✨📚 Hey! Hi! Hello!

In this episode of Chickling Chronicles, we’re cracking open the sparkly, storm-clouded pages of Twilight, yes, the books, and asking: How did a saga this flawed become so unforgettable?

We’ll revisit each installment, from the swoony meadow of Twilight to the unhinged chaos of Breaking Dawn, and talk about:

• Why Bella Swan is more blank slate than badass
• Why Edward Cullen’s behavior would get anyone else a restraining order
• Why Jacob imprinting on a baby still makes us go 👀😬
• And how a self-insert fantasy from a dream in 2003 became a billion-dollar genre juggernaut

More importantly? We’ll dig into what writers can learn from the mess

So grab your glitter, brace for the drama, and maybe bring a chagrin counter… we’re going back to Forks.

💬 Whether you’re Team Edward, Team Jacob, or Team “they all need a long nap and several therapists,” you’ll find something to scream (or laugh) about in this deep-dive.

💌 Links & Extras

Craving more moody forests and paranormal messiness? Check out ⁠linktr.ee/chicklingchronicles for The Missing Reflection (available now!), my socials, spooky bonus content, and other behind-the-scenes fun.

💬 Got Twilight opinions? Drop a ✨, 🩸, or 🐺 in the comments or your review—I read them all and scream into the void with you.

📚 Resources & Further Reading/Watching

The Twilight Saga (Stephenie Meyer):

• Twilight (2005)
• New Moon (2006)
• Eclipse (2007)
• Breaking Dawn (2008)
• The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (2010)
• Life and Death (2015)
• Midnight Sun (2020)

Critique, Commentary, and Cultural Context:

• Edward Is a Vampire (podcast) – thoughtful, hilarious, and brutally honest
• Magic by Mikaila (YouTube) – commentary gold with razor-sharp insights and reenactments
• Team Jacob: The Evolution of a YA Werewolf by Shani Silver (essay)
• The Problem with Twilight’s Romance – Lindsay Ellis (video essay archive)
• Stephanie Meyer and the Rise of YA Paranormal Romance – BookRiot article

Craft & Writing Analysis:

• Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
• The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
• Writing Irresistible Kidlit by Mary Kole
• You’re Allowed to Write Cringey First Drafts – and Twilight proves it

✨🩸 Hey! Hi! Hello!

In this episode of Chickling Chronicles, we’re sinking our teeth into the bloodlines and fur-covered folklore that gave rise to Twilight’s iconic monsters.

We’ll unearth terrifying origins like Mesopotamia’s restless ekimmu, the Philippines’ winged manananggal, and Greece’s cursed King Lycaon, before fast-forwarding to Dracula, The Wolf Man, Buffy, The Lost Boys, and of course… Twilight.

Why do these creatures endure? What do they represent about desire, rage, and transformation? And most importantly, how can writers still make vampires and werewolves feel fresh without recycling the same old tropes?

So light the candle, sharpen your stake, and maybe grab a silver bullet; we’re diving deep into the true lore that still howls in our imaginations.

🧛‍♂️🐺 If you’ve ever argued Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, or secretly drafted your own monster romance, this one’s for you.

💌 Links & Extras

Curious about my own eerie tale? Check out ⁠⁠linktr.ee/chicklingchronicles⁠⁠ for The Missing Reflection (available now!), plus all my socials, bonus content, and spooky behind-the-scenes ramblings.

📬 Want to tell me your favorite vampire or werewolf story? Drop a ✨, 🩸, or 🐾 in the comments on YouTube or DM me on Instagram. I live for this stuff.

📚 Sources I Used & Further Reading/Watching

Folklore & Myth

• Mesopotamian Ekimmu (restless spirits)

• Babylonian Lilitu / Lilith traditions

• Filipino Manananggal

• Indian Vetala

• Ghanaian Asanbosam

• Japanese Nukekubi

• Greek myth: King Lycaon

• Norse Berserkers and wolf-warriors

Classic Literature & Media

• Bram Stoker – Dracula (1897)

• Sheridan Le Fanu – Carmilla (1872)

• Anne Rice – Interview with the Vampire (1976) & The Vampire Chronicles

• Stephen King – ‘Salem’s Lot (1975), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983)

• Annette Curtis Klause – Blood and Chocolate (1997)

• L.J. Smith – The Vampire Diaries (1991–1992)

• Amelia Atwater-Rhodes – In the Forests of the Night (1999)

Film & TV

• Nosferatu (1922)

• Dracula (1931) – Bela Lugosi

• The Wolf Man (1941)

• An American Werewolf in London (1981)

• The Howling (1981)

• The Lost Boys (1987)

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992 film; 1997–2003 TV series)

• Interview with the Vampire (1994 film; 2022 TV series)

• Silver Bullet (1985)

• Teen Wolf (2011–2017, MTV series)

• Twilight Saga (2005–2008 books; 2008–2012 films)

• The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare (2007–2014 books; 2013 film; Shadowhunters TV, 2016–2019)

Modern Takes & Writing Inspiration

• Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Certain Dark Things (2016)

• Grady Hendrix – The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires (2020)

• Wendy Xu & Suzanne Walker – Mooncakes (2019)

• Billy Martin (formerly Poppy Z. Brite) – Lost Souls (1992)

• What We Do in the Shadows (2014 film; 2019– TV series)

• Hemlock Grove (2012 novel; 2013–2015 Netflix series)

✨🍿 Hey! Hi! Hello!
Ever wondered how your favorite books make the leap from paperback to popcorn? In this episode of Chickling Chronicles, we’re pulling back the curtain on the messy, magical, and sometimes maddening world of book-to-screen adaptations.

We’ll dig into:
🎬 What actually counts as an adaptation (spoiler: not everything you think does!)
📖 The behind-the-scenes business of optioning—and why so many books get stuck in “development hell”
👀 The genres Hollywood loves (fantasy, thrillers, and romance/romantasy) and the ones that struggle to survive the pitch room
⚡ The Percy Jackson saga—from Rick Riordan’s heartbreak over the movies to his redemption arc as executive producer of the Disney+ series
📱 How social media is shaping which books studios choose (yes, BookTok is basically a talent scout now)

So whether you’re a writer secretly manifesting your Netflix call-up, or a reader who can’t stop saying “the book was better,” this one’s for you.

🖤 At the end of the day, adaptations aren’t just about business—they’re about stories powerful enough to be retold again and again.

💌 Links & Extras
Curious about The Missing Reflection—my own eerie, twisty thriller? Head to ⁠⁠linktr.ee/chicklingchronicles⁠⁠ for the book, my socials, and all the behind-the-scenes extras.

💬 Let’s make this interactive: drop a 🎬 emoji in your review or the comments if you’ve got a book-to-movie win… or flop… that you’ll never stop talking about.

📚 Sources I Used & Further Reading/Watching

Books & Authors Mentioned
• Thomas Harris – The Silence of the Lambs (1988)
• Liane Moriarty – Big Little Lies (2014)
• Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman – Good Omens (1990)
• Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl (2012); Sharp Objects (2006)
• Delia Owens – Where the Crawdads Sing (2018)
• Erin Morgenstern – The Night Circus (2011)
• Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale (1985)
• Diana Gabaldon – Outlander series (1991– )
• Walter Tevis – The Queen’s Gambit (1983)
• Renée Ahdieh – The Wrath & the Dawn (2015)
• Caroline Kepnes – You (2014)
• Julia Quinn – The Bridgerton series (2000– )
• Sarah J. Maas – A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015) [announced at Hulu]
• Holly Jackson – A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2019)
• Leigh Bardugo – Shadow and Bone (2012) & Six of Crows (2015)
• Celeste Ng – Little Fires Everywhere (2017)
• George R.R. Martin – A Song of Ice and Fire (1996– )
• Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2005–2009)
• Michael Crichton – Jurassic Park (1990)

Film/TV Examples
• Game of Thrones (2011–2019, HBO)
• The Handmaid’s Tale (2017– , Hulu)
• Big Little Lies (2017–2019, HBO)
• Outlander (2014– , Starz)
• You (2018– , Netflix)
• Bridgerton (2020– , Netflix)
• Sharp Objects (2018, HBO)
• The Queen’s Gambit (2020, Netflix)
• Shadow and Bone (2021–2023, Netflix)
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023– , Disney+)
• Daisy Jones & The Six (2023, Amazon Prime)
• Jurassic Park (1993, Universal Pictures)

Author Quotes & Commentary Sources
• Rick Riordan on Percy Jackson movies: “life’s work through a meat grinder” – Read Riordan Blog / Tumblr Posts, 2020• Rick Riordan on not watching the films: Variety interview, May 2020• Rick Riordan on Disney+ reboot: “We’re going to do it right. Or not at all.” – Entertainment Weekly, Dec 2020• Neil Gaiman on adaptations: “You don’t have to do it the way I did. You just have to do it well.” – The Guardian, 2017• Margaret Atwood on The Handmaid’s Tale: “You don’t get to be the boss of your book once it’s out there.” – The New York Times, 2017• Gillian Flynn on adapting Gone Girl: Vanity Fair interview, 2014