to be a newborn."
The short story was originally slated for the upcoming tome The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide, but when Meyer's publisher informed her it was far too lengthy for inclusion, they decided to release it as a separate book instead.
Anyone skeptical that the wildly successful vampire-genre author is just trying to bleed her fans for more money can rest easy-starting June 7 at noon and until July 5, the entire story will be available at www.breetanner.com for free. "You all have bought a ton of my books," Meyer noted on her site. "I wanted to give you this story as a gift."
The book will also be released in hardcover by Little, Brown on June 5. One dollar from the first 1.5 million copies sold in the U.S. will go to will go to the American Red Cross International Response Fund to help ease crises like those in Chile and Haiti.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW
Before Meyer decided to release "Bree Tanner" to the public, however, this short story was lent to "Eclipse" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg to help her understand how Victoria-the vampire set on making Bella and Edward pay for her lover's death-created her army of newborn vampires, and to provide details of the vampires' feeding frenzy in Seattle.
Readers of the novel may recall Bree's unique role in Eclipse-she was the only newborn vampire left alive after the Cullens (the good bloodsuckers) triumphed. But as the title indicates, Bree's second life didn't last very long. After being tortured by a member of the Volturi, Jane (played by Dakota Fanning in the film), Bree was destroyed for breaking the cardinal vampire rule: Don't reveal yourself recklessly to humans.