Driving up from his job in Seattle, Brandon DeClue arrived at the Bothell Fred Meyer around 3:15 p.m. March 19.

For an event scheduled to start at 10 p.m.

And that was after he’d been up since 2:30 a.m. the night before. The effort was all so that his wife Tessa DeClue could be first in line – and indeed she was – for the midnight DVD release of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”

The couple were two of the 150 or more who waited hours to be among the first to grab a copy of the DVD but also for the chance to meet and greet screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who so far has adapted three of the hugely popular “Twilight” novels for the screen, including “New Moon” and the upcoming “Eclipse.”

At 26, Tessa DeCue admitted she is maybe a little older than the teenage girls most people think of as fans of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire/romance novels, set in rainy western Washington.

Still, the late night crowd at Fred Meyer was probably split between teenage girls and older fans. Many were moms waiting in lines with their daughters, but many of those moms were also fans in their own right.

“I just think they’re fantastic books for anybody who likes a good story and they’ve been great movies so far,” said Jessie Rachael, who was hoping to get two autograph’s from writer Rosenberg, one for daughter Nancy (who couldn’t make it to the store) and one for herself.

“’Twilight’ is just about something you’ll never, never encounter in real life,” Tessa DeClue said. “But it’s sweet and it’s sad and it makes you want to live in that other world.”

As the fans waited for Rosenberg to appear, there was plenty of picture taking and debate over the respective qualities of “Twilight” heroes Edward and Jacob. “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” T-shirts were common.

Rosenberg answered questions from fans for about half an hour prior to the DVD sale. She dropped what might be a few hints about upcoming “Twilight” films. Rosenberg is still in talks to pen the fourth movie in the series, “Breaking Dawn.” However, she is hoping “Breaking Dawn” actually will be two films.

“There’s a lot of story to tell,” Rosenberg said, “so it’s either going to be two movies or one really long one.”

At one point, Rosenberg simply threw up her hands and said, emphatically, “Yes.”

The question: Is Edward (actor Robert Pattinson ) as cute in real life as he is in the movies.

Prior to meeting the fans in the front of the store, Rosenberg said she believes “Twilight,” with its melancholy love affair between a human and a vampire, appeals to something basic in both men and women.

“Certainly the fantasy element is attractive,” she said. “But I think it’s a universal wish… to be seen as special by someone who is special.”

Also a writer and producer for the Showtime series “Dexter,” Rosenberg said she worked extensively with author Meyer on the “Twilight” movies. Rosenberg said she was at first nervous about Meyer’s input.

“But she’s a very collaborative person,” Rosenberg said. “She trusted her mythology.”