By Hannah Stewart, ’12, A&E Editor
Mrs. Pat Dunn, the English Department Chair at Cincinnati Country Day School, is collaborating on a supernatural series with Stephenie Meyer, the famed author of the books in the Twilight Saga. The pair met online at a Danielle Steel message board that celebrates the popular romance novelist.
Dunn says that she and the author argued for hours over the true context of one of Steel’s classic romance novels, A Good Woman. “Danielle has a clear mastery over the English language, so it’s not surprising that Steph-I mean, Stephenie- and I had each read the book with a different perspective. We debated the meaning of the complex double entendres and metaphors which are common in Danielle Steel’s books. Ultimately, we both agreed that Danielle Steel is the greatest author of this generation- with Stephenie Meyer at a close second, of course. Stephenie has graciously accepted my invitation to join my formerly two-person book club- compromised of Mr. Dunn and me- which is completely dedicated to Danielle Steel novels.”
Students have noticed the strong bond between Stephenie Meyer and Mrs. Dunn- some have even complained that Mrs. Dunn now endlessly texts with her good friend instead of teaching class! “Once we had a video conference with Meyer to discuss the relevance of romance novels in literature, but Mrs. Dunn and that vampire novelist got into a heated discussion on whether Edward or Jacob was more attractive for the whole class!” one anonymous student said.
The English teacher gushes about Meyer when prompted, saying that “Meyer was at first a tad too brusque for my sensitive, timid demeanor, but her assertive arguments have helped me slowly come out of my shell.”
Meyer did not return any phone calls- Mrs. Dunn informed The Scroll that the pair, accompanied by Mr. Dunn, are on a spa vacation in Florida and that the novelist can only relax if she stays silent for her whole stay. Dunn tells The Scroll that since “Steph-I mean, Stephenie- has generously offered to be my mentor, I am going to follow her lead, get a French manicure, take a vow of silence for a week following this phone call, and only read teen romance novels with her and my husband.”
Mrs. Dunn was careful not to reveal too much about the premise of her collaborative series with Stephenie Meyer, only stating that all the characters will be fairies, and that it will be based on Mr. and Mrs. Dunn’s supposed story of how they fell in love.
