Twilight is being re-released with Edward and Bella swapping genders

Twilight author Stephenie Meyer has delighted Twi-harders with the news that she's rewritten the first book of the saga with the genders of the main characters reversed.

The new book, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, features mortal Beaufort Swan, a boy, who meets and falls in love with Edythe Cullen, a female vampire. It is being released to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the best-selling young adult books.

In the foreword to the new novel Meyer writes that she decided to reimagine the first installment of the series to address criticisms over the years that Bella is a "damsel in distress" character totally defined by her relationship with Edward.

The author also hit back at the idea that Bella being "consumed with her love interest" is "somehow just a girl thing."

Meyer said that she sees Bella as:

A normal human being surrounded on all sides by people who are basically superheroes and supervillians.

In the new book, Meyer said the characters of Beau and Edythe have their own quirks. Beau is apparently "more OCD" than Bella, and doesn't carry around the same "chip on her shoulder all the time."

Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined goes on sale in both hardback and e-book editions on Tuesday.

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