the ovenlight saga
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stefanie Mellor
StefMellorWrites@gmail.com
Writing 'Twilight' parody helped Houston woman survive cancer
HOUSTON, Texas 06.01.25 - Like so many others during the pandemic, Stefanie Mellor was unemployed and searching for something to do. Then one day an idea that had lay dormant for over a decade unexpectedly sprang to life.
Years prior, Stefanie and her friends had gone to the theater to see a Twilight parody movie called "Vampires Suck". Feeling very disappointed when the movie was over, she vividly remembers being struck with one thought while still sitting in her theater seat: "I could make a better parody than that was!" Having watched plenty of great comedy movies such as The Princess Bride and Home Alone - and also being a Christian - she knew that she could make a funny movie like these were, but without having any of the vulgar language and content that the movie she had just watched was unnecessarily full of.
A plot was quickly conceived that centered around a girl named Portabella (Ella), who loves pizza so much that it runs through her veins and a mysterious boy at school named Tedwin Collins, whose family eats only cold things and is dangerously drawn to Ella because of her scent.
But after a week or two, the idea stalled and Stefanie forgot about the whole thing - never expecting to think of it again. But 10 years later, when she was searching for something to do during the Covid shutdowns, the idea unexpectedly sprang into her mind again! With nothing else to occupy her time, she embarked on writing her Twilight movie parody, "The Ovenlight Saga - Baking Dough", in January of 2021. Thankfully, ideas came easily this time. The author also had plenty of awkward and embarrassing incidents from her teenage & adolescent years to draw from, making this main character in this adaptation just as delightfully awkward as the original Bella Swan!
Even though the story still takes place mostly in the Pacific Northwest like the Twilight series does, the author adds a fun and distinctive Texas flavor by having the main character move there from Odessa, Texas, instead of Phoenix, Arizona. Some of the references to Texas include: hot & sunny west Texas weather, a run-in with a rattlesnake at camp (true story), an embarrassing experience with spicy Mexican cuisine (also a true story) and two references to the movie Selena! (Plus, there's a potential chupacabra sighting as well!)
Stefanie's plan was to have the book finished and published by that summer, but what she was not expecting was a cancer diagnosis.
"In April of 2021 I was diagnosed with stage 3 endometrial cancer and surgery was scheduled for the first week of June. Realizing my book was not going to be finished by that time, I made a promise to myself: if I survived the surgery, then I would publish my first 10 chapters of my book as part 1 as soon as I was physically able, and finish the rest at a later date."
Surviving surgery and successfully publishing "The Ovenlight Saga: Baking Dough - Part 1" as both an ebook and as a paperback is something Stefanie is very proud of, but the year and a half it took to recover from chemo and radiation was extremely difficult.
"There were many days where I felt like I was "literally" hanging on by a thread, but in addition to hanging on to my faith in God, thinking about this parody and laughing at funny Twilight memes gave me something to take my mind of things and laugh about. So what I really hope to bring to other people's lives is laughter! It's amazing how much of a difference it can make, it helped me so much during some really dark days, and if I can share that gift of laughter with another person who's suffering or struggling too, WOW, what a blessing!!!
"The Ovenlight Saga: Baking Dough-Part 1" is available as a paperback on Amazon, as well as an e-book at these and many other online retailers.
"I laughed out loud I don't know how many times! All in all this was a really fun read!" Cassie B. Texas
"THANK YOU for bringing this absolute ✨️GEM✨️ into this world!!! I have never had a book make me actually laugh out loud!...It had all my
favorite references from all movies in one! I think Stefanie definitely hit the nail on the head with making a way better parody then "Vampires
Suck" and she did it without and crude/raunchy scenes and no curse words. This seriously needs to get picked up and made into a movie!
Thank you Stefanie Mellor for fighting cancer to bring us this masterpiece. We appreciate you and what you bring to the world of twilight. I cannot
wait for part two!" Ashlyn R. - Illinois
About the author: Stefanie Mellor is from the Midland/Odessa area of west Texas and currently resides in the Houston area, where she enjoys being an aunt to 3 great kids. Her favorite genre of movies and TV shows is comedy, some of her favorites being Encino Man, The Princess Bride, The Office, Home Alone, The Wedding Singer, The Goldbergs, and Studio C.
To follow "The Ovenlight Saga" on social media, or for more information about Stefanie, her cancer journey or her book, please visit:
###
--
Sincerely,
Stefanie Mellor - author of "The Ovenlight Saga: Baking Dough - Part 1"
available for order on Amazon Books (paperback and ebook), Barnes & Noble, Apple and other online retailers
Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the release of
The Ovenlight Saga: Baking Dough - Part 2!
For more information about my book, my cancer/menopause journey or my bio, please visit my linktree for more info: www.linktr.ee/ovenlightsaga